NZXT Kraken X60 Review

1. Introduction2. Packaging and Bundle3. The NZXT Kraken X604. Installing the Corsair H905. NZXT Kraken Control Software6. Testing Methodology and Overclocking7. Thermal Performance8. Acoustic Performance9. Closing Thoughts10. View All Pages

Today we are going to take a look at the Kraken X60 which is NZXT's first attempt at a performance liquid cooler.  Over the past few years there have been a number of different companies trying to enter the all-in-one liquid cooling market, following the success of Corsair and Antec. Companies such as Zalman, Cooler Master and now NZXT are all trying to make their mark.

It is quite easy for new companies to enter this market, as most of the products on offer are based on exactly the same technology from Asetek, the company that manufactured the original Corsair H50.  As a result, the differences between most of the liquid cooling units can be attributed to the different fans bundled with each unit. That said, Corsair only use Asetek for their budget range and have a number of models based on CoolIT Systems technology.

It doesn't come as a surprise that the Kraken X60 is based on an Asetek design which differentiates itself by incorporating a 280 mm radiator, rather than the 240 mm model adopted by most of the competition.  It's therefore very similar to the Corsair H110 which we reviewed recently, which was also based on an Asetek design, featuring a 280 mm radiator.

Features

NZXT have chosen to use a black and white colour scheme for the packaging of the X60, mimicking the colour scheme they used for the fans they bundle with the cooler.  The front of the box features a large image of the cooler which gives us an idea of what to expect inside.

Turning the box around reveals another large image of the cooler alongside some details of the key features and specifications.  The box itself is fairly durable and should do a good job of protecting the cooler during transit.

Inside the box, most of the accessories included are different parts of the mounting mechanism, which ensures compatibility across all major sockets. NZXT also include two PWM controllable fans as well as an installation guide.

It's clear from a glance that the Kraken X60 is closely related to the Corsair H110 as the bare radiators and pumps look almost identical.  There are a few differences between the two, though, which might make it a little easier to see which one suits your needs best.

Even though the two units both feature 280 mm radiators, they have different fan spacings.  The X60 features 15 mm fan spacings and the Corsair has 20 mm fan spacings.  This restricts the cases which are compatible with the coolers, so you need to look into this carefully before purchasing.

Here is a list put together by NZXT, highlighting case compatibility.  Interestingly, there are a number of NZXT cases which can't accommodate the X60.

The Kraken X60 features Asetek's trademark CPU block which consists of a circular copper contact plate, secured in place with a series of screws around the periphery.  The thermal compound is pre-applied to the block to facilitate installation.

One way in which the X60 differs from the H110 is that it features LED-lighting in the pump cap.  This can be configured through a software application which is supplied on a CD with the cooler.  We chose to download it from the NZXT website, though, to ensure we had the latest version.  We will take a close look at the software later in the review.

The CPU block is connected to the radiator using two thick flexible rubber tubes which are, in our opinion, superior to the more rigid FEP tubing used on some coolers.  This makes installation a simpler process.

Another difference between the X60 and the H110 are the fans bundled with the cooler.  NZXT's fans feel better quality and can spin up to 2,000 RPM, compared to the Corsair's 1,500 RPM.  The speed of the fans is adjusted through the fan controller which is built into the unit.

The Kraken X60 uses exactly the same mounting mechanism as the H110 which isn't quite as elegant a solution as that adopted by Corsair on the H100i, however, it is fairly straight forward when using the Intel Sandy Bridge-E platform which we will be documenting today.

If you want to see the cooler being mounted on Ivy Bridge, please see the Corsair H110 review here.

First of all, the retention ring must be prepared by fixing plastic mounts in each corner, so that the spacing is correct for the 2011 socket.  Then, the four thumbscrews can be inserted into place.

Next, the radiator and fans can be attached to the case.  Then, the ring must be affixed to the CPU block using the plastic bracket provided.

Then, the unit can be secured down into place, using the in built 2011 cooler mounts.  This does away with the need for a custom backplate.

Finally, all of the cables need attaching to your system.  The unit needs to be hooked up to a SATA-power connector and the CPU fan header.  Also, both of the fans need to be plugged into the fan controller in the CPU block.  This can create quite a mess of cables so you'll need to plan carefully to avoid excess clutter.

The X60 is supplied with NZXT Kraken Control software which lets you configure various aspects of the cooler, similar to Corsair's Link technology.  It's supplied on a CD inside the box but we would recommend downloading it from the NZXT website to ensure that you have the latest version.

