Arctic's Liquid Freezer III is the real deal (especially at $77)!

[@MachinesMore]

Correction: in the review I made reference to there not being an offset mount for AM5, which was incorrect. The AM4/AM5 mounting is single position only and designed to center the coldplate at the Ryzen 7000 CCD. From my experience this offsetting downwards doesn’t have a meaningful impact on AM4, however it does affect how the cooler mounts- for example in the “elbows down” position it hit the m.2 heatsink on my board. One could theoretically flip (L-R to R-L) the bars for AM4 if that makes a particular orientation feasible, however it would have been optimal to have a centered position as well. Apologies for the oversight.

[@RyanFennec]

Good correction

[@FrostyToastGamer]

On the Arctic website it also says that they provide an m.2 heatsink free of charge for motherboards affected by the clearance issues. Was that missing from the review unit you were sent?

[@OliverQueen1974]

@@FrostyToastGamerthere was no m.2 heatsink supplied with my Day 1 retail LF3 360mm from Amazon. Maybe it is a mail in option to obtain the m.2 heatsink.

[@SundayFoggyNotions]

AMD CPU'S....the COOR'S LIGHT OF CPU'S!!!

[@carlomarcos2049]

At

[@darkfeign]

Oooo the all black with the new pump/fan combo looks so clean!

[@sythe9756]

You really can't go bad choosing arctic. They have the best customer support system I have ever seen out of any company. I needed a more lengthy screw because the fans were too thick, and I also needed the new parts replacement for the arctic liquid freezer II, soon enough after emailing them, I got the parts for free and delivered straight to my door. No charge, not even a delivery fee. Outstanding

[@Karagoth444]

From the GN review it sounds like AM5 is only offset mount, which now means it's possible to install with a bad direction.

[@MachinesMore]

You’re right! I just noticed this and will add this to the comments!

[@CWWJR]

@@MachinesMore Untrue kind of. There is 100% a centered position for am5. You just reverse the left and right bracket doing so gives you a centered position it will also raise the pump head enough to where it wont hit your m.2 heatsinks. Doing so will cause a direct centered fit on Am5 instead of an offset. Which isnt that big of a deal. Just FYI You may notice a 1-3c MAX difference by doing so

[@sshadows8974]

Those elbows make this a goat! Glad to see you one of the first to review, M&M!

[@neonnightr1der]

Nice review. I personally don't like the P12 max. I returned mine. They're dual-ball bearing and they had an high pitched noise I found very annoying especially at lower rpms.

[@bakakafka4428]

How does it fit the new NR200P V2 you have been testing? 😄

[@SubdueOG]

Thanks for the review, looks great! From what I remember, these 38MM rads are too thick to fit in the NR200P Max, as a replacement for the CM rad, correct? Any thoughts on the best standard thickness rad that would fit?

[@Pamani_]

The pump-block/fan thingy seem to also be too tall by 1.5 mm (68.5 vs 67). My CM rad seem to be underperforming (100°C throttling a 13600K at 150W under some gaming load) so I'm also curious for a replacement (I did a remount with Thermalright contact frame for barely an improvement).

[@Aaatxe]

I was bummed about this - commenting to keep track of this thread because I'm looking for exactly that

[@yensteel]

Same here, the rad and block are pretty thick.

[@robrucker]

Hey! Do you think the Arctic's Liquid Freezer III pump,block would fit behind the 4090 from your NR200 v2? Is the rad/fans too thick? Thanks :) also subbed !

[@juhatalimaki6664]

I bought the white version and it cools really nice. During gaming with my Noctua u12A it peaked around 82 degrees, with this it peaks at 67. Really nice. I have intel 13700KF.

[@modenach]

The radiator isnt the same one like the LFII. The LFIII has got a denser fin pitch and the fins are also larger in the Z axis. Arctic claims the III has 23% more surface.

