Arctic Liquid Freezer 3 280 A-RGB White Edition Review

Final Score: 91 out 100

Let’s face facts. The 280-class of AIOs are not the bread and butter of the industry because they are the “best” at anything. They are not as easy to work with as 240s (and why Arctic still offers it as an option), which in turn are not as easy to work with the (thankfully now defunct) “single-bay” 120mm and 140mm AIOs. They are not as good performing as the 360s (which in turn are not as good as the 420s). They are not even the best at increasing the overall aesthetics… as they only have two light emitting fans attached to their “shortened” 2-bay radiator instead of three (of those gorgeous) RGB-LED equipped fans. Instead, the 280-class is the epitome of ‘good enough’. Good enough ease of use as to be typically considered a low-stress and low hassle installation option. Good enough performance to satisfy the requirements of most systems. Good enough aesthetics to easily be worked in a wide range of builds. Good enough price to performance ratio to help justify going water over air. Basically, most (including ourselves) buy 280-class AIOs because they are good enough to overcome their inherent limitations… or at least outweigh them for most builds.

The Arctic Liquid Freezer 3 280 A-RGB White Edition is different and not your typical 280-class AIO.
We mean this mostly in a good way, and certainly different enough in a good way to justify that… rather long winded name. To be blunt, after working with three of the four form-factors Arctic offer, the ALF 3 280 is our favorite iteration. Which is surprising as we could not say that about the last generation Arctic Liquid Freezer II series’ 2×140 options. Instead, in the ALF 2 era the 420 was the one we would reach for in as many builds as it would fit… and only if it could not would we then (begrudgingly) reach for one of the smaller versions.

This generation is different, but make no mistake this is in no shape nor form a backhanded compliment, nor an insult to the 360 and 420 options. Those are still excellent options and we will be using them in a ton of builds. The 420s will be for system’s using class 9 CPUs (be they AMD Ryzen 9 or Intel Core 9) and the 360 will be for builds where the (previously) chosen (by the client… over our recommendations) case cannot handle the all-beef patty ALF 3 variant.

That however leaves a lot of builds… and yet for the first time in a long time “having” to reach for a 280 is in no shape nor form a hardship nor will we consider it cutting corners. Instead, when we opt for it we will opt for because it is our favorite AIO. Simply stated, the Arctic Liquid Freezer III 280 is our pick of the litter not because it is the best at any specific area, but because it is just so darn flexible.

On the performance side of the equation, the ALF 3 280 is easily the best, highest-performance 280-class AIO we have used to date. It, for all intents and purposes, offers 3×120 AIO performance in a much, much… much easier package. Mix in that sweet, sweet (if not perfect) VRM cooling fan and one need not worry about CPU nor motherboard VRM heatsink temperatures on anything but overclocked high-end builds.

On the aesthetics side of the equation, it may not quite match its 420 or 360 brethren, but it is awfully darn close. So close that it is nit-picking to think of the ALF 3 280 ARGB White Edition as anything other than a system enhancement aid. Simply stated. It can. It will… and it does improve the overall look and feel of any system it is used in. It will make a moderately priced rig, with a bit of time and effort, look like a high end custom build… just as any excellent AIO should, but rarely does.

On the ease of installation side of the equation, darn near any modern mid-tower or larger case will work with this form factor. Not necessarily “happily” (as it is a chonky boi), but it will work. Mix in integrated AMD offset, free Intel ILM mount, and options on one wire vs. 3 wires coming from the block and there is a lot to like here. Possibly enough to overcome the M.2 issues that mar an otherwise perfect “every man” AIO.

So in summary when one buys the ALF 3 280 they get an AIO that works better and looks better than any 280-class AIO has been able to do to date. Equally important, it offers all that performance and aesthetics yet costs less than most other 240-class AIOs. That… is a combination that transforms a great option into a veritable no-brainer option. At least it will be for experienced system builders. For novices, even if you have to swallow your pride and phone a friend for help, the Arctic Liquid Freezer III 280 is probably still going to be worth the effort. So if you are unsure what cooling solution to purchase 9 times out of 10 the ALF 3 280 will be the easy, safe, “no research needed” choice. Not always the best choice you could have made, but close enough that few will care. It is just that good, and that flexible. Color us highly impressed.