be quiet! Pure Loop 2 AIO Review
Conclusion
Conclusion
The be quiet! Pure Loop 2 is available in 360mm, 280mm, 240mm and 120mm variants. We tested the 360mm version because we feel that, unless you’re extremely tight for space, the cooling benefits of the bigger radiator far outweigh any size or small price increase considerations. Additionally with more surface area to cool and more fans to cool it you can run the fans slower, and thus quieter, for the same overall cooling level as you’d get running the fans faster on smaller radiators. AIOs are excellent for cooling performance, but their low noise factor is unquestionably their key selling point.
If you’re a regular reader then you’ll be aware that we’ve tested nearly every large format AIO that has been released, and they don’t always perform well. Nearly always this is down to the manufacturers attempting to cut corners on their fan quality, leading to fans which need to run extremely quickly to produce the static pressure necessary to cool a radiator properly. Couple this to the fact that cheaper fans have worse bearing and thus a shorter shelf-life before they become rattly things. If there is one accusation that could never be thrown in the direction of be quiet!, it is one that impugns their fan build quality. It’s what they’re most famous for and the latest Pure Loop 2 comes equipped with their newest Pure Wings 3 fans, specifically designed for radiators.
As we said on the second page of this review, the Pure Wings 3 come with closed loop motor control. This is perfect for the harsh demands of a radiator, where the pressure build up can cause fans to run much slower than they are claiming to run. The Pure Wings 3 on the other hand monitor the actual RPM of the fan and adjust it as necessary, so you’re always getting the fan speed you demand, and thus the cooling you’re promised. By running at the required speed you boost your cooling performance and also reduce your generated noise, as the fan isn’t running for lengthy periods at a speed that’s being no help.
As you could see from our graphs these Pure Wings 3 fans work beautifully in conjunction with the Pure Loop 2 radiator and pump design to keep our toasty Core i9-9900K cool even with the fans at their lowest speed. With any modern CPU that runs much cooler than the hottest entry in the Intel canon, particularly with boost speeds now meaning that overclocking them all the time is a waste of time and literal energy, the results on the newest be quiet! AIO will be even better. We think the sweet spot here is 1000 RPM, but even running flat out it lives up to the be quiet! name. The decoupling of the pump from its usual location to the flexible hoses only aids this quest for ever lower noise.
The be quiet! Pure Loop 2 might eschew the flashy ARGB stylings of most modern coolers, but its stealthy aesthetic speaks to the ninja-like silence of its operation. Fantastic build quality, performance, and silence wins it our OC3D Silence Award.
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