Product on Review: Arctic Liquid Freezer III 240 A-RGB White
Manufacturer: ARCTIC
MSRP:
- UK: £69.99 inc. V.A.T.
- US: $127.99 excl Tax
- AUS: $169.99 inc. Tax.

Introduction

ARCTIC are one of a narrow cohort of brands who have become synonymous with DIY PC building over the course of the last twenty or so years. Founded in 2001 as Arctic Cooling, their CPU air coolers have been a mainstay of home builds at all budgets and in the not too distant past have been go-to recommendations thanks to their performance and ease of installation for even novice users. New models can therefore be quite a big deal, with wallet-easing consequences all the way down the performance tiers.



It took a while for ARCTIC to find their feet in the now-mature Liquid Cooling AIO arena, something it genuinely shares with their competitors. This is a key sector these days despite relative costs compared to air coolers, not only due to aesthetics but also because not anchoring half a kilo or more of heatsink to a CPU socket tends to ease shipping concerns for consumers, SIs and those just moving a system from home to an event. Offering better performance, keener pricing or fresh aesthetics can make a big difference when it comes to generating attention.

The Liquid Freezer III is ARCTIC third mainstream generation of AIO liquid coolers. Its general design will be familiar to many: closed loop cooling with pump integrated into the coldplate unit and variable sizes of radiator depending on performance system requirements. Where it differs is in the inclusion of a VRM fan on the pump unit to cool surrounding motherboard components. The model we’re reviewing today is the commonly preferred 240mm radiator form factor, but models supporting 280mm, 360mm and even 420mm radiators are also available. It’s also available in white or black, with some variation in price and availability based on region.



These coolers support a wide selection of CPU sockets including the latest mainstream Intel LGA1700 and AMD AM5 variants, with mounting hardware for each included in the retail product should you upgrade. ARCTIC are also one of the manufacturers with more robust aftermarket support for mounting hardware upgrades for future sockets upon release, future-proofing the cooler you buy.

As the name suggests, this cooler incorporates Addressable RGB lighting on both the included 120mm fans and pump unit.

That being said, perhaps the most eye-opening aspect of this 240mm model in particular is its price. UK retailers are listing it as low as £69.99 inc. V.A.T., an exceptional price for a model from a reputable brand and a great downward cost pressure on performance components for systems built today. But, before we can call it an obvious go-to option for new projects within its wheelhouse, we need to see how it stacks up in testing.

About ARCTIC