EKWB Nucleus AIO CR360 Lux D-RGB CPU Cooler Review

1. EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 Lux D-RGB2. Installation Process (AM4/AM5)3. Test Results4. Closing Thoughts5. View All Pages

Test System:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X
• Overclocked Settings: 4.45GHz all-core @ 1.30V LLC Level 5
• Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 Aorus Elite
• Memory: 32GB (4x8GB) Corsair Vengeance RGB RPO SL 3600MHz
• Graphics Card: MSI Radeon RX 6600XT Gaming X (zero dBA mode)
• Chassis: Open Test Bench
• Power Supply: Seasonic Prime TX-850
• Operating System: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit

Testing Methodology:

• For testing, we use a 30-minute looped run of Cinebench R23 and record the steady-state CPU temperature at the end of the test. This ensures that the CPU has had ample time to warm up and reach steady-state under all of the coolers.
• The ambient is maintained at around 19-21 degrees Celsius. Where there is variation beyond this temperature range, we add in extra repeated tests to ensure consistency.
• We also test each cooler with at least two fresh installs (typically three) to mitigate the likelihood of a dodgy mount spoiling results.

Test Results:

Noise Output

Let’s begin with noise output as this will give us a good indication of what to expect from thermal performance based on noise.

With the fans running at maximum RPM the EK-Nucleus sits in the middle of our results with a maximum noise output of 54dBA. It is a little on the loud side but not out of the ordinary for a 360mm AIO. However, The Arctic Liquid Freezer II and the Thermaltake Toughliquid ARGB Sync are the exceptions to that rule.

Thermal Performance

The EK Nucleus fans are tuned to produce maximum cooling performance at the expense of noise. Due to this, the EK-Nucleus CR360 Lux D-RGB performs exceptionally well in our manual OC test, with fans at maximum RPM it beats off all the competition in this test by recording an average CPU temperature of 53°C.

Reducing the fan RPM to bring noise levels down to 40dBA pushes up the average CPU temperature by 5°C but the EK-Nucleus Holds its top position in our database. Beating other high-performance coolers from Asus, Deepcool and Thermaltake but it's very close in this one with only a 1°C difference between the top six coolers.

In the PBO test the important metrics are clock speed and cooling power as the difference in CPU temperature between coolers is marginal.

The Nucleus CR360 tops the charts again with an impressive 43.5 X average clock multiplier and handling 245W of package power. Overall it's an excellent result for the EK-Nucleus.

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