Finally! There comes a mass produced liquid
cooling system with an affordably practical price, which is better not only the
best air cooling systems but also its previous predecessors.
In our review about the NZXT Kraken X40, we
have been so pleased with the unique features and performances of that brand
new liquid cooling system. Therefore, we wish to introduce to you this senior
model of this range, which is more costly and named Kraken X60.
Different from its junior brother in terms
of price, size of radiator and the number of fans, we absolutely put very
expectation on this new product than the Kraken X40. Let’s see could Kraken X60
live up to our expectations.
The
NZXT Kraken X60
Accessories and package
The NZXT Kraken X60 is packed in a quite
large cardboard on which ornaments the product image.
A
quite large cardboard on which ornaments the product image
Just like the package of the X40, there are
product’s specifications, main features and compatibility platforms on the side
of the box.
Inside you can find a cardboard tray with
many compartments for each component of the system. It protects them from being
crushed and damaged well enough during the transportation.
Cardboard
tray with many compartments for each component of the system
There are additional cardboard wraps for
the fans and radiators, so the packaging looks very good and safe overall.
The accessories that we can find inside are
quite typical for any liquid cooling systems and they are everything you need
to install the Kraken X60 on any platform which is supported.
The
accessories
Manufactured in China, this product costs
$139, $40 more expensive than the Kraken X40, and comes with a 2 year warranty.
Design and features
Like any other ready-made liquid cooling
system, the Kraken X60 is accompanied by a radiator, two tubes (which are 40mm
long and 10mm in outer diameter), and a water-block/pump combo.
The
Kraken X60 has a radiator, two tubes and a water-block/pump combo
What catches our eyes from the outlook of
the Kraken X60 is the bunch of cables that come out from its pump.
The
bunch of cables coming out from the pump
The main difference with its junior
brother, the X40, is the larger radiator, whose dimensions are 314139x26.5mm.
Large
radiator with dimensions of 314139x26.5mm
It is still made of aluminum and comes with
13 straight tubes which contain coolant. A stretch of rippled aluminum ribbon
connects the pipes. The radiator’s body is just 16mm thick, just like in the
X40.
The same sticker can be found on a side of
the radiator as we saw on the X40. This stickers contains information about the
product’s name and power specs (12 V, 7.5 W – these numbers refer to the pump).
The
sticker on a side of the radiator
On the opposite side of the radiator, you
will find two fittings with press-fitted pipes.
Two
fittings
The water-block/pump combo is Ø72x32 mm in
size. There is a mark on the top and its hinge is able to turn around for
installing easier to the CPU.
The
water-block/pump combo
The pump performance is not estimated in
advance and there is no additional information that can be drawn from its motor
speed (regulate at 2900 (±150)
RPM).
There is a thin layer of high-efficient
thermal interface pre-applied on the base of the water-block.
The
thermal grease
Accompanying the NZXT Kraken X60 are two
140mm NZXT FX-140 fans.
The
140mm NZXT FX-140 fans
It is possible to adjust the fans PWM in
the range of 800 to 2000 RPM. Each of them has the regulated airflow between 54
and 98.3 CFM at the noise level of 21 to 37 dBA and a static pressure from 0.8
to 2.2mm of water. The X40 also has the same figures for these specs.
Another difference between these two Kraken
models is that the X60 allows connecting 4 fans using the splitters going from
the pump:
You can find additional screws among the
accessories, which can be used to secure another pair of fans.
The installation of this new model is just
the same as its previous brother and their compatibility list is similar too. All
you have to do is refer to the table cell which contains the number 280. As our
computer case is not supported by the 240mm Kraken X60 radiator, we put the
latter outside. We placed the radiator down beside the computer on a piece of
foam rubber.
We
placed the radiator down beside the computer on a piece of foam rubber
Methodology and testbed are just the same
as what we applied in our Kraken X40 testing, so we will not describe them
again here. All that we would like to add is that we planned to compare the X40
and the X60 (to come up with the differences of two models in the same range),
Corsair H100i Extreme Performance, Swiftech H220 and super-cooler Phanteks
PH-T14PE with two Corsair AF140 fans. Let’s go straight ahead to our testing
now.
