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ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 vs be quiet! Dark Rock 5: Comparison
ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 vs be quiet! Dark Rock 5: the fan count difference
Start with fan count, because it is the widest measured gap between them: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 2 against be quiet! Dark Rock 5 1, 50% in favour of ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280. Add warranty to that, 6 years on the ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 versus 3 years on the be quiet! Dark Rock 5, and the pattern holds. Add max speed to that, 1700 RPM on the ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 versus 2100 RPM on the be quiet! Dark Rock 5, and the pattern holds.
ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 vs be quiet! Dark Rock 5: which one fits your build
The ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 is the one to take for value-focused 280mm-radiator builds and motherboards with modest VRM cooling, though it is not built for RGB showcase builds (see ARCTIC's ARGB variants instead) and cases needing thin (<30mm) radiators. Take the be quiet! Dark Rock 5 for buyers who want be quiet!'s quiet-focused engineering without paying flagship Pro 6 pricing. The same goes for mainstream and lightly overclocked builds needing up to 250W of TDP headroom. Avoid it for heavily overclocked or workstation builds needing the Dark Rock Pro 6's 300W ceiling, covered elsewhere on this site. Our rating of the ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 (8.5/10): outstanding thermal value at 280mm, the VRM fan is a genuinely useful extra most AIOs lack. Our rating of the be quiet! Dark Rock 5 (8.3/10): A well-judged mid-tier dual-tower cooler that keeps be quiet!'s acoustic focus at a friendlier price than the Pro 6.
Frequently asked questions
Do the ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 and be quiet! Dark Rock 5 differ on cooler type?
Yes. Cooler Type reads AIO Liquid on the ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 versus Air Tower on the be quiet! Dark Rock 5.
Is the RGB Lighting the same on the ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 and be quiet! Dark Rock 5?
It is. Both are listed at No, so it is not a reason to pick one over the other.
Specs and benchmarks
Brand
- ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
- ARCTIC
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- be quiet!
Cooler Type
- ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
- AIO Liquid
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- Air Tower
Series
- ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
- ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
Model Number
- ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
- ACFRE00066B
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- BK035
Socket Compatibility
- ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
- AMD AM4/AM5, Intel LGA1851/1700/1200/115X/2066/2011-3
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- AMD AM4/AM5, Intel LGA1851/1700/1200/115X
Tower Layout
- ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
- Not Applicable
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- Single-Tower
Fan Count
- ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
- 2Best
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 1-50%
RGB Lighting
- ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
- No
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- No
Cooler Weight
- ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
- 1572 g
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 1030 gBest
Fan Size
- ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
- 140 mm
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 120 mm
Max Speed
- ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
- 1700 RPM-19%
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 2100 RPMBest
Bearing Type
- ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
- Fluid Dynamic
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- Fluid Dynamic
PWM Control
- ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
- Yes
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- Yes
Lighting
- ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
- None
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- None
Warranty
- ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
- 6 yearsBest
- be quiet! Dark Rock 5
- 3 years-50%
Which one should you pick?
Choose ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 if you want the higher fan count (2 vs 1) and the higher warranty (6 years vs 3 years).
Choose be quiet! Dark Rock 5 if you want the higher max speed (2100 RPM vs 1700 RPM).
Price comparison
| Retailer | ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 | be quiet! Dark Rock 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Newegg | View on Newegg | |
| Best Buy | View on Best Buy |
Disclaimer: The price and specification of the given product may differ from the actual product. Please confirm on the retailer's website before buying.
Verdict
ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
8.5 / 10 Expert Rating
Outstanding thermal value at 280mm, the VRM fan is a genuinely useful extra most AIOs lack.
be quiet! Dark Rock 5
8.3 / 10 Expert Rating
A well-judged mid-tier dual-tower cooler that keeps be quiet!'s acoustic focus at a friendlier price than the Pro 6.