Inter-Tech Elektronik Handels GmbH is a company based in Germany and was founded in 1996. Since then, the main focus has been on the Europe-wide distribution of OEM and retail hardware for PC systems. Originally, the portfolio mainly comprised PC cases and power supply units. However, this has since been expanded to include numerous divisions such as fans, peripherals, hard disk enclosures and adapters. In August 2024, Inter-Tech once again expanded its portfolio in the area of CPU coolers. One of these new products is the Inter-Tech Argus Iceman B-120 compact water cooling system, which we are testing today.
The Inter-Tech Argus Iceman B-120 is a simple compact water cooling system with a 120 mm fan and a non-illuminated 120 mm fan and pump block. The Inter-Tech Argus Iceman B-120 is also highly compatible with many old and new sockets. If you want to buy the Inter-Tech Argus Iceman B-120, you currently have to put € 58.08 * on the counter.
Inter-Tech Argus Iceman B-120 review: Technical details
General specifications |
|
| Dimensions (with fan, L x W x H) | 155 x 120 x 52 mm |
| Weight (with fan) | 770 g |
| Compatibility AMD | AM3 / AM4 / AM5 |
| Intel compatibility | LGA 775 / 115X / 1200 / 1366 / 1200 / 1700 / 1800 |
| Cooling capacity |
200 W |
| price |
€ 58.08 * |
Radiator specifications/ heat sink specifications |
|
| Type | Soldered radiator |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 155 x 120 x 27 mm |
| Radiator material | Aluminum |
Fan specifications |
|
| Number of fans | 1 |
| Fan designation | A1225M12S |
| Bearing type | hydrodynamic plain bearing (FDB) |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 120 x 120 x 25 mm |
| Fan speed | 900 ~ 1800 rpm |
| Max. Noise level | 35.4 db(A) |
| Max. Volume flow | 135 m³/h |
| Max. Air pressure | 1.99 mm H2O |
| Lighting | N/A |
| Rated voltage (fan) | 12 V |
| Rated voltage (LED) | N/A |
| Rated current (fan) | < 0,25 A |
| Rated current (LED) | N/A |
| Nominal power (fan) | 3 W |
| Rated power (LED) | N/A |
| Connection (fan) | 4-pin PWM |
| Connection (LED) | N/A |
| Fan cable length | 500 mm + 100 mm (Y-splitter) |
| LED cable length | N/A |
Pump specifications |
|
| Pump dimensions | 80.3 x 71 x 41 mm |
| Cold plate material | Copper |
| Speed (pump) | 2500 rpm |
| Rated voltage (pump) | 12 V |
| Nominal voltage (LED) | N/A |
| Rated current (pump) | N/A |
| Rated current (LED) | N/A |
| Nominal power (pump) | N/A |
| Nominal power (LED) | N/A |
| Connection (pump) | 3-pin |
| Connection (LED) | N/A |
| Hose length |
350 mm |
Packaging & scope of delivery
Even with the smallest model in the Iceman series, the design of the packaging remains identical. The color black dominates and all texts are kept white. In addition to two illustrations on the front and back of the box, we also find a rough product description and a table with the most important technical data.
The manufacturer also places all components of the Inter-Tech Argus Iceman B-120 in a mold made of recycled cardboard and wraps the radiator and pump in an additional plastic film. In addition to the radiator-pump combination with pre-assembled 120 mm fan, the package contents also include assembly instructions and a bag with all assembly materials, thermal paste and a spatula.
Design & workmanship
The radiator of the smallest variant from the Iceman series is visually very simple and is also made of aluminum. It is painted black and has no lettering or other accents or RGB lighting. The 120 mm radiator also has a standard depth of 27 millimetres.
The 350 millimeter long tubes were pressed into metal sleeves on both sides, which means that the closed circuit cannot be refilled or serviced. To optimize the look, Argus also encases the rubber hoses in a tightly woven nylon mesh. The very flexible joints on the CPU block, which can be rotated by almost 180 degrees, are another positive feature.
