If you need serious CPU cooling, there’s only one place to look: a 360 mm AIO. These liquid coolers take advantage of the airflow of three 120 mm fans and a large radiator to keep even high-end overclocked CPUs cool. If you’re planning to crank up the core counts or clock speeds, you’ll want the best 360 mm AIO to keep it cool.
A 360 mm AIO cooler offers more surface room than smaller AIO coolers, allowing it to dissipate heat more efficiently. This leads to better thermal headroom and the potential for lower noise, as the fans can spin at lower RPMs while offering similar cooling performance to smaller radiators. But let’s stop wasting time and get down to the best 360 mm AIO coolers.
- Best 360 mm AIO Cooler Overall: Arctic’s Liquid Freezer II A-RGB offers great thermals and noise, plus an extended warranty, for around half the price of some high-end competitors.
- Best 360 mm AIO Cooler Alternative: The NZXT Kraken Z73 offers outstanding thermal performance and a useful pump block display, albeit at the cost of noise.
- Best Display on a 360 mm AIO Cooler: Asus ROG Ryujin II 360 has a gorgeous and customizable 3.5-inch color display, the largest on an AIO to date.
- Best Low-Noise 360 mm AIO Cooler: Corsair iCUE H150i RGB Pro XT offers a good balance of noise output and cooling, with a definite bias towards low-noise operation.
- Best Enthusiast 360 mm AIO Cooler: Alphacool Eisbaer Pro Aurora 360 has future expansion in mind, coming equipped with a refillable reservoir and detachable tubing.
Our Picks for the Best 360 mm AIO Coolers
1. Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360 A-RGB
Arctic’s Liquid Freezer II 360 A-RGB AIO CPU cooler is a feature-packed, solid-performance liquid cooler that comes at a great price, making it a great overall pick for those not seeking niche features.
KitGuru put the Liquid Freezer II A-RGB through its paces and found that it could keep an overclocked AMD Ryzen 9 5950X running at an impressive 63 degrees Celsius over ambient. It’s not the best performer, but 63 degrees is very much within the acceptable range for an overclocked 16-core CPU.
Source: KitGuru
The Liquid Freezer II 360 has outstanding noise-normalized performance, too. KitGuru locked all the AIOs in its testing to 40 dBA and found that the Arctic retained most of its cooling performance, with the overclocked 5950X only climbing to a 65-degree delta.
For context, that’s neck-and-neck with much pricier AIOs like the ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360. If you’re searching for great cooling performance in noise-normalized situations, the Arctic is a CPU cooler worth considering.
Arctic’s AIO coolers have always felt somewhat “utilitarian” with their lack of RGB lighting or aesthetic flourishes, but not so the Liquid Freezer II 360 A-RGB. It ships with Arctic’s P12 A-RGB fans, which go some way to change that perception.
Source: Arctic
However, it still trails other RGB-heavy AIOs due to the lack of ARGB on the pump head. Don’t get us wrong: the RGB fans look great, and RGB lighting is a welcome addition to Arctic’s repertoire. But not having any RGB on the block is a bit of a missed opportunity.
That minor aesthetic niggle aside, the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360 A-RGB is a great 360 mm AIO and one of the best AIO liquid coolers in this size category. It performs as well as $300 AIO CPU coolers at about half the price, with few compromises.
2. NZXT Kraken Z73
NZXT’s Kraken Z73 AIO liquid cooler may seem like a case of form over function, especially with its full-color display. However, that couldn’t be further from the truth, as it boasts excellent cooling performance combined with a much-improved software suite for total control.
Cooling performance is significantly ahead of the competition, capable of keeping an overclocked Intel i7-8700K running at a 57.3-degree Celsius delta in Hexus’ testing. Granted, the Corsair H150i’s significantly lower price likely makes up for the four-degree gap (57.3 vs. 61.3 degrees), but we believe the Z73’s features and build help justify the premium.
Source: Hexus
Unfortunately, this cooling performance comes at the cost of fan noise. The Z73 runs loud, quickly hitting 49 dBA under load. That’s too noisy for a CPU cooler, even if you’re seeking extreme cooling.
Thankfully, you can use NZXT’s CAM to bring the fan speed down to a more reasonable noise level without losing too much cooling performance. You also use CAM to control the pump head LCD, and you can choose whether you want the utility of temperature readouts or the aesthetic thrills of an image or animation.
Source: NZXT
The NZXT Z73 is a great 360 mm AIO CPU cooler, but it’s not perfect. The high price is a noticeable downside, and the default fan profile leads to unbearable noise levels. But the former is worth it for the excellent display and good-quality build, while you can easily resolve the latter at the cost of a few degrees Celsius.
If you want some RGB lighting to match the LCD, you can opt for the NZXT Z73 Kraken RGB instead.
3. Asus ROG Ryujin II 360
NZXT used to rule the roost when it came to LCD-equipped AIO CPU coolers, but there’s a new contender in town. Asus’ ROG Ryujin II 360 sports a large 3.5-inch color LCD, the largest ever on an AIO CPU block. But it’s not just about looks: the Ryujin II 360’s Noctua Industrial fans mean it cools impressively too.
KitGuru tested the Ryujin II 360 with an overclocked AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, and it managed to keep the toasty 16-core beast running at 60 degrees over ambient. It’s not the best, but it’s right up there and shows that you can get fancy aesthetics without giving up cooling performance.
Source: Kitguru
The Noctua NF-F12 iPPC-2000 PWM fans falter slightly in noise-normalized testing, with the 5950X’s temperature climbing to 65 degrees in the same load at 40 dBA. It’s not terrible, but you will have to accept slightly higher noise output if you want top-notch thermals. But that goes for most AIO CPU coolers, so we won’t hold it against the Ryujin II 360.
