Kraken X53 ( 240 mm )
Kraken X53 ( 240 mm )
From the brand
Accessories
| Weight: | 1.81 kg |
| Dimensions: | 31 x 14 x 25 cm; 1.81 Kilograms |
| Brand: | NZXT |
| Model: | RL-KRX53-01 |
| Colour: | Black |
| Batteries Included: | No |
| Manufacture: | NZXT |
| Dimensions: | 31 x 14 x 25 cm; 1.81 Kilograms |
It’s fairly quiet and the fans it comes with are good the lights can be changed in nzxt cam software keeps my ryzen 5 5600 at 32 idle
The lcd screen on the cooler is different level, and the temperature control is spot on to how you want it! Overall great product.
Great value very good cool temperature’s readings silent running on fixed mode great for gaming with Ryzen 9
Bought this after my MSI MAG coreliquid 240r cooler stopped working and this one is just so much better than my MSI one was as it actually keeps the cpu cool even when gaming, definitely worth it however, I do think the price for it should be just a little bit lower.
Super easy to install – had an adjustable bracket for LG1700 and lower. It also had a bracket for AMD chipsets.
So far it is incredibly effective, I haven’t overclocked the processor (yet) but with running intensive games and multi-processing etc my CPU hasn’t topped 30 degrees celsius.
I haven’t played around with the NZXT CAM software much but it is easy to customise the rgb and heatsink display. I am very fond of the dual GPU/CPU temp display but you can also add gifs that come out crystal clear.
The infinity mirror design looks fantastic, but the LED lights aren’t as bright as I hoped; compared to my coolermaster fans.
Good news is, installation was a breeze, though I wish there were fewer wires sprouting from the pump.
Cooling performance seems excellent with minimal noise, great for a bit of overclocking!
CAM software has plenty of lighting customisation and features including fan and pump speed settings. Surprised to also see a AIO liquid temperature read out too!
The cooling is pretty decent, the display is much better than I thought it would be.
Word of warning, make sure you have your stock AMD backplate as it only come with an Intel backplate.
As someone buying their first AIO, it was a bit of a struggle to install. I found the instructions pretty vague especially when it came to the cables. but I got there in the end. For near 200, it cools only slightly better that my previous 20 air cooler, at a 5-10 degree difference. But it’s a great looking cooling method and the LCD display is the cherry on top.
The cooler is excellent, easy to install both the radiator and cooler it also does a really good job of cooling, I run a Ryzen 7 3800x overclocked to 4.6Ghz get roughly 63C while playing games and still less than 70 while rendering which are better temps than I was achieving with a Noctua Nh-D15.
I would recommend setting the pump to spin at maximum speed in the BIOS it doesn’t make it much louder either.
Coming from various other AIO liquid coolers, this one takes the crown. Custom options in the software are endless, and the NZXT CAM software is really well done and reliable. LCD screen is crystal clear and the best out there. Lots of different screens to have auto cycle on the pump screen. Other manufacturers need to learn from NZXT. Silent fans and pump. Just a word to those building their next PC, The RGB fans have the LED’s on one side of the fan housing, so to have this lighting up inside your case means the fans are push only, not pull. Not a dealbreaker but depending what case you’re building, it’s worth a thought.
Product comes with a high price tag but for that you get one of best enclosed water coolers on the market. Runs quiet, maintains temperature at & below 60 degree, you can customise the LCD display to show any number of built in system status read outs from cpu loads to cpu & gpu temperatures or you can display a .gif image of your choice that can be uploaded to it by using the CAM software. Installation is easy for somebody who has basic knowledge in building PC’s. Only word of advice if you are thinking about purchasing this product do to check to ensure your case can support it. This 3 fan unit is pretty large and you will need space to install it & not all PC cases support large radiator systems like this so plan your build before you buy. Once installed & running it does look the business & performs extremely well.
After extensive research this Cooler ticked almost all the boxes for me. Runs silent under normal load and specifications in general very good. Also uses newest Astek Gen7 pump and the RGB version is quieter than the Non-RGB version.. Managed to get one at discounted price and that made it a no-brainer for me value wise.
This is a fantastic cooler I’ve not installed the supplied RGB fans as I was using some Lian li sl120s instead but fantastic aio cooler one slight issue I had was the very small amount of thermal paste pre applied after installing the new build would overheat rapidly and shut down I removed the pre applied thermal paste and placed my own thermal paste on and all is working exceptionally.
So ide recommend when buying this ide also get some thermal paste remove the pre applied and add your own thermal paste.
Fantastic cooler other than the paste.
Don’t forget once it’s installed and you use the nzxt software you can rotate images/GIFs on the led screen.
