NZXT Kraken Elite 360 RGB AIO Cooler Review

How Much Does it Cost?

The NZXT Kraken Elite 360 RGB AIO with a 2.36″ wide-angle LCD display is available now for around £274.99 MSRP, but at the time of writing the white version was on Amazon for £258.16 and the black version is a little cheaper at £252.16. Of course, that is a lot of money for a cooler, but keep in mind, a significant part of this price is the LCD on the pump. The standard Kraken comes with a smaller and less feature-rich LCD display on the pump for £159.95 but is otherwise the same cooler, so keep that in mind if the big display isn’t something you feel you need.

Overview

I was pretty much expecting this cooler to perform similarly to existing models, and well… I was right. It’s the same cooler we know and love and that we’ve reviewed previously, albeit on a different test bench. Of course, the big difference here is that it simply comes with a much larger and more feature rich LCD display. Is that upgrade really worth all that extra money? Well, that’s really not for me to say. If it’s something you want or feel you need to make your PC more aesthetically pleasing, then this certainly ticks that box. However, keep in mind you’re not getting a more powerful CPU cooler for the extra investment, it’s powerful yes, but not much more or less than other high-end 360mm solutions.

I’m a big fan of the Kraken series and I think they’re all fantastic, the LCD display is pretty awesome and as you may or may not have seen in my recent feature about these coolers, they all recently got a fantastic firmware update that significantly increased their capabilities. The new NZXT CAM software and firmware increased the refresh rate, and added more display features to their cooler range, while also dropping the overall CPU usage from the software, which is just fantastic. So many brands put a product like out then abandon it for the next thing, but NZXT has really taken their existing and new Kraken coolers to the next level recently and I hope to see that trend continue.

With these coolers being built around the latest Asetek 8th Generation pump and radiator, we know the quality is fantastic, and we pretty much know what to expect in regards to the pump design, mounting kit and more, as they’re featured on many coolers from various brands, and there are literally millions of these in use around the world, so we know they’re very reliable. The pump operates at up to 2800 RPM and still runs whisper quiet.

Plus, the F120 RGB Core fans are great too, they’re able to run as low at 500 RPM, and even with all three fans going, at these speeds, the cooler is basically silent. If quiet performance is your goal, this is a big win, but will come at the cost of a few degrees of performance depending on your CPUs TDP. However, if you do want to push the fans hard for maximum airflow and cooling, you can do that too, and the NZXT software allows you to quickly change profiles to suit your needs.

Should I Buy One?

This is a great cooler, but it is still built around the same hardware as much significantly more affordable base models of the Kraken. If all you want to do is cool your CPU, the cheaper one is the way to go. However, if you want to show off your mad PC building skill and have some meme videos on the pump, system statistics and more, as well as funky RGB fans, then the Kraken Elite 360 RGB is certainly the way forward, it’s a fantastic cooler, and the customisation options are sure to take your aesthetics to the next level.