[@baronlund9725]

Great value and I just installed the black 360 on a MSI Z90 board with the Intel i9-13900. Everything fits perfect but it's close. The i9-13900 all run hot, so I needed a good cooler and this is it. I got a Cinebench score of 40863 with the default settings, plus a little minus offset voltage.

[@mztchannel]

Great video! Would be awesome to see how it fits into some SFF cases, especially the M1EVO on the side.

[@camotech1314]

I recently bought a 240 White ARB version of this cooler recently and it performs amazing on cooling my 5800X3D. Actually better when my old Thermalright Prism 360.

[@Sayakvids]

wow review is really great and informative. nice to know about the mounting issues.

[@weirdodude1173]

Really good insight helping to understand where this can work and where it has issues. Thanks for great videos!

[@sparkplugbarrens]

P12 Max Fans and more flexible tube fittings would have been welcome changes, still looking forward to these!

[@kevinssskeninoslutus9584]

According to „Hardware Canucks“ they have more flexible tubes

[@PlumberGuy-ez9wx]

Have the 240. Works great and is pretty quiet if you limit the pump to a constant rpm

[@Braffy]

From the marketing that I've seen, I believe Arctic changed the fin depth for the LF3, so while the radiator is the same thickness, there is more fin area. A minor change, but could help make the radiator more effective.

[@kazuviking]

Even then the LF3 scores into the lower end of AIOs and barely beat aircollers in noise. IMO the pump needs some beefing up because its underperforming.

[@satoriikei257]

mounting brackets look more or less familiar so I wonder if it'd be possible to find a suitable mounting kit from another cooler. Otherwise this new aio is looking very nice!

[@armandoarroyo]

I had issues with the amd5 provided brackets I was not able to tighten both screws to the bracket!

[@sporadicentertainment9253]

I have an AM4 CPU the Ryzen 7 5800X3D and bought the new Arctic Liquid Freezer III 280 Black does the new AM4 offset brackets come with it and inside the box and doesn’t touch my m.2 nvme like the old revisions except rev 4 on ALF II or do I have to order one through your website?

[@radar_B-52]

you are incorrect about the radiator not changing - the new one has a higher fin density and the fins extend to the rad frame, whereas in the original the fins have slightly more distance between the frame and the fins (i.e., the fins are thicker from top to bottom)

[@vincentvega3093]

Would be interesting to see if its easier to mount in more SFF because the tube position is different and can be tilted

[@c0ugrhuntr]

I looked at the cooler height briefly this morning and its over 65mm so it'll have a tough time fitting in most builds along with that thick radiator

[@apexHasu]

its rad is way too thick for sff

[@TewaAya]

I thought the rad became 26 fron the old 38. Not sure tho which case could still fit or maybe a modded/custom rig.

[@joeblackisback1]

Ok we have optional 3 cable ! 1 Cable for the Pump for the Pump Header on Mainboard 1 Cable for the CPU Fan on CPU Fan Header on Mainboard 1 Cable for the VRM Fan but which Header i have to use on the Mainboard ? Thanks for the Review

[@413fps]

I always used air cooler but was planning to get an aio for my classic m1. Should this fit with no issue? or is to tight? Are better options to fit in a classic m1? Thanks edit: is to cool down a 5700x3d(or maybe 5800x3d), other option is just stick to air with idcooling 207xt slim

[@bellisarius6968]

great review, i liked this. nice and professional. liked and subscribed!

[@g.t.o9835]

I apologize for the inconvenience, but it seems there might have been a mistake with my purchase of the Arctic Freezer III ARGB 420mm cooler. Unfortunately, it appears that the package did not include the necessary screws, ARGB controllers, or thermal paste required for installation and no new contact frame from Arctic. Could you kindly assist me in resolving this issue so that I can properly install the cooler? Your help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. (I bought this cooler from Amazon (95$))

[@koganmb]

My AF2 just barely didn't fit as top mount in my Ncase Evo V1, with vertical GPU. Think this will fit with the new pivoting outlets?

