ASUS TUF Gaming LC 240 RGB AIO Cooler Review

A Closer Look

Out of the box, the main body of the ASUS TUF Gaming LC 240 AIO liquid cooler has a nice and substantial feel to it. Particularly the pump head which carries a more than distinctive style.

There are, however, of course many separate components to an AIO liquid cooler. Let us, therefore, take a close look at some of the individual aspects of this overall design.

Contact Plate

The contact plate comes with a circular design with thermal-compound pre-applied. In addition, for Intel users, it does also come with the mounting plate pre-installed, however, as part of this review we did remove both this (and the thermal compound) for a more ’rounded’ experience.

In terms of size, the coverage is excellent and, as such, regardless of what processor you have, this should provide some excellent levels of heat transfer.

Pump Head

The pump head itself has a rather distinctive angular design that certainly catches the eye. They are also more than a few indications from this as to where we can expect the RGB light show to be produced.

The top of the pump head carries a little TUF Gaming branding, but without a doubt, the most distinctive aspect is the reflective panel to the top. Although not fantastically visible in the photograph below, one can see the TUF Gaming logo here and, presumably, this will take a whole new life when the RGB is switched on.

Radiator

We have to admit to being more than a little disappointed with the radiator. Yes, with AIO designs they nearly always are black squares, but for the ASUS TUF Gaming LC 240, there is no branding or indeed nothing to distinguish it at all. Yes, with the fans installed most aesthetics would’ve been hidden anyway, but would it really have cost that much to put a little bit of ASUS and/or TUF Gaming branding somewhere on it?…

Fan

The two fans you are provided with come with a nice (if mildly unremarkable) aesthetic. With each coming with 7 fan blades, however, ASUS is keen to emphasize that these do move a decent amount of air and, as such, when installed they should not only look good (particularly when that RGB is turned on), but should also do a more than acceptable job in terms of keeping thermal levels under control.

The fan itself does appear to be an ASUS own ‘TUF FAN’. I must admit, this isn’t a particular design or branding I recognize (having reviewed more than a few TUF Gaming coolers in the past). One can, however, presume that, with it being designed in-house, this is a quality design and has been designed to work perfectly in conjunction with this cooler.

We should also note that the sides of the fan do carry a little bling with an indented pattern clearly on display. This is certainly a little unusual but should, all going well, add significantly to the completed presentation when fitted to the radiator.

Overall

While various aspects of the ASUS TUF Gaming LC 240 might have looked a little bland individually, as a fully-assembled AIO liquid cooler, we must admit to being more than a little impressed. It looks sleek, professional, and dare I say, more than a little stylish.

Looks are, however, only one aspect of an AIO cooler. There are, after all, other important factors to consider such as how easy is it to install and, perhaps most importantly, how well it performs in regards to keeping the CPU nice and cool. Let us, therefore, move away from the design and aesthetics aesthetics and onto some of the more practical aspects!