INTRODUCTION

    Even though at times the AIO liquid CPU cooling market may seem as somewhat stagnant to much of the consumer base the fact of the matter is that not all models perform the same, even though they may look similar. Yes, since AIO models follow the same design it's hard to know which is best, but brand name is always a good place to start, followed of course by radiator length and thickness, pump speed and fan performance. One of the best AIO lines to get released in late 2022 was no other than the Nucleus Lux D-RGB by EK Water Blocks and after reviewing the near-excellent CR240 model (review here) today and after many requests I'll be testing its longer brother, the CR360.

    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.

    Since late 2022 when the Nucleus Lux D-RGB line was announced by EK it’s still available with 120/240/360mm aluminum radiators all of which are 27mm in thickness and sport brushed aluminum side panels. The radiator of the CR360 model is 400mm long and is paired with two 400mm long flexible and reinforced sleeved rubber tubes, 3 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 as expected 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 (3pin 5V header).