Watch our coverage of Fractal also doing it right here: ua-cam.com/video/R1EcppuGxCY/v-deo.html Arctic should have more information here: www.arctic.de/us/lf-service-kit Support GN's reporting! Visit the GN Store here: store.gamersnexus.net/
@Gamers Nexus, can we get a top 10 Artic product breakdown... ready to drop some cash on a non-RGB rainbow puke product so I can level up from Vetroo V5.
I've had a couple of Arctic products in the past, I guess I'll buy more, particularly those more expensive ones... I mean, this gives me hope that whatever I buy will actually have some support? As above, it's refreshing to see someone who cares given that a small number (around 99%) :-> of other companies would rather pretend nothing ever happened.
I see this will be the norm after some years. Not because the companies think is the right thing to do but because is in their best interest to give at least the impression that they care, but if wasn't for this kind of big and bad exposure by big youtube tech channels they wouldn't care at all and laugh at their customers like MSI (and almost all) keeps doing by these days.
They do, and luckely they make solid products as well, I bought a bunch of their fans, the Freezer Pro 7 back in the day which lasted way longer then it should have and I use their thermalpaste
Steve out here single-handedly improving case airflow across the board in addition to holding companies accountable for this mistake. Changed the industry for the better. Thanks Steve.
Gamer Nexus is a team and, while Steve is the lead and public face, there are a lot of smart people working in the back to keep this machine running who deserve equal credit.
Funny how Arctic had a slip-up and contacted GN before Steve found out himself and prepared the shovel, really shows how huge you guys became. Good guy Arctic. Both saving their face and helping out their customers.
Yup, I agree it was a very good business decision; I do love the extra mile of informing GN Shows some companies have started to respect ( and fear ) Steve's impact. Good stuff for us consumers!
@@stivn157 Arctic also did a good job on containing the matter in shipments - I just got my Liquid Freezer II 240 today, and it has the new QC stickers on it. The webpage they have up with all the details about this slip up is very good as well. Really excellent work, and if anything, it makes me trust them more.
When I built my new rig, I bought a Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact and an Arctic Freezer II 240 AIO, based on GN's recommendations. After how both of these companies have handled their issues, I'm incredibly glad I bought their products, and unless they don't have a product that fits my needs, they'll be my first stop for new stuff. Bravo GN, Fractal Design, and Arctic!
Same here. I have used Fractal Design and Arctic parts for all my PCs and will do this in the future as those companies do very well on the market and have earned my trust because of their great products and an excellent and outstanding customer support. ❤Keep going! 👍
@@darthgrossmaul its kinda sad that a company who sends outs self repair kits for their faulty products that made it trough qc gets praised - and even rightfully so. relative to the others thats already an achievement but it really shouldnt be one
@@woswasdenni1914 if you think there can be perfect products without any faults (because of an existing QC) then that is (in my eyes) very illusional and beyond reality. how can a QC see longtime effects on a products without predicting the future? what i praised here (and that was 100% clear) is the uncomplicated and straightforward procedure how these companies handle quality issues of their products and help the customer (acting responsible) instead of blaming him (for example apple: "its your fault") or gigabyte or NXZT (exploding PSUs and burning riser cables) who pretended quality issues never existed (to save companys money). 🙄
Arctic just jumped way up on my priority list of companies for hardware. And thank you GN for how you look at this type of issue. Every manufacturer will eventually have a mistake or defect, its how they deal with it that ultimately matters.
I've had an Arctic Freezer eSports tower cooler since 2017 and it's been an absolute champ. Currently keeping my 5600X at 48-52C when gaming. Paired with some MX4 of course.
At this point Arctic is already miles ahead from everyone else. Not only they have this amazing after-sales support, they have also tripled the warranty duration, so now it's basically 3 times longer than everyone else. Truly a blessed company among most of the rest cash-grab clowns...
Arctic is a company with one of, if not, the best customer service. I bought a used Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240 and some mounting hardware was missing. I contacted them and asked if they could sell me some. They shipped me the missing parts for free! No shipping fees etc. For USED hardware!
I had the same impression when I got in touch with them for pre-purchase advice and they went out of their way to make sure I got all the info to make an informed decision while being extremely nice and accommodating (it being my first AIO I had many questions).
Good word of mouth is invaluable when you're in a niche space like performance cooling for custom PC builds. I'm way more likely to recommend their products today than I was yesterday. And I'm sure there's at least tens of us after watching this video.
Made same experience. Bought the Freezer II 240 new, one plastic piece was missing. Wanted to buy the AM4 Kit but it was out of stock, asked them where i can buy it and they sent me the kit for free.
Perhaps it's coincidence (but maybe not), but the companies that have best handled these situations are European, while those with the worst PR are Asian. I'm not saying that European companies always do the right thing (VW diesel thing,,, Agfa, etc.), but it does appear that European tech and electronic companies have handled product problems and defects much better. p.s. - I'm Asian
EFFING amazing from Arctic! I think that is even above the "What you should expect" scale already but way above "What you really should expect these days" scale
Rolled the dice and bought the Arctic 420 a-rgb on super sale with full knowledge of this defect. Arrived, mine is affected, easy email requesting repair kit to Arctic, very fast response, confirming kit will be shipped out to me. I deduct ZERO points from this purchase experience and look forward to fixing it myself as I don't like anyone touching my stuff. Arctic, a big TY for the extra confidence in purchasing this product.
i literally bought an Arctic liquid freezer II last week and it already had the QC sticker. I'm insanely happy with the performance of this AIO. Previously i've always done my own custom loops but the price/performance of this cooler is just completely off the charts.
It depends on the Polymer which is used (EPDM, HNBR,....) There are Rubbers on the market which have a really long lifetime (longer than a LQ usually is used. ) But its also a cost factor for the company ;)
This isn't meant to degrade quite so quickly. As mentioned in the video, there was a manufacturing issue that led to the rubber not being vulcanized fully. Rubber can also vary wildly properties from other products also colloquially called rubber. Personally I use EPDM tubes for my custom loop and I expect that they'll probably outlive me...
Neoprene rubber makes gaskets suitable for 20+ years . it cracks if dry . if in use the entire 20 years , it would not break down. I use these for covering 120volt ignition leads on boiler systems. They spend that long in heat and dry air with out repair.
@@tobiwonkanogy2975 if I used an AIO for 20 plus years it would accept a deal killing the computer lol. I think vehicles (besides houses/homestead stuff) is the one place where 20 year life span is unacceptable
Wow. Just wow, Arctic. Having a right to fix something instead of sending it back is what i expect from other manufacturers to start doing in every category, especially with "non-servicable" things like AIOs
@@MrlspPrt Just the fact that they have regular Philips screws in there instead of some proprietary garbage is great. Saves them a ton of money and angry customers (you don't want to be without a cooler for a few weeks) in this scenario, too.
@@amunak_ Honestly, no it's not. Philips is a pretty crappy screw to use. Torx would be much better, and no, Torx is not proprietary at all. It's very common and screwdrivers for it are easy to find. I would love to see Philips f*** off entirely from the world.
Mad respect! Arctic Freezer it is, if I ever need a CLC in the future. Also, quite clever of them in reducing the overload on repairs by creating the DIY kit and getting Steve to show everyone how to do it.
