INTRODUCTION

   Superior cooling efficiency compared to almost every CPU air cooler out there and zero interference issues with motherboard components and RAM are pretty much the two main reasons AIO liquid CPU coolers have taken over the global market. Still with secondary features like RGB lighting becoming all but a must lately for both hardware and peripherals (especially among gamers) in order to get a larger piece of the pie manufacturers have been focusing on those as well. Be quiet! is among a handful of manufacturers who've for the most part placed RGB lighting second to quality and performance so it was just a matter of time before that would change. Well, with their brand new FX line of products which is finally here to celebrate their 20th anniversary (not a limited edition run) it has and today I’m testing the Pure Loop 2 FX 360 AIO model.

   be quiet! is a premium brand of power supplies, PC cases and cooling solutions for desktop PCs. The products of be quiet! offer legendary quiet operation and first-class performance thanks the passion for quality and precision. Attention to detail is the key to perfection. Which is why our very own experts lead product conception, design and quality control from our headquarters in Germany. be quiet! sticks to its name: More than 15 years’ experience in the field of noise reduction and silence make be quiet! products probably the most silent ones on the market.

   The first Pure Loop series of AIO liquid CPU coolers be quiet! released in late 2020 (review here) had KD industrial behind them (as opposed to Asetek which is the company most companies currently use as their OEM) so i was very eager to see how their unique pump positioning (pump is mounted between the tubings) would affect performance and i wasn't disappointed. This is probably why be quiet! went with the same design for the Pure Loop 2 FX series. Still even though the Pure Loop 2 FX AIO is also available in 240/280/360mm sizes and sports the same 5500RPM high-speed doubly decoupled pump (the pump is mounted between the 400mm long sleeved tubings) this time over be quiet! has used a 27mm thick aluminum radiator which has an FPI count of 21 as opposed to the 19 of that used with the Pure Loop models. Combine that with the brand new Light Wings 120mm high-speed/air pressure fans (rifle bearing/4-pole motor/2500RPM/52.3CFM/2.6H2O/31dBA/18 ARGB LEDs - 9 on each side) and this should be just enough for the Pure Loop 2 FX to surpass its predecessor, at least in terms of cooling efficiency. Another thing that stands out with the Pure Loop 2 FX is that be quiet! bundles an ARGB fan hub which enables synchronization of up to 6 PWM fans and 6 ARGB components (5V) meaning you can connect it to the 3 Light Wings 120mm ARGB fans and the ARGB illuminated pump and still have room for two more devices. So, let's take a closer look at the brand new Pure Loop 2 FX 360 AIO by our friends over at be quiet!

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Be quiet! uses their typical black box to ship the new Pure Loop 2 FX series which has their logo and a product picture at the front.

A 2D barcode located on the left side of the box points to online product information.

The specifications table is printed on the right side of the box.

4 pictures at the rear of the box are used to showcase the main product features in 2 languages.

As with past models the entire bundle is placed inside a formed piece of cardboard.

Inside the box be quiet! has placed the main unit of the Pure Loop 2 FX 360, three Light Wings 120mm high-speed fans, ARGB fan hub, 3M double sided tape, bottle of coolant (100ml), thermal paste tube, 3 cable ties, backplate, warning information, user manual and all the necessary mounting hardware for Intel LGA1150/1151/1155/1200/1700/2011/2011-3/2066 and AMD AM4/AM5 (optional kit) compatible motherboards.

THE PURE LOOP 2 FX 360MM

At first glance what stands out from the Pure Loop 2 FX 360 AIO is its aluminum-style block and of course the 397mm long aluminum radiator.

As expected, the radiator is just 27mm in thickness for optimal compatibility with cases.

A fill/drain port is located on the far end of the radiator so you might want to use the bundled coolant after many months of use.

With a high FPI (fins per inch) count of 21 this aluminum radiator is clearly not the same model as the one used with the Pure Loop series.

Placing the pump between the 400mm long sleeved tubings is not an approach we’ve seen in the past by other manufacturers.

The top of the pump features a brushed aluminum like piece (same as with the Pure Loop models) and around we find several ARGB LEDs (be quiet! doesn’t state how many but I count at least 8).

