The nature of a review cycle (while a product is relevant) typically dictates that there’s no means to realistically test for endurance or age. We can revisit in the future if needed, but that’s the only question mark left after the review process: Arctic’s pump design is new, something we’ll look at in our tear-down video coming up shortly, and a new design means we have no reference point for endurance and reliability. In general, liquid coolers outlive the usable life of the system, and potentially two systems, but those that fail do so in a much more visible or catastrophic fashion. Failures are overall rare, however, and that’s always important to note. We’ll send you to our Air vs. Liquid cooler content for more of an explanation on this front. 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.

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 Radiator Dimensions: 153 x 120 x 27mm / 6.0 x 4.7 x 1.1” | Fan Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 25mm / 4.7 x 4.7 x 1” | Fan Speed: Up to 1500 RPM | Noise Volume: Up to 28.2 dBA | Warranty: 3 years 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 Közönségmérés Ezek a sütik lehetővé teszik számunkra, hogy optimalizáljuk oldalunkat az Ön kényelme érdekében az Ön használatának módja alapján. A cél az, hogy emlékezzünk vagy előre jelezhessük a választásaikat. Ide tartozik például a funkciók használata, elhelyezkedése, viselkedése az oldalon.

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 Overall, the Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML120R RGB is arguably the best 120mm AIO cooler on the market. If you can afford the higher price, you’ll be getting your money’s worth with the incredible RGBs and amazing cooling performance. The dual-fan setup is relatively unique and dramatically improves its cooling abilities. The ASUS ROG Strix LC 120 scores high marks for its looks. The RGB lights are very tastefully done and decorate only the pump head. Another interesting feature of the pump head is its tabbed design, making it look like a gear. It’s a nice touch that speaks to the hardiness of this AIO cooler. As far as software is concerned, the Kraken M22 is compatible with NZXT Cam. This software lets you adjust the fan’s RPM and the RGB LED configuration. It’s quite simple and straightforward and allows you a great deal of control. In fact, the RGB controls are some of the most intuitive you’ll find. However, premium things come with a premium price tag, as the ML120R is one of the more expensive AIO coolers in its class. Of course, you’ll get a lot of features at this price point, and Cooler Master includes a 2-year warranty as well. If you think of it as competing against coolers with larger form factors, and you should because of its performance, then this cooler actually represents great value.

Tier 3: These coolers are able to keep the i9-12900K under TJ max with CPU power limits of 140W enforced. Testing MethodologyAll things considered, this AIO cooler is beautifully designed but just a little bit flawed. You can find better cooling functionality for less money, even in the 120mm class. NZXT also offers a 6-year warranty, which is the longest manufacturer warranty offered on this list. For this cooler to be a good deal, you’ll have to love the look of the infinity RGB. But if that’s you, this cooler is well-made and features a warranty that makes it a worthy investment. 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. While the thermal paste application means installation isn’t quite as beginner-friendly as some other coolers on the market, it’s still a painless process.

Our next chart continues with the 3950X 200W load, but allows all the coolers to run at 100% fan speed during the test. This doesn’t move the needle much for Arctic, which seems to top-out in its efficiency at around 1200RPM rather than its maximum 1600RPM. The results were +/-1C as usual, but our average ended up at 50.9 degrees over ambient. That’s not enough of a change, so there’s room to reduce noise level without much loss of overall performance. At the 1610RPM speed, the Arctic cooler ran at 42.5dBA at the normal 20” distance. This puts it about equal in thermal performance to the NZXT Kraken X62 and X72, which run around 51-53dBA, or a perceived noise increase to the human ear of about 2x. Again, that’s perceived to the human ear, not acoustic power, which is a different scale. Either way, Arctic’s solution is significantly quieter at the same performance. The EVGA CLC 360 shows that we’re not limited by our test bench, but also that jet engine levels of noise are needed to drive the temperature down further. 3800X – 35dBA Not a big deal since laying the board flat on the table bypasses it, but this could be even easier if Arctic refined the solution with cap screws. On the installation front, buyers should also be aware of the short cables for the fans. They can be connected to the splitter cable (which is sleeved alongside the tubes), but we prefer connecting our fans directly to the motherboard to exercise more control over the fans. This is easily solved with some 4-pin-to-4-pin extension cables. Conclusion On the software side of things, the Corsair H60 doesn’t support Corsair Link, so you’ll have to configure the cooler via BIOS. This is marginally disappointing, given the cost of this AIO.

Despite the silence, the Corsair is pumping away and provides great cooling abilities, both at idle and under heavier loads. This is thanks to the high-density radiator with an IP32 rating, meaning it’s resistant to dust and water. Additionally, the hoses of the Corsair Hydro Series H60 are coated in rubber and are resistant to kinking. The nylon coating offered on other hoses might look better, but Corsair is focused on keeping the costs down here. Radiator Dimensions: 150 x 121 x 27mm / 5.9 x 4.8 x 1.1” | Fan Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 25mm / 4.7 x 4.7 x 1” | Fan Speed: 800 ~ 2500 RPM +/- 10 % | Noise Volume: Up to 37.6 dBA | Warranty: 5 years