The housing of the CPU block conceals a two-chamber system and a pump with ceramic bearings. The connection to the mainboard is made via a 3-pin 12V connection and brings the pump to a maximum speed of 2500 revolutions per minute. The cooler base consists of a cleanly polished copper plate and the black-painted pump housing is also made of metal. The absence of RGB lighting, lettering or logos continues with the smallest model.
The supplied A1225M12S fan has a frame width of 120 millimeters and consists of a black fan frame and a black rotor with nine blades. Each is controlled via a 4-pin PWM connector and enables speeds between 900 and 1800 revolutions per minute. The manufacturer also equips the fans with rubberized surfaces on all eight corners for decoupling purposes.
With a total weight of 770 grams, the Inter-Tech Argus Iceman B-120 is even lighter than many mid-range and high-end air coolers. On the other hand, with its dimensions of 155 x 120 x 52 millimeters, it is very compact and especially suitable for small form factor systems. In terms of the general build quality, we were also unable to detect any paint or other processing defects on the Iceman B-120.
Inter-Tech Argus Iceman B-120 Test: Assembly
For the review, a test system is used which is mounted on a benchtable. This allows us to rule out factors such as heat build-up in the case. The test system consists of the following components.
- AMD Ryzen 5 1400 @ 3.8 GHz at 1.175V*
- ASUS TUF Gaming B550M-Plus*
- Crucial Ballistix Sport LT gray 32 GB DDR4-3000*
- TeamGroup T-Create Classic PCIe 4.0 DL*
- Gigabyte AORUS GTX 1060 6G*
- LC-Power LC550 V2.31 Platinum Series 550W*
The assembly on our AMD test system was completed quickly and only required a few assembly steps. First, the factory Intel frame had to be removed from the CPU block and the AMD frame attached. This process only requires a little force in the thumbs and no tools. We then attached the supplied retaining lugs to the frame, applied thermal paste and screwed the CPU block to the AMD retention module.
With Intel, the CPU block is mounted using a supplied plastic backplate and corresponding spacers with which the backplate is screwed to the mainboard. The frame on the CPU block is then connected to the spacers.
Especially with an AMD system, the entire assembly process was very easy to understand and completed quickly. Although we were unable to implement the Intel assembly, it is very similar to the assembly systems of numerous other manufacturers and appears solid. We would describe the scope of the assembly instructions and the steps shown as sufficient.
Cooling performance and volume
As already shown in the previous chapter, we use an AM4 system based on the Ryzen 5 1400 and the ASUS TUF Gaming B550M-Plus as test hardware. The Ryzen runs overclocked to 3.8 GHz at 1.175 V CPU voltage. To heat up the processor, it was loaded with Prime95 (Small FFTs) for 30 minutes. The temperature of the CPU was then read out with the CPUID hardware monitor. The room temperature was always around 20 °C during the measurements.