Well I've been going over my options and now I know I'll be buying an Arctic II. Even if I do get one of the bad ones I won't be disappointed. THIS gives absolute buyer confidence even if you know there's an issue. Good job Arctic!
If anyone from Arctic (or even a competitor) sees this, this response will MAKE me recommend you. That you’re willing to do the right thing unprompted? Kudos. Keep it up, you’re doing good.
Essentially “We want as many people to know about what we did wrong”….Arctic have been a fave of my PC component companies. This is why. Glad I decked out my air cooled Case/CPU with their fans.
@@DaleEarnhardtsSeatbelt I have 6 Bionix P120 ARGB which also exhibit the resonance, but I’ve tweaked my fan curves to avoid it in both idle & load states 👍🏼
I was trying to choose between the Lian-Li Galahad and the Freezer II. Just because of the stellar customer relations from Arctic, I'll get the Freezer II. Well done Arctic.
I purchased a 280mm Freezer II back in April (steve said this started in March) off amazon. It could not cool a 5900x at all, pegging to 90C on idle desktop. I filed a support ticket and waited 24 hours but then just exchanged via amazon. The second one I got a couple days later had the same behavior so I just returned it and got a lian li galahad from my local microcenter and that worked. Amazon being amazon I wonder if I just happened to have gotten 2 that had already been returned for this issue but "looked" fine to amazon's returns... Anyway, after those 2 returns I finally got a response *two weeks* later from Arctic's support that gave a few trouble shooting steps. I realize you said customer relations and not support, but I have to say I was pretty disappointed. I guess nobody has good support anymore, but 2 weeks to acknowledge a case was just egregious.
@@hobbesmaster I asked them for the updated AM4 mounting kit, and got a response a day later, and the kit arrived in the mail, for free, a few days after that. And honestly, I hate to say it, but I feel like you having the same "pegging temps to 90C on idle" issue is almost certainly an installation failure on your part, rather than a defect in the product. If it had just happened once, *maybe* it was a defect, but twice points to use error.
gonk doesn't build up if there is no flowto cause it, so the problem you were having is probably a different one, or amazon sent you used products instead of new ones. It could be an installation problem regarding mounting pressure also. Maybe the bracket or the block did not sit tight as they should had.
I've had the Freezer II 360 cooling my 5800x and it does a great job. My house is regularly 100F, thank you shitty swamp cooler, and I haven't had any (additional) temp issues, even though I have a known coffin for a case, and hairy cats to clog my filters.
Got my kit today, took around 2 months because my local Post office lost the first kit. Props for Arctic for sending me a second one after contacting their customer support 👍
I noticed that in your EK AIO Tear-Down & Disassembly the EK AIO was showing early symptoms of this kind of issue. Do you know if the EK AIO cooler suffers as badly as the Arctic when it comes to this issue?
How a manufacturer treats you when things go wrong is one of the most important qualities I can think of. I'm glad I own Arctic products and this will likely buy my loyalty in the future. Good performance, good quality, good price, and good customer care, top marks.
@@Zarazkowy As far as I'm concerned, I'm buying a Service as well as a Physical Product. As Arctic have demonstrated very good after sales customer care, I place an increased financial worth on their service. I wouldn't suggest being a fanboi or disregarding other factors or competitors, but disregarding the contribution of that customer care would be equally flawed logic.
Lurker here... this actually makes me WANT to buy an Arctic for the future AMD build I'm hoping to put together. Definitely looking towards their AIOs for the 7000 release.
Same! I have a bit (and good) experience with Arctic Coolers, but didn't consider an AIO, et alone water-cooling for my next system, but I tend to "invest" in them now :D
I'm running an old 240mm arctic first gen liquid freezer I bought in 2017 for my R7 1700. AM4 was new, and Arctic would mail a free adapter bracket to anyone who requested one if they wanted to use them with AM4, although I didn't need to because I found one at the store that worked. I have zero complaints, great investment. Great company. Most other companies tend to look like garbage when comparing their customer service.
@@MrLince-hr4of True, but the best way of getting people to buy your products (over and over again) and to recommend them to others, is providing good customer service. Thats what I like to call the "customers lifetime value".
@@notepower-k2699 first you need a good product, than a good customer service :) my friend is a famous graphic designer, he once said: "you can sell any crap with good advertising" 🤣
I'm actually not the user who like to comment on YT-videos - I just watch/like them and move on. This time, after years of writing nothing, I'm going to make an exception. After your recommendation of the Liquid Freezer II 280, I ordered it for € 76,77,- and slammed it onto my 5900x. Runs like a champ and makes me happy to this day. This video helped me getting in touch with Arctic immediately (which was quite simple btw.) and ordering the kit. I'd watch this video again in case I mess something up. Thanks for the support, you are a lifesaver.
Really glad to see they're not just the king of price/performance, but also a really consumer friendly company. All the more happy to keep recommending their products. Ideally this would not be something companies get praised for. Appreciated, sure. But this kind of behavior should be the norm. Unfortunately, here we are, so kudos to Arctic.
Arctic are a stand up company. I contacted them about a screw size query and the fellow replying to me helped me quickly and sent me the screws for FREE! I was only looking for the dimensions so I could buy them, Arctic are the good guys.
I have one of these in the affected range, its nice to see that a company is willing to reach out to "community megaphones" to try and fix it as soon as possible. (as an added bonus they have the option of sending it back for an inhouse repair for people who aren't confident repairing themselves)
I actually made an audible "Whoa!" when you said Arctic told you guys because they WANTED people to know, good on them. Theyve definitely made me more likely to buy from them when I upgrade!
This channel is such a phenomenal model for how any form of reviewing and analysis should be done. Praise what deserves recognition, admonish what deserves criticism. It doesn't matter which company, judge them based on actions, not brand. If only the news and political outlets would be as logical and common people focused, our world would legitimately be in a better place. Your team is making a difference.
I sent off for my Artic gasket/cold plate replacement about two weeks ago. It arrived 11 days later. Took me all of 15 minutes to do the upgrade. Good to see a company being proactive to correct a mistake.
Wow. The Anticipation, the Transparency, the Fix and the unaltered warranty, even if you proceed with the fix yourself. One company cannot get any more pro-consumer than that. Way to go, Arctic. RESPECT +++
@Unilythe Actually, you were correct. I had seen how they had been proactive in issuing the remedy and contacted GN. Having experienced their good customer service, I didn't need to watch the whole video. However, in doing so I also learned that my Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280mm now has a 6 year warranty 👍🏼
those are some of the best AIO coolers on the market and it's good to see Arctic acting proactively like this to make sure they don't tarnish their reputation. Failed seals are where leaks happen and create terrible customer experiences that will make people never use your product again.
I started using Arctic's fans and thermal paste ten years ago. To see them go out of their way to get replacement parts out to customers solidified a place for them in all of my future builds. Bravo, Arctic.
Very impressive on Arctic’s part. It shouldn’t be impressive cause it’s just the right way to handle things, but for where we are now… very well done Arctic. Even if it “shouldn’t” be impressive, it’s definitely deserving of praise.
The floating pieces that got into the liquid might get stuck in the micro-fins of the cold plate. I think that, as soon as you replace the cold plate and the gasket, you get rid of most, if not all the gunk.
