The NZXT Kraken M22 is perhaps the most impressive-looking AIO cooler on the list. Its pump boasts an “infinity RGB” design that honestly looks spectacular. But is this cooler all show and no substance? Radiator Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 30mm / 4.7 x 4.7 x 1.2” | Fan Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 25mm / 4.7 x 4.7 x 1” | Fan Speed: 1800 RPM +/- 10 % | Noise Volume: Up to 32.1 dBA | Warranty: 5 years This shows the delta in height, measured in microns, from a calibrated 0-point. The A500’s box plot shows the largest range, illustrating the chaotic levelness that hurt its performance, while the Deepcool Assassin III and original Wraith coolers have some of the best levelness. The Arctic Liquid Freezer II averaged about 8-10 microns depth from the 0-point, with minimums and maximums at 2 microns and 48 microns. The Liquid Freezer II has a couple deep points in the coldplate, but is overall closer to the smooth end than the unlevel end. Installation & Mounting Differences in testing methodology undoubtedly have something to do with this inconsistency. That said, the main takeaway is that 120 mm AIOs aren’t consistently better than air CPU coolers. This makes the disadvantages of a liquid cooler, such as the risk of catastrophic failure and limited service life due to permeation, harder to accept.

The ASUS ROG Strix LC 120 scores high marks for its looks. The RGB lights are very tastefully done and decorate only the pump head. Another interesting feature of the pump head is its tabbed design, making it look like a gear. It’s a nice touch that speaks to the hardiness of this AIO cooler. The Kraken’s performance leaves a bit to be desired, especially given its price point. At close to a premium price, this is one of the more expensive 120mm coolers on the market, but many cheaper options provide much better cooling at lower prices. It’s also on the louder end compared to other coolers. A 120 mm Arctic P12 model is used as a fan, which was specially developed for use on radiators. The 120 millimeter fan ensures a strong air flow at a maximum of 1,800 rpm. Thanks to the 4-pin PWM connection, the fan only rotates as fast as the temperature development on the CPU requires. The TH120 also scores high marks for quality. There are virtually no complaints to be made about it, aside from the length of the hoses. They are just a little bit shorter than you’d like them to be, but the quality of the components is top-notch especially the incredibly quiet TT-1225 fan.

Radiator Dimensions: 153 x 120 x 27mm / 6.0 x 4.7 x 1.1” | Fan Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 25mm / 4.7 x 4.7 x 1” | Fan Speed: Up to 1500 RPM | Noise Volume: Up to 28.2 dBA | Warranty: 3 years Radiator Dimensions: 155 x 120 x 27mm / 6.1 x 4.7 x 1.1” | Fan Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 25mm / 4.7 x 4.7 x 1” | Fan Speed: 550 ~ 2200 RPM +/- 10 % | Noise Volume: Up to 36.4 dBA | Warranty: 5 years The heart of the Arctic Liquid Freezer II is the newly developed, PWM-controlled pump with improved efficiency and lower power consumption compared to its predecessor. The manufacturer also equips the pump element with a heat-conductive copper base plate and a 40 millimeter fan for cooling the voltage transformers. The high heat absorption capacity and the good heat transfer through the 120 mm radiator make this complete water cooling an excellent choice for compact but powerful systems. All in all, this is a great option for an AIO water cooler. It has a small footprint, so you’ll be able to install it in most towers, and it’s highly durable due to the quality of its components. The included 5-year warranty is also a welcome sight. Overall, the EK AIO D-RGB represents good value.

Tier 1: These coolers are able to keep the i9-12900K below TJ max in most loads, with no power limits enforced. I expect only the best liquid coolers to meet this standard. Our next chart continues with the 3950X 200W load, but allows all the coolers to run at 100% fan speed during the test. This doesn’t move the needle much for Arctic, which seems to top-out in its efficiency at around 1200RPM rather than its maximum 1600RPM. The results were +/-1C as usual, but our average ended up at 50.9 degrees over ambient. That’s not enough of a change, so there’s room to reduce noise level without much loss of overall performance. At the 1610RPM speed, the Arctic cooler ran at 42.5dBA at the normal 20” distance. This puts it about equal in thermal performance to the NZXT Kraken X62 and X72, which run around 51-53dBA, or a perceived noise increase to the human ear of about 2x. Again, that’s perceived to the human ear, not acoustic power, which is a different scale. Either way, Arctic’s solution is significantly quieter at the same performance. The EVGA CLC 360 shows that we’re not limited by our test bench, but also that jet engine levels of noise are needed to drive the temperature down further. 3800X – 35dBA Unfortunately, the software requires a Facebook or Google account to save profiles, but you can run it in guest mode if you refuse to link a profile because you’re concerned about how NZXT handles your information. You just won’t be able to save your settings.Nem személyre szabott hirdetések Ezek a sütik lehetővé teszik számunkra, hogy általános termék- és szolgáltatásreklámokat jelenítsünk meg Önnek. The selling point of the ML120R is its performance. It is one of the best-performing 120mm AIO coolers on the market. Its dual-fan setup allows it to cool more efficiently than some larger coolers and will easily keep the highest performing CPUs, like the Ryzen 9 7950X, incredibly cool even under heavy loads. Radiator Dimensions: 152 x 120 x 32mm / 6.0 x 4.7 x 1.3” | Fan Dimensions: 120 x 120 x 25mm / 4.7 x 4.7 x 1” | Fan Speed: 500 ~ 2000 RPM +/- 300 | Noise Volume: 21 ~ 36 dBA | Warranty: 3 years All in all, the Corsair Hydro Series H80i v2 is one of the top 120mm AIO coolers on the market. It keeps pace with many larger coolers due to its oversized radiator and hoses. While the price is steep, the Corsair is a great deal and is perfect for someone with a powerful machine but limited space in their tower. It falls just short of the incredibly high bar set by the Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML120R RGB. You’ll love the ASUS ROG Strix LC 120 AIO cooler if you have a powerful machine but are hard-pressed to make space for a cooler with a larger form factor.