Arctic liquid freezer ii 240 review: Arctic Cooling Liquid Freezer II 240 RGB AIO CPU Cooler Review

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Introduction, Packaging & BundleTesting MethodologyTesting ResultsFinal Words & Conclusion

Arctic Cooling is a company originating from Switzerland and has risen to prominence for their advanced cooling solutions. The company was founded back in 2001 and offered some of the best thermal compounds available at the time. Today, cooling products remain the core focus of the company, but they also offer a few other products as well, such as advanced monitor mounts and audio peripherals.

Over the past several months, Arctic Cooling has been picking up from a dry spell in top-tier CPU coolers, having gone a few years since their previous release. Last year, the company introduced the first parts in their their Liquid Freezer II all-in-one liquid cooling series, expanding the range as the months went by. A few weeks ago the company announced the release of the massive Liquid Freezer II 420, triple-fan AIO cooler that holds not three 120mm fans – as is usually the case with triple-fan coolers – but three even larger 140 mm fans. Arctic Cooling set out to cover the market from bottom to top with their Liquid Freezer II coolers, and the introduction of a 420mm design has certainly cemented that status.

In this review, we are taking a look at a couple of Arctic Cooling’s Liquid Freezer II coolers. We’re of course diving into the behemoth 420 AIO cooler, but also the much more sensible 240mm version of the cooler. How well does such a large cooler perform with regards to thermals and noise? And just how much better does that make the super-sized cooler over the more normal, widely compatible version of the same cooler? Let’s find out.

Packaging & Bundle

Arctic Cooling supplies the Liquid Freezer II series in relatively simple but sturdy recyclable cardboard boxes. The artwork on the box is based on a schematic of the cooler itself, with plenty of information regarding the cooler on the backside of the box. Inside the box, we found the coolers and their parts well protected by cardboard inserts and nylon bags.

The bundle supplied with the Liquid Freezer II coolers is the same regardless of the cooler’s size. Unfortunately, the MX-4 thermal compound that the company advertises to be included is a single dose, not a whole tube. The rest of the bundle consists of the necessary mounting hardware, all in black color. There is no paper manual but there is a card with a QR code, which in turn leads to an downloadable manual.

The Arctic Cooling Freezer II 240 / 420 Coolers

As expected, the main difference between the 240 and 420 versions of the Freezer II is the size of their radiators and fans. Other than that, the two all-in-one (AIO) liquid coolers are identical, using the same main block and tubing. The core design of the coolers is the typical AIO configuration of a single radiator, two hoses, and a block that combines the CPU contact plate and a miniature liquid pump. One major divergence compared to competitive products is that the fans are already installed onto the radiators and everything is pre-wired, with the whole assembly powered by a single 4-pin connector coming out of the block. And while pre-assembly isn’t strictly necessary for an AIO cooler, anyone who has assembled a cooler can probably appreciate the time saved by not having to line up screws, power cable orientations, etc. Furthermore, recognizing that some users may want to reconfigure and reassemble the cooler anyhow, the company’s designers added regular fan connectors onto the radiator, meaning that one can seamlessly replace the fans if needed.

Arctic Cooling is using high-density rubber for minimal long-term evaporation that should last for the lifetime of the cooler, with no filling/service ports to be found. The hoses are protected by a nylon sleeve with a circular dual silver thread design. The nylon sleeve also hides the cable that powers the fans. Chromed metal press fittings are used to secure the tubing on both ends.

The radiators of the Arctic Cooling Freezer II AIO coolers are dual-pass cross-flow designs with tiny fins soldered on thin oblong tubes, yet they are not based on the same exact design that most AIO coolers use. Regardless of variant, all of Arctic Cooling’s Freezer II radiators are rectangular constructs that are significantly thicker than standard designs, measuring 38 mm thick without the fans and nearly 65 mm with the stock fans attached. The 420 version of the Freezer II also sports the largest radiator we have seen used by an AIO cooler to this date and comes with three 140 mm fans installed. It is not the longest, as there were a few 4×120mm (480) radiators circulating the market over the past few years but, even compared to these, it has significantly more heat exchange area. Consequently, case compatibility may be a challenge for this behemoth.

