Noctua is pretty good at this whole cooling thing. It takes one swing at a liquid cooler and nails it first time. To be fair, it's not done it alone. Noctua developed the NC-LC1 atop of a high-end liquid cooling platform from the company that literally invented liquid coolers, Asetek. Nevertheless, it's a potent combination, combining a performant pump with world-class fans and sound dampening.
The NL-LC1 is the best liquid cooler I've tested, and there's one reason for that. It's just how little sound it generates while running at full speed. It's incredibly quiet. So, if you value quiet above all else, you really should give this a look.
Of course, quiet comes at a premium. If you're looking for the best bang for your buck, the Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 is equally competent as the NL-LC1-36 (360 mm model) without the mega-bucks price tag. But the Arctic cooler is anything but quiet at full speed, and the NL-LC1-36 and NL-LC1-42 (420 mm model) are on another level when balancing acoustics with performance.
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