Arctic is a name that’s been around in the cooling market for some time now. It’s a company that produces cost-efficient and iconic air coolers for everyone. Today, we’ll talk about one of their CPU coolers in our Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler review.
The Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU cooler is an all-in-one cooler for Intel and AMD processors.
For this line, Arctic developed its own pump design. They avoided depending on an OEM as the product base for rebranding their solution. This is something common in other companies.
Their decision to do this gave out impressive results. Thus, it makes the Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU cooler the best in the market today.
With that, let’s learn more about this CPU cooler in our Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler review.
Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler Packaging
Our Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler review won’t be complete without us talking about the packaging and contents.
When it arrived, our Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler came in a minimalist-looking cardboard box. It sports a blue and white theme to give off a cool aesthetic.
In front, you will find the brand’s name, as well as its logo on the upper-left corner. The centre displays an illustration of the cooler. To its left, you’ll see an image informing us that it comes with a 2-year warranty.
Below the 2-year warranty feature, there’s a QR code that you can scan. It’ll lead you to “learn more” about the product, providing more information about it.
Under the illustration, on the lower-left corner, the name of the unit is written. Below it, you’ll see what the cooler is specifically for.
To the image’s right, there’s a notion about the included MX-4 for this CPU cooler.
When you flip the box to its right, you’ll see details on the cooler written in seven different languages. These feature its compatibility, its high performance, high-efficiency pump usage, and VRM cooling. You will also find information about the sleeved tubes, pressure-optimised fans, built-in cable management, and a lot more.
If you want to see the Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler’s manual, you can easily access it. Scan the QR code or address on the lower-right corner on this side of the box.
If you don’t want to bother with the QR code, you can utilise the left side of the package instead. All the information is segregated neatly into the specifications chart. Plus, there’s a list that notes all the parts that can be found inside.
The box’s rear is where the company displays the images and renderings of the Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler. This is also the area where you will find its key features that’ll let you know what the cooler has to offer.
For the first image in this area, it focuses on the impeller & pump of the cooler. The second image shows the cooler’s sealed nature and the fact that you don’t need to open it. A third image exhibits the cooler’s VRM fan.
Across the bottom section, Arctic mentioned their wire management along the radiator’s end. This is to keep any wires out of view. Again, the company conceals the new P-fan and is displayed to be ready for intense overclocking in complete silence.
Inside, you won’t find the usually recycled cardboard piece that a lot of companies use. Instead, Arctic utilised folded cardboard sections to separate each of the parts included in the package.
You’ll find the head unit at the top which is kept in a small box. Next to it is a white package which holds the hardware, while below it is the radiator.
What we liked a lot about the company’s packaging approach is their attempt to be environment-friendly. An effort Arctic is pushing at the moment is to discard the user manual since it uses a lot of paper.
This is why the QR code is present on the package. Generally, it’s easier to look through the cooler’s manual via smartphone, so it’s a win-win situation in our opinion.
Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler Review – Design and Functionality
We’ll now discuss the design and functions of the cooler in our Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler review.
This CPU cooler’s futuristic design includes a built-in cooling fan. It adequately circulates air in the area of the CPU block, including the memory modules and motherboard PWM heatsinks.
The fans switch on when the pump operates while simultaneously sending power-ups. This occurs via one of the white-braided and graphite coolant sleeves, controlling the PWM 140mm fans with a splitter cable.
The Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU cooler’s cooling block is made using stain, milled copper. Its offset pump impeller is easily noticeable, while the auxiliary cables to the fan are routed and split. They’re specifically set under the cooling unit to the little 3-pin fan header.
Additionally, these mounting brackets for the block are set securely using screws. They’re on each side of the copper cold plate with threaded mounts installed in the housing.
Arctic utilises a 38mm-thick aluminium radiator for their Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler. It offers additional cooling area by adding its density and the total number of fins.
The P-series fans from Arctic are installed on the 280mm radiator. This will save you time from screwing them securely. Also, these are wired up through one of the radiator tubes, linking to the 4-pin PWM connection on the pump.
This allows the whole cooling system to run smoothly.
Now, let’s look at the key features of the cooler in our Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler review.
Key Features of the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler
All-new PWM-Controlled Pump
The Liquid Freezer II series comes with a newly developed PWM-controlled pump. This in-house produced pump features a copper base, which improves its efficiency while performing quietly and with low power consumption.
No Maintenance Water Loop
With the sealed waterloop, refilling water or additives is no longer necessary.
Motherboard VRM Cooling Fan
Next to the Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler’s pump is an extra 40mm fan. It’s designed to keep the motherboard’s VRM chips cool and prevent it from overheating, especially in overclocks.