The main block assembly of the Freezer II is short and relatively simple, with one major difference discerning it from most competitive products – there is a small 40 mm fan attached to it. This fan has practically nothing to do with the cooling of the CPU itself but is meant to provide some airflow to the motherboard’s power circuitry that would normally be cooled by the air cooler’s airflow. Other than that, the assembly includes the copper contact plate and the mini pump.

The square copper contact plate is not machined down to a complete mirror finish but is very smooth. It is large enough for most commercial processors but will not cover a ThreadRipper processor, for which the Freezer II coolers have no stock support for out of the box.

Testing Methodology
Introduction, Packaging & BundleTesting MethodologyTesting ResultsFinal Words & Conclusion

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Review Arctic Liquid Freezer II — 360 A-RGB. Liquid cooling with heat dissipation from VRM

As part of the «Laboratory», we tested the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360 with an interesting implementation of the water block, in which an additional fan was installed to reduce the temperature in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe power piping of the motherboard. Not long ago, they updated it, keeping the key engineering decisions and adding controllable A-RGB backlighting. Released in several sizes: 240, 280 and 360 mm.

They come with a 6 year warranty. We have conducted detailed testing of the Arctic Liquid Freezer II — 360 RGB and today we will share our operating experience with you.

Equipment

Packed in a cardboard box with detailed information on the characteristics and features of the work. See the reverse side for detailed technical information.

Inside the box, the system is shipped assembled. The kit includes a reinforcing plate, support pads, a set of screws and brackets, support posts, self-tapping screws, anti-vibration pads, a tube of MX-5 thermal paste.

On the side of the box there is a QR code with a link to a page with a video describing the installation process.

Appearance

As before, the waterblock block is combined with the pump. It is accompanied by an additional fan.

When operating, it creates an airflow that directs air to the heatsinks and power elements around the socket.

Its base is copper. The surface is flat. Area 44 by 40 mm.

The casing of the water block is plastic. The overall profile is low. Two cables come out: an ARGB sync cable and a 4pin PWM cable.

In the Arctic Liquid Freezer II — 360 A-RGB, the issue of cable management was considered from the very beginning. The fan cables are assembled into a common circuit and neatly stacked. Only two cables are connected to the motherboard and another separate one for the fan on the water block.

The hoses are 45 cm long. The joints are additionally pressure tested and reinforced. They come wrapped in nylon.

The radiator is made of aluminium, painted black. Thickness 38 mm. Three P12 PWM PST fans are pre-installed on it.

Black plastic frame with anti-vibration pads around the edges. Five blades made of translucent plastic.

When working, they are fully illuminated. Multicolor and controllable A-RGB. Operates controlled through ASUS, ASRock, Biostar, MSI or Gigabyte motherboard software.

The rotation speed is adjustable from 200 to 1800 rpm.

Assembly

AMD and Intel sockets are supported. Of the restrictions, you cannot put it on TR4 boards. The rest of the assembly process is similar. The first step is to fix the support posts into the base of the water block with screws.

Next, a reinforcing plate is installed using the supplied screws. Thermal paste is applied to the processor cover. The water block is pressed.

It remains to fix the radiator on the case wall and connect two cables to the motherboard.

Tests

Arctic Liquid Freezer II — 360 A-RGB was tested with an Intel Core i7-10700K processor. The system successfully coped with heat dissipation when operating at a frequency of 5000 MHz.

A running fan on the water block reduces the temperature of the power circuit by 7-10 degrees. Turning it on is optional.