The main page of the software gives a number of readouts, including CPU temperatures, coolant temperature and fan and pump speeds.

Clicking the ‘Graph' tab at the bottom brings up two graphs of fan speed and temperature over time.

On the ‘Fan Setting' page, we can configure the ‘Extreme' and ‘Silent' fan profiles, as well as creating our own ‘Custom' profile.  This isn't quite as advanced as Corsair's system as we aren't able to set specific RPMs, instead having to move points on a graph of Fan Speed %.

The ‘Light Setting' page gives us full control over the RGB LED Lighting in the pump cover, with a number of effects to choose from.

On the ‘General Setting' page, we can configure various aspects of the software including fan speed and liquid temperature notifications.

To test the performance of the NZXT Kraken X60, we built a powerful X79 based system on an open test bench to push the cooler to it's limits.  As we were testing on an open test bench, we directed a Be Quiet! Shadow Wings 120 mm fan at the VRM circuitry to better simulate the airflow generated in a case.

We tested the Kraken X40 and X60 in both the ‘Silent' and ‘Extreme' modes in the software, as well as with the fans at maximum speed (2000 RPM).

Coolers Tested

• NZXT Kraken X60
• NZXT Kraken X40
• Corsair H110 (fans at 12V)
• Corsair H90 (fan at 12V)
• Phanteks PH-TC14PE (fans at 12V)
• Noctua NH-D14 (fans at 12V)

Overclocking

We manually overclocked the i7-3930K to 4.7 GHz by increasing the multiplier to 47x, leaving the baseclock set at 100 MHz.  We set Load Line Calibration to ‘High', and increased the CPU Current Capability to 120% with a minor voltage increase.  Speed stepping was disabled for both stock and overclocked tests.

See validation here.

For our temperature tests we loaded the system for 10 minutes using Prime 95 and recorded the CPU temperature using CPUID HWMonitor.  We then restarted the system and left it idling at the desktop for 10 minutes before recording temperatures. The temperatures recorded are based on an ambient temperature of 20 degrees C.

We were impressed with the X60 in our tests as it offered comparable performance to the Corsair H110 in ‘Extreme' mode.  We would highly recommend not running the fans at maximum RPM however as they are deafeningly loud.

In our noise level tests we switched off all the case fans and replaced the AMD Radeon HD 7950 graphics card with a HD 5550 passive model so were  just taking into account the noise generated by the cooler fans themselves.

We measured the noise level with a Digital Noise Level meter at a distance of 1 m from the front of the system.

In this test, the acoustic performance of the NZXT X60 isn't that great although it is no worse than the H110 in ‘Extreme' mode.  With the fans running at maximum speed, the cooler was excessively loud, though.

Overall we are generally impressed with what the NZXT Kraken X60 has to offer.  It's good to see NZXT expanding their cooler range to incorporate all-in-one liquid cooling units, however it is a bold move to release a high-end cooler such as the X60 as their first product.

Whether this strategy will pay off or not remains to be seen, but we would like to see the company filling out their range with some 120 mm and 240 mm models in the near future.  We would also like to see NZXT offering a 5-year warranty like Corsair do with their liquid coolers.

The differences in performance between the Kraken X60 and the H110 are purely down to the different fans bundled with the two models and both units are basically identical in terms of performance.  NZXT's fans are capable of spinning faster than the Corsair models, however this increases the noise level substantially.  In fact, neither cooler offers good acoustic performance if we are being honest.  Even when the Kraken is set to ‘Silent' mode, it's still noticeably louder than the Noctua NH-D14 at full belt.

One area in which the X60 has a distinct advantage over it's Corsair counterpart is the inbuilt fan controller and LED lighting, however, this comes at a significant price premium.  At a price of £120 from Specialtech, the X60 is around £25 more expensive than the Corsair H90.  So those looking for the cheapest possible unit would probably opt for the Corsair.

Another factor which needs to be considered is the compatibility of the two coolers as there aren't many cases which have room for a giant 280 mm radiator.

Also, the X60 has 15 mm fan spacings and the H110 has 20 mm fan spacings, so they are only compatible with certain cases. A list of compatible cases can be seen earlier in the review, however, if you already have a case you'll be restricted to which you can choose.

Pros:

• Impressive cooling performance.
• LED Lighting.
• Inbuilt fan controller.

Cons:

• More expensive than Corsair H110.
• 2 year warranty (compared to 5 years for Corsair units).
• Check your chassis has room for the radiator!
• Quite noisy.

KitGuru says: A ‘krakin' alternative to the Corsair H110!

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