ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 360 Review

What comes to mind when you hear the words MX-4, MX-5, and MX-6? Obviously, one-word ARCTIC. They have been in this business for over 2 years now, and their products are cost-effective yet high-performance ones. The Liquid Freezer series of liquid coolers is easily one out there with a truly distinctive design, and it packs a performance punch which is why this series is highly popular among PC enthusiasts and users alike.

We are testing ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 360 liquid cooler. This cooler is available in three versions:

• Liquid Freezer II 360 [Non-RGB Edition]
• Liquid Freezer II 360 RGB [12V-based RGB Lighting]
• Liquid Freezer II 360 D-RGB [5V-based digital RGB Lighting]

The difference in lighting is only on the fans that ARCTIC uses in these coolers. The block itself has no RGB light show. Some of the distinctive features of this cooler are:

• 38mm Thick Radiator
• Pre-installed Fans
• Integrated Cable Connection
• One cable to power the complete unit
• Distinctive Block Design
• VRM Fan on the Block
• Textured Sleeves on tubes
• Power P12 Fans

At the time of this writing, there are 7 revisions, with 7th revision being compatible with Intel LGA1700 and AMD AM5 sockets out of the box. The cooler is compatible with Intel LGA 1700/1200/115x/2066/2011(-3) Square ILM sockets and AM4 and AM5 sockets in AMD.

Specifications

ARCTIC has provided MX-5 thermal paste with this cooler. Seems like specifications are not yet updated after the last revision. Another possible reason is that previous versions are coming with MX-4, so ARCTIC would want to avoid any confusion.

Packing Box

ARCTIC is using a blue color cardboard box for the main packing box. The overall size of this packing box is different compared the how the other brands are using relatively large size boxes to ship their stuff.

Right on the main side of this packing box, we can see that ARCTIC has highlighted Intel LGA 1200 and 1700 sockets support and AMD AM4 and AM5 sockets support. ARCTIC is using MX-5 with this cooler which is a good combination for optimal thermal performance. What is more impressive is a 6-year warranty from ARCTIC.

ARCTIC does not provide a printed user guide with its products. Instead, users would have to go to their website to check the installation instructions in an animated format. I kinda wish they switch to the printed or PDF format of the installation guide.

Multi-Compatible here refers to the socket compatibility which we have already mentioned above.

ARCTIC has listed the salient specifications of the Liquid Freezer II 360 cooler. Taking a closer look, you will find a list of what is provided in the box at the base over here.

ARCTIC is not using an egged carton for these coolers. The radiator assembly is placed at the bottom, covered by a cardboard cover. The block is covered in a cardboard box. Accessories are placed in a separate cardboard box. This is as simple as it could get.

Accessories

Let’s take a look at what is provided in the box.

All mounting hardware is provided in a dedicated cardboard box.

ARCTIC has provided:

• 2x Intel Mounting Brackets
• 2x AMD Mounting Brackets [More on these later]
• 1x Intel Backplate

We have:

• 4x Black Color Spacers for AMD
• 4x Philips Screws for AMD

We got:

• 4x Thumb Nuts
• 4x Intel LGA20xxx Thumb Screws
• 4x Intel Other Sockets Thumb Screws
• 8x Flat Washers
• 4x Standoffs
• 4x Rubber Washers

ARCTIC has provided:

• 2x Long Screws for Mounting Brackets
• Multiple Washers
• Screws to install Radiator

ARCTIC has been providing MX-4 with the previous versions of Liquid Freezer II series coolers. Now, they have started to ship MX-5 thermal paste. It has been their top-performing thermal paste until MX-6 came out.

Design

Let’s start taking a closer look at this cooler, but first, here is what ARCTIC has to say about this unit. “At ARCTIC, we are proud of our completely new all-in-one CPU water cooler series. For the Liquid Freezer II Series, we have used our experience in CPU water cooling to develop a completely new compact water cooling pump.

The new pump of the Liquid Freezer II Series ensures an ideal ratio of high CPU cooling performance to low noise levels. The CPU AiO water cooler has integrated cable management within fully sleeved tubes for a clean look in your PC’s case. Our powerful P-fans provide a fast heat transfer thanks to their high static pressure and outstanding performance.”

The ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 360 comes with three P12 PWM fans pre-installed on the radiator. This is not all, as the cables are integrated and managed accordingly as well. The dimension of this radiator is 398x120x38mm. 38mm is the height of the radiator without fans. The overall height of this unit with P12 PWM fans is 65.5mm. This is not a regular or standard size, as the regular size of a radiator in AIOs is 27mm or so. This means we would have considerations for the Case clearance and compatibility with respect to the thickness of the assembled unit. We did not remove the fans to test the cooler, as it is in a factory default state. This unit is made of aluminum material and is black color coated.