Makes sense to me, those fins are tiny. I don't think any remaining particles would make any noticeable difference. If you are pickier just replace the coolant.
I'm starting to really like Arctic. I thought I was getting into something sketchy when I bought their $4 case fans but they're perfectly fine, and this move is very positive
Yeah they are cheap but bonkers effective! 1-2 degrees difference to Noctua but 4-5x cheaper, and also really quiet! Got them all over my case and even CPU cooler. Makes me even happier to see this approach.
Thanks for saving me and the rest of us from this headache.... and thanks to Arctic as well. I have 3 Arctic coolers, 2 of them I bought during that timeframe, but the Arctic site said only one of my coolers was affected. The 360, non RGB I bought early March was affected, but the 420 I bough July 2021 wasn't.
It's so reassuring that when you buy a company's products and use them without any issue, that when there are actually documented issues, your faith in that company is completely rewarded and you have no regrets about that initial purchase and happy to continue with their products through brand loyalty.
I think this shows your work is having a positive effect. Companies are learning they can't hide bad customer support. Good for Artic, thanks for your work.
Knowing that they reached out to you specifically with the intention of getting the word out to more people makes me happy that I went with a Liquid Freezer II to begin with. That's a company that deserves my support
I have been watching for years, this and other things you have done for our community has earned you my subscription. Thank you to your and your team for your service.
I purchased my Freezer-II 280 on the 9th March 2022. Looks like I was just unlucky as I'm one of the affected and have ordered the service kit. Glad to see the response from Arctic, and can confirm ordering a service kit is a no-bullshit process, and thanks to Steve and Team GN for bringing this to our attention!
I specifically bought Arctic to avoid this issue/similar ones that had popped up in other AIO's. A slight bit of panic later both my AIO's have QC stickers so all's good. I'm quite pleased to see the actions were already in motion and proactive and not reactive. They've made a customer for life of me.
Haven't finished full video yet, but the approaches of these companies to issues like these is what make me buy their product instead of other manufacturers. I bought a fractal case for my first PC because I was comfortable with their business practices (and quality obviously otherwise its still not worth considering). If I ever need to switch to watercooling Arctic will be top of my list to check out. Business practices when problems arise give me comfort with my investment in their product, so valuable!
Just ordered a replacement kit. To be honest I was seeing rising temperatures in idle and when I saw the video title my hart sank. Was thinking now I have to go through all the process with proof of purchase and who knows what demands but was greeted with simple form - just give us your address and we'll ship it. Mistakes are made by everyone but how you handle them does matter. They just made a nasty experience kinda pleasant. Amazing.
Good to hear they know about ''service'! I just bought an refurbished Arctic Freezer Liquid II 360 on ebay from the veondro self, because of this (and this product having also having an acceptable price)!
I like to think this is a CLEAR result of what happened when GN highlighted others' shortcomings. Good on Arctic for taking the financially smart approach of just dealing with it. Building goodwill this way is definitely going to pay dividends down the road for them. Man I really need to get a Tower 100 to live on top of my Tower 900 for the ultimate "Don't talk to me or my son ever again." Setup.
I got the replacement kit earlier last year, today I noticed the first few drips coming from the cooler, opened it up, used the service kit, works again like a charm!
That does it. I'm going to prefer Arctic parts from now on whenever reasonable. This sort of behavior is a good sign that a company actually learns and improves over time.
Props to Arctic, that's a gigachad move. I was just about to decide between 3 brands for a few GPU, a few CPU coolers and a new stock of fans to stock up and this swayed my decision in favor of arctic. Personally I don't care about 1-2 degrees difference in a product, but I care about companies being responsible with their products. Shopping Cart is loaded, let's go Arctic!
Arctic is a amazing company, best cooler and amazing service. Also their thermal paste is amazing to use, it's a bit thinner then other high end pastes.
That is such a great way to help your customers and potential customers! You keep your current customers happy. And should people see how a company handles these issues may become a customer based solely on that. Great job!
Crazy. Your channel really helped push this type of behavior from the larger companies. This is a “good job, Steve & team” moment. Makes me feel more confident as a consumer to buy products from brands I normally wouldn’t consider.
Well, mission accomplished. I'm planning out my first gaming desktop build in probably 15+ years (what ever happened to my old cold cathode tubes?). Was planning to go with an AIO water cooler now that those are so widely available and I will definitely be going with Arctic now. Knowing a company is proactive about issues like these is very reassuring.
That replacement gasket looks really high quality. Wish you emptied the loop and showed us if there was any noticeable particulate, but maybe this wasn't really an actively used cooler and would have nothing floating around in it.
I've had a problem with faulty motherboard backplate when I was installing my Arctic CPU cooler and Arctic's support sorted me out so fast and well, they sent me a new working backplate for free. 100% won themselves a loyal customer with that service.
I bought a Liquid Freezer II 13 days ago off of Amazon, checked my box and it has the QC Passed sticker. Thanks so much for posting this so that I wasn't freaking out.
Artic's had some issues with QC this year, the MX-5 batch recall as well. Not a criticism, they seem to be trying to get on top of issues, especially with this response before it became a widely known problem.
I bought two of these - one from Amazon and one from Newegg. I found out about the issue in an email from Arctic through Amazon. Haven't heard a thing from Newegg. Kudos to Arctic and Amazon to get the word out quickly. I'm not sure if this is another thing Newegg needs to work on, but it solidifies 2 things for me. 1) I will continue to use and support Arctic and Amazon. 2) I will no longer be using Newegg.
I had my service kit within 8 days of purchase. I don't know how I can ever buy an AIO from any other company after the response Arctic has shown. Good on them and GN!!!
I finally just got finished with my replacement install, decided since things were getting pulled apart anyway to throw in a couple more upgrades. Super easy, especially with the detailed instructions from this video. My cold plate didn't look nearly as gnarly as yours but the black seal was definitely showing some degradation. Arctic really stepped up to own this, and I don't want to take away from their handling of the situation, but I'd be willing to bet GN coverage over the past few years of the other really poorly handles issues had a part to play in their decision making. Thanks for all you do Steve, and the rest of the GN crew!
I've always thought Arctic was a budget brand, but now I think I can trust them, if they're willing to go to lengths to fix the problem. it's good PR and good marketing.
I've rebuilt enough pumps to know that that original gasket is definitely reacting with whatever biocide\liquid concoction they are running. Chemical reactions go quicker with heat (mostly). Looks like the replacement is silicone. When in doubt use Viton! Nice easy replacement kit. Kudos to Arctic for stepping up to an easily overlooked mistake and fixing the potential issue.
11:00 can be done with 2 hands, if you want to be safe grow a 3rd one. That's what Steve would do. Thanks for the advice, I guess I'll just convert my feet into hands, that way I'll have 4 hands. :D
I received the service kit from Arctic today and replaced the faulty gasket. I did find a little bit of debris in my unit but nothing I would be concerned about. I've seen more crap in my old custom water loops. But it could be also be that my unit was bought at the tail end of the affected units. Glad Arctic had to integrity to reach out and inform customers of the issue and provide a solution. I was also presently surprised that their US office is located in my home state of South Carolina. Guess that's why I received mine so quickly.
