Arctic Liquid Freezer III Professional 360 ARGB evaluate
You needn’t lay our a fortune in your subsequent liquid cooler. The Arctic Liquid Freezer III Professional 360 ARGB is all you want for a contemporary processor and it prices simply $94/£80. That is for the 360 mm model with ARGB lighting. You can spend as little as $71/£62 on the 240 mm possibility with out the lights. That frees up funds to place elsewhere—in direction of a greater graphics card, maybe.
You would not be doing all your rig or your processor a disservice for utilizing the Liquid Freezer III Professional. We beforehand rated the Arctic Liquid Freezer III as the most effective all-in-one liquid cooler and it is solely improved with the Professional model. It nonetheless has the identical thick radiator and built-in VRM fan as its predecessor, however the Professional model additionally has better fin density and improved pump rpm management. Furthermore, it is the followers that get the largest improve.
Arctic consists of three P12 Professional followers on the Liquid Freezer III Professional 360 ARGB. These look spectacular on paper—an enormous step-up over the P12 PST PWM followers on the older model—with a most 3000 rpm, excessive airflow, and a static stress measured at a large 6.9 mmH20. That is Arctic’s static stress determine, and I am unable to place it to the check myself, but it surely’s an enormous outcome for utilization on a radiator. I’ve put the followers’ to the check utilizing an anemometer.
In my testing, the P12 Professional reached 2.6 m/s at 3000 rpm. That is overwhelmed solely by the Hyte Thicc FP12, and it even surpasses our decide for the greatest PC fan, Noctua’s NF-A12x25 G2 PWM, seemingly because of Arctic’s a lot larger rpm. The P12 Professional’s lead does disintegrate at decrease rpm. Noctua’s G2 fan beats every thing else at 1200, 800, and 450 rpm. That is essential as you’ll are inclined to run your fan decrease than its most rpm more often than not. However it’s undoubtedly spectacular.
Liquid Freezer III Professional specs
Radiator measurement: 360 mm (reviewed, different sizes obtainable)
Radiator dimensions: 398 x 120 x 38 mm
Radiator materials: Aluminium
Pump: In-house Arctic
Socket compatibility: AM5/AM4, LGA1851/1700/1200/1156/1155/1151/1150
Followers: 3x P12 Professional
Fan velocity: 600 – 3000 rpm
RGB lighting: Followers and pump unit
Tubing size: 450 mm
Worth: $94/£80
The P12 Professional is a loud fan at full throttle, on account of that lofty max rpm, although it’s notably quieter than the Hyte Thicc FP12, which reaches the identical speeds. The Hyte additionally outperforms the Arctic at max velocity. I retested each side-by-side and I might positively want the Arctic followers in my PC because of the tone of the Hyte followers, however to be sincere, I would not really need both operating at full velocity. They’re hella loud. That you must maintain these on mild curve to maintain them schtum.
There is not any devoted software program for the Arctic. Nevertheless, setting a curve in your BIOS could not get a lot simpler. You might have a alternative: both set it up with particular person management of all of the followers and pump, or run every thing off a single curve. That is made attainable by two units of cables included within the field: one set has particular person fan connectors for the pump, VRM fan, and radiator followers; the opposite has only a single connection. Each terminate on the pump unit utilizing a proprietary connection.
I examined with the individually related cables. I used to be apprehensive the small VRM fan could be extraordinarily noisy, as tiny followers usually are, however I used to be pleasantly stunned to seek out it isn’t that audible. For the overall consumer, then, I might in all probability suggest sticking to the only cable method. It is rather a lot smarter-looking. Altogether, the Arctic hides its cables fairly nicely. The followers on the radiator are daisy-chained collectively to scale back free wires, together with the ARGB cables, all of which is then routed by way of the sleeving on the tubes to the pump unit, doubtlessly combining into only a single fan connection and ARGB connection. After utilizing just a few liquid coolers with screens that demand cables in every single place currently, I am shook. The Liquid Freezer III Professional is so easy—appropriately, actually.
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Although not like the Hyte Q60 or NZXT Kraken Elite, Arctic’s method would not shift the cables away from the pump (the place they’re extra seen) to the radiator (the place they don’t seem to be). It is the opposite manner round. Although a two small cables from the pump are simply hidden, so it truthfully works practically simply as nicely.