The star of the show, however, is that 3.5-inch LCD. It’s a large, vivid display that you can use to show anything from hardware status readouts to image slideshows. It’s undoubtedly a novelty, but it may help take a showcase build from merely good to “great.”
The Asus Ryujin II 360’s pump head. Source: Asus
We wish that Asus shipped the Ryujin II with more RGB lighting to create a bonafide showcase AIO, but it’s an acceptable tradeoff considering the cooling performance of the bundled Noctua fans. Asus’ Ryujin II 360 isn’t an AIO CPU cooler that’ll work for everyone, of course. But those who want the most eye-catching CPU block display out there will likely be willing to pay the asking price.
4. Corsair iCUE H150i RGB Pro XT
Corsair’s iCUE H150i RGB Pro XT AIO liquid cooler delivers on multiple fronts: it’s priced competitively for a 360 mm AIO, performs decently, and runs impressively quietly. It’s not going to be the coolest or flashiest AIO you can buy, but it’s a solid package worth checking out.
The H150i is the 360 mm AIO to get if you’re concerned with the noise output of your CPU cooler. Corsair ships the H150i with three fan modes: “Quiet,” “Balanced,” and Extreme. Quiet runs the fans at a whisper-quiet 23 dB, while Extreme raises it to a more audible (but still acceptable) 30 dB. Balanced sits in the middle, measuring 27 dB in TweakTown’s testing.
Of course, you don’t get this level of low-noise operation without making some sacrifices, and in this case, you’ll have to deal with somewhat mediocre CPU temperatures with the H150i. TweakTown tested the H150i with an AMD Ryzen 5 3600X at stock and overclocked speeds, recording impressive temps in the Extreme mode but mediocre results at the lower fan speeds.
Source: TweakTown
The H150i managed to keep TweakTown’s overclocked 3600X running at under 65 degrees Celsius in the “Extreme” mode, with the temps climbing to 68.7 degrees when set to “Balanced.” “Quiet” pushed the temps up to 73.5 degrees, making that configuration one of the worst performers in TweakTown’s testing.
We don’t think many users should run the H150i in its Quiet mode. It’s still a great low-noise performer even in its faster fan modes, and those are the ones you should stick with if you’re cooling a more serious CPU.
It’s worth noting that you can use iCUE to crank the fan speeds and drop temperatures even further. However, the H150i’s Corsair ML120 fans can hit an ear-splitting 70 dB if you do this.
Source: Corsair
Overall, the Corsair iCUE H150i RGB Pro XT is a solid low-noise 360 mm AIO that’s worth checking out if you’re after a quiet cooling solution. It’s not a product for those who want cooling above all else, but its low-speed fan modes and almost silent pump make it an ideal solution when fan noise is the primary concern.
5. Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora 360
Alphacool’s Eisbaer Aurora 360 is the best 360 mm AIO CPU cooler for enthusiasts and those who intend to get serious about liquid cooling. It’s not without flaws, but its expandability and easy maintenance make it a great long-term solution for those who want more than “set and forget.”
The Aurora 360’s coolant tubes come with quick-release fasteners that allow you to integrate the radiator and pump head with other liquid cooling components, such as Alphacool’s Eiswolf GPU AIOs. Not only that, but the fittings are all standard water cooling equipment, letting you plumb the Aurora 360 into a custom liquid cooling solution quickly.
Alphacool also ensured that the Eisbaer Aurora 360 is user-serviceable, with a dedicated fill port for easy coolant refills. The pump head also has a see-through window showing you how much coolant is in the AIO. You won’t have to wait until temperatures skyrocket to know your AIO’s running low.
Source: KitGuru
As far as the temps go, the Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora 360 isn’t the greatest performer on the market. But it managed to keep an overclocked Intel Core i9-9900K running at a 50-degree Celsius delta, which is still respectable. So the expansion options don’t come at too great a cost, which we appreciate.
Noise levels aren’t outstanding at 46.1 dBA, but they’re again respectable. It manages to be quieter in KitGuru’s testing than air coolers like the Arctic Freezer 33 eSports ONE, which is commendable. It also outperforms most of Deepcool’s AIO range and a few Corsair AIO CPU coolers, including its popular 280 mm AIO, the Corsair H100i RGB Platinum.
The Alphacool is surprisingly vibrant for such an enthusiast-minded product, too. It can’t quite hold a candle to the likes of Corsair and its high-quality RGB fans, but you still get a decent dose of lighting from Alphacool’s RGB fans and pump block.
Source: Alphacool
Some users may find the two-year warranty on the Alphacool disappointing, but it may not be the enormous problem it seems at first. Many six-year AIO warranties are designed to cover coolant loss from permeation more than anything else. That’s not an issue here, of course, due to its modularity and easy refills.
The Alphacool Eisbear Aurora 360 isn’t one of the best-performing AIO coolers, but it’s the perfect option for those seeking a building block for more extravagant liquid cooling. The quick-release fittings, industry-standard equipment, and pump head refill port make this perfect for integrating into a custom cooling loop.
Closing Thoughts
Installing one of the best 360 mm AIO CPU coolers in your rig is an extreme step, but sometimes there’s nothing else you can do. If a standard air cooler or smaller AIO isn’t cutting it, one of these bad boys may be the perfect way to keep your high-end CPU in check.
If you want good performance at a great price, Arctic’s Liquid Freezer II A-RGB is the 360 mm liquid cooler to go for. It doesn’t dominate in any category but performs excellently and is surprisingly affordable. If you want to splurge on a CPU cooler, NZXT’s Kraken Z73 is a compelling choice with its good cooling performance and fancy screen. Just remember to turn the fans down!
Need something a bit more compact? Check out our list of the best 240 mm AIOs instead.
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