[@TheBigBlueMarble]

What about using this cooler with a Thermalright AMD mounting plate?

[@francois.m]

If EK's 280 AIO is a squeeze in the Meshlicious (had to use a fan grille with it so the cables wouldn't stop the fans), I highly doubt the LF3 will.

[@theMikeB53]

Do you think this would fit in a Formd T1? I'm thinking the tube fittings may not rotate enough.

[@MachinesMore]

IIRC the clearance wouldn’t be enough at the top- even with a 25-27mm rad at least one slim fan was required.

[@armandoarroyo]

I had issues with amd5 installation, the screws on the pump matched the holes in the brackets but I was not able to screw them down is like if the small plastic plate (artic logo on it) on the pump was slighty bended up avoiding the screws to make full straight contact on the bracket. I don’t know if I should ask for a replacement or go for another brand maybe ek nucleus. Any suggestion?

[@incplsr2681]

Бро, тебе просто нужно было слегка подкрутить один винт.а со вторым нужно прижать саму пластину большим пальцем к краю второго винта и она так легко закрутится, что ты удивишься, брат.вчера буквально поставил жидкость iii, брат никаких проблем не заметил

[@CarnivoryHODL]

Love my version II. No need for III since I’m already overkill w/ a 7800x3d 😂

[@TheBigBlueMarble]

I thought the AMD only gave you one option for mounting and that included an offset.

[@JustCarnivorousCupcake]

I love the upgrade, but kinda wish they made a slimmer radiator version with the p12 max fans for builds with limited space. I have a fractal north I wanna use for my first build, but there's limited room for a 240 rad in top position with the mobo and ram :/

[@JustCarnivorousCupcake]

@unholydonuts can't return it, I have the case lying about for like a year now, but never got around to building it

[@Pieteros21]

does ARGB p12 has same noise humming problem as regular p12's ?

[@roman9509]

Does the block fit in Lian Li A4-H2O?

[@deuswulf6193]

Looks like it will be extremely difficult to mount with a side mounted, tubes down config. Sigh.

[@deuswulf6193]

@@CWWJR No, that won't change the fact the inlets are on the bottom, with limited rotation. This is why people like to have the inlets on the side of the water block, rather than on the bottom. Also, if the offset mount made for AMD is reversed, you likely don't get a centered result, but something offset in the wrong direction.

[@robrider3290]

Just bought it and using it on a i7-14700ks and i dont think it cools that good, mid 80 with tops close to 95. Bare in mind that i had to mount it in front because of no space on top, so its blowing out in front and because of that i changed the 120 fan in back to blow in. Any advise or nothing else to do?

[@modenach]

Many boards dont set the Intel limit for Intel 12, 13, 14k CPU, so they send 200w thru the die in simple gaming. With more load you see up to 330w . Nothing can cool this really good. Set a PL1 and PL2 limit like 170 W for your 14700k and you are fine…

[@robrider3290]

@@modenach Ty, im completely new to all this new settings, been building pc since mid 90s but havent been keeping up with all new tech 🙂 But now it shows almost constant power throttle in Intel Extreme Tuning 😛

[@modenach]

@@robrider3290 It depends on the workload you have. But the catch is for the last 2-4% of performance the open boards send in at least 100-170W on top and thats a waste. For gaming it should not take much more than 160W so you have no loss with your limit, and for something like rendering a 200-220W limit would be suffient. So you could set a long therm PL1 limit of 160-170W an a short therm PL2 limit like 200W for lets say 240 seconds. It really depends on what you are doing. And the power throttle is a good thing in this regard. Going on you should use HWINFO, sensors only if you want to monitor all your sensors. On top if you want the best CPU temps, you should blow in thru the raditor in the front an get rid of the heat fast in the back an top with a good set of fans. Water depends 1:1 on the enviroment temps and for sure a good chunck of airflow.

