INTRODUCTION

   Size (total surface) has always been the quintessential factor when it comes to cooling and that has been equally true in the PC cooling "arena" both in regards to air and liquid coolers. So, whenever any manufacturer wanted (or needed) to boost the cooling efficiency of their products the solution was simple, increase the total aluminum and/or copper surface area to improve heat dissipation. Still due to interior case space constraints and increased costs such solutions may not have always be possible and so manufacturers needed another way to achieve the same (or almost the same) cooling results. That way turned out to be none other than the well-known push & pull configuration which required two fans (one at the front and one at the rear of the cooler and/or radiator) instead of one. For good or bad even though we've seen this with numerous air coolers in the past only a handful of AIO models have made their debut in the market with it as a feature the last of which is the AIO Elite D-RGB models EK Waterblocks released late last year.

   EK® Water Blocks, the premium liquid cooling manufacturer, bears the name of its founder Edvard König. It all started with the enthusiasm of one man and his ventures with liquid cooling back in 1999. From its humble beginnings more than ten years ago, the company steadily grew to become the most renowned supplier of high-end premium quality liquid cooling products. Over the years, the company expanded its product portfolio to become a full liquid cooling solution provider know as EK. Today, EK products are available in more than 30 countries worldwide, and the company holds several partnerships with some of the most recognized brands.

   The latest EK AIO Elite 360 D-RGB which i have here with me today is actually similar to the EK AIO 360 D-RGB i reviewed a while back (review here) since once again it's based on 395mm long and 27mm thick aluminum radiator and two 400mm long flexible nylon braided sleeved tubings. This however is where their similarities end since the EK AIO Elite 360 D-RGB is shipped with 6 instead of 3 EK-VARDAR S 120ER D-RGB 120mm PWM high static pressure fans (2200RPM/66.04CFM/2.89mmH2O/36.4dBA) and a high-performance ceramic-bearing pump (3300RPM instead of 2600RPM) with a coldplate made out of pure copper placed inside a black nickel metal housing (instead of acrylic). Yes, this does mean that the pump/waterblock combo lacks the somewhat unique addressable RGB illumination of the "regular" model but EK has placed an A-RGB LED right beneath their logo located on top which combined with the 6 EK-VARDAR S 120ER D-RGB fans (9 addressable RGB LEDs for each) produces an eye catching result (these of course are compatible with all the major motherboard ARGB/RGB sync technologies like ASUS Aura Sync, GB RGB Fusion, MSI Mystic Light and ASRock RGB LED). So, with a total of 3 more fans and a faster pump the EK AIO Elite 360 D-RGB should easily outperform the EK AIO 360 D-RGB, the question is by how much and that's what I'll try my best to answer in this review.