If you’re looking for a powerful cooler for your processor, in this post, we’ve covered five of the best 280mm AIO coolers currently available.
In our last post, we took a look at the best 360mm AIO coolers on the market and, in this guide, we’re going to cover the top 280mm AIO options. Despite coming with one less fan, the larger 140mm fans on 280mm AIOs are able to provide nearly similar cooling performance as 360mm AIOs.
(You can also check out our guides on the Best 240mm AIOs, and the Best 120mm AIOs.)
And, for the most part, the prices of 280mm AIOs and 360mm AIOs are on par with each other as well. So, the best option for you will likely come down to which AIO cooler size best fits your case.
Also Read: Do You Need a CPU Cooler for Your PC?
If it turns out that your case is well-suited for a 280mm AIO, the options in this list would be worth checking out. We’ve made picks for the best 280mm AIO overall, a runner-up option, the top 280mm AIO with RGB fans, an excellent value option, and the cheapest 280mm AIO currently available.
Best 280mm AIOs
1. Corsair iCUE H115i (Top Pick)
2. NZXT Kraken X63 (Runner-Up)
A Quick Look at the Best 280mm AIO Coolers
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|
NAME | SPECS | RATING | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
TOP PICK
|
 |
Corsair iCUE H115i |
|
/10 | |
|
RUNNER-UP
|
 |
NZXT Kraken X63 |
|
/10 | |
|
RGB FANS
|
 |
Thermaltake Floe |
|
/10 | |
|
VALUE
|
 |
EVGA CLC 280 |
|
/10 | |
|
BUDGET
|
 |
ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II |
|
/10 |
*To read about each of the 280mm AIO coolers above, hit the “Read Review »” button to skip to our overview of that cooler.
1. Corsair iCUE H115i
Our choice for the top 280mm AIO cooler
Just like with our 360mm AIO guide, our top pick for 280mm AIO coolers is Corsair’s iCUE AIO. The Corsair iCUE H115i has just about everything you could want from an AIO: it’s compatible with either of Intel or AMD’s newer CPU sockets, it comes with high-performing fans, it runs fairly quiet in the majority of cases, and it comes with a very generous warranty.
The Corsair iCUE H115i comes with Corsair’s ML140 PWM fans, which can hit max speeds up to 2000 RPM or can be dialed all the way down to Zero RPM when temperatures are lower, thus eliminating a lot of noise. Speaking of noise, the ML140 fans operate within a noise level range of 10-36 dBA, which helps make the iCUE H115i the quietest AIO cooler on this list.
There is RGB lighting on the pump head, but you don’t get RGB fans with this cooler. And, another potential downside of the iCUE H115i is that it comes with white fan blades instead of all-black fan blades. While this won’t affect its performance, it may cause a problem with aesthetics if you weren’t planning on having any white in your build. However, options like the NZXT Kraken X63 or the EVGA CLC 280 listed below offer all-black designs and similar levels of cooling.
Ultimately, if you’re building a high-end desktop PC and you’re looking for a high-performing 280mm AIO to add to it, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option than Corsair’s iCUE H115i.
2. NZXT Kraken X63
Another great 280mm AIO cooler
The NZXT Kraken X63 is a solid alternative to Corsair’s iCUE H115i. And, as mentioned above, its all-black design might make it a superior choice over the H115i for any system-builders who won’t be able to fit the H115i’s white fan blades into their PC builds.
In terms of performance, the X63 will perform similarly to the H115i. Its Aer P fans can hit speeds of up to 1800 RPM and they operate in a decibale range of between 21-38 dBA. At their loudest, they aren’t much louder than the ML140 PWM fans on the Corsair iCUE H115i. However, as there is no Zero RPM mode on the Aer P fans, the Kraken X63 won’t be able to run as quietly as systems with the H115i in lower CPU load scenarios.
The one other drawback that is holding the X63 back a bit is that it currently comes in at ~$10 more expensive than the H115i. So, as of right now, the Kraken X63 only really makes sense for system builders who need a high-performing 280mm AIO cooler that has an all-black design. If you don’t mind the white fan blades of the H115i, though, it would be the better option and it would save you some money.
3. Thermaltake Floe
Top 280mm AIO with RGB fans
If you’re looking for a way to add both solid cooling performance and more RGB lighting into your PC build, then one 280mm AIO worth checking out is Thermaltake’s Floe Riing RGB cooler.
The Thermaltake Floe AIO cooler features dual 140mm Riing Plus RGB fans. The fans aren’t as powerful as some of the other options on this list as they can only hit max speeds of up to 1500 RPM. However, the cooler will still perform adequately and will allow you to hit mild overclocks.
As for noise levels, the Riing Plus fans operate between a noise level of 20-27 dBA. So, they don’t get quite as loud as some of the other options on this list (due to their lower max fan speed), but they also won’t operate as quietly as options like the H115i or EVGA CLC in lower CPU temperature scenarios.
The bottom line, though, is that if you want a 280mm AIO with RGB fans on it, the Thermaltake Floe is currently one of the best options available.
4. EVGA CLC 280
A solid price-to-performance option
If you’re looking for an affordable-but-powerful 280mm AIO option, EVGA’s CLC 280 cooler might be the best fit for you. At just under $120 currently, the EVGA CLC 280 is one of the cheaper 280mm AIOs currently available.
However, that doesn’t mean that is lacks for performance. The dual 140mm fans on the EVGA CLC 280 can hit max speeds as high as 2200 RPM (the fastest on this list) and low speeds of as low as 600 RPM. That lower speed also gives the EVGA CLC 280 the ability to operate at lower noise levels during low CPU loads. Its noise level ranges from 16-40 dBA, making it a bit quieter during lower loads than the other options on this list, but also a bit louder during higher loads.
Still, though, for just ~$120, the EVGA CLC 280 will offer fairly similar performance to the Corsair iCUE H115i. And, with an all-black design, it won’t cause a problem for builders who don’t want to use the H115i’s white fan blades in their build.
5. ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II
The cheapest 280mm AIO cooler
As of the time of publishing this guide, the ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II is the cheapest 280mm AIO cooler on the market. At just under ~$110, it is ~$30 cheaper than the Corsair iCUE H115i and ~$10 cheaper than the EVGA CLC 280.
In our opinion, it would be better to at least spend $10 more to get the better-performing EVGA CLC 280. If, however, you need to save every penny you can, the ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II will still provide adequate cooling performance. Its dual 140mm fans can hit speeds of up to 1700 RPM and they will operate at ~25 dBA on average.
So, while the performance and noise levels won’t match options like the iCUE 115i, for the price, you will get solid performance. In the end, though, for $10 extra, the EVGA CLC 280 is a better buy and it will offer RGB lighting on the pump head, too (the ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II has no RGB lights).
What is the Best 280mm AIO Cooler?
Right now, the best 280mm AIO is the Corsair iCUE H115i or the NZXT Kraken X63. However, the EVGA CLC 280 and the ARCTIVE Liquid Freezer II are excellent options as lower-priced alternatives as well.
And, while there aren’t quite as many 280mm AIO coolers as there are 120mm, 240mm, and 360mm options, there are still enough options to offer a wide range of features and pricepoints. You can get high-end 280mm AIO coolers, options with AIO fans, or budget-friendly coolers as well.
And, in this guide, we’ve tried to provide a range of options to help you find the right 280mm AIO cooler to suit your needs. So, if you’re in the market for a 280mm AIO, check out our recommendations above.
