Sapphire R9 270X Toxic Vs NZXT Kraken Cooling Review

Final Thoughts

Price

The price of the stock cooler is free, well OK it’s not, since the Sapphire R9 270X Toxic graphics card is around £175 here in the UK, but that cooler is included in the price. The extra cooling components from NZXT are versatile, given that the GPU bracket is just £25 and the choice of water cooling unit is really at your own discretion; the Kraken X40 we used is a little expensive at around £80, but it is one of the best 140mm AIO radiators on the market.

Overview

NZXT have done a great job with the Kraken G10 bracket, it’s a simple enough device and it does provide noticeable gains to both cooling and acoustic performance. There are a few benefits to this kind of setup that I will go into in a moment, but there are also a few draw backs that I want to go over first.

The first issue I think most people will run into with this setup is the price. The GPU bracket may be affordable, but AIO water coolers are still far from cheap. Chances are you’re going to be looking at around a £60-100 investment for the actual water cooler alone and that kind of money quickly hurts your wallet. If you’re buying the GPU at the same time, then the extra money on cooling equipment represents enough to purchase a GPU higher up in the range, for example an extra £120 could turn a purchase of an R9 270X into a 280X or even a stock 290. On the other hand you may already own the GPU and are simply wanting to improve the cooling and acoustic performance, and you may already have a spare water cooling unit left over from an upgrade; if that is the case then the G10 is great value for money for a cheap  upgrade that allows you to put the two products you already own to good use.

Installing the G10 is a nightmare in my opinion, I cursed its existence at least three times while trying to put the final thumb screws into place and there is a fair chance you will too. Expect a tough job before you buy the G10, or at the very least ask someone more experienced to do the installation for you. One thing that could be worth your time is buying the GPU with a G10 pre-installed from somewhere like Overclockers.co.uk.

Finally we have the VRM cooling issue, this isn’t going to be a problem for your typical high-end gamer, but for those just wanting the G10 for high-end overclocking and running Furmark or mining all day long, then you’re not going to have a great time with the G10; unless you’re willing to keep a few extra fans blowing through the GPU to keep stability as high as possible after long hours of maxing the card out.

In terms of performance the G10 is an absolute hammer blow. It decimated the stock Sapphire cooler by a large margin, the temperatures of the GPU core were significantly lower and acoustic performance was also massively improved; despite the fact that the Sapphire 270X cooler performed exceptionally well in both respects. If you’re tired of your card running hot and loud, the G10 is certainly the way to go and if you invest in some super quiet aftermarket fans for the radiator, such as the Aerocool DS fans, then you’re already on the right track to getting a near silent build.

The G10 is also aesthetically pleasing once installed. Sure it doesn’t look as good as some custom loop equipment, but it’s a nice middle ground given the price of the unit. Build quality is also very good and despite the fact that NZXT could do with providing slightly longer screws, it’s all very durable.

Pros

• Great build quality
• Great general performance (cooler and quieter)
• Affordable (G10 only)
• Good aesthetics

Cons

• Tricky to install
• VRM cooling needs improvement
• Combined price can quickly become expensive

“NZXT have created a simple device that does exactly what you would expect it to do. Performance is of course dictated by your choice of water cooling unit and the graphics card you’re applying it to, but with the right configuration and some careful budgeting you can get some worthwhile gains from this kind of setup. Here’s hoping that NZXT are already working on an improved Kraken G10 2.0”

Thank you NZXT and for providing us with this sample.