NZXT

NZXT is another company that recently decided to jump on the AIO cooling bandwagon and they did so a little bit furiously. Instead of releasing a wide selection of products, NZXT released only two coolers, both meant for 140mm fans alone, clearly aiming for the high-performance segments of the AIO coolers market. They supplied us with both of their AIO coolers for this review.

NZXT Kraken X40

We received the Kraken X40 in a well-designed, white box with plenty of information about the product printed on its back and sides. Inside the box, the cooler is protected by cardboard packaging and nylon bags. The bundle of the Kraken X40 comes well presented, with the mounting hardware categorized into separate nylon bags. All of the mounting hardware and brackets are black. There also is a leaflet with installation instructions and a CD with the Kraken Control software, a rather simple piece of software that can be used to control the speed of the pump, fans, and the lighting of the CPU block. A single 140mm fan with a black frame and white blades is supplied with the X40. The fan has a very wide speed range of 800 to 2000 RPM and a fluid bearing for high performance and reliability.

Aesthetically, the Kraken X40 is hardly any different from most other Asetek designs. NZXT went with the normal thickness (27mm) on a 140mm wide radiator, most likely to ensure the compatibility of the cooler with most of their cases. The radiator follows the standard design of every other Asetek-made AIO cooler to this date, with wavy aluminum heat dissipation fins soldered on to the liquid pass-through channels. Unfortunately, fin deformations and imperfections are once again common. NZXT is using black, kink resistant tubing made of hard, smooth rubber. It is noteworthy to mention that the Kraken X40 has 16" (40cm) long tubing, which is about 4" (10cm) longer than that in most other kits.

The circular block-pump assembly does look like the standard Asetek designs, such as the ones of the Corsair H90/H110 kits, yet there is more to it than first meets the eye. There are many wires coming in and out of the block; one is a 3-pin header for power, one is for the USB interface, and the third is for the connection of up to two fans. If the fans are to be controlled via NZXT's Kraken Control software, they need to be connected to the block. NZXT is confident that all of these can be powered via a single 3-pin fan header. At the top of the block, covered by a sticker that is a pain to remove, a circular ring with NZXT's logo on the side can be seen. There is not one but several LED lights beneath it, allowing full control of its lighting color via the supplied software. It is also possible to adjust the color according to the temperature. However, the pump will not light up until it receives a command from the software, so do not get concerned if there is no lighting when you first start up your system.

NZXT Kraken X60

The Kraken X60 essentially is the bigger brother of the X40. It comes supplied in a similarly designed cardboard box, just a little bit larger and with thicker packaging material inside. The bundle is virtually identical, with the same black mounting hardware and a similar manual with installation instructions. However, two 140mm fans are now supplied with the cooler, the same 140mm fans with the black frame and white blades as the one supplied with the X40.

Essentially, the Kraken X60 is both technically and visually identical to the X40, with the exception of the radiator, which is twice as long. The 280mm long radiator can now support up to four 140mm fans, with two supplied by NZXT. Other than that, it has the exact same width and thickness as the radiator of the X40, as well as the same issues with the quality of the heat dissipation fins.

The block-pump assembly is very similar to that of the X40 as well, featuring the same circular design and the same multi-color LED lighting. There are differences on the wiring though, as the assembly now requires power from a SATA connector and can be used to control up to four fans. It appears that the pump is still being powered by the 3-pin header, allowing the control of its speed by the motherboard, with the SATA connector reserved for powering the USB interface and the fans. Thermal compound has been pre-applied on the copper base of the cooler, which is machined to a nearly perfect finish.

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  • Laststop311 - Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - link

    noctua d14 runs cooler and quieter. These all in 1 coolers all suffer from the same problem. The pumps used are cheap loud and not very powerful. You need to build you own water cooling loop using high quality waterblocks radiators pumps and tubing then and only then can u take the noctua d14 down, And I'd still use high static pressure noctua fans on the custom water cooling loop because noctua fans are awesome
  • theNiZer - Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - link

    E. Fylladitakis : I like the theme of the article and the approach, BUT did you use the same fan-type for all coolers? If not, that explains the lov efficiency of Coirsair H105 - it has more low noise tuned fans.
    You should test the units with the same fan as well to really tell the effect of the individual watercoolers.
  • E.Fyll - Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - link

    No and I will never use any other fan than the ones supplied with the kit. I explained why thoroughly in the comments above. I cannot perform tests with a fan of my choice, as the characteristic performance of the said fan will favor some designs over others, creating misleading results. And I cannot possibly perform testing using dozens of fans either.

    It also increases the cost. Most people simply want to buy a cooler, not half the store. If someone wants to use different fans for whatever reason, I cannot possibly foretell how each kit will react. RPM, CFM, sound pressure levels are all next to irrelevant when a fan is going to be mounted on a heat exchanger, therefore any comparisons between fans that "look similar" are a massive mistake.

    I performed noise testing, you know. If you would look at it, it is one of the noisiest kits in the roundup. So that could not have been further from the truth.
  • Hxx - Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - link

    Why no thermaltake? I managed to snag a thermaltake performer 2.0 from Microcenter for $5 after a rebate lol last BF. It was too good to be true. They also had the extreme 2.0 for $35. Great cooler too (both of them although i kept the little one).
  • E.Fyll - Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - link

    Copy-paste from above:

    "I know. I actually tried to acquire all AIO coolers in existence, including Intel's, Thermaltake's and others. Not everyone is happy to cooperate and/or willing/able to supply samples at a give time, for whatever reason."

    I cannot test what I cannot have access to.
  • Dizey - Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - link

    I normally don't comment, but I just have to say that I'm also really disappointed that the Swiftech H220 isn't in this review. In all fairness, one could argue that the H220 isn't a close loop cooler, but the lack of its presence in this article does give it a fowl stench.
  • E.Fyll - Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - link

    Copy-paste from above:

    "I know. I actually tried to acquire all AIO coolers in existence, including Intel's, Thermaltake's and others. Not everyone is happy to cooperate and/or willing/able to supply samples at a give time, for whatever reason."

    I cannot test what I cannot have access to.
  • Dustin Sklavos - Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - link

    The H220 isn't *available.* Asetek's litigation means you can't buy it stateside, rendering its performance somewhat irrelevant.
  • twtech - Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - link

    I don't see a winner listed, but the results seem to say that, from a performance standard, if you have the room to fit it, the Corsair H110 is what you'd want to buy. It's basically a close 2nd in both performance and noise, which makes it a clear #1 overall.
  • twtech - Wednesday, February 12, 2014 - link

    And by standard I meant standpoint.

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