I think theyre overpriced and defo not necessary but my son loves it on his gaming pc as he can personalise the display. Downside is that the radiator fans that come with it arent easily repurposed as the holes are too big for the normal fan screws, I replaced them with the RGB fans and thought Id re-use or sell the stock fans but as I stated the holes arent standard and cant be case mounted.
I actually bought the RGB variation from another vendor as it was half price but had to RMA due to faulty fans. I ended up getting a refund and then saw the non-RGB version of this on amazon almost half price and purchased it instantly. The performance of this cooler is well documented in reviews so it was a no brainer to get it.
Not too tricky to install and keeps my 5600x very cool without an unsightly huge heat sink and fan right in the middle of the mobo. Only downside is that the colour cannot be set without having the cam software running all the time. Upon boot, it defaults to a white circle and doesn’t retain the colour you set until cam boots up. Just another app I didn’t need in the background.
Great product overall, just beware of the very short tubing on this. It’s short for a reason (to keep the inside of your case uncluttered) but they’ve cut it way too short. I had genuinely 1mm of slack left on the tubes when fitting it to the inside front of my small mid-size case (corsair carbide 275R) even after rearranging everything in the case to accommodate the most direct route from radiator to CPU block. Just be careful.
This is a really well made mid-level AIO cooler.
I’m running this with my Ryzen 5950x and when I’m intensively gaming, this thing really pulls its weight.
I’m not going to lie, the fans are a lot nosier than my Deepcool CF120 case fans when under full load but they pump is quiet enough.
I’ve had to play around with the CAM software to get a good medium between Cooling and Noise levels, and have been able to get a nice average where the CPU is around 60C and fans at around 65% load, which isn’t too noisy, anything over 75% load is very very noticeable.
Software is very intuitive and installation instructions all very clear. Highly recommend this cooler for mid to high level builds
This cools an Intel 11th gen i9 chip (with a 3090 gaming card below) brilliantly.
The X73 is also ideal for the popular HAF X case, with the 360mm radiator fitting below the chassis inside the top (with fans below, ducting air upwards). Four screws even match (holding the whole thing securely), so it’s a piece of cake.
Only mods needed:
1) Remove the existing case fan inside the top (it’s redundant)
2) Move whatever is in the top front computer bay (in our case a DVD writer) down at least one slot, to allow the radiator to extend into this bay. We moved it down two slots.
We would HIGHLY recommend modifying the top of the case (google “Cooler Master HAF X – Case Modifications”) which makes access to the top simple and will allow future easy access without the faff of prizing off all the fiddly wiring to the on-off switch, leds, etc, etc., etc.
Top marks!
an awesome and simple cooler the screen works well although it’s clearer from certain angles and has kinda short hoses that fray easily as they’re covered on cotton braid. only issue I have is the software doesn’t kick in until you either log in or start up by then your cpu is already heating up and then the softwares like….oh damn…better ramp those fans to take that 20 degrees of might run it through the board software instead but simple to install and looks cool and works well…what else matters? 9/10
I mounted it on top, to exhaust the heat out top, and I mounted the fans over the heatsink instead of under which is more usual i think, so pulling the air through. It just suited my case moreso, nothing much in the decision. This was a little tricky to install though as meant holding the fans in place by balancing them on top of the heatsink as I screwed the fans to the case. You’ll see what I mean if you do it that way. But once the first screw catches it is plain sailing after that. Keeps my cpu cool, 25-26 Celsius idle, 30 Celsius up to upper 50s Celsius if in heavier workload. Ambient temps at 15-25 degrees. I know this is kind of useless info if you don’t know my other case fans and case type, but all in all I’m very happy with it. It feels like high quality too.
Best aio around imo. It looks epic! Performance is fantastic as well as the software. Cmon you can put any gif on the screen what more do you want haha. Noise level is silent, could come with better fans but nzxt don’t have the best selection of fans anyway, purchase some lian li or corsair fans etc to add some rgb. I sprayed mine whitebto fit theme. All round its just amazing.
(Reviewing X53 240mm in July 2021)
Well let’s get this out the way to begin with, it’s expensive, very expensive lol.
I’ve used it (along with a Kraken G12) to liquid cool my GPU (to gain performance back from the thermal throttling) and I cannot understate how much of an amazing job its done so far.
For perspective,
I’ve got an MSi GTX 980 Gaming card that’s overclocked and it used to idle at 55c and easily hit 93c not long into a game lol,
So if you’re using this for a CPU it should EASILY do the job compared to my hot box of a GPU lol.
Since installing this my idle temp is now around 20c with a max of 55c during games.
This has given me a legit 40c temp reduction. 40c…. my card performs sooo much better than I ever knew it could lol
Would highly recommend!
