The Be Quiet Silent Loop 2 All-In-One liquid cooler recently went on sale. I found that out when I saw the announcement on their Instagram account. But all the prices and availability were for the European Union. Where were the prices and availability for the United States? The bad news is that the Silent Loop 2 AIO won’t be coming to America.
Back to The Future
Be Quiet explained in a video what went wrong with the original Silent Loop AIO that came out in 2016. Although a great product for many users, some users had noise, leaks, and other problems. With a problem rate that never dropped below 1%, they halted production in 2019 and went back to the drawing board. The Pure Loop AIO came out in 2020 and the Silent Loop 2 AIO came out this month.
Pure Loop VS Silent Loop 2 Pump Location
The major difference between the Silent Loop 2 AIO and the Pure Loop AIO is the location of the pump.
- On the Pure Loop, the in-line pump is at the radiator.
- On the Silent Loop 2, the pump is on the cold plate.
Why does the location of the pump matters for the Silent Loop 2? That feature alone can determine availability in the United States.
Traditional AIOs had the pump on the cold plate. Manufacturers paid patent royalties to a company called Asetek for the privilege. One way for manufacturers to avoid paying patent royalties is to move the pump off the cold plate.
I’m aware of only two AIOs that don’t have the pump on the cold plate.
- The Be Quiet Pure Loop AIO with the in-line pump at the radiator.
- The Rosewill PB240 AIO has the pump inside the radiator.
Other manufacturers are experimenting with different pump designs on and off the cold plate.
Be Quiet’s Response
The other way for manufacturers to avoid paying patent royalties is to not to sell their AIO in the United States. I reached out to Be Quiet for comment and I got an official “no comment” on USA availability. But I was told that Canada will be the first North American country to get the Silent Loop 2.
Should you get a Be Quiet Silent Loop 2 AIO? If it’s available in your country at a reasonable price, knock yourself out. As for U.S. customers, add this AIO to your Christmas wish list of PC products that you can’t buy in 2021.