Today, another watercooling kit test with a new reference from be quiet! At the beginning of September, the German brand unveiled a new series of kits with its Light Loop, new AIOs that focus on very pronounced RGB lighting. For our part, we received the Light Loop 240, so how does it measure up? Here’s our answer.
Presentation:
This new series of watercooling kits offers very few variations. There’s a 240 mm version and a 360 mm version, and that’s it, nothing in between. As for the colours, there’s a black version and a white one.
From the manufacturer’s point of view, be quiet! will obviously be boasting about the performance of its kit thanks to a new cold plate. The latter is claimed to have a higher density of micro fins, while increasing the pressure of the liquid. Finally, the brand is announcing that the pump will remain silent during operation, and so much the better – there’s nothing worse than hearing an AIO pump running.
In terms of ventilation, we find new fans in the form of the Light Wings LX. These fans, presented at Computex this year, are making their appearance on the brand’s latest AIOs. On the program: RGB, silence and performance, as the brand claims.
Otherwise, to make it easier to connect the kit and other fans, there’s a hub that lets you connect up to six fans. This means you can connect the two fans and why not the three front-mounted fans as well as the one mounted on the rear of a case. This leaves a few free fan connectors on your motherboard, and that’s something you quickly run out of.
Another interesting point is that maintenance can be carried out by the user, as there’s a refill port for topping up the kit with liquid if necessary. Unlike other references, this one is refillable. A good thing for prolonging its life.
As far as prices are concerned, officially this series is advertised for €129.90 in 240 mm in black. In 360 mm, the price is €159.90, again in black. Finally, white models have also been announced, but the bill is €5 higher!
[nextpage title=”The Light Loop 240″]
As far as the packaging is concerned, there’s not much to complain about, except that it’s typical be quiet! packaging. The box is black with an illustration of our AIO in operation on the front. What’s more, the box doesn’t lie about the presence of RGB lighting, which is in the foreground here!
Inside, there’s nothing to complain about in terms of protection. There’s a cardboard mould containing the various components of theAIO. Each component is also packaged in plastic bags, in short, nothing out of the ordinary.
The radiator :
The radiator is clean and well finished. Generally speaking, we’ve had no complaints about be quiet!. Here, we find a square block with no rivets on the sides… Unlike older generation Asetek kits. The black coating is also well applied, so there’s nothing to complain about. What’s more, this radiator is distinguished by the presence of oblique lines moulded directly into the sides, which really stand out!
Of course, the construction of this model remains very basic, since it’s made from aluminium. Likewise, there are twelve channels for liquid circulation, a classic for this format. As for dimensions, there’s nothing out of the ordinary, with a length of 277 mm and a width of 120 mm. Finally, the thickness is 27 mm, so there’s no need for the big 38 mm models like Arctic or others!
The watercooling kit includes two 40 cm long hoses to connect the radiator to the pump. The hoses are covered with an attractive, finely braided nylon sheath.
The pump unit:
The pump unit measures 120 (W) x 82 (D) x 75 (H) mm. The width may seem large, but that’s because it takes into account the end caps mounted on the side of the unit. Otherwise, don’t worry, it won’t encroach on the RAM slots of an ATX motherboard, for example.
As you can see, the top part is rather unusual, featuring a massive translucent grey plastic cover with fins. The top features a be quiet! logo. Naturally, aRGB diodes are located underneath this assembly, and the cover acts as a light diffuser.
The pump’s specifications are fairly meagre, and we’ll have to make do with its operating speeds of between 1,500 and 2,900 rpm.
The cold plate measures 55 x 55 mm and will perfectly cover the IHS of AMD and Intel AM4/5 and LGA-1000 processors. However, if the base material is not specified on the be quiet! product sheet, don’t panic, it’s nickel-plated copper. We should also point out that it is held in place by eight Torx-head screws.
Compatibility :
When it comes to socket compatibility, be quiet! concentrates on mainstream platforms such as :
- Intel: LGA-1700 – LGA-1200 – LGA-115x
- AMD: AM5 – AM4
Unlike Corsair and its very recent iCUE Link Titan RX 360 RGB, here we have compatibility with Intel’s old mainstream platforms. However, there’s nothing on the HEDT side like the LGA-2000 or the sTRX4 (and associated).
Fans:
Here, ventilation is provided by two fans from the brand’s catalogue, Light Wings LX in 120 mm. These feature the typical characteristics of the brand’s fans, such as ribbed blades. Speaking of blades, there are nine of them, with a fairly pronounced curvature, and they are translucent to diffuse the RGB lighting more effectively.
As far as the frame is concerned, it’s as basic as it gets, since we aren’t lucky enough to get rubberized silentblocks to reduce any parasitic vibrations. You’ll have to make sure you screw the fans tightly onto the radiator to prevent them from vibrating.