Thank you for this video! Just sent a request for my kit. Amazing that there are still larger companies like this that still have a good measure of integrity.
Artic definitely deserves a praise for this! On a side note, this is why I went back to a traditional heatsink/fan setup. Not throwing off on those who use AIO coolers, it's just a matter of reliability for me. I've had three AIO units fail( Enermax on my 1950x lucky it did not fry my 1080 ti, Corsiar H100 leaked with a 2600k and ruined a Nvidia 670, and Cooler Master leak also). I use a Noctua NH-U12A chromax with my 12900k now with no worries. Maybe I've had bad luck, but this is another example of why I don't trust AIOs. Yes Artic is a great company, the AIO are impressive, and they went out of their way to correct the issue but it's still an example of what can go wrong with any AIO setup no matter which company makes it.
Even Arctics air coolers are impressive - I'm using the Freezer 34 eSports single fan with a 5950x w/PBO @180W PPT and it runs quiet and pretty cool for what it is!
@@paladinsk2 I've never used Artic Air Coolers but I have used Artic fans in many builds for people who want a solid budget fan setup. No issues at all with their fans!
Honestly, huge props to them for taking care of it this way. I actually have an affected cooler. I never would have been made aware of it if you hadn't posted your video. This will likely save me such a huge headache down the road and possibly my PC. Thanks for this.
Without additional context this alone is a terrible reason to decide to switch producers. Imagine the following: (car brands picked at random) You *are driving* Renaults for all your adult life and *never had a single issue* with them. You *hear* that Ford is doing free replacements of *faulty break pipes*. You now decide to buy Ford due to them *fixing* an error that could cause *total failure*, which should be a matter of course, instead of keeping to your Renaults that in your *personal experience* had *no issues* in the first place. This is essentially what you are proclaiming here. There are two major issues: you are a) favoring a producer that is known to include grievous errors in their production and b) you choose to follow hearsay rather than experience. Don't be a sheep. Act upon _your_ experience.
@@Finsternis.. Every producer will have issues eventually. None of them are flawed. The thing is not if there are issues, but how it's handled. Arctic has proven themselves to a lot of people here.
I work at the biggest french retailer, and Arctic reached out, we went through all of our stock and took the affected units out of our shelves and are waiting for new units. They did handle this like pros.
Just a quick tip for anybody that's doing this repair themselves, If you're going to wipe the inside of the housing like Steve did, I would make sure to use a lint free towel (I think blue shop towels are lint free I can't remember, I just know Steve didn't mention lint free), just 1 less thing that gets in your loop and potentially causes issues.
I think the reason they didn’t replace the whole loop’s fluid is, the micro-fins mostly acted like a filter, so there won’t be a lot still left in the fluid.
During the shortages in 2020/2021 I wanted to buy one of these AIOs & wasn't able to. Even hearing this issue & the way they've so far dealt with it, I still wish I would have & they have earned future business from me because of this report. Thanks Steve
Thanks again, Steve & team! Luckily, I dodged the bullet, on this one. I checked & both of my Arctic Freezer II's were made prior to the timeframe mentioned. Kudos to Arctic! Problems happen, but companies are defined by how they deal with those issues when they arise! (They also make great fans that don't cost a lot).
Props to Arctic for owning up to their mistakes and making it right. Apparently it's a rarity for companies these days. I have some Arctic P12 case fans, cheap price but impressive performance for the money spent. At this point I won't hesitate to recommend their products to my friends/family.
I'm a custom loop boy, but when I inevitably tire of maintaining a loop I will definitely get an Arctic AIO. Great respect to companies that act this way and we should support them with our wallets.
I've been having a hard time trying to decide which AIO to go with for my PC, this helped me make my choice. The fact that they owned up to it and aren't trying to hide their mistake is awesome
Watch our coverage of Fractal also doing it right here: ua-cam.com/video/R1EcppuGxCY/v-deo.html
Arctic should have more information here: www.arctic.de/us/lf-service-kit
Support GN's reporting! Visit the GN Store here: store.gamersnexus.net/
Do you have a link to the product number checker?
Please link the serial number checker. their support page makes no mention of it.
their support page has no reference to the serial number checker
Don't see anything on the support page.
Can't find a serial number checker.
@Gamers Nexus, can we get a top 10 Artic product breakdown... ready to drop some cash on a non-RGB rainbow puke product so I can level up from Vetroo V5.
Good on Arctic for reaching out to you guys before you even knew about it. That’s a refreshing change from a lot of other companies.
"99%" of companies. 😎🤙
I've had a couple of Arctic products in the past, I guess I'll buy more, particularly those more expensive ones... I mean, this gives me hope that whatever I buy will actually have some support? As above, it's refreshing to see someone who cares given that a small number (around 99%) :-> of other companies would rather pretend nothing ever happened.
Very nice approach, steve should have poured all liquid out to see if it has debris remaining
I see this will be the norm after some years. Not because the companies think is the right thing to do but because is in their best interest to give at least the impression that they care, but if wasn't for this kind of big and bad exposure by big youtube tech channels they wouldn't care at all and laugh at their customers like MSI (and almost all) keeps doing by these days.
Found my next AIO cooler company.
Genuinely feel like Arctic deserve a spot in every build I do, purely because this kind of behaviour needs supporting!
I really agree! I truly love the quality of their products, especially their case fans are amazing! Buy them sooo often
yeah, their prodocts were always low cost but still good. And now they even send free replacements? Thats impressive.
There's a reason every build I grab a 5 pack of p12s
They do, and luckely they make solid products as well, I bought a bunch of their fans, the Freezer Pro 7 back in the day which lasted way longer then it should have and I use their thermalpaste
I agree
Steve out here single-handedly improving case airflow across the board in addition to holding companies accountable for this mistake. Changed the industry for the better. Thanks Steve.
“Back to you Steve”
Gamer Nexus is a team and, while Steve is the lead and public face, there are a lot of smart people working in the back to keep this machine running who deserve equal credit.
@@OGSumo underrated comment
Thanks Steve.
@@OGSumo Well, I guess that's why this channel isn't named "Steve's Nexus".
Funny how Arctic had a slip-up and contacted GN before Steve found out himself and prepared the shovel, really shows how huge you guys became.
Good guy Arctic. Both saving their face and helping out their customers.
They realized they could turn a negative into a positive.
GN is officially the bloodhound of the industry. Sniffing out BullSh*t. And they are respecting as such
a ton of their sales came from GN reviews, they were relatively unknown before that, especially in the AIO space. it's just good business.
Yup, I agree it was a very good business decision; I do love the extra mile of informing GN
Shows some companies have started to respect ( and fear ) Steve's impact. Good stuff for us consumers!
@@stivn157 Arctic also did a good job on containing the matter in shipments - I just got my Liquid Freezer II 240 today, and it has the new QC stickers on it. The webpage they have up with all the details about this slip up is very good as well. Really excellent work, and if anything, it makes me trust them more.
When I built my new rig, I bought a Fractal Design Meshify 2 Compact and an Arctic Freezer II 240 AIO, based on GN's recommendations. After how both of these companies have handled their issues, I'm incredibly glad I bought their products, and unless they don't have a product that fits my needs, they'll be my first stop for new stuff. Bravo GN, Fractal Design, and Arctic!
