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ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 vs Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black: Comparison

ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 and Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black separate most on airflow: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 at 72.84 CFM, Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black at 60.09 CFM, 18% in favour of ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280. Max Speed splits them by another 15%, this time favouring Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black. They match on 5 other specifications, including fan count, rgb lighting and pwm control.

ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 (280mm AIO Liquid/Integrated VRM Fan/2x P14 PWM PST Fans/38mm Thick Radiator)
ARCTICARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black (Single-Tower Air/7 Heatpipes/Dual NF-A12x25 120mm Fans/158mm Height/Compact Flagship)
NoctuaNoctua NH-U12A chromax.black

Specs

Specification
ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 (280mm AIO Liquid/Integrated VRM Fan/2x P14 PWM PST Fans/38mm Thick Radiator)
ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280
Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black (Single-Tower Air/7 Heatpipes/Dual NF-A12x25 120mm Fans/158mm Height/Compact Flagship)
Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black
BrandARCTICNoctua
Cooler TypeAIO LiquidAir Tower
SeriesARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black
Model NumberACFRE00066BNH-U12A chromax.black
Socket CompatibilityAMD AM4/AM5, Intel LGA1851/1700/1200/115X/2066/2011-3AMD AM5/AM4, Intel LGA1954/1851/1700/1200/115X
Tower LayoutNot ApplicableSingle-Tower
Fan Count22
RGB LightingNoNo
Cooler Weight1572 g1220 g
Fan Size140 mm120 mm
Max Speed1700 RPM-15%2000 RPM
Airflow72.84 CFM60.09 CFM-18%
PWM ControlYesYes
LightingNoneNone
Warranty6 years6 years
Source URLhttps://www.arctic.de/us/Liquid-Freezer-II-280/ACFRE00066Bhttps://www.noctua.at/en/products/nh-u12a-chromax-black/specifications

Price comparison

RetailerARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black
AmazonView on Amazon
NeweggView on Newegg

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.

Noctua NH-U12A chromax.black

8.8 / 10 Expert Rating

Noctua's compact flagship proves a well-engineered single-tower can rival dual-tower coolers, at a real premium.

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