For wiring, there are two connectors, a four-pin PWM fan type and a three-pin aRGB type. Once again, the finish is basic: the cables are flat and black. There’s no sheathing or anything else to complete the look here. You get the feeling that these are entry-level fans.
As far as specifications are concerned, the maximum speed is 2100 rpm. At full speed, airflow will reach 61.8 CFM, while static pressure will rise to 2.51 mmH2O.
The :
The bundle includes :
- Assembly instructions
- A refill bottle of liquid
- Hardware for mounting on AMD sockets
- Hardware for mounting on Intel sockets
- Warranty guide
- Six-port hub (fan and aRGB)
- Three nylon collars
- Screws and bolts for fans and radiator
- Two be quiet! stickers
- Two round stickers to hide the filler hole
- Screws for the hub and a 3M adhesive patch
- A syringe of thermal paste
All in all, this makes for a more than complete accessory pack that includes everything you need to assemble the kit and more. In fact, the brand is providing extra fluid for topping up in the event it dries up, as well as a hub for connecting up to six fans, so we’re really not short of anything!
In a nutshell:
With its Light Loop 240, be quiet! offers us a rather nice kit. As always, we really appreciate the accessory section, which is very well supplied with everything you need to assemble it in the best possible conditions. Speaking of assembly, let’s see how it goes!
[nextpage title=”Installation”]
For installation, you’ll need to keep your AMD backplate, as Be Quiet! doesn’t supply one. If you don’t have one any more, you can easily find one on eBay.
Assembling the Light Loop 240 :
We’ll start with the assembly on the AMD platform, which is fairly simple to put in place. Once the original mounting arms have been removed, the be quiet! arms need to be screwed onto the motherboard backplate. Of course, depending on the platform, you’ll have to be careful how you mount them, as they offer offset mounting, i.e. offset downwards. The aim is to position the cold plate just above the CCDs of the Ryzen 3000, 5000, 7000 and 9000 to maximise performance.
Once the arms are in place, all that remains is to apply a small quantity of thermal paste to the CPU, position the pump and screw it in place.
On the Intel side, the first thing to do is to prepare the backplate that will be fitted to the back of your motherboard. As with other Intel products, the process is simple: thread screws through the backplate and secure them with rubber washers. Pay attention to the mounting direction:
- Screws facing outwards = LGA-1700
- Screws facing inwards = LGA-115x
Once ready, position it on the back of the motherboard and screw on the mounting arms, taking care to place the spacers beforehand. All that’s left to do is apply a small amount of thermal paste to the CPU, position the pump and screw in place.
[nextpage title=”Protocol”]
When it’s not one, it’s the other, and after having problems with our AMD platform, it’s now the turn of our Intel configuration to play up. We’re only going to give you the readings taken on our Ryzen 7 7900X, consuming 105W and 170W. No 65W, as we don’t think this consumption is relevant for assessing the performance of the watercooling kit.
Here, we are now measuring the delta between the temperature measured on our CPU and the ambient temperature. Finally, the management of the fan speed is now entrusted to our motherboard. During the tests, we run the fans successively at 100%, 66% and 33%.
For the purposes of the test, we’ll be comparing the Light Loop 240 with other 240, 360 and even 420 mm models:
- iCUE Link H170i RGB (Corsair)
- iCUE Link Titan 360 RX RGB (Corsair)
- Light Loop 240 (be quiet!)
- Liquid Freezer II 240 (Arctic)
- ML240 Atmos (Cooler Master)
- Ryuo III 360 (ASUS)
[nextpage title=”Speed and noise”]
Fan speed :
So we’re starting our series of temperature readings from scratch. Let’s specify the fan speeds recorded during our readings (for 12V, 8V, 5V):
As far as fan speeds are concerned, we find that the fans adopt a speed profile that is quite typical for an AIO. At full speed, the Light Loop LX fans spin at just over 2,000 rpm, before dropping to 700 rpm at low speed, a little faster than the two Corsair iCUE kits. Finally, at half speed, the average is 1400 rpm.
Noise :
As far as noise levels are concerned, we’re back to a perfectly controlled 42dB at full speed. At this level, we’re on a par with a Cooler Master ML240 Atmos, but we’re still well above a Liquid Freezer II 240, unfortunately. However, it does stand out at mid-range, where it’s rather quiet at 23dB, when it’s inaudible at low speed. In short, this is a kit that won’t break our ears!
[nextpage title=”AMD CPU temperatures”]
Processor at 105W :
Here, our CPU will run at 2.70 GHz constantly and on all its cores. We apply a VCore of 1,030 to obtain a power consumption of around 100 watts. This corresponds to the TDP of a Ryzen 7 7700X.
Thermally, the be quiet! kit offers something quite interesting. In fact, if its fan is running at full speed, the kit is quite capable, and can even compete with larger 360/420 mm kits. However, as the fan speed decreases, we feel that it is penalised by the size of its radiator and its ventilation if we compare it to Cooler Master‘s ML240 Atmos . Yes, at 33%, the Cooler Master kit mills are still running at 900 rpm. Coupled with the shape of the blades, this makes all the difference.