Arctic Liquid Freezer II — 360 RGB with Intel Core i7-10700K

Summary

Arctic Liquid Freezer II — 360 A-RGB is a good choice for Ryzen 9 and Core i9 processors, providing the ability to work at higher frequencies. Spectacular appearance, additional fan to reduce the temperature of the VRM circuit, easy installation, MX-5 thermal paste included, A-RGB controllable backlight. This water cooling system is backed by a 6-year warranty.
Arctic Liquid Freezer II — A-RGB receives the well-deserved «Gold. MegaObzor.com Editor’s Choice» award.

Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 Overview. Vigorous bomb for the liquid coolant market — Page 3 of 5

Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 coolant is made according to the classical scheme: a water block combined with a pump, a pair of nylon-braided hoses, a radiator with small reservoirs on the sides, and of course a pair of fans. However, each of these components has a special feature that distinguishes the brainchild of Arctic from competitors. Let’s take a closer look in the same order.

The water block is very different from what we are used to seeing in various coolants based on the design of the Danish company Asetek. Arctic took care of additional airflow for the motherboard power supply unit heatsinks.

A 40 mm centrifugal type propeller is responsible for blowing air, which captures air from above and throws it out to the sides. The rotation speed is adjustable in the range of 1000-3000 rpm. At a minimum it is inaudible, but at maximum speed it already stands out.

Decreased temperature of the VRM-node and near-socket space by rather big 15 degrees. However, 60 degrees for the power circuits of the board is very ok.

If the motherboard has a powerful VRM node and / or an economical processor, or you just don’t want an extra buzzer (and the speed is regulated along with the pump and the main 140mm propellers), the small fan can be turned off completely.

The pump speed is also controlled by PWM, which distinguishes the Liquid Freezer II from other inexpensive dropsies. Range — 800-2000 rpm. What kind of bearing is based on is not specified, but judging by the 6-year warranty, the bearing is ceramic. The pump is very quiet throughout the entire rotation range, and is completely indistinguishable against the background of a 40 mm fan. Productivity in liters per minute is not specified.

Copper base without nickel plating. Not very good, because over time the copper will oxidize and a degree or two will be lost, and it is not so easy to clean the copper plate from the old thermal paste. It’s great that the plate is fastened with screws for a regular Ph3 slot. In a couple of years it will be possible to remove it and clean the microchannels, and also, albeit using the collective farm method, but add liquid.

The plate is very well polished, even with claims to specularity. For pure copper, this is the top level. Good flatness can be noted immediately by shagreening …

… which is confirmed to the light with a calibrated square.

Hoses of standard length by the standards of decent LSS — 450 mm. In a loose nylon sheath, which looks somewhat «shrunk», uneven. The outer section of the hoses is 12.4 mm, the inner section is 6 mm as standard. Under the braid of one of the tubes is a fan power cable.

Although in other reviews the authors indicated fittings on the thread, I could not unscrew them, even holding them in a vise. The fittings are made of plastic and look cheap, frankly. The most unpresentable element of the Arctic Liquid Freezer II.

But the radiator is my respect. Typically, the coolant radiator has a thickness of 27 mm, for Liquid Freezer II as much as 38 mm. Together with fans and screws, the thickness increases to 68 mm (without screws 65 mm). On both sides of the radiator there are additional tanks of 18 mm each (usually only one). General dimensions 317×138 mm. It is worth double-checking that the case can accommodate such massive cooling, and especially in terms of conflicts with the video card.

14 channels pass through the radiator, between which there is corrugated tape. Density 14 FPI (plates per inch). But corrugated tape is not so simple. If you look closely, this is not a solid smooth aluminum tape, it is notched. It is difficult to judge how much this approach is better than a conventional tape. On the one hand, the scattering area is much larger. On the other hand, there are more turbulences, for normal purge, high speeds are required, but the radiator is not thin. Due to the rather large mass and large amount of refrigerant, the heat capacity of the radiator is simply enormous.

The heat exchanger is blown by a pair of 140mm Arctic P14 PWM propellers. They are slightly thicker than the standard 140 mm «turntables» — 27 versus 25 mm, and also noticeably heavier.