The EK-AIO 360 D-RGB uses digital addressable lighting,
so you’ll need a spare 3-pin RGB header – it’s not compatible
with 4-pin headers. This does mean there are further
separate cables for the lighting, but while these add to the
mess, they can at least be daisy-chained together, so you just
need one header to control it all.
There are enough fan screws in the box to mount another
row of fans should you wish, and every current CPU socket,
except Socket TR4 and TR4X, are supported. The cooler
uses mounting plates for different sockets, which were
a little fiddly to fit, with a backplate included for LGA115x
motherboards. If you own an AMD motherboard then you’ll
also need to detach its plastic mounting clips, as the cooler
mounts directly to the stock AMD backplate.
Otherwise, you just need to deal with thumbscrews and
springs, so installation is painless. There’s enough length in
the braided tubes to mount the radiator in the roof or front of
your case too, and the rotating pump fittings mean it’s easy
toanglethemintherightdirection,dependingonwhereyou
installtheradiatorUnliketheCorsairyoualsogeta tubeof
Performance
In our overclocked 8-core Ryzen 7 1700 AM4 test rig, the
EK-AIO 360 D-RGB managed the best result on test, with
a CPU delta T of 41°C beating the Corsair cooler by 2°C,
albeit while making far more noise than both the ARCTIC
Liquid Freezer II 240 and the Corsair H115i RGB Pro XT. In our
overclocked Core i5-9600K LGA1151 system, the EK AIO 360
D-RGB managed a CPU delta T of 46°C at full speed, matching
the Corsair cooler and shaving 7°C off the ARCTIC Liquid
Freezer II 240, again with a trade-off in terms of far more noise.
The EK cooler is very quiet at low to medium loads, however.
We expected this potent performance to continue when
dealing with our toughest customer – the Core i9-9980XE,
but it was a few degrees off the pace of the Corsair H115i RGB
Pro XT here, with the CPU delta T being 4°C warmer than the
Corsair at on its Extreme profile, and only 4°C cooler than the
Corsair H115i RGB Pro XT on its far quieter Balanced profile. We
even reseated the cooler and reapplied thermal paste to make
sure the figures were correct, but we got the same result.Conclusion
Apart from a slightly disappointing result in our LGA
system, the EKWB EK-AIO 360 D-RGB is a beast of an AIO
liquid cooler, outstripping the Corsair H115i RGB Pro XT in our
other test systems and offering huge gains over smaller (and
cheaper) liquid coolers, such as the ARCTIC Liquid Freezer
II 240. It delivers superb cooling, while offering snazzy RGB
lighting and very quiet operation at low to medium loads. It’s
easy to install, uses a compact 360mm radiator and you get
enough thermal paste for several applications.
There are some downsides though. The pump doesn’t offer
enough grunt to avoid higher CPU temperatures at low speeds,
where it’s quietest – you certainly
wouldn’t expect this from EKWB’s
own pumps for DIY water cooling.
You also have to deal with a lot of
cables, and the fans make a lot of noise
at full load. You’ll also need to delve
into your motherboard’s EFI or install
your motherboard’s software to tweak
the fan profiles, which won’t be a user-
friendly experience for everybody.
Ultimately, though, this is a powerful
AIO liquid cooler that looks great and
performs well, and it’s not unreasonably
priced for the power on offer either.
ANTONY LEATHERVERDICT
Excellent cooling and quiet operation
at low speeds, although it makes a
din at full speed.OVERALLSCORE
83 %
COOLING
39 / 40
FEATURES
16 / 20
DESIGN
14 / 20VALUE
14 / 20
FITTING
EasyLGA115xOVERALLSCORE
80 %
COOLING
37 / 40FEATURES
16 / 20
DESIGN
14 / 20
VALUE
13 / 20
FITTING
EasyLGAOVERALLSCORE
83 %
COOLING
39 / 40FEATURES
16 / 20
DESIGN
14 / 20
VALUE
14 / 20
FITTING
EasyAMinstalltheradiator.UnliketheCorsair,youalsogetatubeof
thermalpaste,soifyouneedtoreapplyit infutureaspart of
an upgrade, you won’t need to buy more.