be quiet! Silent Loop 2 AIO Cooler Review

How Much Does it Cost?

With the Silent Loop 2 AIO liquid cooler available in various sizes, be quiet! has confirmed the following MSRP’s:

• 120mm – €99 / $99.90 / £93.99
• 240mm – €129 / $129.90 / £119.99
• 280mm – €139 / $139.90 / £129.99
• 360mm – €159 / $159.90 / £134.99

So, if we’re being perfectly honest, the Silent Loop 2 range isn’t cheap. Not that we expected it to be. It does though, at least in my view, start to reflect better value the bigger you go. In terms of the 240mm model covered specifically in this review, however, while it’s not exactly a bargain, it’s certainly worth what they’re asking for it!

Overview

It’s hard to deny that the be quiet! Silent Loop 2 is an excellent AIO liquid cooler. With the sleek black aesthetics that the brand is well associated with, be quiet! has (arguably) made an excellent decision to go for a little ARGB lighting (just to make it more appealing to modern trends) while keeping it so reasonably low-key so that it adds rather than detracts.

In terms of performance, the Silent Loop 2 is again found to be excellent providing excellent low CPU temperatures while keeping the audio levels nice and low. Admittedly, based on our test results, there is almost certainly a better compromise to be found if the user is willing to take the time to tweak the PWM settings in the BIOS, but overall, aside from the relatively fiddly installation, there is very little to pick fault with here!

Should I Buy One?

Although be quiet! is welcome to contradict me on this point, I can’t help but feel that they have attempted (with more than a little success) to make the Silent Loop 2 significantly more appealing to a wider range of consumers than the original design. I am, frankly, left with no doubt as to this being the key factor in their decision to add a little bit of ARGB color into the mix.

Like the lighting though, this doesn’t overstate the point that the Silent Loop 2 is still an amazingly good CPU cooler with it providing great CPU cooling performance while keeping the noise down as much as possible. Perhaps the only major sticking point for consumers may be the price, but for what you get, in our opinion the be quiet! Silent Loop 2 is well worth it!

The only moderate downside for some of you is that due to an exceptionally (and frankly dumb) patent conflict, the be quiet! Silent Loop 2 will not be made available in America. It’s bizarre, it’s stupid, but it is what it is! – So, as long as you don’t live in the USA, you can freely enjoy this new and amazing AIO!

Pros

• Amazingly strong and sleek aesthetics
• ARGB lighting that should suit all tastes
• Strong CPU cooling performance
• Impressively quiet acoustic levels
• Build quality appears top notch
• With the provision of ‘top up’ coolant, long-term operation is definitely available here
• Moderate overclocking is definitely viable in this AIO design

Cons

• None

Neutral

• Again, be quiet! has chosen an installation method that isn’t easy work for the fat or unrefined fingered
• The manual RGB controller is a little clunky and seemingly unresponsive when compared to other brands
• Better value does seem to present itself more on the larger designs in this Silent Loop 2 range