Water Coolers

The Arctic Liquid Freezer III is the latest and greatest water cooler line from Arctic. This cooler is top ranked, sometimes by a substantial margin, or among the top, depending on methods and types of tests. Even in tests not ranked #1, it is among the top, usually just a few percentage points away from that slot.

In terms of options, Arctic gives you all models in both RGB and non-RGB. The 120mm variants include 240mm and 360mm, while the 140mm variants include 280mm and 420mm options. All of this is available in black or white. Which ends up equaling 16 different options on their Liquid Freezer III line. 

The radiator on the Liquid Freezer is 38mm, thicker than a more common radiator thickness of 30mm, which is just about the upper threshold of thicknesses supported by most cases. While this thicker radiator may cause cable management to become more difficult after it is installed, in most cases it does not interfere with compatibility. This may mean installation is a bit trickier, but we have found no cases that are not dedicated to compactness to lack support for it. 

Thanks to higher thermal mass, a bigger radiator can absorb more heat from the thermal transfer process, and Arctic's pressure optimized fans can push the air, and the heat along with it, out of your case. This means that the best performing version would be the 420mm with 3 x 140mm fans, and the (comparatively) worst would be the 240mm with only 2 x 120mm fans. However, thanks to the thicker radiator, higher quality fans, and other unseen qualities such as pump efficiency and fluid composition, even the 240mm Liquid Freezers often beat out 360mm AIOs from more expensive lines such as NZXT Kracken or Corsair iCue, when measuring raw cooling potential.

It should be noted that Arctic does not offer a 120mm or 140mm variant on their Liquid Freezer line. This, in our opinion, is a good thing. In every example we've personally witnessed and every review we've evaluated by independent sources, the results are the same: universally and without exception, 1-fan AIOs are a waste of money. You get worse cooling potential from a 1-fan AIO than you would from a comparable air cooler. Water cooling relies on the objective performance benefit (in addition to style points) to justify its premium price tag. However, due to lack of efficiencies, less liquid in the loop, heat generated by the pump, and other minor factors, 1-fan AIOs are worse performers, break down more quickly, and cost significantly more. Never do we recommend 1-fan water coolers for any situation or build. Arctic's refusal to manufacture and sell this option, despite the revenue they could make from it, proves to us their dedication to quality, reliability, and performance. That dedication is especially apparent when considering the out of the box warranty. Arctic offers a 6 year warranty against part failure, standard, where most of the competition offers a 2-5 years warranty.

A big point of contention on AIOs, especially with RGB options, is fan and cable management. With Arctic's award-winning best in class pressure optimized fans pre-mounted on the radiator (in a push configuration), fan management is simple. The most common configuration, exhausting the CPU heat out the top of the case, is simplified with no need to install or change fans. Still, fans can be changed depending on your case compatibility and style needs. This is a nice touch but pretty standard today. What sets it apart from most options is the cable management. All fans, both RGB and standard, have pass-through cabling standard, pre-installed and routed, that passes through the radiator sleevage to come out with mounting block. What this means is that there is one (1) 4-pin standard PWM header to plug into your motherboard for the fans, and on RGB models the RGB cables do the same thing, with only one (1) 3 pin 5050 ARGB header to plug in. Arctic was the first company we know of to implement such a function (not the only one today), and the ease and convenience is top notch and deserves accolades. Combined with the fact that they only ever use standard fan and ARGB headers that are found on any modern motherboard, instead of some proprietary connector requiring a separate mounting hub or adapter, and it's routed down to the motherboard, makes cable management delightfully easy.

As far as mounting the pump head onto the motherboard, the Liquid Freezer III uses the standard AMD backplate to mount onto Ryzen chips and the like, supporting both AM4 and AM5 out of the box. AM3+ is available for free by contacting customer support. For Intel, their newest solution is to remove the need of an additional backplate entirely. Instead, they include a custom molded contact frame that fits both LGA 1700 and LGA 1851 sockets, providing significantly superior contact and thus cooling potential, versus the stock mounting bracket that comes installed on your motherboard. This does, unfortunately, mean the Liquid Freezer III isn't compatible with older intel CPUs such as the LGA 15XX line, but that's such a niche use case that it is forgivable. So very few people are trying to build a new platform with a new cooling solution on a 6+ year old platform with a 6+ year old processor that the only real missed opportunity is a repair for someone with an older platform and a failed cooler not being able to get this as a replacement without a full upgrade.

For RGB, the fans are bright and vibrant, going through the full color gamut and supporting all standard RGB functions of whatever software you choose to use it with. The pump head isn't very bright; it seems the LEDs are recessed too far into the fixture and not as much light comes through; in a case without much RGB it won't stand out, but when compared to potential options such as RAM sticks right next to it, it is noticeably dimmer than other things it may be paired with. The pump head design itself looks very much like a fan with angled circular blades, but it is simply a facade and does not spin, move, or push air in any way. It looks very cool, but a slightly misleading appearance. Still, these are aesthetic differences that set it apart, neither good nor bad, simply worth noting for someone who may be interested and who would need to consider these factors for their build.

All of this can be had at a very affordable price. Ranging from $80 to $160, depending on size and RGB choices, the Liquid Freezer III is cheaper than most of its competition, and delivers better performance than just about everything in this same market, even significantly more expensive options. Due to it's cooling performance, ease of install, exceptional cable management, affordability, and reliability, we are happy to award Arctic full marks, a full 5 star rating. Minor downsides are noted, but all of them are made for honest reasons to detract from the rating, and are at worst subjective. You can read all about the more technical specs or order your own on Amazon here. 

