Visual inspection
The be quiet! Silent Loop 2 240mm has a good and elegant design, with a black and silver color combination. The all-black construction is applied on most components, including the radiator, tubes and the included fans.
In addition, subtle RGB LEDs are installed on the CPU water block to add more depth to the design of the CPU cooler and have some customization options available for the end user.
The Silent Loop 2 is available in multiple radiator sizes, 120, 240, 280 and 360mm. In today’s review we have the 240mm variant, the model that will fit in most ATX cases and should be the one that most people want.
The CPU water block has an elegant design, with a silver plate installed on the top which features a brushed texture. Around this silver plate we have the only RGB LED element of the Silent Loop 2, a simple line alongside the be quiet! logo.
What is good to see here is the usage of a 6-pole 3-phase motor pump, which is installed inside the CPU water block. This pump has a maximum rotation speed of 2800 RPM.
When we talk about the form factor and dimensions of the waterblock, things are looking good, as this watreblock has the dimensions: 94.5 x 80 x 54mm.
The baseplate featured on this CPU cooler is made from a solid a nickelplated copper plate, which is attached with the help of 6 torx screws and two tampering screws.
The surface of this baseplate is smooth with only a few marks left from the machining process. The said marks leave a circular pattern, often referred to as a sun burst pattern.
These patterns will not affect the evenness of the spread when we talk about the thermal compound.
The pump is powered with the help of a single 3-Pin connector which means that controlling the speed of the pump can only be done via voltage modulation. In all fairness, a lot of water re-circulation pumps require them to be used at their maximum rpm for optimal performance and reliability, thus, the 3-Pin connector makes sense.
For the RGB LEDs installed within the CPU waterblock assembly we have two 3-Pin addressable RGB connectors. These have ribbon style all black cables which are easy to route and hide around your system.
The two tubes used with the be quiet! Silent Loop 2 240mm have a length of 400 mm and are protected by good quality woven sleeving.
In terms of the fittings for the tubes, on the radiator side we have regular fittings, while on the waterblock side we have angled fittings that can swivel. The latter is useful for two reasons, first, with the ability to swivel, the tubes are able to move and thus less stress is placed on them. Two, the angled fittings allow for a better position and routing for the tubes around your case.
The radiator of the Silent Loop 2 240mm is as the name suggests, a standard 240mm radiator that has the dimensions: 274 x 27 x 120 mm.
One rare feature that we see with this radiator is the presence of an air bleed port which is also used to top the coolant. However, in some parts of the world, using this port means voiding the warranty, so be warned.
The fans included with the Silent Loop 2 240mm are the well-known be quiet Silent Wings 3 120mm PWM high-speed. A popular model that has been widely used by be quiet in many CPU coolers and cases. These fans are sporting a maximum speed of 2200RPM and the whole be quiet! experience in terms of build quality, design and performance.
In terms of features, we are looking at impellers that are designed for maximum airflow and static pressure with the lowest noise output possible.
The corners of the fan frame are made from rubber and will dampen any vibrations from the fan.
To power the fans, a 4 Pin PWM connector is used which means you can control the fan speed via the motherboard. The wire is covered by a good quality synthetic sleeving.
