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).

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Once again EK Water Blocks has placed a large product picture at the front of the box along with their logo and the Intel and AMD logos.

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

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

Moving at the rear we find the main product features in 8 languages right next to a product picture used to showcase most of them.

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

Inside the box EK has placed the main body of the EK Nucleus AIO CR360 Lux D-RGB, three EK-FPT 120mm D-RGB fans, small thermal paste tube, RGB cable extension, fan and radiator mounting screws, 2 backplates, 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 CR360 LUX D-RGB

Unlike the 240 model the 360 arrived in white color and well, it looks great (although white on white is not ideal for pictures).

The aluminum radiator is roughly 27mm thick.

EK has placed brushed aluminum side panels which clearly improve looks.

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

The far end of the radiator measures roughly 53mm in thickness.

The 400mm long sleeved rubber tubes should be more than sufficient for most towers out there.

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

Unlike previous AIO models this time over EK has used rotary fittings on the pump/waterblock combo which allow for easier installation.

EK ships the entire Nucleus Lux D-RGB line with a thin layer of thermal conductive material on the all-copper waterblock.

Since I use my own thermal paste for tests I always wipe off thin layers to showcase the coldplate.

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.

As expected, these fans feature rubber pads on all 4 corners and can be connected with each other (Omnilink daisy-chaining).

With the fans mounted radiator thickness increases to roughly 53mm.

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

    When I reviewed the EK Nucleus CR240 Lux D-RGB I had high expectations from it, if anything because EK Water Blocks was behind it. Well, in the end it delivered everything I hoped it would and even though almost 18 months later EK has yet to deliver the highly anticipated Nucleus Vision AIO line (primarily due to supply chain shortages – mainly in relation to the LCD screen, not the only ones facing this exact issue lately) the Nucleus CR360 Lux D-RGB should be more than enough for even the most demanding consumer CPUs. Noise levels as expected are just a tad higher compared to the CR240 (2 vs 3 fans) but still not something I would consider as a game breaker (not loud but not quite silent either). In terms of looks even though the white version of the Nucleus CR360 Lux D-RGB did give me a hard time when taking pictures of it on my white photo bench it would clearly make a great addition to any white setup.

    With a retail price of USD199.97 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 195.99Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) the Nucleus AIO CR360 Lux D-RGB by EK is priced more or less ok. Yes, it may not fall between the most cost-effective AIO liquid CPU coolers out there, but it delivers very good cooling efficiency, looks and of course build quality and so the Golden Award is once again in order.

PROS

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

CONS

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