The Be Quiet! Pure Loop 280mm AIO Cooler Review: Quiet Without Compromise
by E. Fylladitakis on October 14, 2021 9:00 AM ESTConclusion
Be Quiet! designed the Pure Loop series to be a reflection of the company’s ideals – simple, subtle, effective, and focused on operating with the lowest possible levels of noise. From what we've seen during our testing the 280 mm version of the Pure Loop cooler, we conclude that the cooler has certainly lived up to those ideas, making for a major win for Be Quiet!.
The thermal performance of the Pure Loop 280 mm cooler is good, yet as you might expect for an acoustics-focused cooler, unexcitedly so. It does not do much better than most other AIO coolers, and many other products using two 140 mm fans tend to offer better thermal performance. As a matter of fact, even some 240 mm solutions can thermally outperform the 280 mm version of the Pure Loop.
However, when taking noise levels into consideration, the tables shift dramatically. The Pure Loop 280 delivered impressively low noise figures, making for the quietest two-fan cooler that we have ever tested here at AnandTech. And when we plotted that as part of a thermal resistance to sound pressure level chart, we could clearly see the Pure Loop 280 going head-on with products that cost twice or thrice as much.
Be Quiet! is a company that usually goes with subtle designs and the Pure Loop series are no exception. The Pure Loop 280 visually is very serious and elegant, based on clean, basic geometric shapes. It would probably look out of place in an extravagant PC with colorful RGB lighting all around it but it will definitely look great when the aesthetic theme needs to be clean and serious.
In conclusion, we find that the Be Quiet! Pure Loop 280 cooler is an excellent product. Even with the focus on keeping noise levels down, Be Quiet! hasn't left thermal performance behind, so the Pure Loop offers a very good balance between thermal performance and acoustics. And they're able to do all of this while keeping the price of the cooler quite reasonable (despite the ongoing pandemic), with the Pure Loop 280 easily found for less than $110. Taking in consideration both the cooler's performance and that low price tag, we can say that the Pure Loop 280 is a very good deal for users who want great overall cooler performance combined with an elegant appearance.
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Flunk - Thursday, October 14, 2021 - link
It would have been nice to see a high-end air cooler in the results, such as a Be Quiet Dark Rock Pro 4, to compare the difference between high-end air and AIOs. Many people cross-shop air coolers and AIOs and without at least one comparison point it's hard to know how they stack up.satai - Thursday, October 14, 2021 - link
I would be quite interested how this compares with higher Noctua models too.vanish1 - Thursday, October 14, 2021 - link
Their bench page has air cooler results. You should try looking first instead of crying that the info isnt being spoon fed into your mouth, baby.Slash3 - Thursday, October 14, 2021 - link
You should probably read the review first before commenting.vanish1 - Thursday, October 14, 2021 - link
You're an idiot. Anandtech has it's own bench page with a backlog of testing results that anyone can access at the top of the site where it says "BENCH"You can go back to the peanut gallery now.
Slash3 - Thursday, October 14, 2021 - link
Reading comprehension is important. Keep at it though, you'll get there eventually.Flunk wrote "It would have been nice to see a high-end air cooler in the results."
If you can't tell the difference between the aggregation database and results in a directly referenced review, I don't know if there's much hope left for this conversation.
I feel it's important to also point out that the referenced Be Quiet Pure Loop 280, the Dark Rock Pro 4 or the common Noctua NH-D15 are all entirely absent from the Bench database. Oops. You'd know this though, because you checked it. Right?
...Right?
Consider breathing exercises, or yoga. You seem to need some help with focusing your attention.
vanish1 - Thursday, October 14, 2021 - link
NH-D15 is just an updated NH-D14 and congratulations you picked one cooler that wasnt there, make sure to hold on to that one cooler tight so you get to say you are not wrong like a bit.chThere is a bench full of air coolers, if you're stupid enough that you need every piece of information spoon fed to you and you cant figure out anything on your own, stick to tomshardware
sor - Thursday, October 14, 2021 - link
It’s not as much what you say as how you say it. It’s possible to politely point out that the info might be available, it doesn’t require someone to make an ass of themselves.It’s also totally valid to suggest that extremely relevant information be collected into an article. It would make the article itself better.
Oxford Guy - Friday, October 15, 2021 - link
'you picked one cooler that wasnt there'Only the industry standard in high-end air cooling. Nothing important there!
milleron - Wednesday, November 17, 2021 - link
Dear Mr. Vanish, you have a serious problem. I think you can be helped with drugs and psychotherapy, but it'll require knowledgable and dedicated psychiatrists and psychopharmacologists. Meanwhile, I'd stay out of bars if I were you; with your present approach to life, you probably would not get out of one with all your teeth.