Same here.
I have used Fractal Design and Arctic parts for all my PCs and will do this in the future as those companies do very well on the market and have earned my trust because of their great products and an excellent and outstanding customer support. ❤Keep going! 👍
I use fractal's define 7XL for a home NAS. Easily the best case I have ever deployed a system with.
@@cypher4752 7XL is a big boi! I agree, my Meshify was SUPER easy to build in. Literally no complaints.
@@darthgrossmaul its kinda sad that a company who sends outs self repair kits for their faulty products that made it trough qc gets praised - and even rightfully so.
relative to the others thats already an achievement but it really shouldnt be one
@@woswasdenni1914 if you think there can be perfect products without any faults (because of an existing QC) then that is (in my eyes) very illusional and beyond reality.
how can a QC see longtime effects on a products without predicting the future?
what i praised here (and that was 100% clear) is the uncomplicated and straightforward procedure how these companies handle quality issues of their products and help the customer (acting responsible) instead of blaming him (for example apple: "its your fault") or gigabyte or NXZT (exploding PSUs and burning riser cables) who pretended quality issues never existed (to save companys money). 🙄
Arctic just jumped way up on my priority list of companies for hardware.
And thank you GN for how you look at this type of issue. Every manufacturer will eventually have a mistake or defect, its how they deal with it that ultimately matters.
+
They were great before, best performing aio that is one of the cheapest available at the same time. The p12 fans are amazing value aswell.
Absolutely!
I've had an Arctic Freezer eSports tower cooler since 2017 and it's been an absolute champ. Currently keeping my 5600X at 48-52C when gaming. Paired with some MX4 of course.
At this point Arctic is already miles ahead from everyone else.
Not only they have this amazing after-sales support, they have also tripled the warranty duration, so now it's basically 3 times longer than everyone else.
Truly a blessed company among most of the rest cash-grab clowns...
Arctic is a company with one of, if not, the best customer service. I bought a used Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240 and some mounting hardware was missing. I contacted them and asked if they could sell me some. They shipped me the missing parts for free! No shipping fees etc. For USED hardware!
I had the same impression when I got in touch with them for pre-purchase advice and they went out of their way to make sure I got all the info to make an informed decision while being extremely nice and accommodating (it being my first AIO I had many questions).
Good word of mouth is invaluable when you're in a niche space like performance cooling for custom PC builds. I'm way more likely to recommend their products today than I was yesterday. And I'm sure there's at least tens of us after watching this video.
Made same experience. Bought the Freezer II 240 new, one plastic piece was missing. Wanted to buy the AM4 Kit but it was out of stock, asked them where i can buy it and they sent me the kit for free.
They basically buying loyalty by sending free pieces of hardware. It's a smart marketing strategy that ensures a returning customer.
Perhaps it's coincidence (but maybe not), but the companies that have best handled these situations are European, while those with the worst PR are Asian. I'm not saying that European companies always do the right thing (VW diesel thing,,, Agfa, etc.), but it does appear that European tech and electronic companies have handled product problems and defects much better.
p.s. - I'm Asian
EFFING amazing from Arctic! I think that is even above the "What you should expect" scale already but way above "What you really should expect these days" scale
Rolled the dice and bought the Arctic 420 a-rgb on super sale with full knowledge of this defect.
Arrived, mine is affected, easy email requesting repair kit to Arctic, very fast response, confirming kit will be shipped out to me.
I deduct ZERO points from this purchase experience and look forward to fixing it myself as I don't like anyone touching my stuff.
Arctic, a big TY for the extra confidence in purchasing this product.
Hey man thinking of buying one aswell. Any news on how it going?
i literally bought an Arctic liquid freezer II last week and it already had the QC sticker. I'm insanely happy with the performance of this AIO. Previously i've always done my own custom loops but the price/performance of this cooler is just completely off the charts.
This is excellent. Rubber naturally degrades after a few years, to see a company actually address this issue *PROACTIVELY* is incredible!
It depends on the Polymer which is used (EPDM, HNBR,....) There are Rubbers on the market which have a really long lifetime (longer than a LQ usually is used. ) But its also a cost factor for the company ;)
This isn't meant to degrade quite so quickly. As mentioned in the video, there was a manufacturing issue that led to the rubber not being vulcanized fully.
Rubber can also vary wildly properties from other products also colloquially called rubber. Personally I use EPDM tubes for my custom loop and I expect that they'll probably outlive me...
Neoprene rubber makes gaskets suitable for 20+ years . it cracks if dry . if in use the entire 20 years , it would not break down. I use these for covering 120volt ignition leads on boiler systems. They spend that long in heat and dry air with out repair.
@@tobiwonkanogy2975 if I used an AIO for 20 plus years it would accept a deal killing the computer lol.
I think vehicles (besides houses/homestead stuff) is the one place where 20 year life span is unacceptable
This makes me want to use Arctic in all of my PCs now. Knowing that they're proactive about issues is really nice to see.
All my fans are arctic and the airflow is great. The volume of the fans isn't loud till like 70% power
Join the Arctic master race! I have been VERY happy with my recent two builds both running Arctic AIOs and fans.
Wow. Just wow, Arctic. Having a right to fix something instead of sending it back is what i expect from other manufacturers to start doing in every category, especially with "non-servicable" things like AIOs
So... Arctic invented "serviceable" AIOs...
@@MrlspPrt Just the fact that they have regular Philips screws in there instead of some proprietary garbage is great. Saves them a ton of money and angry customers (you don't want to be without a cooler for a few weeks) in this scenario, too.
AND they increase the warranty period by 4 years, even after youve opened up an aio which breaks the warranty on literally every other aio. crazy.
@@thesaladman9874 they had to increase their warranties since every single other AIO had a longer warranty.
@@amunak_ Honestly, no it's not. Philips is a pretty crappy screw to use. Torx would be much better, and no, Torx is not proprietary at all. It's very common and screwdrivers for it are easy to find.
I would love to see Philips f*** off entirely from the world.
Mad respect! Arctic Freezer it is, if I ever need a CLC in the future. Also, quite clever of them in reducing the overload on repairs by creating the DIY kit and getting Steve to show everyone how to do it.
Well I've been going over my options and now I know I'll be buying an Arctic II. Even if I do get one of the bad ones I won't be disappointed. THIS gives absolute buyer confidence even if you know there's an issue. Good job Arctic!
If anyone from Arctic (or even a competitor) sees this, this response will MAKE me recommend you. That you’re willing to do the right thing unprompted? Kudos. Keep it up, you’re doing good.
Essentially “We want as many people to know about what we did wrong”….Arctic have been a fave of my PC component companies. This is why.
Glad I decked out my air cooled Case/CPU with their fans.
i have 3 artic bitfenix? p14 from them. good power and even with 75 % speed compared to other i had "quiet" for that speed.
Running a 420mm AIO and 6 Artics case fans 💪
The p14s are great. Resonance of the p12 drove me nuts.
