INTRODUCTION

   Modern consumer oriented CPUs like the recent 65W TDP Ryzen 7000 line by AMD may not climb to very high temperatures when at base clocks but things change very fast the moment they reach their boost clocks (especially if you manually remove their power consumption limits). So, in my book regardless of what CPU you decide to get you should always pair it with a high TDP (thermal design power) cooler capable of handling all possible scenarios. So even though you could possibly do very well with a capable CPU air cooler a dual/tri-fan AIO liquid cooling system is certain to deliver higher cooling efficiency levels. Following the huge success of their AIO Elite models late last year EK Water Blocks (EKWB) announced their upcoming AIO line called Nucleus and today with me i have the Nucleus AIO CR240 Lux D-RGB model.

   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 known 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 Nucleus Lux D-RGB line of AIO liquid cooling systems by EK is available with 120/240/360mm radiators so they clearly aiming for most of the market (280/480mm models would also be nice). The CR240 model is based on an 281mm long and 27mm thick aluminum radiator which EK has paired with two 370mm long flexible and reinforced sleeved rubber tubings, 2 EK FPT (full pressure technology) 120mm D-RGB fans (2300RPM/72CFM/36dB/Fluid Dynamic Bearing) and a pump/waterblock combo (3100RPM/all-copper). Aside the 9 upward facing ARGB LEDs each FPT 120mm D-RGB fan has EK has also placed a total of 12 ARGB LEDs underneath a rotatable pump top (90 degrees increments) and of course all 30 of them are compatible with the leading motherboard ARGB/RGB sync technologies like ASUS Aura Sync, GIGABYTE RGB Fusion, MSI Mystic Light and ASRock RGB LED. So, time to see what the latest Nucleus AIO CR240 Lux D-RGB Liquid Cooling System by EK is capable of.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Just like with past products by EK Water Blocks the front of the box is taken by a large product picture placed just over the Intel and AMD logos.

The new rotary fittings and the rotatable pump top are showcased on the right side.

EK has placed the main product features at the rear in 8 languages right next to a product picture used to showcase them.

Printed at the base are the technical specifications, bundle contents and socket compatibility in 7 languages.

Once again packing is excellent with pieces of thick black foam placed around the entire bundle.

Along with the main body of the EK Nucleus AIO CR240 Lux D-RGB inside the box you will also find the two EK-FPT 120mm D-RGB fans, small thermal paste tube, RGB cable extension, fan and radiator mounting screws, backplate, installation instructions, thank you paper, welcome/introduction to EK paper and all the required bits and pieces to mount the cooler onto Intel LGA1150/1151/1155/1156/1200/1700/2011/2011-3/2066 and AMD AM4/AM5 compatible mainboards.

THE NUCLEUS AIO CR240 LUX D-RGB

In terms of design the new Nucleus AIO doesn't really stand out (although the radiator is slightly different this time over).

The aluminum radiator is roughly 27mm thick along the fan mounting area but roughly 53mm thick at the end.

FPI (fins per inch) count this time over is 19 so this radiator should do quite well with high-pressure fans.

The 370mm long sleeved rubber tubings should be sufficient for most towers out there.

At the top of the pump, we find a plastic cover with the EK logo on it.

The cover is rotatable so it can be removed as seen above (here you can also see the 12 ARGB LEDs).

This time over EK has used rotary fittings on the pump/waterblock combo which allow for easier installation even in tight places.

EK ships the Nucleus CR240 Lux D-RGB with a thin layer of thermal conductive material on the all-copper waterblock but since i use my own thermal paste i wiped it off to showcase the lack of any machine marks.

The fluid dynamic bearing 120mm FPT D-RGB fans are capable of speeds of up to 2300RPM with up to 72CFM of airflow at just 36dB of noise.

With the fans mounted radiator thickness increases to roughly 54mm (just over 56mm if we also take into account the mounting screws).

