INTRODUCTION

   Computex is once again upon us so it really goes without saying really that we can expect to see numerous new products (final and concept ones) unveiled by both old and new manufacturers in the PC and electronics industry. We have already started covering Computex the best way we possibly can (since we couldn't attend) so if interested check our news section for more details on upcoming products. With that out of the way in this year's Computex we've already seen quite a few CPU cooling solutions (primarily AIO models) but since these are mostly upcoming products it may take a while for them to make their way to our lab. So until that happens we decided to take a detailed look at one of the most popular AIO liquid CPU coolers currently the Silent Loop 280 by our friends over at be quiet!

   be quiet! is a premium brand of power supplies, PC cases and cooling solutions for desktop PCs. Consistently the leader in the German PC power supply market since 2007*, be quiet! is one of the most successful PSU brands in Europe. This enduring success is largely thanks to the typical German passion for quality and precision. All product conception, design and quality control is performed in Germany. German expertise is evident the moment an idea is born and throughout the entire design and production process. be quiet! never releases a product until it meets the highest expectations. All materials used – from the smallest screws to the metals in the cases – are tested to rigorous standards. That is why be quiet! power supplies, PC cases, CPU coolers and case fans are among the most silent, powerful and reliable on the market. Innovative engineering concepts coupled with an uncompromising choice of premium materials and world-class manufacturing quality make be quiet! second to none when it comes to noise reduction. With over ten years of experience, be quiet! are truly the quietness experts.

   It took some time for be quiet! to jump in the AIO liquid CPU cooling trend so for that exact reason they launched the Silent Loop line with not one but 3 different products in it, a single fan 120mm model and two dual fan 240mm/280mm models. Obviously although the single 120mm model and the dual 240mm model use one and two 120mm fans respectively the 280mm model uses two 140mm fans which means its target audience is smaller compared to the other two. In terms of appearance the Silent Loop 280mm AIO cooler may look a lot like many others currently available in the market but it's actually quite different not only because it features a high-performance (2200RPM) yet silent decoupled reverse-flow pump, copper radiator and anti-kink coils (bend protection) for both its flexible tubes but also because it comes ready with a refill port (just in case) and two Pure Wings 2 140mm PWM rifle-bearing fans (1600RPM/94.2CFM/1.82mmH2O). So let's see just how well the new and highly promising Silent Loop 280mm AIO liquid CPU cooler does.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

You can take a quick look at the main product features from the front of the box which also has a large product picture.

The features and specifications of the Silent Loop 280mm are printed on both sides of the box in 4 languages.

At the rear be quiet! has placed the features list in 2 more languages right next to two product pictures used to showcase its fans and pump.

As usually the entire bundle is wrapped inside plastic bags and placed inside a formed thick piece of cardboard.

Aside the main unit the box also contains two Pure Wings 2 140mm fans, fan y-cable, user manual and all the necessary mounting hardware for Intel LGA775/1150/1151/1155/1156/1366/2011/2011-3 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/AM4/FM1/FM2/FM2+ mainboards.

THE SILENT LOOP 280MM

Once again the AIO model in our hands basically consists from a dual fan radiator (319mm in length and 144mm in width), two tubes (410mm long), pump (2200RPM) and a waterblock (nickel plated).

The Silent Loop 280mm features a 30mm thick radiator just like the majority of similar AIO models in the market.

Be quiet! has used a radiator with an FPI (fins per inch) count of 16.

Both 410mm long tubes feature anti-kin coils (be quiet! calls it bend protection) so you don't have to worry about bending them too much.

According to be quiet! the low-profile pump used in the Silent Loop 280mm runs smoother and with less vibration than conventional pumps thanks to its reverse-flow technique.

For good (zero possible leaks) or bad (not as flexible during installation) unlike many other AIO models the two tubes are fixed onto the pump of the Silent Loop 280.

Be quiet! has also placed a refill port on the left side of the pump which may come in handy eventually.

The nickel plated base of the waterblock features a nice mirror-like finish.

The Pure Wings 2 140mm PWM fans can go all the way up to 1600RPM to produce up to 94.2CFM of airflow with up to 37.3dBA of noise.

Each fan has nine silence-optimized fan blades which also produce increased air pressure levels.

With both Pure Wings 2 fans mounted onto the radiator we can now begin our tests.

Also let's not forget that with the fans mounted the main body of the cooler is now 55mm thick.

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. When testing complete water cooling kits we use the Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste. 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

   Like I said earlier in this review it may have taken be quiet! a bit of time to enter the AIO liquid cooling market but the Silent Loop 280mm offers very good cooling efficiency (for its size always) with relatively low noise levels (I was expecting slightly lower ones but just 50.4dBA from 10-15cm away is quite good). It goes without saying that since the Silent Loop 280mm is based on a dual 140mm radiator it’s not as compatible with PC cases as for example its smaller brother the Silent Loop 240mm but you’re probably getting a good bump in performance (won’t know until we’ve also reviewed the 240mm model) so if you can fit it inside your case that’s the way to go. We were somewhat surprised to see that be quiet! didn’t choose to implement a quick-release mechanism for the tubes of the Silent Loop line effectively making it expandable so our guess is they will do so with their next line (perhaps a Dark Loop line?).

   Currently the be quiet! Silent Loop 280mm AIO liquid CPU cooler retails for USD159 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 149Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) a price tag which is indeed somewhat high even for a dual 140mm model. Of course for that amount you’re getting both the high quality and performance be quiet! products are well known for and a 3 year warranty so that further sweetens the deal. Overall although we do feel that the Silent Loop 280mm could be better or at least available in 360mm we can’t deny that it performs very well for its size, is quite silent and follows their tradition of building quality products so for all those things it’s clearly worth our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Very Good Cooling Efficiency
- Refill Port
- Bend Protection (Tubes)
- Noise Levels

CONS

- Price (For Some)