@@DaleEarnhardtsSeatbelt I have 6 Bionix P120 ARGB which also exhibit the resonance, but I’ve tweaked my fan curves to avoid it in both idle & load states 👍🏼
@@TheEthNick all 5 of my p12s do it all the time definitely works in the top range of the rpm range. Did it since day one. Still work great though
I was trying to choose between the Lian-Li Galahad and the Freezer II. Just because of the stellar customer relations from Arctic, I'll get the Freezer II. Well done Arctic.
I purchased a 280mm Freezer II back in April (steve said this started in March) off amazon. It could not cool a 5900x at all, pegging to 90C on idle desktop. I filed a support ticket and waited 24 hours but then just exchanged via amazon. The second one I got a couple days later had the same behavior so I just returned it and got a lian li galahad from my local microcenter and that worked. Amazon being amazon I wonder if I just happened to have gotten 2 that had already been returned for this issue but "looked" fine to amazon's returns...
Anyway, after those 2 returns I finally got a response *two weeks* later from Arctic's support that gave a few trouble shooting steps. I realize you said customer relations and not support, but I have to say I was pretty disappointed. I guess nobody has good support anymore, but 2 weeks to acknowledge a case was just egregious.
@@hobbesmaster i got a reply to an issue/question on their youtube comments within 24 hours.
@@hobbesmaster I asked them for the updated AM4 mounting kit, and got a response a day later, and the kit arrived in the mail, for free, a few days after that.
And honestly, I hate to say it, but I feel like you having the same "pegging temps to 90C on idle" issue is almost certainly an installation failure on your part, rather than a defect in the product. If it had just happened once, *maybe* it was a defect, but twice points to use error.
gonk doesn't build up if there is no flowto cause it, so the problem you were having is probably a different one, or amazon sent you used products instead of new ones. It could be an installation problem regarding mounting pressure also. Maybe the bracket or the block did not sit tight as they should had.
I've had the Freezer II 360 cooling my 5800x and it does a great job. My house is regularly 100F, thank you shitty swamp cooler, and I haven't had any (additional) temp issues, even though I have a known coffin for a case, and hairy cats to clog my filters.
Got my kit today, took around 2 months because my local Post office lost the first kit. Props for Arctic for sending me a second one after contacting their customer support 👍
I noticed that in your EK AIO Tear-Down & Disassembly the EK AIO was showing early symptoms of this kind of issue. Do you know if the EK AIO cooler suffers as badly as the Arctic when it comes to this issue?
How a manufacturer treats you when things go wrong is one of the most important qualities I can think of. I'm glad I own Arctic products and this will likely buy my loyalty in the future. Good performance, good quality, good price, and good customer care, top marks.
As MKBHD said, as you should think about things obviously: be a fan of the product, not a fan of company, so on.
@@Zarazkowy As far as I'm concerned, I'm buying a Service as well as a Physical Product. As Arctic have demonstrated very good after sales customer care, I place an increased financial worth on their service. I wouldn't suggest being a fanboi or disregarding other factors or competitors, but disregarding the contribution of that customer care would be equally flawed logic.
Lurker here... this actually makes me WANT to buy an Arctic for the future AMD build I'm hoping to put together. Definitely looking towards their AIOs for the 7000 release.
Same! I have a bit (and good) experience with Arctic Coolers, but didn't consider an AIO, et alone water-cooling for my next system, but I tend to "invest" in them now :D
Given their track record, I wouldn't be surprised if they released a pretty cheap bracket kit for their existing stuff also!
I'm running an old 240mm arctic first gen liquid freezer I bought in 2017 for my R7 1700. AM4 was new, and Arctic would mail a free adapter bracket to anyone who requested one if they wanted to use them with AM4, although I didn't need to because I found one at the store that worked. I have zero complaints, great investment. Great company. Most other companies tend to look like garbage when comparing their customer service.
I was already thinking of doing it before this video, but his solidified it for me.
Huge respect to Arctic for their customer service!
...it is also an excellent advertising strategy ! and like every other advertising it costs money 😁
@@MrLince-hr4of True, but the best way of getting people to buy your products (over and over again) and to recommend them to others, is providing good customer service. Thats what I like to call the "customers lifetime value".
@@notepower-k2699 first you need a good product, than a good customer service :)
my friend is a famous graphic designer,
he once said: "you can sell any crap with good advertising" 🤣
I'm actually not the user who like to comment on YT-videos - I just watch/like them and move on. This time, after years of writing nothing, I'm going to make an exception. After your recommendation of the Liquid Freezer II 280, I ordered it for € 76,77,- and slammed it onto my 5900x. Runs like a champ and makes me happy to this day. This video helped me getting in touch with Arctic immediately (which was quite simple btw.) and ordering the kit. I'd watch this video again in case I mess something up. Thanks for the support, you are a lifesaver.
after sales support is what all the customers are looking for! im going to buy artic liquid cooler, good job.
I just ordered the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360mm AIO, and its my first liquid cooler. I'm glad about this - a company that cares and have standards.
Yep. Support pro consumer commodities!!
Really glad to see they're not just the king of price/performance, but also a really consumer friendly company. All the more happy to keep recommending their products.
Ideally this would not be something companies get praised for. Appreciated, sure. But this kind of behavior should be the norm. Unfortunately, here we are, so kudos to Arctic.
Hats off to every company who takes every issue "no matter how big/small" it is seriously!
NIce one. Would never know about this issue without this video. Already ordered the repair kit. No big deal.
Arctic are a stand up company. I contacted them about a screw size query and the fellow replying to me helped me quickly and sent me the screws for FREE! I was only looking for the dimensions so I could buy them, Arctic are the good guys.
I have one of these in the affected range, its nice to see that a company is willing to reach out to "community megaphones" to try and fix it as soon as possible. (as an added bonus they have the option of sending it back for an inhouse repair for people who aren't confident repairing themselves)
I actually made an audible "Whoa!" when you said Arctic told you guys because they WANTED people to know, good on them. Theyve definitely made me more likely to buy from them when I upgrade!
This channel is such a phenomenal model for how any form of reviewing and analysis should be done. Praise what deserves recognition, admonish what deserves criticism. It doesn't matter which company, judge them based on actions, not brand. If only the news and political outlets would be as logical and common people focused, our world would legitimately be in a better place. Your team is making a difference.
Filled out the form on the Arctic website the day this video was posted, got my kit in the mail today. Sept 9th in Florida USA
So, good turn around :)
I sent off for my Artic gasket/cold plate replacement about two weeks ago. It arrived 11 days later. Took me all of 15 minutes to do the upgrade. Good to see a company being proactive to correct a mistake.
Wow. The Anticipation, the Transparency, the Fix and the unaltered warranty, even if you proceed with the fix yourself.
One company cannot get any more pro-consumer than that.
Way to go, Arctic. RESPECT +++
Hats off to Arctic 🎩👏
You haven't even watched the video yet
@Unilythe Actually, you were correct. I had seen how they had been proactive in issuing the remedy and contacted GN. Having experienced their good customer service, I didn't need to watch the whole video. However, in doing so I also learned that my Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280mm now has a 6 year warranty 👍🏼
those are some of the best AIO coolers on the market and it's good to see Arctic acting proactively like this to make sure they don't tarnish their reputation. Failed seals are where leaks happen and create terrible customer experiences that will make people never use your product again.
