ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 360 - Multi-compatible All-in-One CPU AIO Water Cooler, Compatible with Intel & AMD, Efficient PWM Controlled Pump, Fan speed: 200-1800 rpm, LGA1700 compatible - Black

High end CPUs, both AMD and Intel run very hot, and a decent AIO cooler is a necessity these days. I currently have the ARCTIC L.F. II 360 cooling my Ryzen 7800X3D and I love it. let us count the ways...SIZE MATTERS: I initially got the big brother of this cooler, the ALF II 420. If you were considering that vs this one, know this: the 420 is an absolute behemoth! Couldn't fit it into my Full Tower case any which way. Sent it back, got the 360 instead. Length and width are comfortably in the Goldilocks zone for mid sized case or larger. Check your clearance for the reassuringly thick radiator + fans if hoping to cram it into something smaller.INSTALLATION/DESIGN: This does not come with any instructions. Instead, Arctic's website has videos on how to install for both Team Red and Blue CPUs. Whilst this is certainly better than those perplexing fold out diagram sheets that some others provide, I'm obliged to point out one IMPORTANT CAVEAT: The AMD video ONLY applies to AM4 series motherboards. If you have an AM5 series, as many considering this cooler probably will, then DO NOT follow that video as the AM5 installation differs. Dropped the ball at bit there Arctic! I found a YouTube video showing the correct AM5 installation... which, due to posting rules, I cannot link. It's in Czech. Don't worry if you don't speak it, just watch what he does, it's very clear. Once you know which way around the clips go, it's very easy. In fact, this is the easiest AIO I have ever fitted - and I've fitted a good few.Unlike so many AIO's, this one can be installed straight out the box. The fans are already attached to the radiator and the fans are daisy-chained together. Instead of multiple leads for fans and the pump, there is just ONE connection for everything And, it runs discretely from the pump block to the CPU Pump Header nearby. Simple and tidy. Excellent design. If only all AIOs were like this.PERFORMANCE: The attached Radiator fans are decent quality and very quiet. On first installation I had to look to check that they were spinning! As I write this they are at a leisurely 600rpm, and totally silent. CPU is 35 degrees.When gaming--so far played Starfield, Stranded:Alien Dawn and some Kenshi--my modal CPU temp is around 55 degrees, and still, I cannot hear the fans. I do hear the pump whirring, quietly now and then, but only if the room is quiet. Setting the fans to turbo in the BIOS, they are certainly audible then, as you might expect. But... if they need to be on full speed to keep your CPU at a reasonable temperature, something is probably wrong. I have mine set to Standard - PWM in the BIOS. IIRC they only really ramp up at 70 degrees, which my CPU never seems to reach. So, very cool, very quiet.PRICE: Despite it's excellent design, easy installation and exemplary cooling, this AIO is somehow much cheaper than it's competitors, making it even better value. Price, evidently, does not always equal performance. Some competitors go for as much as £175 and don't perform as well. No additional cost or RGB here either as there is none. A lot of AIOs market their pretty coloured fans and lovely pump block display but don't compete where it matters most, cooling, and this is where the ALF 2 shines brightly and quietly. To my mind this is the best AIO you can buy, bang for buck.

Really nice cooler but can be a bit tricky to fit into your PC case as the radiator is very thick. Be mindful before buying.Had it for a while now and no problems so far and the lack of cable spaghetti is a big bonus as all fan and pump cables run into a splitter

Bought this after the recommendation from GamerNexus.FIRST OF ALL I CAN CONFIRM THAT THIS 360 VERSION IS THE "REV 3.0" MEANING IT HAS THE NEW MOUNTING MECHANISM AND IS BETTER THAN THE REV 1 OR 2.It is worth every penny.I will just bullet point this cause its going to be a long wall of text so I will get to the point:POSITIVES:> It performs better than other AIO with RGB that cost £70 more, I used to have a 280mm Corsair H115i and cooling a 5800X. With this Liquid Freezer at the same settings my 5800X is 10 Degrees Celsius cooler. And it is wayyyyy more silent.> The Radiator is a 360 and its thicker than the other competition> The fans are High pressure fans designed for Radiators and even under load it is very quiet.> Rev 3.0 mount is Better (can still be impoved though as the mounting bracket on the socket is cutting close near my Mobo's VRMs/chokes> Honestly the cpu block design is a love and hate. I wanted to get the rgb bling bling but instead tried this one.It has no RGB but wow, it actually looks good.The block looks mechanical, robotic ish, like a transformer robot. It is not bad at all.> Tubes are sleeved and long. And the wires from everything are hidden inside the sleeved cable. It makes it very clean and no spaghetti wire monster.Also you only have one wire to hide. The 4 pin CPU Fan wire which you attach to the mobo cpu fan header.> The VRM fan on the cpu block is small and is not loud. Its only loud at start up but under normal operation you cannot hear it.> The price is insane. Not only does it outperform EVERYTHING. It is 60-70 GBP cheaper than the others!> The cooler fans are pre-assembled, saves you the work!> Guide on how to install is on their website or in youtube!Okay as for the downsides. There is only one thing really:The downside really is the Bracket install.Even though they now added REV 3.0. It is very easy but maybe not so much for new builders.It can be annoying to install the block alone because even if the backplate is now held by the stand off's.The blackplate has 6mm play and goes down. So if you only have 2 hands, it can be hard to screw the 4 thumb nuts when installing your cpu block to the bracket.That is it really!The Solution?Solution #1 :Tape the stock backplate at the back, making sure that the backplate is fully pushed into the motherboards back. This will keep the stand off's from going back wards, making it easy to install the block.REMOVE THE TAPE AFTER INSTALLATION!.Solution #2 :Just have someone push the backplate into the back of the motherboard, while you are holding the block, pushing it into the CPU with one hand and 2nd hand screwing the thumb nuts.Overall, Highly recommend if you are not into much RGB.Seriously it performs very well. And you can learn to love the CPU Block design.You can save £70 and use it for maybe getting a better CPU, GPU or RAM.