| wdt_ID | CPU-Kühler | Temperatur Minimaldrehzahl (in °C) | Temperatur 50% PWM (in °C) | Temperatur 100% PWM (in °C) | Minimale Lüftergeschwindigkeit (in U/min) | Lüftergeschwindigkeit bei 50% PWM (in U/min) | Lüftergeschwindigkeit bei 100% PWM (in U/min) | Minimale Pumpengeschwindigkeit (in U/min) | Pumpengeschwindigkeit bei 50% PWM (in U/min) | Pumpengeschwindigkeit bei 100% PWM (in U/min) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 123 | Thermaltake TH280 V2 ARGB | 0,00 | 46,60 | 45,90 | 550 | 1.200 | 1.800 | 680 | 2.100 | 3.200 |
| 124 | Cooler Master MasterLiquid 240 Atmos ARGB | 0,00 | 50,40 | 46,50 | 560 | 1.340 | 2.270 | 1.965 | 6.620 | 10.230 |
| 125 | be quiet! Pure Loop 2 240mm | 0,00 | 50,70 | 46,70 | 800 | 1.070 | 2.080 | 4.150 | 4.700 | 5.530 |
| 126 | Alpenföhn Panorama 2 | 0,00 | 76,00 | 66,80 | 450 | 1.450 | 2.720 | |||
| 127 | Alpenföhn Brocken 4 | 0,00 | 53,60 | 49,60 | 410 | 870 | 1.610 | |||
| 128 | AMD Wraith Stealth | 95,00 | 95,00 | 76,00 | 800 | 1.430 | 2.630 | |||
| 129 | Corsair A115 | 0,00 | 49,40 | 46,90 | 190 | 920 | 1.560 | |||
| 130 | Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE | 0,00 | 49,50 | 47,50 | 350 | 1.050 | 1.680 | |||
| 131 | Thermalright Assassin X 120 SE | 0,00 | 53,60 | 50,60 | 340 | 1.070 | 1.690 | |||
| 132 | DeepCool Assassin IV (Silent) | 0,00 | 51,40 | 48,70 | 500 | 860 | 1.330 | |||
| CPU-Kühler | Temperatur Minimaldrehzahl (in °C) | Temperatur 50% PWM (in °C) | Temperatur 100% PWM (in °C) | Minimale Lüftergeschwindigkeit (in U/min) | Lüftergeschwindigkeit bei 50% PWM (in U/min) | Lüftergeschwindigkeit bei 100% PWM (in U/min) | Minimale Pumpengeschwindigkeit (in U/min) | Pumpengeschwindigkeit bei 50% PWM (in U/min) | Pumpengeschwindigkeit bei 100% PWM (in U/min) |
As can be seen from the table and the diagram, the CPU of our test system reaches a maximum of 53 °C (minimum speed), 51.2 °C (at 50% PWM fan and pump speed) and 46.8 °C (at 100% PWM fan and pump speed) under full load. This places the Inter-Tech Argus Iceman B-120 more in the midfield and unfortunately also behind some air coolers. The strongest competitors are, for example, the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE and the Arctic Freezer 36 Black, which not only cool better, but are also significantly cheaper.
In terms of noise, we can only repeat what we said in the test of the 360 and 240 variants. The minimum fan speed of 900 revolutions per minute is relatively high, which leads to a certain background noise even at idle. The same applies to the pump, which emits a certain “whirring” noise when throttled.
Conclusion of the Inter-Tech Argus Iceman B-120 test
Now we come to the conclusion of the Inter-Tech Argus Iceman B-120 test. Positive aspects of the Inter-Tech Argus Iceman B-120 are the very good build quality and the discreet appearance, which should match all other PC components well in terms of color. In addition, this AiO water cooling system has a neat and simple mounting system, which makes it possible to mount it on many older and of course all current sockets.
Once again, the rather high minimum speed of the fan and the whirring of the pump at higher speeds were noticed negatively. However, we consider the cooling performance shown to be much more problematic in relation to the purchase price and in comparison to various air coolers such as the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE or Arctic Freezer 36 Black.
Meanwhile, AiO water cooling systems with 120 mm radiators have a hard time. In terms of price and cooling performance, they often lose out to cheaper air coolers and in many cases are even louder and more susceptible due to the pump. The Inter-Tech Argus Iceman B-120 really only makes sense if it is installed in a very narrow SFF case where otherwise only a much more compact air cooler would fit. Otherwise, we would always recommend one of the aforementioned air coolers or an AiO water cooler with a larger radiator.
Inter-Tech Argus Iceman B-120
Design
Processing
Assembly
Performance
Price-performance ratio
79/100
The Inter-Tech Argus Iceman B-120 offers decent workmanship, a discreet appearance and a very good mounting system with high compatibility. However, due to the radiator size, it has to admit defeat to significantly cheaper air coolers in terms of cooling.