This review was written in tandem with our review of the Liquid Freezer II, and will share many similarities.

The Arctic Liquid Freezer II is the previous generation water cooler line from Arctic. While slightly out-performed by the newer generation and officially discontinued, this cooler is still widely available, while supplies last. And given the steep discounts offered as retailers clear shelves to make room for the newer models, this cooler can be picked up at a steal. When this cooler was new it was a top ranker. Even today after generational improvements by Arctic and others, it is still among the top 10% of all performers, which should tell you everything you need to know about it's quality and reliability.

In terms of options, Arctic gives you all models in both RGB and non-RGB. The 120mm variants include 240mm and 360mm, while the 140mm variants include 280mm and 420mm options. All of this is available in only black models, which may limit options for color matching and design aesthetic. All-in, this equals 8 different options on their Liquid Freezer II line. 

The radiator on the Liquid Freezer is 38mm, thicker than a more common radiator thickness of 30mm, which is just about the upper threshold of thicknesses supported by most cases. While this thicker radiator may cause cable management to become more difficult after it is installed, in most cases it does not interfere with compatibility. This may mean installation is a bit trickier, but we have found no cases that are not dedicated to compactness to lack support for it. 

Thanks to higher thermal mass, a bigger radiator can absorb more heat from the thermal transfer process, and Arctic's pressure optimized fans can push the air, and the heat along with it, out of your case. This means that the best performing version would be the 420mm with 3 x 140mm fans, and the (comparatively) worst would be the 240mm with only 2 x 120mm fans. However, thanks to the thicker radiator, higher quality fans, and other unseen qualities such as pump efficiency and fluid composition, even the 240mm Liquid Freezers often beat out 360mm AIOs from more expensive lines such as NZXT Kracken or Corsair iCue, when measuring raw cooling potential.

It should be noted that Arctic does not offer a 120mm or 140mm variant on their Liquid Freezer line. This, in our opinion, is a good thing. In every example we've personally witnessed and every review we've evaluated by independent sources, the results are the same: universally and without exception, 1-fan AIOs are a waste of money. You get worse cooling potential from a 1-fan AIO than you would from a comparable air cooler. Water cooling relies on the objective performance benefit (in addition to style points) to justify its premium price tag. However, due to lack of efficiencies, less liquid in the loop, heat generated by the pump, and other minor factors, 1-fan AIOs are worse performers, break down more quickly, and cost significantly more. Never do we recommend 1-fan water coolers for any situation or build. Arctic's refusal to manufacture and sell this option, despite the revenue they could make from it, proves to us their dedication to quality, reliability, and performance. That dedication is especially apparent when considering the out of the box warranty. Arctic offers a 6 year warranty against part failure, standard, where most of the competition offers a 2-5 years warranty.

A big point of contention on AIOs, especially with RGB options, is fan and cable management. With Arctic's award-winning best in class pressure optimized fans pre-mounted on the radiator (in a push configuration), fan management is simple. The most common configuration, exhausting the CPU heat out the top of the case, is simplified with no need to install or change fans. Still, fans can be changed depending on your case compatibility and style needs. This is a nice touch but pretty standard today. What sets it apart from most options is the cable management. All fans, both RGB and standard, have pass-through cabling standard, pre-installed and routed, that passes through the radiator sleevage to come out with mounting block. What this means is that there is one (1) 4-pin standard PWM header to plug into your motherboard for the fans, and on RGB models the RGB cables do the same thing, with only one (1) 3 pin 5050 ARGB header to plug in. Arctic was the first company we know of to implement such a function (not the only one today), and the ease and convenience is top notch and deserves accolades. Combined with the fact that they only ever use standard fan and ARGB headers that are found on any modern motherboard, instead of some proprietary connector requiring a separate mounting hub or adapter, and it's routed down to the motherboard, makes cable management delightfully easy.

As far as mounting the pump head onto the motherboard, the Liquid Freezer II uses the standard AMD backplate to mount onto Ryzen chips and the like, supporting both AM4 and AM5 out of the box. AM3+ is available for free by contacting customer support. For Intel, they supply multiple additional backplates, which means they support over 10 years of processors on both sides of the aisle. Intel sockets LGA 1700 and LGA 1851 will still suffer from the infamous mounting pressure/bending socket design fault, so it would still be advised to use a contact frame, such as Thermalright's solution, before installing your cooler.

For RGB, the fans are bright and vibrant, going through the full color gamut and supporting all standard RGB functions of whatever software you choose to use it with. The pump head does not have any RGB. It does have a dedicated VRM cooling fan that provides minor but important cooling to motherboard components near the CPU that may get hot, which is easily visible as it spins silently away while the computer is running. The cable sleeves are a dark silver/grey color and stiffer than average, which may limit mounting options. Still, these are aesthetic differences that set it apart, neither good nor bad, simply worth noting for someone who may be interested and who would need to consider these factors for their build.

All of this can be had at a very affordable price. Ranging from $80 to $160, depending on size and RGB choices, the Liquid Freezer II is cheaper than most of its competition, and delivers better performance than many alternatives in this same market, even some significantly more expensive options. Due to it's cooling performance, ease of install, exceptional cable management, affordability, and reliability, we are happy to award Arctic full marks, a full 5 star rating. Minor downsides are noted, but all of them are made for honest reasons to detract from the rating, and are at worst subjective. You can read all about the more technical specs or order your own on Amazon here. 

This review was written in tandem with our review of the Liquid Freezer III, and will share many similarities.