be quiet! Pure Loop 2 FX 280 AIO

[crazyeyesreaper]

For their 20th anniversary, be quiet! is introducing a new all-in-one CPU liquid cooler, the Pure Loop 2 FX 280. It comes with a great look, thanks to its ARGB lighting capability and performance is very respectable, too, especially on AMD Ryzen systems.

Show full review

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

Thanks for the review. I'm sure fan noise could be lower if they used higher SP fans. 2200RPM is pretty high, for a bequiet! product its not so quiet. But rpm that might be needed because of fin density, so a hybrid fan kinda makes some sense. For a 280 its not bad, even if its weaker than other 280s.

 

[bonehead123]

I generally like beQ's stuff, but other than the pump location, this still looks almost just like every other AIO out there IMHO, but I guess I was merely expecting something really different & unique from them... oh well, maybe next time

 

[caroline!]

It's interesting to see ID-Cooling stuff in the tests, from what I've read it was always deemed a "bad" or noname brand by most forum users and never brought into any serious testing. I've used few of their coolers, air only, and I must say they're pretty decent for the price, I've used the SE-214 as a 212 EVO replacement -costs half the price in my country- and performance was more than acceptable for build running at stock clocks, same for the bigger SE-225, it was enough to tame an overclocked 5930K or even the meme FX-9590 and keep both under 80C in "normal" loads like games, 3D rendering, file compression... I haven't tried any of their liquid coolers yet because I'm not fond of AIOs in general and prefer air coolers, pair them with higher RPM fans and they're even better.

Of course you won't get beQuiet! or Noctua quality with them but they're an affordable alternative for budget builds that won't be overclocked to the moon.

 

[Mussels]

@crazyeyesreaper Can we get some more pics and details on that fan/ARGB hub?
It looks like it has options to add more fans or ARGB devices to it, but we've only got the one angled pic on it
Does it duplicate the signal from one device to all (video implies this), or do they work as if they were part of one long LED strip?



I just love the in-line pump that isnt in the block
I wish they'd go one further with quick disconnects and make them expandable/upgradeable, but AIO's tend to use aluminum parts limiting that option
Someone needs to bring back a modular AIO line with copper parts, designed to expand to include a GPU with regular fittings

The refill port alone is enough to make me recommend this to anyone after an AIO, all of mine except the most recently purchased EK AIO have died now, all of them from fluid evaporating and/or turning into chunks of goop.
All could have been salvaged, with flushing and distilled water... but of course, opening them destroyed them.

Every single person with a gurgling AIO out there should be looking towards options like this

I generally like beQ's stuff, but other than the pump location, this still looks almost just like every other AIO out there IMHO, but I guess I was merely expecting something really different & unique from them... oh well, maybe next time

You what?
Something like the pump not being part of the block, or it not being asetek like every other cooler out there, or having a fill port?
Even their fans are uncommon with the RGB ring instead of transparent blades

I honestly don't see what you see.

 

[Count von Schwalbe]

I just love the in-line pump that isnt in the block
I wish they'd go one further with quick disconnects and make them expandable/upgradeable, but AIO's tend to use aluminum parts limiting that option
Someone needs to bring back a modular AIO line with copper parts, designed to expand to include a GPU with regular fittings

What would the advantage be over custom loop? The pump would have to be relatively oversized for only a cpu, and many wouldn't use the expansion ability. Really, a pump in the block would be better for it, add another on the GPU and tee them at the radiator.

I do like the look of it though, much less height on the CPU block could be good as well.

Crazyeyesreaper did mention that the base was slightly convex; could this be part of the reason it fell a bit behind on the LGA1700 platform, considering the "CPU bending" issue?

Incidentally, I was just looking for the block height and ran across this gem:

Model	Pure Loop 2 FX 280mm
Dimensions radiator, incl. fan (H x W x D), (mm)	317 x 140 x 52
Total weight (kg)	1290

Seems a bit on the heavy side

 

[Mussels]

What would the advantage be over custom loop? The pump would have to be relatively oversized for only a cpu, and many wouldn't use the expansion ability. Really, a pump in the block would be better for it, add another on the GPU and tee them at the radiator.