Looking at the far block end of this unit, there is a distance of approximately 19mm from the fan to the edge of the block. This 19mm has a bit of protruded or raised surface. There is no sticker or branding of any sort on this side. We can see the fan cable, which is already connected to the middle fan. Each fan has a 4-pin PWM connector and a cable length of 40mm to ease cable management.

Since we are at it, let’s put some text for fans. P series fans from ARCTIC are quite famous for two obvious reasons; they are less expensive and are high-performance. We can see why ARCTIC has adopted 3x P12 PWM High-Performance edition fans on Liquid Freezer II 360 liquid cooler. ARCTIC is not cutting any area where performance can be deprived. These fans are available in multiple versions, like the non-RGB edition. RGB edition, Digital RGB edition, etc.

The fans provided with this cooler are non-RGB all-black color fans. These fans have a black color frame with 5 blades per fan which are particularly designed to optimize the performance of these fans with low noise operation. We can see ARCTIC branding on the hub. ARCTIC is not using an anti-vibration pad on the mounting corners. ARCTIC is using FDB bearings on these fans.

The specifications of the fans are:

The above picture shows the back side of this radiator. The fin stacking is less dense, and ARCTIC has done a good job in fin stacking. The actual fin stack is placed inset into the main housing of this radiator. The radiator has an FPI count of 14. There is a gap of 105mm between any two fan mounting holes on the radiator. This radiator has 12 channels for coolant flow.

As can be seen in the above picture, there is no protection under the mounting holes on the radiator. This protection prevents damage to the fins from excessive torquing of the screws or using long screws. As long as you are using the bundled screws, you will be fine. Keep in mind that this consideration will only come when going through push/pull configuration. Since the fans are pre-installed, there is nothing to worry about.

The above picture shows the side of the radiator unit. There is an ARCTIC branding in the center. The same is on the opposite side as well. There is nothing fancy on the sides, as ARCTIC is keeping it simple.

Looking at the tube side of this radiator, we can see that ARCTIC uses metallic covers to hide the coupling. Also, take note of how closely the tubes are installed on this radiator. Another important observation is a 4-pin PWM cable going inside one tube under the textured sleeve cover. This is what we meant by integrated cable management. All three fans are inter-connected, and then a single cable passes along a tube on its entire length under a textured cover for concealment.

ARCTIC uses fiber-reinforced EPDM rubber tubes on the Liquid Freezer II 360 cooler. These tubes run to approximately 450 mm; hence tube length is of concern at all. We can see gray and white color shades on the textured cover. According to ARCTIC, these tubes are designed to reduce coolant evaporation. These textured sleeves set this cooler apart from the competition. The tubes have ID/OD measurements of 12.4/6.0mm.

The above picture shows how these fans’ cables are integrated and routed quite well on the side of this assembled cooler.

ARCTIC has provided a quite different design for the pump housing. It is almost a low flat type design having more length to it. In our experience, we have not yet seen anything similar so far. The overall outlook is quite aggressive in a positive manner though the VRM does gives an impression of a space ship.

The housing has a dimension of 98x78x53mm. Here 53mm is the overall height of this housing. 98mm is the length. The tubes are installed right on top of this housing, and ARCTIC is using the same metallic covers that we saw on the radiator. One thing is for sure this design will not hinder DIMM slots on the motherboard.

Looking at the rear of the housing, it has more protrusion compared to the front side as we have seen above. There is nothing else over here. No branding, nothing for that matter.

Both sides of this housing are identical in layout. We can see ARCTIC branding on both sides as well. Speaking of the pump inside this unit, it is PWM enabled using a 4-pin connector. According to ARCTIC, this design helps in reducing humming and improving efficiency as the pump will draw power as per the given load at that time.

Obviously, this would help in reducing the noise output. ARCTIC has mentioned that the minimum power consumption is 0.8W under no load. It is typically around 2.3W under a typical load, and it goes as high as 4.3W under a full load. The pump is rated to spin between 800 to 2000 RPM.

As we have mentioned above that this unit has a VRM fan integrated into the pump housing. This fan is 40mm in size, and the cool thing about the design is that it is PWM controlled, and its noise output is not high. Though, this is not the first time we are seeing an integrated fan in the unit for VRM cooling. I remember when we tested ASUS ROG RYUJIN 360 back in 2018 or so, it also came with a VRM fan, but our complaint with that fan was its loud noise.

Here is what ARCTIC is saying about this fan. “Small fans have a reputation for being particularly loud and not very durable. However, we have developed a quiet and durable diagonal fan, especially for the Liquid Freezer II, and are 100% convinced that this 40 mm fan is just as durable as our other case fans. In the unlikely event that it should fail, our customer service team will send you a replacement free of charge and easily, without a need to replace the entire unit.”