Just like its predecessor the Pure Loop 2 FX AIO models feature rotatable tubes for easier installation.

The nickel plated copper cold plate is large enough for any CPU model in the market (although not supported it should be sufficient even for TR4).

The 3 Light Wings 120mm high-speed fans can achieve speeds of up to 2500RPM to produce up to 52.3CFM of airflow and 2.6H2O of air pressure with just 31dBA of noise (these fans feature a total of 18 ARGB LEDs each in the exterior ring).

Of course, these fans feature rubber anti-vibration pads on all corners.

With the Light Wings 120mm high-speed fans mounted the radiator now measures just over 53mm in thickness.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Testing complete water cooling kits or individual radiators is no different than testing CPU Coolers and since we want all of you to be able to compare similar products, we created new and separate charts (you can still cross-compare results however since we are using the same test rig). So once again single (120/140mm) watercooling solutions are tested with the radiator mounted at the rear of our test rig while dual/triple/quad (240/260/280/360/420/480/560mm) solutions with the radiator mounted at the top. For the dBA tests complete water cooling kits or radiators with bundled fans are measured both while on idle mode or with the fan controller in the minimum setting and while on extreme load or with the fan controller all the way to the highest possible setting (PWM fans do that on their own without our intervention). Every single test takes place in a temperature controlled room of 23 degrees Celsius Ambient Temp with the help of two AC units placed diagonally inside the room. Finally, much like when testing CPU Coolers, it's very important to point out that just because a water cooling kit outperforms another when tested with our test rig (when we test complete water cooling kits) that does not necessarily mean that the same performance differences will apply 100% for other CPU models and in other situations (such as different ambient temps and system configurations).

     To successfully record the load temperatures, we use the latest OCCT application for around 6-10 minutes to push the processor to its limits and after that is done and the temperatures are recorded, we wait for about 10-20 minutes for the CPU to cool down and record the idle temperatures. This is done to allow time for the thermal conductive material to achieve the optimal performance level. Same procedure is then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results are wrong. This procedure takes a lot more time than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results to our readers based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using both the latest versions of AIDA64 and RealTemp while the noise level tests (when fans exist in the bundle) are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the radiator. Still although the same testing procedure applies to all units do take into consideration that unlike the official numbers which are measured in special noise isolated labs with just the fans here, we also have both the rest of the cooler and the rest of the system (although all system fans are turned off when recording noise levels).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   As with every product successor in the market what consumers seem to care about most is how it does against its predecessor and as you can clearly see in my charts the Pure Loop 2 FX 360mm AIO produced almost identical cooling efficiency with its predecessor the Pure Loop 360mm. However, what one needs to take away from this is that the Pure Loop 2 FX 360mm AIO does so by being more silent compared to its predecessor and that's no small feat. Now granted 2.6dBA difference is not huge (roughly 4.9% less to be exact) but that goes to show that be quiet! didn’t just strap a few dozen ARGB LEDs on both the fans and the pump and called it a day. On the other hand, however if you do happen to own the Pure Loop 360mm model and you care not about ARGB lighting I see no reason in getting the brand new Pure Loop 2 FX 360mm model. As for the ARGB lighting itself well since my test rig doesn’t support it (and neither of the 4 ARGB controllers that I have here was compatible) I can only “judge” it from all the marketing videos and pictures I’ve seen (and all the Light Wings fans that i have here) and i have to admit that even though be quiet! has followed a somewhat “limited” approach (always compared to the competition) it looks very nice.

   Throughout August and September be quiet! will be offering their entire FX line of products at a discount and so you should be soon able to get your hands on the Pure Loop 2 FX 360mm for around USD125/125Euros (USD30/30Euros less compared to the recommended MSRP) a price tag which is excellent for one such product. At the end of the day the Pure Loop 2 FX 360mm AIO by be quiet! offers very good cooling efficiency levels while at the same time being more silent than its predecessor (and many other similar models) and that’s why it gets the Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Near Excellent Cooling Efficiency
- ARGB Lighting (Fans & Pump)
- Thin Waterblock
- Up To Six 120mm Fans In Push & Pull (ARGB Hub Included)
- 400mm Long Sleeved Rotatable Tubes
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Long Radiator (Case Compatibility)