Which be quiet! 360mm AIO is quietest at part load?
be quiet!'s Light Loop 360mm prints the lowest part-load figure in be quiet!'s 360 mm range, 17.2 dB(A) at 50% PWM. be quiet! is the only maker here that ties whole-cooler figures to set fan steps.
All four current be quiet! 360s use the same three-step row, so they line up directly:
- Light Loop 360mm (BW022): 17.2 / 29.1 / 36.8 dB(A)
- Pure Loop 3 LX 360mm (BW031EU): 17.3 / 29.4 / 36.9 dB(A)
- Pure Loop 3 360mm (BW029EU): 17.6 / 29.3 / 37.2 dB(A)
- Silent Loop 3 360mm (BW025): 19.8 / 31.9 / 38.8 dB(A)
The top three sit within 0.4 dB at 50%, a narrow lead. All three run 120 mm fans rated at 2100 rpm at 100% PWM. The Silent Loop 3 uses Silent Wings 4 fans rated to 2500 rpm, and that faster fan comes with the highest figure in the list at every step.
be quiet! lists both Pure Loop 3 models with an EU suffix on the article number, and we found no separate US part number for either, so neither became a pick. The Light Loop IO LCD 360mm (BW032) shares the Light Loop's row of 17.2 / 29.1 / 36.8.
What is the quietest AIO pump?
No AIO pump can be called the quietest across brands, because no two makers here state pump noise under a matching condition. Inside one brand's range, Lian Li's Galahad II Trinity 360 prints the lowest pump figure Lian Li gives, 16.59 dBA.
Lian Li prints a bare pump row for three Galahad II coolers, each beside a pump speed but with no speed tied to the noise figure itself:
- Galahad II Trinity 360: 16.59 dBA, pump at 3200 RPM
- Galahad II Trinity Performance 360: 22.03 dBA, pump at 4200 RPM
- Galahad II LCD 360: 32.1 dBA, pump at 3600 RPM
Speed does not explain all of Lian Li's spread. The 4200 RPM Performance pump prints 22.03 dBA, yet the 3600 RPM pump under the Galahad II LCD's screen prints 32.1, about ten decibels more from a slower pump. Lian Li gives no reason on either page.
Phanteks prints 20.0 dBA for the Glacier One 360D30 pump, beside a 3100 RPM motor speed at 100% duty cycle, and MSI prints "20 dBA (avg.)" for the MAG CORELIQUID A13 360. Each stands alone here, quoted but not ordered against Lian Li or each other.
Pump numbers labelled as limits
Noctua lists the NL-LC1-36 pump as "Max. acoustical noise" in three modes: 14.9 dB(A) in manual, 7.8 in balanced and less than 5 in quiet. Thermalright prints "23 dBA(MAX)", Cooler Master "12 dBA (Max)", and Lian Li's HydroShift II LCD-S a ceiling of 28 dBA.
Corsair says its FlowDrive 2S pump runs "as low as 20 dBa" on the Nautilus 360 RS page, a floor rather than a value. be quiet!, NZXT, Fractal and ARCTIC print no pump decibels at all, though NZXT and ARCTIC both give their pump speed ranges.
Which AIO has the quietest radiator fans?
No AIO can be named for the quietest radiator fans across brands, since bare fan rows from different makers carry no shared condition. Within Lian Li, the Galahad II Trinity SL-INF 360 prints 29 dB(A) per fan, against 30 for the standard Trinity.
Lian Li's two Trinity versions sit side by side on one page, each with a bare row:
- Galahad II Trinity SL-INF 360: 29 dB(A), fans up to 2100 RPM
- Galahad II Trinity 360: 30 dB(A), fans up to 2450 RPM
The slower SL-INF fan prints 1 dB less, which fits its lower top speed. Phanteks gives each D30 fan 30.2 dBA with a 2000 RPM top speed, and MSI gives the A13's fans 31.1 dBA with no speed at all. Both are quoted alone and not ordered against Lian Li.
Fan numbers stated another way
NZXT's F120P carries 30.0 dBA, and its FAQ ties that figure to full speed, a condition none of the bare rows states. Noctua's NF-A12x25 G2 carries 22.5 dB(A) marked "(max.)". Thermalright's TL-C12B-S V2 prints "25.6 dBA (MAX)" and Cooler Master's Atmos fans "27.2 dBA (Max)".
Lian Li's Trinity Performance rates its fans by switch position, 29 dB(A) on L and 38.1 on H. Corsair's Titan II 360 RX prints a "10 - 32.8 dBA" span, and Fractal's Lumen S36 v2 a span whose bottom end is a "below" value. None of these is ranked.
Are AIO coolers quieter than air coolers?
No, AIO coolers are not quieter in be quiet!'s figures: its Dark Rock Pro 5 tower lists 8.9 dB(A) at 50% PWM, against 17.2 for its Light Loop 360mm.
be quiet! is the one maker here rating towers and liquid coolers at the same steps. It words the two rows a little differently, "Overall noise level" for the tower and "Noise level" for the liquid cooler, but both are given at 50, 75 and 100%. At full speed the Dark Rock Pro 5 lists 23.3 dB(A) and the Light Loop 36.8.
A liquid cooler also adds a motor that never fully stops. Noctua's table shows the NL-LC1-36 pump still turning at 750 rpm with a 0% PWM signal. Whether a cooler suits a case is a separate question, and the PC case guide lists radiator room alongside the fans each case ships with.
Why is my AIO so loud?
An AIO gets loud as its pump or fans approach the top of their speed range, and every maker here that rates more than one speed prints figures that rise steeply with it.
be quiet!'s Light Loop 360mm climbs from 17.2 dB(A) at 50% PWM to 36.8 at 100%, nearly 20 dB from fan speed alone. Lian Li's Trinity Performance fans go from 29 dB(A) on the L switch position to 38.1 on H.
The pump has the same lever. Noctua caps its pump at 3400 rpm in manual mode, 2600 in balanced and 2100 in quiet, and NZXT lets you set a pump curve in NZXT CAM between 1,200 and 2,800 RPM. Fans swapped onto a radiator later are a separate choice, covered in the PC fan guide.