In continuation of the above unit, “The fan is PWM-controlled and can cool your voltage transformers and the base area almost inaudibly by up to 15°C. This is especially effective in overclocking scenarios, inadequate VRM cooling, or in housings with poor airflow, thus permitting continuously high loads. If sufficient VRM cooling is available, it can be switched off at will.”

While having a low noise output VRM cooling fan is a nice have, there is one catch to the overall design. Remember we mentioned that the Liquid Freezer II 360 has integrated cable management with only one cable at the user’s disposal. This would mean that a single cable is controlling the speed of the P12 PWM High-Performance fans on the radiator, pump itself, and this VRM fan. We can’t make this fan stand still. The only way is to remove the block, access its base and remove the VRM fan cable from the connector. Clearly, this is neither a convenient solution nor a design. This VRM fan is rated for 1000 to 3000 RPM.

The ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 360 has a copper base plate measuring 39x43mm. Looking closely, you will find the number 243. This number identifies the batch to which this unit belongs. There is a protective cover on the base. Don’t forget to remove it before installation.

There are two mounting holes on opposite ends of the copper base plate. This is where the mounting brackets are installed. We can also see a single 4-pin cable coming out from the unit. This is a single cable powering the complete unit. Look towards the upper left side. We can see two cables connecting with each other. One end of this cable is coming out from the underside of the VRM fan. Users can disconnect this connection to make the VRM fan stop spinning. ARCTIC is using Micro-Skived fins on the cold plate for effective heat dissipation.

The above picture shows a 4-pin PWM connector on the single and only cable coming out of the pump’s housing. It has an approximate length of 242mm.

Installation

Lately, we have been testing CPU coolers on the following platforms:

• AMD AM5 using GIGABYTE X670E AORUS MASTER with Ryzen 7 7700X
• Intel Z690 using GIGABYTE AERO G with Core i7-12700K
• Intel Z790 using GIGABYTE AORUS ELITE AX with Core i7-13700K

The ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 360 is tested using the AMD AM5 platform. You would need to remove the AMD stock mounting brackets from the motherboard.

ARCTIC is using what they call AMD Offset Mounting. The way these AMD CPUs are designed using chipsets design, the hotspots under regular design may not be fully covered by a cold plate. However, with an offset design, the cold plate is expected to make maximum coverage.

The above picture shows the mounting holes on the AMD bracket. These brackets cover the AM4 and AM5 sockets using an offset design that we mentioned above. Mounting holes marked as 1 are to be used for standard AM4 sockets, whereas the mounting holes marked as 2 are for offset-based mounting on these sockets.

Another important takeaway is the placement of brackets over the socket area. One must follow the precise instructions for a proper mount.

The installation over the AMD AM5 platform goes as follows:

• Remove the stock AMD brackets from the motherboard.
• Place the 4x spacers from AMD labeled container in the accessory box.
• Place mounting brackets over these spacers, as shown in the above picture.
• Secure these brackets using 4x Philips screws from the AMD container in the accessory box.
• Apply the thermal paste on the CPU IHS.
• Remove the protective cover from the base of the unit.
• Place the block over the mounting brackets using the holes mentioned in the manual.
• Use 4x thumb nuts to secure this installation.
• Install the radiator in the case or as per requirement.
• Connect the 4-pin PWM connector to a 4-pin PWM fan header on the motherboard.
• This would complete the installation.

Clearance

There is no clearance issue with respect to the DIMM slots and first PCIe slot with ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 360 liquid cooler. However, this cooler has a height or thickness of 65.5mm with fans installed. Besides, it has a dimension of 398x120x38mm. Make sure your chassis has clearance for this 398x120x65.5mm.

Here are a few pictures of the installed cooler.

1 of 6

Thermal Test

Below mentioned configuration is used:

• AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
• GIGABYTE X670E AORUS MASTER
• Sabrent Rocket DDR5 32GB Kit @ 4800MHz
• Colorful GeForce GTX 1050Ti iGame 4G [For Display]
• Sabrent Rocket 4 Plus 2TB NVMe SSD [For OS]
• be quiet! Straight Power 11 850W Platinum PSU

Here is the settings table for testing:

Disclaimer: Every silicon is different; hence no two same SKUs are likely to take the same voltage to yield the same performance at the same thermals per se, but the margin would be close. Not every stress test run may yield the same result, which could be due to various reasons like thermal paste application, ambient temperature variation, the mounting pressure of the cooler, etc. This is very why we have listed our variables and their settings. Variables not mentioned are on the Auto setting.

Result

For those who know the new AM5 platform and its thermal behavior, it is a known fact now that these SKUs will hit right away 95°C. However, using an all-core-based same clock, we can see a somewhat lower score. So, how did this cooler fair? It managed 90°C, which is 2°C above the EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 LUX D-RGB cooler. Don’t get it wrong. This is EK’s new cooler, and one would expect it to perform better. ARCTIC cooler does have a better noise output at its advantage.