Thanks to the Omnilink daisy-chaining the two fans (and 3 on other Nucleus models) only require a single PWM and D-RGB header.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Testing complete water cooling kits or individual radiators is no different than testing CPU Coolers and since we want all of you to be able to compare similar products, we created new and separate charts (you can still cross-compare results however since we are using the same test rig). So once again single (120/140mm) watercooling solutions are tested with the radiator mounted at the rear of our test rig while dual/triple/quad (240/260/280/360/420/480/560mm) solutions with the radiator mounted at the top. For the dBA tests complete water cooling kits or radiators with bundled fans are measured both while on idle mode or with the fan controller in the minimum setting and while on extreme load or with the fan controller all the way to the highest possible setting (PWM fans do that on their own without our intervention). Every single test takes place in a temperature controlled room of 23 degrees Celsius Ambient Temp with the help of two AC units placed diagonally inside the room. Finally, much like when testing CPU Coolers, it's very important to point out that just because a water cooling kit outperforms another when tested with our test rig (when we test complete water cooling kits) that does not necessarily mean that the same performance differences will apply 100% for other CPU models and in other situations (such as different ambient temps and system configurations).

     To successfully record the load temperatures, we use the latest OCCT application for around 6-10 minutes to push the processor to its limits and after that is done and the temperatures are recorded, we wait for about 10-20 minutes for the CPU to cool down and record the idle temperatures. This is done to allow time for the thermal conductive material to achieve the optimal performance level. Same procedure is then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results are wrong. This procedure takes a lot more time than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results to our readers based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using both the latest versions of AIDA64 and RealTemp while the noise level tests (when fans exist in the bundle) are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the radiator. Still although the same testing procedure applies to all units do take into consideration that unlike the official numbers which are measured in special noise isolated labs with just the fans here, we also have both the rest of the cooler and the rest of the system (although all system fans are turned off when recording noise levels).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   From the somewhat unique XLC-Predator and Phoenix models to the more recent AIO and Elite D-RGB models EK Water Blocks has been behind some of the best AIO liquid CPU coolers to hit the market to date, both in terms of cooling efficiency and design. So, naturally I was expecting the same from the Nucleus CR240 Lux D-RGB and I wasn’t disappointed. Yes, it may not deliver the same cooling efficiency as some 360mm models (hopefully EK will also send the 360mm version over soon) but for a dual fan AIO it does extremely well in keeping the CPU at just over 52 degrees Celsius at load. At the same time noise levels are also very good with the two FPT 120mm D-RGB fluid dynamic bearing fans producing just over 51dBA of noise from just 10-15cm away. In terms of looks well there’s not much I can say here, pictures (intro/outro) speak for themselves and so in all likelihood you’ll like what EK Water Blocks has done with it (fans/pump). If not judging from what I see the upcoming Nucleus Vision line should do the trick. My sole “issue” with the Nucleus line is the radiator thickness towards the end which isn’t something I’ve seen by other brands. This may not be huge issue since we’re basically talking about an extra 40mm (same thickness as the fan area after all - 10mm practically if you don't take into account the tubings which are standard for all AIO models) but it could still reduce compatibility with some cases so do keep that in mind.

   At the time of this review the EK-Nucleus AIO CR240 Lux D-RGB model by EK Water Blocks retails for 159.99Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de), a price tag which is higher than expected, for an 240mm AIO model that is. Certainly, everything costs more nowadays but when you can find 360mm AIO models for less (and previous 280mm EK models for roughly the same price) i do think EK Water Blocks should take a second look at it. Price aside however the Nucleus AIO CR240 Lux D-RGB delivers in both performance and looks and since these are what most people look for when in the market for one such piece of hardware it deserves the Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Very Good Cooling Efficiency
- ARGB Lighting (Compatible with Gigabyte Fusion, ASUS Aura, MSI Mystic Light and ASRock RGB LED)
- Up to Four 120mm Fans in Push & Pull
- 5 Year Limited Warranty
- Omnilink Daisy Chain (Fans)
- Rotatable Pump Top

CONS

- Radiator Thickness (Case Compatibility?)
- Price (For Some)