Custom PC - UK (2020-01)

connecta single4-pinconnectortoyourmotherboardto
controlallthreeparts,whichisa hugebenefitwhenit
comestocabletidying.However,if youprefertocontrol
themseparately,thefancablescanbedetachedonthe
radiatorwheretheylinkupwiththepumpsection.
Installingthepumpisfairlyeasy.Twoplatesattachto
thepump and are secured by pins or thumbscrews to the
motherboard, depending on your CPU socket. Both
methods were a little fiddly compared with the usually
spacious designs on Corsair and NZXT coolers with their
larger thumbscrews, but it was still straightforward enough,
and we had the cooler up and running on all our test
systems within a few minutes.

Performance
Our AMD test system showed some stellar cooling using
the Liquid Freezer II 240, with a delta T of 45°C. This figure is
just behind the monstrous Corsair H100i RGB Pro, which
has much faster-spinning fans and a much higher price. It
was also 2°C cooler than the Deepcool Castle 240.
We’ve recently updated our LGA1151 system to use a
Core i5-9600K since we last tested any other 240mm
liquid coolers, so we only have results for a smattering of
other coolers. However, the Liquid Freezer II 240 was still

significantly cooler than the Deepcool Gammaxx GT BK air

cooler and only a few degrees warmer than the mighty

Corsair H150i RGB Pro and NZXT Kraken X72. That said, the

Corsair cooler was quieter at full speed.

It was a similar story in our LGA2066 system, which is

the socket with the easiest mounting system for this cooler.

With our overclocked Core i9-7900X, the CPU delta T of

56°C slipped a little compared with the pricier and more

powerful 240mm coolers we’ve tested. The H100i RGB Pro

was 2°C cooler while the EK Water Blocks Phoenix 240 was

5°C cooler. However, the ARCTIC cooler was still 2°C cooler

than the Deepcool Castle 240, punching well above its price

tag while remaining reasonably quiet at full speed.

Conclusion

We’re pleasantly surprised by the ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II

240. Its deceptively low price tag hides an excellent
     240mm AIO liquid cooler in terms of noise and price. Build
     quality is on a par with the competition, it’s quiet at low
     loads and not too loud at full speed. The VRM cooling fan is
     also a non-issue sound-wise, although it’s only modestly
     effective. You have to spend considerably more money to
     get lower noise or better cooling too. If you’re on a tight
     budget, we thoroughly recommend the Liquid Freezer II


241. If you don’t need RGB lighting, software control or an
     expandable loop, it’s a no-brainer for CPU cooling.
     ANTONY LEATHER

VERDICT

Easy to install, great cooling across the board and a very reasonable price.

AURORA

BOREALIS

+ Excellentcooling

+ Single cable for

fansandpump

+ Low price^

LIGHT

POLLUTION

• Radiator height
  mightcauseissues


• VRM fan doesn’t
  make huge
  difference


• Larger coolers
  are quieter at
  high loads

TEMPERATURERESULTS

AMDSOCKETAM4

0ºC 20ºC 40ºC 60ºC 80ºC

ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 240 45ºC

AlphacoolEisbaerExtreme 280 44ºC

Corsair H100i RGB Pro 44ºC

Corsair H150i RGB Pro 40ºC

Deepcool Castle 240 47ºC

Deepcool Gammaxx GT BK 54ºC

EK-MLC Phoenix 41ºC

INTELLGA2066

0ºC 20ºC 40ºC 60ºC 80ºC

ARCTICLiquidFreezerII 240 56ºC

AlphacoolEisbaerExtreme 280 54ºC

Corsair H100i RGB Pro 54ºC

Corsair H150i RGB Pro 48ºC

Deepcool Castle 240 58ºC

Deepcool Gammaxx GT BK 71ºC

EK Water Blocks Phoenix 240 51ºC

INTELLGA1151

0ºC 20ºC 40ºC 60ºC 80ºC

ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 240 45ºC

CorsairH150iRGBPro 43ºC

Deepcool Gammaxx GT BK 52ºC

NZXT Kraken X72 42ºC

OVERALLSCORE

89 %

FITTING

Easy

COOLING

37 / 40

FEATURES

16 / 20

DESIGN

17 / 20

VALUE

19 / 20

AM4

OVERALLSCORE

89 %

FITTING

Easy

COOLING

37 / 40

FEATURES

16 / 20

DESIGN

17 / 20

VALUE

19 / 20

LGA115x

OVERALLSCORE

87 %

FITTING

Easy

COOLING

35 / 40

FEATURES

16 / 20

DESIGN

18 / 20

VALUE

18 / 20

LGA 2 0 6 6