Just got my repair kit! They shipped it from Germany and i live in Taiwan. This is great customer service.
I started using Arctic's fans and thermal paste ten years ago. To see them go out of their way to get replacement parts out to customers solidified a place for them in all of my future builds. Bravo, Arctic.
Very impressive on Arctic’s part. It shouldn’t be impressive cause it’s just the right way to handle things, but for where we are now… very well done Arctic. Even if it “shouldn’t” be impressive, it’s definitely deserving of praise.
The floating pieces that got into the liquid might get stuck in the micro-fins of the cold plate. I think that, as soon as you replace the cold plate and the gasket, you get rid of most, if not all the gunk.
@@Fermen80 It’s a hypothesis. Not an assumption. But thanks for your valuable input.
@@Fermen80 chill dude
Makes sense to me, those fins are tiny. I don't think any remaining particles would make any noticeable difference. If you are pickier just replace the coolant.
@@Fermen80 Point still stands that they weren't presenting it as fact. "I think" ≠ "I know"
@@Fermen80 Holy shit dude you fucking killed him
I'm starting to really like Arctic. I thought I was getting into something sketchy when I bought their $4 case fans but they're perfectly fine, and this move is very positive
They may be cheap fans, but they're decent, definitely a company i trust
Yeah they are cheap but bonkers effective! 1-2 degrees difference to Noctua but 4-5x cheaper, and also really quiet! Got them all over my case and even CPU cooler. Makes me even happier to see this approach.
Thanks for saving me and the rest of us from this headache.... and thanks to Arctic as well.
I have 3 Arctic coolers, 2 of them I bought during that timeframe, but the Arctic site said only one of my coolers was affected.
The 360, non RGB I bought early March was affected, but the 420 I bough July 2021 wasn't.
It's so reassuring that when you buy a company's products and use them without any issue, that when there are actually documented issues, your faith in that company is completely rewarded and you have no regrets about that initial purchase and happy to continue with their products through brand loyalty.
I think this shows your work is having a positive effect. Companies are learning they can't hide bad customer support. Good for Artic, thanks for your work.
Knowing that they reached out to you specifically with the intention of getting the word out to more people makes me happy that I went with a Liquid Freezer II to begin with. That's a company that deserves my support
That is absolutely amazing that they voluntarily did this. Most companies these days are like “CRAP! I hope no one finds out!!”
I have been watching for years, this and other things you have done for our community has earned you my subscription. Thank you to your and your team for your service.
I purchased my Freezer-II 280 on the 9th March 2022. Looks like I was just unlucky as I'm one of the affected and have ordered the service kit. Glad to see the response from Arctic, and can confirm ordering a service kit is a no-bullshit process, and thanks to Steve and Team GN for bringing this to our attention!
Companies going out of their way to do the right thing.
Love to see it.
I specifically bought Arctic to avoid this issue/similar ones that had popped up in other AIO's. A slight bit of panic later both my AIO's have QC stickers so all's good. I'm quite pleased to see the actions were already in motion and proactive and not reactive. They've made a customer for life of me.
Haven't finished full video yet, but the approaches of these companies to issues like these is what make me buy their product instead of other manufacturers. I bought a fractal case for my first PC because I was comfortable with their business practices (and quality obviously otherwise its still not worth considering). If I ever need to switch to watercooling Arctic will be top of my list to check out. Business practices when problems arise give me comfort with my investment in their product, so valuable!
Just ordered a replacement kit. To be honest I was seeing rising temperatures in idle and when I saw the video title my hart sank. Was thinking now I have to go through all the process with proof of purchase and who knows what demands but was greeted with simple form - just give us your address and we'll ship it. Mistakes are made by everyone but how you handle them does matter. They just made a nasty experience kinda pleasant. Amazing.
Okay with this coverage and customer support this is the BEST form of advertising for people to purchase from your company!
Good to hear they know about ''service'! I just bought an refurbished Arctic Freezer Liquid II 360 on ebay from the veondro self, because of this (and this product having also having an acceptable price)!
I like to think this is a CLEAR result of what happened when GN highlighted others' shortcomings. Good on Arctic for taking the financially smart approach of just dealing with it. Building goodwill this way is definitely going to pay dividends down the road for them. Man I really need to get a Tower 100 to live on top of my Tower 900 for the ultimate "Don't talk to me or my son ever again." Setup.
I got the replacement kit earlier last year, today I noticed the first few drips coming from the cooler, opened it up, used the service kit, works again like a charm!
As someone who bought 4 fans from them, im still happy with my purchase, and im happy that im supporting a good company!
That does it. I'm going to prefer Arctic parts from now on whenever reasonable. This sort of behavior is a good sign that a company actually learns and improves over time.
Props to Arctic, that's a gigachad move. I was just about to decide between 3 brands for a few GPU, a few CPU coolers and a new stock of fans to stock up and this swayed my decision in favor of arctic. Personally I don't care about 1-2 degrees difference in a product, but I care about companies being responsible with their products.
Shopping Cart is loaded, let's go Arctic!
Its super easy to install too since you don't have to deal with 18ft of RGB cables....
@@CoDFanxXx indeed, don't have to bother with, subjectively, useless junk and unnecessary clutter.
Arctic is a amazing company, best cooler and amazing service. Also their thermal paste is amazing to use, it's a bit thinner then other high end pastes.
That is such a great way to help your customers and potential customers! You keep your current customers happy. And should people see how a company handles these issues may become a customer based solely on that. Great job!
Crazy. Your channel really helped push this type of behavior from the larger companies. This is a “good job, Steve & team” moment. Makes me feel more confident as a consumer to buy products from brands I normally wouldn’t consider.
Well, mission accomplished. I'm planning out my first gaming desktop build in probably 15+ years (what ever happened to my old cold cathode tubes?).
Was planning to go with an AIO water cooler now that those are so widely available and I will definitely be going with Arctic now.
Knowing a company is proactive about issues like these is very reassuring.
Oh good old cold cathode tubes... It's been a while since those were around
@@DocFr4nk I miss my DFI LanParty motherboard. UV everything!
That replacement gasket looks really high quality. Wish you emptied the loop and showed us if there was any noticeable particulate, but maybe this wasn't really an actively used cooler and would have nothing floating around in it.
I've had a problem with faulty motherboard backplate when I was installing my Arctic CPU cooler and Arctic's support sorted me out so fast and well, they sent me a new working backplate for free. 100% won themselves a loyal customer with that service.
I bought a Liquid Freezer II 13 days ago off of Amazon, checked my box and it has the QC Passed sticker. Thanks so much for posting this so that I wasn't freaking out.
Kudos on the proper re-installation of self tapping screws .... I've seen so many professionals in all trades get that wrong.
Artic's had some issues with QC this year, the MX-5 batch recall as well. Not a criticism, they seem to be trying to get on top of issues, especially with this response before it became a widely known problem.
I bought two of these - one from Amazon and one from Newegg. I found out about the issue in an email from Arctic through Amazon. Haven't heard a thing from Newegg. Kudos to Arctic and Amazon to get the word out quickly. I'm not sure if this is another thing Newegg needs to work on, but it solidifies 2 things for me. 1) I will continue to use and support Arctic and Amazon. 2) I will no longer be using Newegg.
how long until the kit came?? I just did my order thru amazon as well. Im just nervous, should I wait?
