Article

Enermax LIQMAXX III ARGB (240mm)

It has been a while since we have tested an Enermax liquid cooling units. The brand has seen some negative press based on issues in the past. The most recent products however should give them a clean slate. In this review, we test the LIQMAX III aRGB with a 240mm radiator. This liquid cooling kit has got a bit of a reputation based on its first revision. We're now at iteration III, and check out the 240mm model armed with some aRGB but overall offering very decent performance in the 65 EUR/USD marker. Let's check out how well they do.

Let me explain to you what happened. Back in 2018/2019 people started noticing performance issues with their LIQTECH coolers, especially the TR4 Threadipper ones all of the sudden started to behave weird. Once opening up the cooing block it became obvious there was an issue with clotted mass piling up. Typically this is the effect of using the wrong coolant in combination with LCS units that have a mix of copper and aluminum, which is bound to corrode if you do not use a matching coolant. It became a bit of a mess, literally. The story exploded (rightfully so) in the media. That however did dent the reputation of Enermax. They came back with an RMA program and released revision II of their product series, the problem had been solved. However, once you get stigmatized, it'll haunt you forever as for liquid cooling kits you need to be able to trust their faultless operation mindlessly. We haven't heard of any recent issues for a year or so now. And recently Enermax increased warranty for their LCS units towards 5 years in the USA, with the EU to follow soon.

For that sole reason alone we wanted to test some Enermax coolers again, as yes everybody does deserve a second chance and basically to see where they are in 2021 with their products. The problems we're quite confident are solved, but the question remains how good their products really are in cooling performance and acoustics, as to date you'll have seen very few reviews of the product we tested today for example.  Why is that important?

the LIQMAXX III ARGB actually brings quite a hit to the table, priced at only 75 USD/ EUR you'll receive a product that might not be perfect, but certainly offering good cooling performance for that money rated at 330 WATTS. And with aRGB it doesn't look half bad either. With a pump and radiator, ship pressure tested, pre-filled, and sealed directly from the factory to provide maintenance-free operation for years, it all sounds good. This ease of use extends to its support of the latest Intel and AMD sockets, including the latest Intel LGA 1155/1156/1200/2011 and AMD AM3/AM4 sockets, but not threadripper. The series is equipped with a high-density water microchannel and copper finish block to offer efficient thermal conduct along with an Aluminum fin to maximize its cooling performance. Fan replacement is available with the standard built-in mounting holes.