Arctic Liquid Freezer III 280 A-RGB All-in-One CPU Liquid Cooler - High Performance Black AIO Cooler for Gaming PCs and Workstations - Perfect for Overclocking and Silent Cooling

Ready Out-of-the-Box - Easy Installation

The Liquid Freezer III is ready for immediate use thanks to its pre-installed radiator fans in push configuration. The fan cables are integrated into the jacket of the hoses so that only one cable needs to be connected to the motherboard. With the MX-6 thermal compound included in delivery, you have everything you need for quick and easy installation.

Liquid Freezer III  A-RGB – Tested and Confirmed by Intel

Intel has tested and confirmed the Liquid Freezer III on the i9-13900K/KF, i9-14900K/KF, and i9-13900KS in the Enthusiast and Desktop category. In these tests, Intel considered both the mounting with contact frame and the cooler's performance.

Intel® Product Compatibility Tool

Future-Proof Compatibility

The Liquid Freezer III is multi-compatible with Intel and AMD sockets. Intel will release the new Arrow Lake processors on the LGA1851 socket in the future. We guarantee full compatibility. All Liquid Freezer III can be used with the new LGA1851 socket from Intel without limitation.

• Extend the compatibility with LGA1200, LGA1156, LGA1155, LGA1151 and LGA1150 sockets using the LGA1200/115X Mounting Kit.

Outstanding Performance

In independent tests, the Liquid Freezer III clearly stands out from the competition in all price categories, particularly due to its outstanding performance. In noise normalised tests, the Liquid Freezer III shows its true strength, outperforming many competitors with its quiet yet powerful operation.

See the full review: Hardware Canucks Review

Contact Frame for Intel LGA1700 and LGA1851

Intel's Independent Loading Mechanism (ILM) deforms the CPU by pressing it into the socket at two points with over 40 kg. This causes pressure in the PCB, the die and the solder layer between the die and IHS (Integrated Heat Spreader). With high thermal load, this can lead to long-term problems. The mounting frame from ARCTIC does not deform the CPU, reduces the mechanical load on the CPU massively, is quick and easy to install and allows the cooler to be screwed onto the CPU's backplate. As a result, mechanical stress on the mainboard and CPU is minimised, cooling performance remains consistent and installation is quick and uncomplicated.

Silent and Powerful VRM Fan

The voltage converters of motherboards often work at their maximum temperature in combination with power-hungry CPUs. To compensate the lack of airflow from a tower cooler, the Liquid Freezer III works with a revised VRM fan. The 60 mm PWM-controlled fan enables almost silent cooling of the socket area when VRM cooling is insufficient, in cases with poor airflow or especially in overclocking scenarios. This enables a continuously higher load and a longer service life for the voltage converters.

Integrated Cable Management

The fan cables are hidden within the sleeving. With the Liquid Freezer III, only the connectors from the pump head need to be connected to the motherboard—no additional cable routing required. No extra splitter cables are needed, which simplifies installation and improves the overall look.

Complete Control or Simple Control

Two connection cables - two control options:

• Separate regulation: By using the splitter cable with three separate connections, the pump, VRM fan and radiator fan can be controlled independently of each other. This allows, for example, the speed of the VRM fan to be controlled independently of the CPU and to be adjusted analogue to the temperature of the voltage converters via PWM.
• All-in-One: Like the Liquid Freezer II, this allows the entire unit to be controlled via a single connection, whereby the speed of the radiator fans is output. The pump, VRM and radiator fans can therefore be easily controlled via a single PWM setting.

Native AMD Offset Mounting

For several generations, AMD has been using a multi-die chiplet design for its Ryzen desktop processors. Unlike Intel CPUs, the hotspot on these processors is not located centrally under the IHS (Integrated Heat Spreader), but is slightly offset. The AMD mounting solution therefore has a 5 mm offset in order to achieve optimum heat dissipation.

Improved Radiator Design

The cooling surface of the 38 mm thick radiator has been extended by 23 % by increasing the fin stack. This not only enables improved heat dissipation, but also a larger liquid volume. Consequently, the heat build-up in the water cooling system is slowed down and power and temperature peaks can be effectively managed over a longer period of time.

Limited Compatibility with Few Motherboards

Some motherboards are incompatible with the Liquid Freezer III due to oversized SSD coolers in the M.2_1 slot. We provide a suitable M.2 cooler free of charge for affected motherboards.

Addressable LEDs for all Requirements

ARCTIC uses standardised 3-pin cables instead of proprietary connectors. This not only ensures compatibility with most lighting systems for motherboards, cases, controllers and accessories, but also enables software-based control with the most common control programmes. The daisy-chain function also ensures that each LED can display an individual colour at any time, offering countless combination options for every preference.

ARCTIC's partner SignalRGB offers a comprehensive solution for synchronisation and individual configuration of the illumination.

Best CPU Water Cooler with the Best Price-Performance Ratio

The Liquid Freezer III series won three European Hardware Awards in 2024. Like its popular predecessor, it sets new standards in the field of compact water cooling and offers variants with 240, 280, 360 and 420 mm radiators – the non-A-RGB version is available in black, while the A-RGB versions are offered in both black and white. It has been widely tested by independent reviewers and praised for its performance, value for money and quiet operation.