My go to gif atm is Queenie from the simpsons. Spent 200 to make it look like a cartoon chicken was operating my computer……money well spent.
Overall the cooling is great and the software is really easy to setup and fine tune. Keeps my cpu at about 68 on full load.
The only bad thing i can say is that the fans are quite loud especially when they are set to 80% or higher, anyone considering buying this cooler I would also suggest you buy some alternative fans like Noctua if loud fans bother you.
Very easy to install. However missing a few features. At this price point would have been nice if it came with RGB fans. Cools my Ryzen 5600X running at 70-80% load to around 50 degrees C. Looks very nice and is a lavish touch to any PC.
My first one of these arrived with a cracked fascia, it makes no difference to the operation of the unit and as its cooling my GPU, which is not mounted vertically, you don’t see the face of it when its operating. Installed it with the original fans in a simple push configuration, and the temps were OK. Not a huge difference over the Corsair H55 120mm AIO (2 x 120mm fans in push pull) that I was using before. The noise levels were acceptable though running slightly quieter than the previous older setup.
I have since replaced the fans, now using Noctua NF-P12’s, 4 of them in a push pull config and this has made a huge difference to temps and noise levels.
I now own 2 of these (same fan setup); both cooling my GPU’s and I am very happy with their performance. My GPU(s) 1080 and a Titan XP both run at circa 25 -30 degree C when idling, circa 40 degree C when running nicehash and no higher than 55 degree C on extended WarZone sessions.
Noisier than expected and noisier than my stock Ryzen cooler. However much, much cooler temperatures on the CPU.
NZXT Cam software is dire and I am unable to control the fan speed dynamically, this is all managed through my bios as the fans run off the CPU fan header on my mobo. Less than ideal for the money.
I replaced the fans to use some Corsair LL fans, but I love it so much! My CPU is super cool and looks slick My build is not finished yet, but I’m confident this will keep my PC cool even with future upgrades.
My boyfriend said this was a bit of a pain to install, but he got it done
Setup: X570-E ROG Strix, Ryzen 7 3700X, H510i case. It is easy to install, I did a pull config (bracket – fans – radiator), fits nicely. Be careful of the top wire harness as you are laying down the entire assembly to fit inside the case. The radiator fans can be connected to 3-way splitter (provided) to the MB or the CAM in the H510i. For the pump, I connected it to AIO cooler port (PWM mode) and CPU (DC mode – 3 pin), USB in the USB 2.0 header and RGB fan out to RGB in for the pump. It came with preapplied thermal paste which is ok. CAM software is good and keeps the noise and temp in check. Important: Keep PC upright, as long as highest point of the rad is ABOVE the pump you are ok, don’t believe in the nonsense in mounting it with pipes at the bottom (does not work in H510 and makes absolutely no difference). Make this PULL air in (intake) and the 2 case fans as PUSH air out (exhaust) for H510i. Temp difference between AMD Wraith cooler and X63 are about 5-7 degrees. Case temperature difference between 7 – 9 degrees in performance mode. Great product.
The AIO cooler is a realy nice piece of equipment and performs well paired with my Ryzen 9 3900x. The LCD screen is great for adding a theme however to change the screen you will have to install the NZXT Cam software. The screen can be rotated when installed through this software too.
You’ll want to consider where you will position the radiator within your case, because this may reduce the maximum GPU length if it is positioned on the front. You will need to do some research on your chosen case and GPU for this.
In all though I am very happy with this AIO cooler.
My original CPU Water cooler relied on just a single fan and was constantly hitting 80 deg and starting to throttle the CPU. Installing this in its place left the CPU idling at 28 deg and reaching 50 deg max when the CPU was stress tested. Couldnt be happier and have a lot room to start overclocking if I wish to.
Installation was straight forward and the cooler comes preprepared with thermal paste applied. Stock paste seems fine.
The CPU cooler does require a few more connections. It needed a SATA connection so chained it off the Hard Disk. It also needed a USB 2.0 motherboard connection which I did not have free. Had to unplug the USB 2.0 ports from the front of my case so the CPU could use the connection. Wasnt an issue as I still had my USB 3 ports.
Overall an excellent purchase. The lighting also looks great.
Bought this to replace the stock AMD Wraith cooler as it wasn’t really up to par with demanding games as it was hitting a high of 90 degrees. So I opted for an aio as apposed to the enormous noctua air cooler.
Easy to install although I wanted to opt to have the pipes exit the bottom of the rad but unfortunately it wasn’t possible to do this as the 3080 was obstructing them and the pipes were being too stretched, so I had to opt for the pipes exiting the top.
Performance wise I cannot fault it, my GPU generally hovers around the 43 degrees mark on the same game that made it hit 90 with the AMD cooler.
