LABS TEST / 240MM LIQUID COOLERS
W
ith its price of just £80 inc VAT for an
RGB-equipped cooler, you really can’t
go wrong with the Antec Neptune
240 – it’s been our affordable all-in-one liquid
cooler of choice since we first reviewed it. The
fact that you get RGB lighting on both the fan
and pump, not to mention a fan and lighting hub
with a manual RGB controller thrown into the
box, is amazing at this price.
However, there’s some stiff competition
this month, so the key questions for Antec’s
venerable 240mm AIO liquid cooler are
whether it can hold its value, a well as whether
it’s worth spending a bit more money.
Interestingly, with the Neptune’s design,
the pump isn’t actually located in the usual
housing that sits on the CPU, but in the end of
the radiator. As a result, the Antec Neptune
240 should be immune to getting air bubbles
getting trapped in the pump section, seeing as
it’s mounted to the system’s reservoir in the
radiator. This setup does mean the radiator
unit is quite long, though, at 287mm, so you’ll
need to check that your case has clearance to
accommodate it.
ANTEC NEPTUNE
240 /£80 inc VAT
SUPPLIER overclockers.co.ukMeanwhile,
the RGB lighting
is bright and vivid,
but it’s not quite as
punchy or accurate as the lighting
on the other RGB-equipped coolers on test,
especially the Corsair iCUE H100i Elite Capellix
and Lian Li Galahad 240mm.
Aside from the fact that the RGB lighting
stretches to the pump and fans, the best
feature about the Antec Neptune 240 is its fan
and lighting hub.
This offers five 4-pin fan headers, which can
be controlled from a single motherboard fan
header, as well as some 3-pin RGB lighting
connectors, allowing you to stow all these
cables neatly behind the motherboard tray
and cut cable clutter.
There aren’t many other features, though,
which is perhaps expected at this price. You
only get enough screws for the included fans,
and only pre-applied thermal paste is supplied
plus there’s no software control provided. The
fans aren’t particularly potent either, being only
able to hit 1,600rpm at full speed.
When it comes to mounting, you’ll
need to use backplates on both AMD and
Intel motherboards, and there are even
components for mounting this cooler on AMD
Threadripper sockets too. The installation
process is a tad fiddly, but only because you
have to deal with a few more components
than with the likes of the Corsair iCUE H100i
Elite Capellix.
Cooling in our Intel system was excellent,
being only a few degrees off the top spot. The
Antec tamed our toasty Core i9-11900K and
bettered the Alpenföhn Glacier Water 240
ARGB by 5°C and the be quiet! Silent Loop 2 by
1°C, albeit while making more noise. However,
the Corsair iCUE H100i Elite Capellix, Lian Li
Galahad 240mm and Phanteks Glacier One
240MPH HALOS were noticeably cooler.
The Antec fared better in our AMD system,
again bettering the Alpenföhn Glacier Water240 ARGB, and matching the be quiet! Silent
Loop 2, but sliding a degree or two behind the
Corsair, Lian Li and Phanteks’ coolers on test
this month.Conclusion
Still offering fabulous value for money, the
Antec Neptune 240 is unbeatable for £80. It
might not offer the best cooling, but you get full
RGB lighting and a decent-performing cooler
for just £80 – only the Lian Li Galahad 240mm
would tempt us to go above the £100 mark
with its better cooling and lighting.VERDICT
Still fantastic value – you’ll need to spend
over £100 to get much better.SEA BREEZE
+^ Fantastic value
+^ Good performance
+^ Fan and lighting hub
SEA SNOT-^ Better-performing
coolers available
-^ Lighting isn’t as vivid
or accurate as
pricier coolers
-^ Few extras
c
u
stom P
CA
P
PROVED
COOLING
36 / 40
DESIGN
14 / 20FEATURES
11 / 20
VALUE
19 / 20OVERALL SCORE
80 %
COOLING
36 / 40
DESIGN
14 / 20FEATURES
11 / 20
VALUE
19 / 20OVERALL SCORE
80 %
FITTING
EasyFITTING
EasyLGA 1 2 0 0AM 4SPEC
Intel compatibility LGA115x,
LGA1200, LGA2066, LGA2011
AMD compatibility Socket AM4, AM3/+,
AM2/+, FM2/+, FM1, TR4/TR4X
Radiator size with fans (mm)
121 x 287 x 52 (W x D x H)
Fa ns 2 x 120mm
Stated noise 36dBA