ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 120 - Raffreddamento Liquido CPU All-in-One Multi Compatibile 1.000-3.000 RPM (Controllato da PWM), Compatibile con Intel e AMD Socket, Alte Prestazioni Consente Overclocking

Product Information

Time to move to VRM thermals. Before putting this chart up, a few important points: First, this is all relative, so our measurement points aren’t designed to test the motherboard, but rather to test the cooling capabilities of the CPU cooler on top of it. We’re taking VRM measurements at points that will work better for testing cooler impact, since we don’t care about comparative VRM performance from one board to the next. Second, we’ll show the numbers with the radiator mounted to the side of the bench. That’s how we tested all the liquid coolers so far, as it is more similar to a top-mounted radiator in a case. This means there’s always airflow over the VRM heatsink in all the CLC tests, whereas testing it on the table, away from the VRM, would paint a picture of Arctic’s VRM fan having a higher relative impact since you’d be taking away all cooling otherwise. We have these numbers too, but let’s focus on 3950X OC numbers at 35dBA radiator fan speed first, with the Arctic VRM fan at 100%. The test is also tough to standardize since every motherboard will have different heatsinks and positioning, so although you can mostly extrapolate out a hierarchy, it’s not perfectly comparable to every configuration. And again, please also remember that case configuration is the single most impacting to VRM thermal performance outside of the VRM design and cooling solution. What we’re saying is that this test will create an objective hierarchy, but that in all reality, a couple degrees here-and-there from the cooler won’t really matter much when considering the VRM is unlikely to melt itself in the majority of instances. But let’s focus on the Arctic vs. the NZXT Kraken M22. A single degree Celsius isn’t anything to shout about, sure. Where the Arctic impresses, though, is the fact that it manages to do this while being significantly quieter than the Kraken M22: The mid-level price is attractive for folks that aren’t looking to break the bank and can deal with a less-than-stellar-looking cooler. Corsair also offers a 5-year warranty should something go awry with it. All in all, the flaws with this all-in-one cooler are minimal, and the performance and quality are top-of-the-line. Radiator Dimensions: 155 x 120 x 27mm / 6.1 x 4.7 x 1.1” | Fan Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 25mm / 4.7 x 4.7 x 1” | Fan Speed: 550 ~ 2200 RPM +/- 10 % | Noise Volume: Up to 36.4 dBA | Warranty: 5 years Altogether, this Thermaltake 120mm AIO is an incredible cooler. You won’t find a cooler with more RGB LED support if that happens to be your thing. You’ll have tons of customization options for those lights as well.

The VRM fan clearly does something, and temperature improvements will follow the more even FPM on either side of the VRM heatsink, but we also want to be clear that a top-mounted radiator would also benefit the VRM. This is something we simulate in our test setup. VRM Thermals This shows the delta in height, measured in microns, from a calibrated 0-point. The A500’s box plot shows the largest range, illustrating the chaotic levelness that hurt its performance, while the Deepcool Assassin III and original Wraith coolers have some of the best levelness. The Arctic Liquid Freezer II averaged about 8-10 microns depth from the 0-point, with minimums and maximums at 2 microns and 48 microns. The Liquid Freezer II has a couple deep points in the coldplate, but is overall closer to the smooth end than the unlevel end. Installation & Mounting That doesn’t mean a 120 mm AIO cooler is entirely irrelevant, however. Let’s discuss that next. Are 120 mm AIOs Worth It?

Closing Thoughts

The heart of the Arctic Liquid Freezer II is the newly developed, PWM-controlled pump with improved efficiency and lower power consumption compared to its predecessor. The manufacturer also equips the pump element with a heat-conductive copper base plate and a 40 millimeter fan for cooling the voltage transformers. The high heat absorption capacity and the good heat transfer through the 120 mm radiator make this complete water cooling an excellent choice for compact but powerful systems. I'll be testing Arctic’s Liquid Freezer II 240 with Intel's i9-12900K. Due to the increased thermal density of the Intel 7 manufacturing process, as well as changes to core and component layouts, Alder Lake CPUs are more difficult to cool than previous generation CPUs in the most heat-intensive of workloads. Quality-wise, this ASUS AIO is great. The pump is made completely out of aluminum, while the cold plate is highly-conductive copper. Its hoses are sleeved in nylon and are incredibly durable. You’ll be very impressed with the quality of the Strix LC 120.

The Corsair H60’s main problem is how loud it is. Its 52 dBA of noise makes it difficult to recommend in light of newer, quieter AIOs. The SilverStone PF120-ARGB, for example, is about 16 dBA quieter at its maximum fan speed. It’ll still do a decent job cooling a modern mid-tier CPU, but it’s not one we’d recommend over newer, quieter AIOs.

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A 120 mm Arctic P12 model is used as a fan, which was specially developed for use on radiators. The 120 millimeter fan ensures a strong air flow at a maximum of 1,800 rpm. Thanks to the 4-pin PWM connection, the fan only rotates as fast as the temperature development on the CPU requires.

Radiator Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 30mm / 4.7 x 4.7 x 1.2” | Fan Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 25mm / 4.7 x 4.7 x 1” | Fan Speed: 1800 RPM +/- 10 % | Noise Volume: Up to 32.1 dBA | Warranty: 5 years The NZXT Kraken M22 is perhaps the most impressive-looking AIO cooler on the list. Its pump boasts an “infinity RGB” design that honestly looks spectacular. But is this cooler all show and no substance? The Corsair Hydro Series H80i v2 takes aim at coolers with much larger form factors. With its extra-large radiator and dual-fan combination, this 120mm AIO certainly punches above its weight class. If you don’t have the space but need the cooling performance, you’ll love this Corsair cooler.

Quiet, capable and cool

Coming at a premium price, you’ll notice this is on the high end for a cooler of this form factor. But to make things better, Corsair offers a 5-year warranty should something go awry with it. Unfortunately, STS Tutorial didn’t record any objective measurements of the Arctic’s noise levels. But considering that Gamers Nexus measured the M22 at 45.8 dBA, we can deduce that the Arctic’s noise levels are in the mid-30s dBA. Radiator Dimensions: 152 x 120 x 32mm / 6.0 x 4.7 x 1.3” | Fan Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 25mm / 4.7 x 4.7 x 1” | Fan Speed: 500 ~ 2000 RPM +/- 300 | Noise Volume: 21 ~ 36 dBA | Warranty: 3 years Coming at more than a fair price and featuring a 6-year warranty, this cooler is an incredible bargain given its price and performance.