Liquid cooling Be quiet! Pure Loop 240 Review
Source: Geeknetic added 28th Nov 2020
Introduction to Be quiet! Pure Loop
Although it is not the first time that we have seen a liquid cooling system with the pump located in the tubes, and not in the contact block, the truth is that they are still a “ rare bird ”in the world of fully integrated liquid refrigeration. In the review of this kit we will see that it also has other elements that we do not usually see as a service drill with which we can fill the circuit with the liquid that the manufacturer supplies us with the system.
Uncommon features that are combined in the Pure Loop 240, which is not one of the market in this size, with about 250 Euros with taxes included, but which also includes some high-quality elements that users looking for a good price-noise ratio will appreciate.
Technical characteristics of the Be Quiet! Pure Loop 250
- Compatible AMD Socket: AM4 / AM3 + / AM3 / AM2 + / AM2 / FM2 + / FM2 / FM1 /
- Supported Intel Socket: LGA 2066 / 2020 – v3 / 2000 / 1151 / 1150 / 1156 / 1156 / 1366 / 1200
Radiator and tubes
The Pure Loop can be found in four radiator configurations, among the 120 and the 360 mm with intermediate measurements of 250 Y 360 mm. Options for all pockets and for all types of boxes and configurations.
The aluminum radiator in our test sample has 250 mm long by 30 mm thick and 240 mm wide. It has the usual structure of flat pipes interconnected by wave-shaped aluminum sheets crossing a pair of flat pipes. In this way, heat exchange is maximized by maintaining good air flow over the large contact surface formed by the thin aluminum sheets.
With the kit we will find two fans, which we will talk about later, but we have the capacity to mount up to four since the radiator has with anchor points on both sides, as is logical and usual.
If we miss something that we find more and more in cooling kits of this type, which is the arrangement of fan connectors on the radiator itself, This makes the cable management much more user-friendly, this kit does not have these types of measures.
Be Quiet! It also does not offer us details about the type of material from which its tubes are made, although usually all manufacturers use some reinforced synthetic polyamide tube since this type of materials are completely inert and have very low permeability, which results in a longer useful life of the tube not only in terms of mechanical resistance but also chemical resistance. The tube in this case is additionally protected with an external nylon mesh that will avoid cuts on the main wall and which in turn offers a more “elegant” finish.
The tubes have a long of 420 mm what makes them very suitable for all types of mounting, but they are somewhat less flexible than in other types of configurations and not because of the type of material but because of how Be Quiet! brings the pump online for this system.
Pump and exchanger
Normally In my analysis of liquid cooling kits, I put both elements in the same section of the review because they always go hand in hand in the same body, achieving that all-in-one design that is now so common. However, there are many other options for locating the different elements that make up a liquid refrigeration kit and the pump is usually one with which manufacturers most experiment because there are many options on the market and it is also one of the most critical points in this type of systems.
Placing the pump next to the exchange block achieves an interesting aesthetic effect and reduces the elements of the system, but also subjects the most delicate part of the system, such as the pump, at elevated temperatures. This reduces the useful life of the pump.
Another solution is the one we see in the Pure Loop, which is to place the pump in line with the inlet tube to the block exchange. This moves the pump away from the block which reduces thermal stress but also creates new challenges such as vibration management. Other systems that we have seen in the past placed the pump in one of the tubes, without further fixing, but the Pure Loop uses the other tube as part of the pump support, which reduces vibrations and also offers a more compact and solid finish. .
The in-line pump, according to the manufacturer, allows a quieter operation, with less vibrations, despite the fact that this pump works at high speeds of up to 5500 rpm. We will see if this is true later, during our tests. It is connected to a three-pin Molex, with fixed speed.
The exchange block of the Pure Loop is therefore simpler and lighter. Inside we will only find the exchange chamber with a microchannelized sheet made entirely of copper, although the contact area is correctly finished in nickel, which gives it a more elaborate aesthetic, it will not rust over time, in addition to being more resistant. The aesthetic finish is simple, but it is finished off with a beautiful white led surrounding its brushed aluminum cover.
The block can be used with any recent and past processor from both AMD and from Intel. It is compatible with both Intel LGA processors 1151, LGA 1156, LGA 2066 and is also perfectly suited for AMD processors socket AM3, AM4 +, however, it is not compatible with the AMD Threadripper range.
Pure Wings 2 fans
Be Quiet! He always plays to the advantage of knowing how to design high-quality fans and choosing some of his best fans for his conventional and liquid-cooled heatsinks. In this case they have opted for the Pure Wings 2 High Speed , a faster variant of the one we have already tested in the magnificent Pure Rock 2 heatsink.
These essential range fans are configured with PWM connectivity and are capable of developing up to 2000 rpm with a minimum of 420 rpm. It is a fan with 120 mm in diameter, consisting of a set of 9 blades with the classic torn design of the latest models of the brand. They use “rifle” type bearings and a four-pole motor that allow them to offer a half life of up to 80. 10 hours.
In this case, the kit has two fans of this type, with a cable length of 600 mm, which we can connect to a single connector using the “Y” cable that is included with the kit that in turn we can connect to the board or to any SATA connector of our power supply using another included adapter.
Performance tests with an AMD Ryzen 7 3800 X
According to own Be Quiet! this system should generate a noise of a maximum of 56. 5dBA with its fans at maximum frequency with a more usual noise of less than 31 dBA. That’s less noise than we find in a library with everyone quiet.
For testing this cooling system we used an AMD Ryzen 7 processor 3800 X with 8 cores and 16 process threads. This model of 120 w TDP is quite demanding and takes good advantage of the extra dissipation capabilities to maintain its turbo modes for longer.
The assembly of the kit includes everything you need, although less thermal paste than we would like (a couple of applications at most) with anchor plates for Socket LGA 11 xx and LGA 1200 from Intel and adapters for the rest of the processor. It is easy to assemble, it takes just 5 minutes, but we will have to manage a total of four cables, two for the fans, one for the pump and one for the led of the exchange block.
These results are without any type of overclocking in the processor, but maintaining all the innate capacities of the same to establish turbo frequencies of up to 4.5GHz.
Results
Testing Machine:
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 3600 X
- Memory: GoodRAM 18 GB DDR4 2066
- Source: Seasonic Connect 750 w
- Hard Drive: Corsair MP 600
- Box: Seasonic SYNCRO Q 704
Idle noise (dBA)
Load noise (dBA)
CPU Temp (Idle)
Idle (rpm)
Radiator Temp (charge)
CPU Temp (Load)
Load (rpm)
Analysis and conclusion
Although the first impression when taking the kit out of the box, of which sincerely I hadn’t heard of it until the sample arrived at our lab, I take a little back seeing the pump in line in the tubes. I have already seen these types of solutions before and although the performance was good, the design finish did not quite convince me.
I think Be Quiet! I bet with this type of solution, I think it is the first time I see it in one of its kits, and some of the defects of this system are still present, such as a power cable not so close to the socket or the somewhat less flexible design of tubes. But on the other hand they improve the design by joining the pump both tubes, although only one serves as a support, and it is clear, from the results of our tests, that it achieves its objective of achieving a very silent system.
The performance is good, we already knew that the fans were exceptional despite being also from the brand’s most “economic” range, which we only missed some integrated silentblocks, although we have not detected any type vibration in the Seasonic Q box 700 where we have mounted it.
The result is good, the price too, and it is offered in multiple configurations to offer possibilities to all types of systems. It is not the best kit on the market, but one of the rounder in performance-noise than we have tested in recent times.
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