I do like the look of it though, much less height on the CPU block could be good as well.

Crazyeyesreaper did mention that the base was slightly convex; could this be part of the reason it fell a bit behind on the LGA1700 platform, considering the "CPU bending" issue?

Incidentally, I was just looking for the block height and ran across this gem:

Seems a bit on the heavy side

My brother for example, has an old EK AIO with quick disconnects - and they sold GPU blocks to link in with it.
Once he upgraded from his GTX 1080, it's all sad and alone with an alu block while he's still using the CPU cooler seperately.

The advantages over a custom loop are many: its more compact, easier to install, and far cheaper.
The negative: if they dont sell a lot of parts to go with it, people mix with regular copper water cooling parts and things get messy.


Sell a Pro AIO with a strong inline pump, copper parts and quick disconnects and play heavily on how it can be upgraded

 

[Count von Schwalbe]

My brother for example, has an old EK AIO with quick disconnects - and they sold GPU blocks to link in with it.
Once he upgraded from his GTX 1080, it's all sad and alone with an alu block while he's still using the CPU cooler seperately.

The advantages over a custom loop are many: its more compact, easier to install, and far cheaper.
The negative: if they dont sell a lot of parts to go with it, people mix with regular copper water cooling parts and things get messy.


Sell a Pro AIO with a strong inline pump, copper parts and quick disconnects and play heavily on how it can be upgraded

But the main reason it is cheaper is the weaker pump and aluminum radiator, no? I can pick up a pump and copper CPU block for around $30-$40 and $10 of tubing if I wanted - the expensive bit is the radiators.

 

[Mussels]

But the main reason it is cheaper is the weaker pump and aluminum radiator, no? I can pick up a pump and copper CPU block for around $30-$40 and $10 of tubing if I wanted - the expensive bit is the radiators.

That's why i suggested something like a pro variant


This is fantastic for an AIO and i dont want to derail from that - but there is/was a market for expandable AIO's that just... vanished?
Same as after market air coolers for GPUs

 

[kapone32]

That's why i suggested something like a pro variant


This is fantastic for an AIO and i dont want to derail from that - but there is/was a market for expandable AIO's that just... vanished?
Same as after market air coolers for GPUs

Alphacool Eisbear is a line of expanadable AIOs that are copper everything with Quick Connect. With some of those units they even have a mini res that you can fill and empty. What I love about the Quick Connect is the flexibility. I don't even use the AIO port anymore but I have a 420MM rad to cool my GPU and when a new GPU launches all I need is a block and 2 quick connect tubes. Having said that this Be quiet unit is a fine cooler for most people as the review states..

 

[80-watt Hamster]

... but there is/was a market for expandable AIO's that just... vanished?
Same as after market air coolers for GPUs

Yeah, the heck is with that? Does everyone just bin their dead-fan cards? I sure wasn't finding them on eBay, even pre-crypto boom.

 

[Mussels]

Yeah, the heck is with that? Does everyone just bin their dead-fan cards? I sure wasn't finding them on eBay, even pre-crypto boom.

Yeah. Before COVID i would go the local tip and be able to scavenge HEAPS of functional hardware, the moment a fan got loud they'd just bin the entire damn PC.

They shut the whole thing down and now don't recycle electronics any more, just scrap it - goddamn waste.
Last load i heard of from a friend who got in, was 40-something 9th gen i7 desktops from a business that closed down and sent everyone to work from home - all sent to regular garbage to be crushed

 

[kgk1985]

why is the radiator mounted upside down? you always want the tubes above the pump to prevent cavitation.

 

[micropage7]

wait, you leave the paste residue like that?

 

[bonehead123]

wait, you leave the paste residue like that?

Sloppy is as sloppy does I guess

I'd rather cut out my left testicle and hand it to you in public than be embarrassed/ridiculed by posting a pic like that... and this is coming from somebody who rarely, if ever, gives AF about what other people say, do, or think

 

[Mussels]

wait, you leave the paste residue like that?

why would anyone care?

It's not going to alter temps or be visible