NZXT Kraken 280 RGB and Kraken Elite 360 RGB Review

For NZXT enthusiasts looking to upgrade their current all-in-one liquid CPU coolers, the new Kraken and Kraken Elite might seem like an ideal option. If you are building a completely new system from scratch with an NZXT theme then yes, it would make sense to use one of the new Kraken and Kraken Elite coolers. Depending on system specs and the budget you have NZXT has you covered with Kraken and Kraken Elite spanning a wide price range and a good selection of configurations.

However, if you are thinking of picking up one of these new coolers to upgrade or replace your current NZXT X3 or Z3 AIO then it might be worth thinking again. If you currently own the previous Kraken X3 with the infinity mirror design and absolutely need an LCD screen on your cooler then the Kraken non-Elite would be a sensible upgrade choice that would not bust your wallet. If you want to splash the cash then the Elite is also an option.

But if you own the previous Kraken Z3 which already has an LCD screen then neither of these coolers are worth upgrading to as the Kraken Elite is virtually identical to the old Z3 range, so save your cash and spend it elsewhere. If you prefer the look of the new F120 RGB fans, you would be better off just buying those separately and fitting them to your Kraken Z3, but to be honest I prefer the old RGB fans that came with Kraken X3 and Z3, they look better quality.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking the new Kraken and Kraken Elite at all, they might be a tad expensive but which AIOs with LCD screens aren’t? NZXT seems to have priced them competitively compared with competition from the likes of Corsair, EKWB and Thermaltake etc. Performance seems on point, especially with fans at maximum RPM and they are not excessively loud, but they do have some negative points.

The RGB lighting effects are OK and swapping between RGB effects is pretty easy using the NZXT CAM software. The implementation of the RGB lighting is the problem – there is a noticeable light bleed from the individual LEDs on the hub of the fan which is a shame, the LEDs need better diffusion or need to be spaced differently to overcome this. That's another reason why I prefer the old RGB fans that come with the previous Kraken RGB coolers.

There’s also still a lot of wiring to manage. NZXT has changed the connection so there’s just one cable coming from the CPU block, but it splits into multiple cables and an RGB controller has been added which means you need more SATA power connections and there’s more cables to manage overall. So even though it might look slightly neater around the CPU block, there’s more cables to hide and managed around the back of your system.

NZXT stuck with Asetek generation 7 as the base for the new Kraken and Kraken Elite coolers which seems to have paid off as the gen 7 pump is very quiet, running at maximum RPM the pump noise is virtually silent when inside a chassis with the side panel installed which is great. Thermal performance on our new AMD Ryzen 9 7950X test bench is very good also which shows that the new F series fans help with cooling even if the RGB lighting doesn’t look perfect, which is good news in this day and age with CPU power consumption and heat as it is.

Taken as a whole the NZXT Kraken and Kraken Elite are good coolers, when it comes to thermals they produced solid performance and both LCD screens look very nice, the Elite LCD is by far superior but the non-elite provides a good budget LCD screen solution. If I was building an NZXT-specific theme system then I would buy one,  but if you are not too concerned about looks or LCD screens there are much cheaper alternatives out there that perform just as well when it comes to cooling high-end CPUs.

You can purchase the NZXT Kraken 360 Elite now from Overclockers UK priced at £259.99 HERE. The NZXT Kraken 280 is also available at Overclockers UK priced at £169.99 HERE.

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Pros:

• Good-looking coolers.
• Performance improvement over previous Kraken AIOs.
• LCD displays on all versions look good.
• RGB and Non-RGB options are available.
• Choice of black or White.
• There's one to suit all budgets

Cons:

• Still lots of wiring to manage.
• New fans look a little cheap compared to previous fans.
• Individual LED light bleed from the fan hubs.
• Some black cables with white coolers look out of place.

KitGuru says: If you want a shiny new NZXT cooler with an LCD screen to match your NZXT-themed PC, then by all means go out and buy one of these new Kraken and Kraken Elite AIOs. If you don’t care about looks but need solid performance, it might be worth checking out some of the other coolers we have reviewed as there are some real bargains out there to be had.

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