INTRODUCTION

   All-in-one liquid CPU cooling systems may have been around for roughly 8 years now but just like CPU air coolers they haven't really changed/evolved that much. Sure through the years manufacturers have used larger and higher fin density radiators, stronger and more durable pumps, more flexible tubes, improved cold plates/waterblocks, faster fans and even RGB lighting but the basic three-part configuration remains the same. Of course just like in the case of CPU air coolers these changes/improvements have effectively pushed the cooling efficiency of AIO models to a level where some of them can even compete with complete water cooling kits. The latest Silent Loop 360mm AIO Liquid CPU Cooler by our good friends over at be quiet! was released with that exact purpose in mind and today we have it on our test bench.

   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.

    The Silent Loop 360mm is the actually the 4th AIO liquid CPU cooler to be released by be quiet! (after the 120/240/280mm models) in cooperation with Alphacool and just as its name suggests it's based on a triple-fan 360mm long copper radiator (397mm to be exact). The larger copper radiator combined with the three 120mm fans gives the Silent Loop 360mm a TDP (thermal design power) of 450W (50W more compared to the Silent Loop 280mm which we reviewed a while back). The cooler also features a high-performance (2200RPM) yet silent decoupled reverse-flow pump (same model as the one used in the Silent Loop 280mm), 390mm long flexible tubes with anti-kink coils (bend protection), CNC machined cold plate and three Pure Wings 2 120mm PWM rifle-bearing fans (2000RPM/65.51CFM/2.23mmH2O/36.9dBA). So let’s see just what you can expect from the largest family member of the Silent Loop AIO liquid CPU coolers by be quiet!

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

A large product picture is placed at the front of the box right beneath the company logo and above the main product features.

The features and specifications of the Silent Loop 360mm 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.

Typically 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 three Pure Wings 2 120mm fans, fan single to tri-fan cable, thermal paste tube, user manual and all the necessary mounting hardware for Intel LGA775/1150/1151/1155/1156/1366/2011/2011-3/2066 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/AM4/FM1/FM2/FM2+/TR4 (optional kit) compatible mainboards.

THE SILENT LOOP 360MM

As already mentioned the basic configuration has remained the same over the years so nothing really new to see in terms of design/appearance.

Just like with most similar products the tri-fan radiator is just over 30mm thick.

The radiator has an FPI (fins per inch) count of roughly 16 (same as the one used in the 280mm model).

You can always expand the loop since the tubes are removable on both ends.

Anti-kink coils can increase protection for the tubes so it's good to see them once again.

Be quiet! has placed their logo on top of the pump/waterblock combo but unfortunately it's not illuminated.

The tubes can't be rotated from their pump end (unlike with most AIO models out in the market currently) but as we already mentioned they can be removed to modify and/or expand the loop.

A refill/drain port is placed on the left side of the pump/waterblock combo.

The CNC machined cold plate features a mirror like finish which is not something we see a lot with AIO models.

By using three Pure Wings 2 PWM fans (120mm/2000RPM) be quiet! seems to be focusing more in performance (65.51CFM/2.23mmH2O) rather than low noise (36.9dBA).

With the fans mounted the Silent Loop 360mm now measures just over 55mm in height/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. 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

   It’s been almost one year since be quiet! announced the Silent Loop 360mm and so since one year is quite a bit in this specific industry we didn’t know exactly just how it would perform compared to some of the latest AIO models to pop up since the beginning of this year. Luckily as we mentioned in the intro page things aren’t moving really fast when it comes to cooling systems and so it’s quite easy to see in our charts that the Silent Loop 360mm has no problem going up with all the latest AIO models including 360mm ones. What I personally didn’t expect was for the fans of the Silent Loop 360mm to hit such high noise levels at full speed (all three were spinning at around 2000RPM while the system was under extreme load) so although in terms of cooling efficiency we have no complaints it does come at a cost (the pump on the other hand is very silent). Of course it goes without saying that there’s very little chance that your system will ever be under the same stress/load we put ours through when we test CPU coolers (thus noise levels will never be as high) but the same also applies for every other cooler in our charts. The ability to expand and/or modify the loop is yet another useful feature (just like the fill port) especially since we’re talking about a high-performance tri-fan model.

   With a current price tag set at USD145.02 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 148Euros inside the EU (Amazon.co.uk) the Silent Loop 360mm AIO Liquid CPU Cooler by be quiet! is among the most affordable models in the market today. Sure it may lack the “looks” of some of the latest AIO models to hit the market (namely the RGB ones) and it may not be as “inaudible” but thanks to its very good performance and expandability it’s well worth our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Very Good Cooling Efficiency
- Expandable Loop (Aluminum Fittings)
- Up To Six 120mm Fans In Push & Pull
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Long Radiator
- Noise Levels
- No Illumination (For Some)