170W processor:
Finally, we end with our 170W profile. Here the heat output is higher, and corresponds to the default TDP of the 7900X. Let’s see how our coolings fare!
With a power consumption of 170W on our AMD CPU, the Light Loop 240 still does just as well with the fan running at full speed. Once again, it’s up there with the big boys… Although Ryuo III maintains a comfortable lead. However, at 66% speed, the kit falls behind the 360/420 mm AIOs that are Corsair’s two iCUE Links. Worse still, at low revs, it can’t keep up with the load on our processor.
Summary :
Broadly speaking, we’re dealing with a watercooling kit that performs very well when you run it at high speed. Its offset mounting on the CPU should seriously help to draw the heat emitted by our Ryzen 9 7900X. However, at low speeds it is penalized by the size of its heatsink or its fans, which don’t blow enough to hold out in these conditions. This is the main advantage of large AIOs: the greater heat exchange surface area created by their large radiator means they are silent, even under heavy loads!
[nextpage title=”AMD temperature/noise ratio”]
On these perf/noise ratio graphs, we remind you that it’s best to be positioned as far to the bottom left of the graph as possible. For reading purposes, the leftmost point symbolises ventilation at 12V, the one in the centre ventilation at 8V and the rightmost at 5V.
105W consumption :
As we can see, the be quiet! kit promises to be very efficient and offers a very advantageous temperature/noise ratio. In fact, the kit performs better than Corsair’s kit at high and medium speeds, but completely disappears at low speeds. Clearly, it deserves to work faster to compensate for the higher temperatures.
170W consumption:
At 170W consumption, you’ll immediately notice that there’s a bit missing from the curve, which is normal, as the kit didn’t pass the low-speed tests, just like the Liquid Freezer II 240 for that matter. However, when running at 66% and 100%, it proves to be formidable!
[nextpage title=”Conclusion”]
We’ve come to the end of this test of the Light Loop 240 from be quiet! Are we dealing with a successful product? Let’s take a closer look!
RGB at the heart of it all!
With this new series of all-in-one watercooling kits, it’s clear that be quiet! is putting the spotlight on RGB , with very prominent lighting on the pump and fans. Some will like it, others not so much. For our part, we prefer it when it’s done with more subtlety, but there’s something for everyone.
In any case, this doesn’t detract from the overall finish of the kit, which is very good, especially the radiator. The radiator is adorned with rather original oblique lines, which we really appreciate. However, as far as the fans are concerned, you get the feeling that you’re dealing with entry-level fans, as there aren’t even any rubber silentblocks.
Aside from that, we can count on a really comprehensive accessory section, including a fan hub with six ports and a bottle of liquid. Yes, this AIO, like other be quiet! models, allows users to maintain their kit themselves by refilling it if the heat transfer fluid evaporates.
Otherwise, assembly is very straightforward. Special mention should be made of the AMD platforms, which benefit from an offset for positioning the pump. This allows the cold plate to be positioned above the CCDs of the Ryzen 3000, 5000, 7000 and 9000, the main CPU heating elements.
It lacks punch at low revs!
In terms of performance, this is a very willing kit, especially at high speeds, where you can feel that the offset assembly is doing its job. However, at low speeds, temperatures soar, certainly due to a lack of punch from the fans. Coupled with a shorter radiator, the result is sluggish performance, especially compared with a 360 mm or 420 mm radiator, which offers a much larger heat exchange surface.
This is also reflected in the temperature/noise ratio, which plummets at low speeds. However, all this is offset by very solid performance at full throttle, a little less so at medium speed.
In all cases, the AIO is quiet, even at full speed, and remains rather discreet, at least compared to the competition. From mid-range onwards, you’ll hardly hear it at all, or you’ll have to put your ear to the ground.
Not an excessive price!
As we said at the start of this review, the official price for this 240mm model is around €135. However, given the features it offers, the price is quite reasonable, especially as it comes with a full range of accessories.
be quiet! Light Loop 240 :
We like :
- The overall finish of the kit..
- … but particularly the radiator, which is original
- Simple installation on all compatible platforms
- The possibility of refilling the kit if the liquid evaporates
- The accessory section is more than complete, with a six-port fan hub
- Offset pump mounting for optimum performance
- Price in line with performance
What we didn’t like :
- Temperatures that rise at low revs
- Perhaps a little too much RGB ?
- Slightly less attention paid to the fans
In the end, we’re going to award gold to this watercooling kit from be quiet! The finish is quite satisfactory, except for the fans, which are pretty basic. However, the accessory section is very comprehensive and the kit can be maintained by the user via a refill port. In terms of performance, it’s a solid performer with limited noise pollution. Just avoid running it at low revs on CPUs that consume a lot of power. Finally, the price is affordable!
Many thanks to be quiet!
