NZXT Kraken All-In-One CPU Cooler Roundup Review

Peter Donnell / 10 years ago

Final Thoughts

Price

NZXT are regarded as a premium brand, so they generally command a premium price tag. The X31 will set you back £59.99, the X41 £79.99 and the X61 £119.99. All prices taken from Overclockers.co.uk and are pre-order prices. These coolers are expensive, but they’re in line with rival offerings from the likes of Cooler Master, Silverstone and Enermax.

Overview

I really like what NZXT have done with their Kraken range. The older X40 and X60 models won over a lot of system builders due to their superb performance, tidy aesthetics and the long hoses of the cooler were certainly handy for those building in larger chassis. Now the new X31, X41 and X61 have taken their award winning formula and tweaked and improved them to great effect.

The new pump is a noticeable improvement. Rather than running the pump at a constant speed and noise level, it can slow down or speed up as needed and this helps keep both temperatures and noise lower. This is especially noticeable in the X61, which was one of the coolest and quietest products we’ve ever tested.

The thicker radiators are a big help too,giving more surface area can bring big benefits to a radiator, especially when combined with the high-quality fans that NZXT included with the X41 and X61. The fans on the X31 are pretty good, but they’re noticeably cheaper than the fans included with other coolers in the range.

The mounting system is pretty much unchanged, but since NZXT already have one of the best mounting systems, this is no bad thing and even if this is your first ever water cooler installation you shouldn’t have any trouble.

The X31 is a welcome addition to the range being a cheaper model that is more suitable for smaller chassis’ thanks to its 120mm design. It might not keep up with the performance of its bigger brother; the X41, but it’s still got some strong performance figures of its own and could be ideal for those building a compact gaming rig for LAN events. I just wish the X31 had the LED lighting in the pump like you get in the X41 and X61; saving on cost is one thing, but this is still a £60 cooler.

Pros

Variable pump is a big improvement
Long hoses
Easy to install
Good cooling performance (X41 / X31)
Exceptional cooling performance (X61)

Cons

No LED lights in pump (X31)

Neutral

High price may put some people off

“NZXT are one of the leading brands on the market and the updated Kraken range is a perfect example of why. The X41 and X31 are good coolers in their own respects, but the real star of the show is the X61, which is easily one of the best coolers on the market today.”