Visual inspection
The Pure Loop 280 looks almost identical with the Pure Loop 240, the only difference being the size of the radiator and the different fans used. The design of the cooler is elegant, and the total opposite of the generic RGB AIO coolers on the market. The cooler has a black and silver color combination, and has no RGB at all.
The Pure Loop 280 has a standard 280mm radiator and two 140mm fans which are part of the Pure Wings 2 series.
The CPU block has an elegant design, with an all-black matte body and a brushed aluminum texture on the top with the be quiet! logo engraved into the surface.
The top plate of the CPU block is surrounded by a strip of white LED, these will only display a white light, and can only be turned on or off.
The CPU block has only a cable for power, with a 3 Pin connector at the end. This cable is used NOT for powering the pump, instead, this will power the white LED strip on the top, and nothing else.
The baseplate of the CPU cooler is made from solid nickel-plated copper and has a smooth surface with just a subtle circular pattern left from the manufacturing process. These round markings will not affect the performance of the cooler, and do enhance its design.
The tubes of the Pure Loop 280 have a length of 400mm and are flexible enough to not hinder during the installation of the cooler. In addition, the tubes are covered and protected by a high-quality woven sleeving.
As is the case with many modern AIO CPU coolers, the tubes of the Pure Loop 280 are using plastic made fittings. On the radiator side, the fittings are normal and do not move. However, on the CPU block side of the loop, the fittings are angled and can swivel.
One main difference between the Pure Loop series coolers and other AIO coolers is the usage of an inline pump. be quiet! opted for such a pump design because it greatly reduces the noise of the pump when the cooler is powered on. Not only that, but having the pump installed on the tubes of the cooler and not inside the CPU block will reduce the overall flow restrictions of the loop and thus, increase the cooling performance.
Another benefit of using an inline pump is that it bypasses the Asetek patent which is an issue for many CPU cooler manufacturers.
In addition, this pump is powered through a single 3 Pin connector, and be quiet! insists on powering the pump from a 12V power source.
The radiator used on the Pure Loop 280has the standard dimensions: 317mm (L) x 140mm (H) x 27mm (W). The radiator and its components are made from aluminum, and this radiator has an fins-per-inch density of 20.
A great feature to see is found on the side of the radiator. Here, there is a small screw which covers the fill and bleed port of the loop. This makes the cooler not only very easy to service but it is also easy to remove the trapped air.
The two fans included with the cooler are part of the Pure Wings 2 fan series. These have the model number: BQ-PUW2-14025-HR-PWM. The fans have a maximum speed of 1600RPM and thanks to their single 4 Pin connectors, they can be controlled via PWM.