Noise

Summer is up, and the room’s fan is on, which is why I could not measure the noise level of the unit.

Conclusion

Liquid Freezer II, or LF II as we call it, is a popular and high-performance cooling solution from ARCTIC. This series comprises of mainly:

• Liquid Freezer II 240
• Liquid Freezer II 280
• Liquid Freezer II 360
• Liquid Freezer II 420

Each of these models is further available in three configurations:

• Liquid Freezer II 360 [Non-RGB]
• Liquid Freezer II 360 RGB
• Liquid Freezer II 360 D-RGB

We have tested a Liquid Freezer II 360 cooler in this article. This cooler has many features that, include:

• This cooler has a 38mm thick radiator
• 3x P12 PWM High-Performance fans are pre-installed
• Integrated Cable Management
• Distinctive Block Design with a VRM Fan
• Textured Sleeves on tubes

We have received a revision 7 of this cooler which is compatible with Intel LGA 1700/1200/115x/2066/2011(-3) Square ILM sockets and AM4, AM5 sockets in AMD. You would need to check the revision to see if the required mounting hardware for Intel LGA1700 and AMD AM5 sockets are included or not.

This cooler has a 38mm thick aluminum-made radiator having a dimension of 398x120x38mm. Since the fans are pre-installed, the overall height of the unit is 65.5mm which is not a regular size; hence users would need to keep that in mind when it comes to PC Case clearance and compatibility. This radiator has a 14 FPI count. The complete radiator assembly is black color coated, and ARCTIC has done a nice job with fin stacking.

ARCTIC has used P12 non-RGB fans with this cooler. These fans are pre-installed on the radiator. Each fan has a length of 40mm which is a wise choice since fans come pre-installed on the radiator. These fans are rated for 200 to 1800 RPM, generating airflow of 55.6 CFM at full speed. The static pressure rating of these fans is 2.2mmH2O. These fans are using 0.08A at 12VDC. These fans use Fluid Dynamic Bearing.

This cooler is using fiber-reinforced, EPDC rubber tubes that run to approximately 450mm in length. They have an OD/ID of 12.4/6.0mm. The barb fittings have aluminum covers on the radiator and on the pump housing. These tubes feature a unique textured sleeve in gray and white colors. We have mentioned above that this cooler features an integrated cable management system. All three fans are daisy-chained using short-length cables. Then there is a single 4-pin cable going under the sleeve on one tube toward the block.

The pump housing of this unit is another distinctive feature and design. It has a dimension of 98x78x53mm without tubes. 53mm is the height of this unit. It does give an impression of a space ship though it could be a personal opinion. ARCTIC has installed a 40mm fan towards the front side of this pump housing. This fan can rotate from 1000 to 3000 RPM. ARCTIC has mentioned that the pump is their internal design, and it is powered by a PWM connector. The PWM control allows for more optimized and efficient operations while reducing noise output. Following the power consumption of this pump with PWM control:

The pump is rated for up to 2000 RPM speed.

Installation of ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 360 is convenient, and it involves 14 items to install the block on the CPU socket. The user is required to handle only one 4-pin PWM cable that is coming out of the pump housing. This revision of the ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 360 is compatible with Intel 1200 and 1700 sockets. It is also compatible with AMD AM4 and AM5 sockets. There are no RGB elements on this version.

Before we move on, let’s discuss some key points from our testing:

• The 3x P12 fans, pump, and VRM fan are controlled by a single PWM cable.
• That cable is reporting the tac from the fans. In other words, it is reporting the speed of the fans by default, and there is nothing that a user can do to check the speed of the pump and VRM fan without modding.
• The maximum speed, as reported in the BIOS, was 1770 RPM.
• There is no way we can have the pump run at full speed while the fans operate at Auto PWM setting, depending upon the load-in-stock configuration.
• The only bypass is to disconnect the fan from the integrated cable connection and connect them to a 4-pin PWM fan header on the motherboard using an extension cable (not included).

The ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 360 is listed at USD 140 on AMAZON at the time of this writing. ARCTIC is providing an exceptional 6-year warranty on this cooler. This price plus this warranty period makes this cooler a cost-effective solution. What about the performance? This cooler was able to maintain 90°C on AMD Ryzen 7 7700X at an ambient of 30°C, which is impressive given how these CPUs behaved thermally. Although this cooler sits behind the EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 LUX D-RGB, which is costing USD 204 at this time, the low noise operation, adequate thermal performance, good pricing, and generous warranty period make this cooler a must-have. It might not be a cup of tea for RGB lovers, but ARCTIC has that segment covered as well.