[@emiel255]

Will you make videos about the Thorzone NanoQ S/R? Especially the R looks interesting to me as it can fit the biggest GPU’s (like the Strix 4080/4090) and up to a 280mm AIO which is fantastic

[@vongdong10]

Does this fit in the M1EVO?

[@moritzk3004]

is it compatible with the asus b650e-i and can you change the fans?

[@OliverQueen1974]

Arctic have a motherboard compatibility chart on their website for the LF3. Yes you can change the fans as they connect via 3 plugs which are wired through the tubing sheath. I replaced the supplied fans with Noctua NF-A12 fans & as Noctua use the 2 piece cable design on these fans, it was a case of unplugging the extensions & connecting directly to the PWM plugs on the single cable. If you want to then use the P12’s in another position or machine, just use a fan splitter/extension cable or the cables removed from the Noctua’s. My CPU temps dropped 18°C going from a NH-D15 cooler to the LF3 360mm on my 13900K (which was manually limited at 240W on the NH-D15 & no power limits with the LF3!). It is a seriously impressive bit of kit imho especially for the price point! Closest going to get to true custom loop performance from an AIO that I have seen (& I have used most of the AIO’s tbh at have been released in past 5-6 years from the major brands). Just a shame that cannot use it on my wife’s 9900K machine, so she is going to have to have the LF2 that I originally bought for my 13900K but didn’t get round to installing before the LF3 launched (thankfully with this performance!). I also used TG Kryonaut over the MX6 as don’t know why such small tubes are supplied as if need to remount the contact frame (can lose memory controllers/channels if not torqued properly & actual proper installation specifics are missing from the LF3 instructions), you are definitely not going to have enough TIM to repaste.

[@moritzk3004]

@@OliverQueen1974 The compatiblity list wasnt complete engough when i wrote that comment but ty about the cables in the tubes, are they actual cables or just extensions with a connector on the radiator?

[@junkang2004]

can this fit into the lianli Q58?

[@Zombie101]

LF4 FTW

[@Criiies]

the freezers 2s pump block looks so dated and cheap, like a kids toy. Glad they imporved.

[@ronnyspanneveld8110]

77 ? :P i just bought the 360 one for 76 for my stream pc :P But for the prize you just can beat the Arctic :P i had a Thermalright Peerless Assassin another prize beating cooler :) (Yeah my gaming setup uses 3 360's and two d5 water cooling costs as much as my complete streaming pc.)

[@akarocket]

I MISSED THE SALE... :(

[@A_z_z_y]

For the AMD the offset is already a built in option on LF3. Just take a look closer at the "left" / "right". kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpCknGOQdrNrns0 Also for some tight ITX mobo it should be possible to swap left-right brackets instead of rotating 180C the whole CPU block.

[@CWWJR]

For a centered fit? Just reverse the left and right bracket.

[@A_z_z_y]

@@CWWJRThe reviewer said "The is no offset option like for updated LF2": kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpCknGOQdrNrns0 I pointed to that in my reply. Why do you need a centered fit on the AMD platform? Except ITX mobo compatibolity.

[@CWWJR]

@VadymKosmin "offset" is the default option. On AM5 it is offset by default. GamersNexus coverd this. The revewer also corrected himself in a comment above. Geck even on Amazon it says it has an offset by default on AM5 Reversing the L, R brackets centers it. If you dont reverse them on a lot of motherboards it WILL hit your m.2 heatsinks and not be installable. However when you reverse them it centers fits the pump had and raises it enough to where it no longer conflicts with m.2 heatsinks. So thats why you want a center fit.

[@spg3331]

flawed

[@MohammedAhmadi-t1r]

Does this fit in the NR200P V2?

[@MachinesMore]

It kind of depends on the placement of your board’s RAM latches since 63-64mm is right on the cusp of the max clearance for the rad right to the top of the AC power plug- if the rad clears the ram latch you should be fine, assuming you don’t have a crazy wide GPU.