Talking of the set-up course of, it is simple sufficient on an AMD Ryzen processor however barely extra concerned on an Intel one. That is as a result of Artic has, to its profit, included a contact body with the Liquid Freezer III Professional—one and the identical because the contact body with the Freezer 36. This can be a steel body that fully replaces the Built-in Loading Mechanism (ILM). Mainly nixxing the steel CPU body and socket cowl in favour of a flatter, sturdier block of steel. It is a good suggestion, too, as Intel’s thirteenth and 14th Gen processors had been liable to bending over time. Yep, bending. The contact body prevents that, however provided that you do it immediately with a contemporary CPU.
It is nice to have that peace of thoughts provided by the contact body right here, which is included within the field at no added value, but it surely takes somewhat extra effort to put in it in your motherboard. Doing so requires fastidiously eradicating the ILM with the supplied software, being cautious to not jab a screwdriver or finger into the fragile socket beneath, then ensuring the backplate remains to be aligned with the 4 holes on every nook. Greatest to do that with the motherboard mendacity flat, as I’ve performed it as soon as on my vertical check bench and, yeah, do not do this. The job then requires putting the CPU into the uncovered socket, adopted by the contact body on prime, then screwing all that along with the backplate on the rear. As soon as collectively, it is strong as a rock.
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Whack a few of the included Arctic MX-6 thermal paste on there, or one other of your selecting (I check every thing with a large tube of MX-4), load the chilly plate into place, and tighten the 2 captive screws. Sorted, and steady as heck. Although I did discover the coldplate on the cooler would not fairly cowl the total Intel chip, with a skinny slice on the decrease fringe of the chip uncovered. The essential factor is the precise silicon and the heatspreader above it’s nicely lined, in any case, which it clearly is for the temperatures recorded throughout testing.
Simply notice there’s potential for a compatibility subject between the tubing from the pump and a very tall M.2 SSD. There is not any actual option to mount this cooler another manner than having the tubing lengthen out from beneath the pump, which should not be a problem in itself for the additional lengthy 450 mm tube size on this cooler, but it surely would possibly rub up towards a tall M.2 slot for a PCIe 5.0 SSD. Arctic says to contact assist should you run into this subject in any case, as it’ll present a free M.2 cooler.
Purchase if…
✅ You are worried about VRM temperatures: Whether or not a priority or not, holding your VRM cool is a good suggestion. The Liquid Freezer III Professional does that nicely with its pump-mounted fan, which may transfer some sizzling air away out of your motherboard in lieu of any direct followers.
✅ You want additional lengthy tubes: This cooler comes with 450 mm size tubing, which is 50 mm greater than the following man.
Do not buy if…
❌ You desire a simple set-up on an Intel chip: I might argue the contact plate is altogether an awesome factor to incorporate within the field, but it surely positively makes set up a bit tougher with Intel chips, and it’s required to get this cooler set-up with them.
The Liquid Freezer III Professional manages wonderful thermal efficiency all through my check suite, even with a chip as power-hungry because the Core i7 14700K. Admittedly, I am but to check a liquid cooler that does not carry out across the identical degree—the expertise has actually come on leaps and bounds lately in order that even funds coolers are up there with the most effective—and the Liquid Freezer III Professional isn’t any totally different. It is usually up there with among the finest liquid coolers cash should buy at this time, Cooler Grasp’s MasterLiquid 360 Core II, and simply competing with way more costly fashions from Corsair, NZXT, and extra.
I’ve already talked about the noise ranges from the followers individually, and we check every liquid cooler with the followers at max velocity, so unsurprisingly it is a loud unit by comparability to some. Nevertheless, I have been letting it run within the background on the usual fan curve, as set by the Asus ROG Maximus Z790 Darkish Hero I am utilizing on the check bench, and it is fairly quiet. That bears out in my fan exams, as at 1200 rpm the P12 Professional are a few of the quietest followers I’ve examined.
When you ignore the hyper-expensive liquid coolers with large screens, and I intend to, I see just one actual competitor to the Arctic Liquid Freezer III Professional ARGB from my testing. That is the Cooler Grasp MasterLiquid 360 Core II. It performs exceptionally nicely, seems to be good, and it is quiet. It is also spectacularly reasonably priced at round $100/£86. Between the 2, I lean barely in direction of the Arctic possibility, if solely due to the built-in VRM fan, which can assist maintain different key parts cooler over their lifetime, the neat cable answer, and the contact body. Although, actually, each have their deserves, and if one is less expensive than the opposite, I say go for it.