I have it installed in a phanteks P400a case but I had to increase the speed of the exhaust fans to keeps air flowing to cool the graphics card. I am aiming to install 2 140mm fans to the front of the case in a pull, push setup to increase air flow through the front.
All in all though an excellent purchase and it is one of the nicest looking aio’s on the market.
The pump is so large that the hoses will cover the first ram slot. This isn’t a problem if you’re running two sticks but to run 4 you’d need to rotate the pump. Something that sounds easy if it weren’t for my other problem with this cooler.
The USB cable is very short and will only be able to be wire tucked away if your board and case have the holes and USB sockets in just the right spots. meaning more then likely you’ll have to run it down the front of the board. Not the end of the world but for a cooler that’s about the looks it’s a let down.
While it’s clearly a good performing cooler one downside is that it’s very, very loud. The pump honestly sounds like any other AIO cooler since 99% all borrow the same basic design, it’s got that high pitched hum a lot of them have. But the fans make the stock AMD fan seem silent. The two 140mm fans when they pick up speed are brutal. I was thinking of swapping them out for the RGB variants to make use of the NZXT Hue2 funtions but I might look into Noctua fans just to bring down the volume.
Installation.
Just about the same as all other AIO’s. Very easy to install and adjust the brackets and comes with all the necessary screws and mounts.
Material
Very high quality finish. The water block looks really nice and the LCD display is very vivid, can adjust the brightness and obviously the GIF function is unique!
I have been running this now for a couple of weeks (maybe longer). Its good, the lcd is a really nice touch and is totally customizable. Everything feels high quality etc. Easy to install. One thing i will say is use a different thermal paste than what it comes with. I say that because i installed it with the default paste on a Ryzen 9 3900x and idle temps were around 45-50 which i think is high. Replaced the paste for Kryonaut grizzly and it now idles at 35-40 and doesnt go above 60 gaming in 4k. I think Ryzen CPU’s are known to idle hot and spike every now and again so im happy with this.
unpacking to to discover the fans were not installed. but soon realised that this is due to where you may want to install the radiator may mean that you want to lead the fan wires out a different side and whether you want a push or pull configuration on the radiator. the mounting plate allows you to put the cpu block at many angles which would be great if the software would also do the same. The software has +90, -90 +180 rotation for the screen so you ideally mount at those angles if you want to display cpu temps etc.. or your display will look squint. It would be better if the software had finer increments. An option to purchase with ARGB fans would nice rather than having to purchase 2 additional fans to replace 2 perfectly good fans. I opted to leave the origional fans on and see how noisy they were. overall system is quiet. but I don’t tax the cpu and run the fans on the slower side. Easier installation than doing a diy water cooled solution. but not as flash as some of those hard lined water cooled systems. You can find some quite nice gifs to play on the display. but it best suits a gif that loops nicely. and once the gif is loaded to the cpu block it plays from system power on. (you don’t have to wait for any software to load) NZXT cam software is used to change the display.
Runs really quiet and keeps my PC cool as a cucumber. The infinite mirror effect looks nice and theres quite a few options for customization in the NZXT CAM software.
I would say it was worth the money for the aesthetics, if you like that sort of thing, but if you’re on a tight budget and not bothered for looks, just get a Noctua. You can get the same cooling performance from a fan cooler, that goes for all AIOs.
PROS:
– Stunningly Crisp Colorful & Sharp HQ Graphical LCD Display on the Pump
– NZXT Software is Solid, Responsive & a Breeze To Use
– Up-Loading GIFs to the Pump LCD Screen is Ridiculously Easy
– Pump is Quiet in Full Mode
– The Stock Fans are also pretty quiet in full mode too
– Cools my Very HOT AMD Ryzen 3900x CPU like a Pro
– 70c idle with Ryzen Wraith Stock Cooler & 43c idle with the Kraken Z73 on an Extremely Hot Summers Day !!!
– Flexible Pipes make it easy to install
– Looks Gorgeous
CONS:
– Absolutely None
My Current PC Specs are:
– AMD Ryzen 3900X
– NZXT KRAKEN Z73 360mm 3 Fan AIO CPU WATER COOLER
– NVIDIA EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti FTW3 ULTRA GAMING 11GB
– ASUS X470 ROG Crosshair Hero VII Socket AM4 Motherboard
– 32GB Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO DDR4 Ram 2x16GB 3600MHz CL16 Kit
– Corsair RM850x 80 PLUS Gold, 850w PSU
– Fractal Design Define R6 EATX Case
– Three LG 24in Monitors
God i Love This Cooler LOL
This is my very first NZXT Purchase so i thought id go BiG … i’m glad i did 🙂
I think this product makes all other AIO Coolers look boring … iMO
I Recommend This Cooler & I Hope This Review Helps