A crackin' cool-and-quiet cooler
The kraken X40 breaks the current trend of
closed-loop water coolers rocking 12cm fans by upping its fan size to 14cm fan,
which NZXT promises delivers more heat dissipation and better cooling without
subjecting users to deafening fan noise. It’s a lofty promise, but having
tested it, we can tell you that this Kraken's bite lives up to its bark.
The X40 is based on Asetek's
fourth-generation all-in-one closed-loop design, which features a copper cold
plate that has been improved with denser micro-fins and a new center channel to
increase coolant flow. A single NZXT FX-140 PWM fan is included, and the cooler
supports an optional second fan for a push-pull config. It's compatible with
all modern CPU sockets, with the exception of LGA775, but faces a larger compatibility
obstacle in that it requires a case with a 14cm fan, such as NZXT's own Phantom
410. The X40 also sports extra-long 16-inch rubber tubing compared to most
other closed-loop systems that use tubes measuring around 12 inches.
Accompanying the larger fan is a wider radiator that offers 36 percent more
surface area than smaller 12cm rads.
NZXT
Kraken X40
Like Corsair's H80i that we reviewed last
month, the X40 has an LED on top of the pump that you customize to either
remain a solid color or to change color depending on temperature, which is
slick. We also appreciate that the software to control it comes bundled on
disc, whereas Corsair's software requires a download. The software is easy to
use and allows you to adjust fan speeds, but not pump speeds like Corsair's
equivalent. While it features only two presets, "silent" (1,000rpm)
and "extreme" (1,700rpm), as opposed to the half-dozen with Corsair's
software, you can still manually set the fans to run at fixed RPMs and save custom
profiles.
Installing the X40 was relatively easy.
With our LGA2011 back-plate preinstalled, we began by inserting four screws
through the retention ring that allows the water block to be mounted to the CPU
socket. The X40 features a similar retention ring to Thermaltake's Water2.0
Pro, which snaps onto the water block with a retention clip. This mounting
process isn't as straightforward as the H80i’s simple magnetic mounting
bracket, but the X40's manual features excellent illustrations that simplify
the installation process. Mounting the radiator and fan to the chassis just
required tightening four screws through the back of the case. The last step was
to connect the CPU fan and USB cables to the mobo headers, and unlike the H80i,
all the cables come pre-attached to the water block, and the pump doesn't
require additional power (Molex or SATA], making the installation less of a
hassle.
If
you have a case that supports a 14cm fan, you should definitely release the
Kraken
In testing, the Kraken X40 was impressive,
and we were pleasantly surprised to find that the preset silent mode not only
lived up to its name, but cooled extremely well, hitting just 67 C under load.
This was enough to whoop our Hyper 212 zero-point air cooler in performance
mode by 7 C, and it also bested the 12cm Seidon 120M water cooler running on
full blast by 1 C. With the X40’s fan cranked to maximum, it gave Corsair’s
H80i a run for its money even though we had it running in push-pull mode with
two fans, which was quite impressive. While the X40’s fan can be mistaken for a
small leaf blower at full speed, it fortunately doesn't need to operate at its
highest speed to cool well.
With
the X40’s fan cranked to maximum, it gave Corsair’s H80i a run for its money
even though we had it running in push-pull mode with two fans, which was quite
impressive.
While the X40 isn't cheap at 100 bones,
it's no costlier than its peers and it outperforms them, making this cooler
easy to recommend. If you have a case that supports a 14cm fan, you should
definitely release the Kraken!
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Specifications
§ Radiator
Dimensions (H * D * W) : 5.5 x 6.7 x 1.0 inches
§ Weight:
1.9 lbs
§ Stock
Fans: 1x 14cm PWM
§ Socket
Support: LGA1155/1156/1366/2011; AM2/ AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1
§ Additional
Fan Support: One 14cm (screws included)
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