The Nepton 280L is up against four CPU coolers that are air cooled. Idle temps were all close as expected, except for the BigTyp Revo, which ran a few degress higher than the others. But the Revo pulls air down on the radiator and pushes it over the motherboard. The higher temps for the Revo are likely more of an airflow issue. And for the most part, the air cooled units held up rather well. Under normal usage, the 280L is quiet. Load it up and you know it is there. Not overbearingly loud, but you do know that the fans are moving some air. Of course most new motherboards now have the ability to control your fans with custom profiles, so you can tailor your fan operation to your liking.