Arctic's New 420mm Liquid Cooler Will Tame Even The Hottest Intel CPUs

Arctic Liquid Freezer II 420
(Image credit: Arctic)

Arctic's Liquid Freezer II line has been out for a while now, and we've already reviewed the 280 mm variant. It came out great, but what if you want even more cooling power? A 360mm variant is longer but uses smaller 120 mm fans, offering nearly identical performance. For the ultimate enthusiasts, Arctic is adding a new version to its product line: Liquid Freezer II - 420

The Liquid Freezer II 420 may potentially be the biggest all-in-one liquid cooler on the market, if not the biggest ever made. Most all-in-one liquid coolers come in 280 mm (2x 140mm) or 360 mm (3x 120mm) as their biggest variants, so this 3x 140mm flavor definitely stands out from the crowd.

The Liquid Freezer II 420's CPU block comes with its own little 40 mm fan to cool the area around it and add a little airflow to the VRM circuitry, and this fan can spin between 1000 and 3000 RPM using PWM control. The pump itself spins from 800 to 2000 RPM, and the three 140 mm fans offer a lavish range from just 200 to 1700 RPM. That being said, we can't imagine a scenario where an AIO needs all three 140 mm fans to spin this fast, so you're mostly buying this cooler for the silence benefits offered by using multiple large fans.

But the one thing to keep in mind with an AIO this big is case support. Generally, the largest size supported by most cases is 360 mm, so you'll have to carefully double-check your case's specs to see if this will fit. In total, the radiator is 458mm long, so do make sure you have the clearance for it. Most standard sockets are supported, including Intel's LGA1200 and AMD's AM4. 

No word on US pricing, but pricing in the EU is set at just €120, which is generously affordable for a unique product such as this one.

Niels Broekhuijsen

Niels Broekhuijsen is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US. He reviews cases, water cooling and pc builds.

  • jpe1701
    I have the 360mm version. It is just awesome. This should really be a really potent cooler. The pressure optimized fans that Arctic designed for their newer coolers actually compare with much higher priced alternatives.
    Reply
  • javiindo
    Wow, they should indicate in which cases it can fit.
    Reply
  • everettfsargent
    Alphacool has had a 420mm AIO since at least 2017 ...
    https://www.techpowerup.com/236171/alphacool-announces-the-eisbaer-420-the-worlds-biggest-aio-solution
    Currently called the Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora 420 ...
    https://www.alphacool.com/shop/new-products/21588/alphacool-eisbaer-420-cpu-black
    As to cases. use teh Egg and specify radiator location(s) and radiator sizes. Then check out the selected cases at each vendor's own website just to be on the safe side.
    Reply
  • D1v1n3D
    This will fit a Phantec P500a perfectly for my 5950x build oh yeaaaah Intel suck a what lol. Though a 280 or a 360 is more than enough to cool an AMD CPU I just want my system ice cold like a freezer puns intended. ;)
    Reply
  • vinay2070
    At this point I wish they made a good alternative to EK Custom loop kit with a 420mm Rad.
    Reply
  • rubix_1011
    Alphacool does: https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/alphacool-eissturm-hurricane-copper-45,5843.html
    Reply
  • Phaaze88
    Knowing the weaknesses of hybrid coolers, I definitely have to see a review of this.
    The efficiency curve seems to drop off quite a bit after 280mm.
    Reply
  • thedillyo
    Admin said:
    Arctic added a massive 420mm big liquid CPU cooler to its arsenal.

    Arctic's New 420mm Liquid Cooler Will Tame Even The Hottest Intel CPUs : Read more

    "Even The Hottest Intel CPUs"?

    What about the hottest AMD ones? will it work on those?

    This is some bias shat!
    Reply
  • It would be nice to see some test results, compared to other coolers of the same size, and other 280mm and 360mm coolers.

    I must admit, I am still unsure of how to compare specs of these AIO coolers.

    I have a Corsair H115i 280x27mm radiator. On it I've added 2x140mm Noctua iPPC fans @ 2000rpm.
    These fans are 182.5m2h, or 107cfm @ 4.18 mmH20

    The Arctic cooler has 3 x 140mm fans @ 72.8 cfm, 2.4 mmH2O.

    So is this cooler a better performing cooler than the H115i? My fans are often spinning over 1700rpm when gaming and video encoding, and I also have 10 case fans to move air. The intake is the same as the exhaust (it was built to be that way), in a Thermlatake W100 case (I've also tried both negative and positive airflow, but the results are very similar).

    Do you add the cfm together to get 214cfm @ 4.18mmH2O since there are two fans pushing air for the H115i, and 218.4cfm for the Arctic? Does the lower static pressure of the Arctic (around 55% of the H115i ), mean lower performance?
    Reply
  • Phaaze88
    IceQueen0607 said:
    So is this cooler a better performing cooler than the H115i?
    We really need to see reviews to confirm this, and if so, by how much.
    The mechanical weaknesses of hybrid coolers:
    A)Pump speed. It pales to custom liquid pumps.
    Plus, a larger radiator needs a stronger pump. If nothing is done about that, well... I really can't expect such a large model to best a 280mm - marginally better, perhaps.

    B)Size of the copper fins on the opposite side of the cold plate. Bigger is better.

    IceQueen0607 said:
    Do you add the cfm together to get 214cfm @ 4.18mmH2O since there are two fans pushing air for the H115i, and 218.4cfm for the Arctic?
    I don't believe it works that way, unfortunately, I'm not the person who can answer this for you.
    Though the specs you see only apply at 100%. Manufacturers don't post fan curves, so no one could tell you how a particular fan behaves below that; the curves aren't linear.

    IceQueen0607 said:
    Does the lower static pressure of the Arctic (around 55% of the H115i ), mean lower performance?
    Yes, when faced with 'obstacles'. The more there are, and the greater the intensity, the more air pressure is lost.
    -the radiator itself
    -the panel the fans are against, whether solid or open mesh
    -dust filters
    -psu shrouds
    -HDD cages
    -cable clutter(if present)
    -fan grilles
    Reply