EK Predator 240 AIO Liquid Cooling review

edekoning

2015-09-16 10:51

Very interesting, very tempting, though having to change the MB backplate is a bit silly. However, priced at EUR 240,- for the 240 and EUR 290,- for the 360, you can get a similar custom kit for roughly the same amount of money (https://shop.ekwb.com/ek-kit-l240-1). I feel the kit is priced slightly to high, and at this price point I would sooner go full custom. But if you are looking for convenience it is a very attractive package.

#5159432

HEXXEN9x

2015-09-16 12:09

Great looking product! ...... So where is my 280 Version that will fit on my case ?

#5159499

kinggavin

2015-09-16 14:43

i really like this cooler, very well made its very impressive and when you get a quality made product you dont mind paying the extra, this is the first liquid cooler that has me thinking yes i change my air cpu cooler for this

#5159529

sykozis

2015-09-16 15:31

You'd need a better pump and reservoir but you could use the rad and cpu block. I wouldn't trust this pump to push through 3 radiators, cpu block and one or more gpus. This EK kit comes with the real thing https://shop.ekwb.com/ek-kit-d240-in-win-d-frame-mini-drop-in

I wouldn't try to run 3 rads with that pump, but 2 rads is feasible. Of course, with current hardware, you shouldn't need 3 rads anyway. A pair of 240 rads should cope with the heat produced by current gen hardware fairly easily. I'm running a single 240 rad and could add my 970 to my loop with no worries. Also, you could pickup another rad with integrated pump at a reasonable price and run dual pumps. Possibilities are near endless.

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Cryengine

2015-09-20 17:44

Hi which is better Swiftech 240-x or this one ? Thanks

#5161502

sykozis

2015-09-20 18:59

Hi which is better Swiftech 240-x or this one ? Thanks

Personally, I'd go Swiftech. Both are designed to be expandable. The Swiftech AIO has the advantage of not risking the CPU socket though.

#5161507

Darkest

2015-09-20 19:06

Hi which is better Swiftech 240-x or this one ? Thanks

It depends on how confident you are with the installation procedure. The EK is better beyond that, but if you're unsure about the fitting you may be better off just going for the Swiftech.

#5161511

sykozis

2015-09-20 19:09

I like the fact that the Swiftech unit isn't socket limited. If Intel changes the mount spacing later, the Swiftech unit is more likely to still fit.

#5161576

LesserHellspawn

2015-09-20 22:17

I think it's time to upgrade the heater a.k.a. CPU. A 5690x at 4,5 or more GHz should stress those coolers out more. I'm running mine at 4,5 GHz, and my Kraken X61 has to fight. When I fully stress out the system in benchmarks, the CPU passes 80 degrees.

#5162363

Cryengine

2015-09-22 14:19

So the Swiftech is better value than Predator. Thanks to all.

#5168698

kx11

2015-10-06 13:47

this AIO cooler is fantastic can't hear any noise from it and even @ 100% speed it's not that loud my previous cooler was H100

#5172358

NeoElNino

2015-10-13 23:14

I got the Corsair H100i GTX Extreme and it comes with a tie almost with the EK (1DB+- aint a difference and temps 1-2C wont make any difference too). I do not see the reason to spend $100 for the EK, that's ridiculous. Very happy with my Corsair.

#5172359

ScoobyDooby

2015-10-13 23:17

I got the Corsair H100i GTX Extreme and it comes with a tie almost with the EK (1DB+- aint a difference and temps 1-2C wont make any difference too). I do not see the reason to spend $100 for the EK, that's ridiculous. Very happy with my Corsair.

Can you expand your Corsair to use a vga waterblock? Can you use your own custom tubing without voiding warranty? Can you fit your Corsair with Quick Disconnect Fittings and/or obtain compatible Pre-Filled waterblocks? Now you know why its more expensive.

#5172370

Darkest

2015-10-13 23:54

Can you expand your Corsair to use a vga waterblock? Can you use your own custom tubing without voiding warranty? Can you fit your Corsair with Quick Disconnect Fittings and/or obtain compatible Pre-Filled waterblocks? Now you know why its more expensive.

Totally agreed. I hate to bring reliability into the discussion based upon anecdotal evidence, but I will say that I'd feel a lot more comfortable with the EK AIO over any Corsair unit. Simply put, I do not feel confident the Corsair unit will function as long, and assuming they both function to equal measure, the EK is more easily repaired. You wouldn't need to buy an entire unit should something go wrong, and by that I mean a pump failure.

#5172388

ScoobyDooby

2015-10-14 00:25

Totally agreed. I hate to bring reliability into the discussion based upon anecdotal evidence, but I will say that I'd feel a lot more comfortable with the EK AIO over any Corsair unit. Simply put, I do not feel confident the Corsair unit will function as long, and assuming they both function to equal measure, the EK is more easily repaired. You wouldn't need to buy an entire unit should something go wrong, and by that I mean a pump failure.

also a very good point.. reliability is huge. I had to return my H100 twice before I finally got one with a good pump. not a great first impression.. however to be fair, it was when Corsair first released them, and their support was very good. Either way though, the extra cost I feel is justified.. you can't directly compare the h100 coolers and the EK coolers. Different products with different capabilities.

#5172395

Darkest

2015-10-14 00:37

also a very good point.. reliability is huge. I had to return my H100 twice before I finally got one with a good pump. not a great first impression.. however to be fair, it was when Corsair first released them, and their support was very good. Either way though, the extra cost I feel is justified.. you can't directly compare the h100 coolers and the EK coolers. Different products with different capabilities.

You're absolutely spot on. The majority AIO coolers are for people who want to pop in an easy to install piece of kit they can forget about. I tend to recommend high end air over such coolers, although it really does come down to what the person wants. The EK Predator line is most definitely for the budding WC enthusiast who wants to expand somewhere down the line.