This fan allows for continuous heavy loads.
Enhanced Power Efficiency
Most pumps run at full load even when idle, but Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler’s pump doesn’t. It clocks down when cooling is unnecessary, thus consuming less power and noise, even with the presence of additional fans.
Optimal RAM Compatibility
The Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler’s pump is compact, measuring 78 x 98 x 53mm. With that, you won’t have to deal with restrictions if you want to utilise RAM modules.
You can use RAM modules with larger heat sinks since the CPU cooler won’t block these.
P-fan for Performance Boost
The Liquid Freezer II 280’s P-fan works perfectly with the new P-fan, providing you with many benefits for your needs. These include broad RPM range and high static pressure for better cooling.
Also, it consumes less power and produces less vibrations.
Better Cooling for Improved Performance
Even when overclocking and at high turbo clock speeds, the Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler prevents thermal throttling. Aside from that, it cools quietly so there’s less noise as it reaches its maximum FPS. With that, you can enjoy a better gaming experience.
Integrated Cable Management
The PWM cable of the fan is integrated into the sleeveless tubing. As a result, fewer cables are exposed, giving your case a cleaner and more organised look.
Easy Installation and Secure Hold
Installing the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler is quick and easy. Also, its mounting system is compatible with AMD and Intel sockets, making it a highly reliable cooler.
Multilingual Manuals
Arctic offers its regularly updated user manuals in various languages for every customer’s convenience. All you have to do is scan the QR code sticker, then read the instructions in your preferred language. No need to waste time searching it up on the Internet.
Now, let’s discuss the different specifications of the CPU cooler in our Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler review.
Specifications
Let’s talk about the Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler’s specifications. Its pump/cold plate consists of a 40mm VRM fan with 1,000 to 3,000 RPM controlled via PWM. There’s an 800 to 2,000 RPM pump that’s controlled via PWM as well.
The Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler’s pump and VRM fan consume 1.0W to 2.7W. Its cold plate is made from copper and a micro-skived fin.
For the tube, it measures 450mm long while its outer and inner diametre measures 12.4mm and 6.0mm, respectively. Without the tubes, it measures 98mm x 78mm x 53mm.
It comes with two Arctic P15 140mm fans with speeds of 200 to 1,700 RPM that’s controlled via PWM. There’s 72.8 CFM of airflow, static pressure of 2.4mm H20, and current/Voltage of 0.12A/12V DC.
There’s a fluid dynamic bearing present, and its noise levels reach 0.3 Sone. The Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler has a 4-pin connector and has an overall dimension of 140mm x 140mm x 27mm.
General
General specifications for the Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler include the following. The sockets compatible for the CPU cooler includes the Intel 2011-3, 115x, and Square ILM. For AMD, it’s compatible with the AM4 socket.
Additionally, it has an MX-4 (0.8g) thermal compound.
Its total weight is 1,572g with the two fans, pump, radiator, and tools. When it comes to its aluminium radiator, it’s 317mm x 138mm x 38mm.
Next in our Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler review, we’ll discuss the performance of this CPU cooler.
Hands-on with the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler
Installation of the cooler was very simple. It was just a matter of mounting the pump using the supplied brackets, mounting the radiator to the case, and connecting up the cables. All in all, the process took around 15 minutes.
For our tests, we checked its thermal and acoustic performance to see how well this CPU cooler performs.
During our testing, we found that when at idle temperatures never exceeded 51°C. With applied loads, the fans’ speed increased to around 680 RPM, with a temperature of 67°C. Even under load, the cooler was near silent.
Arctic proves that its claims are true. It’s an extreme cooler that delivers excellent cooling with silent operation.\
The Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler had impressive thermal and acoustic results. In fact, it performed better than most other coolers that we’ve tested before.
Usually, solid cooling performance and low noise levels in a single package come at a premium price. But this Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU cooler offers both at a great deal, which is something we truly appreciate.
Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler Review Summary
Before ending our Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler review, we’ll give you a summary of the product. Here, we’re finally letting you know if this product is worth adding to your setup.
The Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler is an excellent cooler that comes with a lot of great features. It also comes with cooling fans and a pump for improved cooling and silent operation.
Although it doesn’t have RGB features, its cooling performance worked as great as it was advertised. In fact, it’s not an issue for us since what matters the most are the cooler’s thermal and acoustic performances.
The best thing is that we got all of these for an affordable price.
Overall, we were totally satisfied with the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 CPU Cooler and its performance. With that, we’re highly recommending this product.
If you want to get your hands on this cooler, it’s available for online purchase from Amazon.