Damn, great respopnse from Arctic!
I'm so glad I decided to go air-cooled with the Arctic Freezer 34 Duo instead of their CLC.
The CLC is awesome tho
I had my service kit within 8 days of purchase. I don't know how I can ever buy an AIO from any other company after the response Arctic has shown. Good on them and GN!!!
I finally just got finished with my replacement install, decided since things were getting pulled apart anyway to throw in a couple more upgrades. Super easy, especially with the detailed instructions from this video. My cold plate didn't look nearly as gnarly as yours but the black seal was definitely showing some degradation. Arctic really stepped up to own this, and I don't want to take away from their handling of the situation, but I'd be willing to bet GN coverage over the past few years of the other really poorly handles issues had a part to play in their decision making. Thanks for all you do Steve, and the rest of the GN crew!
I've always thought Arctic was a budget brand, but now I think I can trust them, if they're willing to go to lengths to fix the problem.
it's good PR and good marketing.
I've rebuilt enough pumps to know that that original gasket is definitely reacting with whatever biocide\liquid concoction they are running. Chemical reactions go quicker with heat (mostly). Looks like the replacement is silicone. When in doubt use Viton! Nice easy replacement kit. Kudos to Arctic for stepping up to an easily overlooked mistake and fixing the potential issue.
11:00 can be done with 2 hands, if you want to be safe grow a 3rd one. That's what Steve would do.
Thanks for the advice, I guess I'll just convert my feet into hands, that way I'll have 4 hands. :D
I received the service kit from Arctic today and replaced the faulty gasket. I did find a little bit of debris in my unit but nothing I would be concerned about. I've seen more crap in my old custom water loops. But it could be also be that my unit was bought at the tail end of the affected units. Glad Arctic had to integrity to reach out and inform customers of the issue and provide a solution. I was also presently surprised that their US office is located in my home state of South Carolina. Guess that's why I received mine so quickly.
I love how at every turn you guys bring up all the various exploding PSUs and things catching fire. Never let it go!
Absolutely good on Arctic for how they're handling this. Just a shame that this kind of behavior is the exception, rather than the law.
I too support Arctic. Very good products for fair prices, and outstanding customer support.
Thank you for this video! Just sent a request for my kit. Amazing that there are still larger companies like this that still have a good measure of integrity.
Purchased my 420mm Liquid Freezer back in September 21'. Thanks for covering this issue Steve - just sent Arctic a request for a repair kit!
Artic definitely deserves a praise for this! On a side note, this is why I went back to a traditional heatsink/fan setup. Not throwing off on those who use AIO coolers, it's just a matter of reliability for me. I've had three AIO units fail( Enermax on my 1950x lucky it did not fry my 1080 ti, Corsiar H100 leaked with a 2600k and ruined a Nvidia 670, and Cooler Master leak also). I use a Noctua NH-U12A chromax with my 12900k now with no worries. Maybe I've had bad luck, but this is another example of why I don't trust AIOs. Yes Artic is a great company, the AIO are impressive, and they went out of their way to correct the issue but it's still an example of what can go wrong with any AIO setup no matter which company makes it.
ya, ive been lucky with mine, I have a H100i v2 that has been in service for 7 years so far.
@@benruss4130 same. It's been incredible reliable with hothead CPUs through very very hot southern summers for all along now.
Even Arctics air coolers are impressive - I'm using the Freezer 34 eSports single fan with a 5950x w/PBO @180W PPT and it runs quiet and pretty cool for what it is!
@@paladinsk2 I've never used Artic Air Coolers but I have used Artic fans in many builds for people who want a solid budget fan setup. No issues at all with their fans!
@@dremias Yep! Very quiet for how much air they can move, at such an incredible price!
Honestly, huge props to them for taking care of it this way. I actually have an affected cooler. I never would have been made aware of it if you hadn't posted your video. This will likely save me such a huge headache down the road and possibly my PC. Thanks for this.
Kudos to Arctic. I will buy from them from now on.
Never had their AIOs, but their fans are my go-to option, unbeatable value, you can often get a good deal on them
Without additional context this alone is a terrible reason to decide to switch producers.
Imagine the following: (car brands picked at random)
You *are driving* Renaults for all your adult life and *never had a single issue* with them.
You *hear* that Ford is doing free replacements of *faulty break pipes*.
You now decide to buy Ford due to them *fixing* an error that could cause *total failure*, which should be a matter of course, instead of keeping to your Renaults that in your *personal experience* had *no issues* in the first place.
This is essentially what you are proclaiming here. There are two major issues: you are a) favoring a producer that is known to include grievous errors in their production and b) you choose to follow hearsay rather than experience.
Don't be a sheep. Act upon _your_ experience.
@@Finsternis.. Damn you must be some sort of genius. I'm surprised you are willing to waste your time on peons like us.
@@Finsternis.. Every producer will have issues eventually. None of them are flawed. The thing is not if there are issues, but how it's handled. Arctic has proven themselves to a lot of people here.
I work at the biggest french retailer, and Arctic reached out, we went through all of our stock and took the affected units out of our shelves and are waiting for new units. They did handle this like pros.
Just a quick tip for anybody that's doing this repair themselves, If you're going to wipe the inside of the housing like Steve did, I would make sure to use a lint free towel (I think blue shop towels are lint free I can't remember, I just know Steve didn't mention lint free), just 1 less thing that gets in your loop and potentially causes issues.
Coffee filters are lint free
Blue shop towels are used in automotive applications. They are lint free.
I think the reason they didn’t replace the whole loop’s fluid is, the micro-fins mostly acted like a filter, so there won’t be a lot still left in the fluid.
Agreed, that was my conclusion as well.
Love the Content you guys put so much effort into like always. Keep up the great work truly awesome !
During the shortages in 2020/2021 I wanted to buy one of these AIOs & wasn't able to. Even hearing this issue & the way they've so far dealt with it, I still wish I would have & they have earned future business from me because of this report. Thanks Steve
I grew my third arm while building my PC initially. Never thought I would have another use for it ! Thanks Steve
Thanks again, Steve & team! Luckily, I dodged the bullet, on this one. I checked & both of my Arctic Freezer II's were made prior to the timeframe mentioned.
Kudos to Arctic! Problems happen, but companies are defined by how they deal with those issues when they arise! (They also make great fans that don't cost a lot).
Props to Arctic for owning up to their mistakes and making it right. Apparently it's a rarity for companies these days.
I have some Arctic P12 case fans, cheap price but impressive performance for the money spent. At this point I won't hesitate to recommend their products to my friends/family.
I'm a custom loop boy, but when I inevitably tire of maintaining a loop I will definitely get an Arctic AIO. Great respect to companies that act this way and we should support them with our wallets.
I've been having a hard time trying to decide which AIO to go with for my PC, this helped me make my choice. The fact that they owned up to it and aren't trying to hide their mistake is awesome
My unit isn’t affected but I went straight to Arctics contact page to send them praise for handling this issue the right way
This is great to see, and only improves Arctic as a company in my eyes. It’s a far cry from the likes of Gigabyte and MSI these days!
Arctic will always be a team of gigachads