CONCLUSION

   Before we continue I need to take this chance and apologise to EK Water Blocks because of the very long time it took for us to finish this particular review (roughly 5 and ½ months). Now as some of you know I’ve had several health issues from mid-2017 (labyrinth in the ear followed by a fractured hand) and since I’m practically the one behind PC hardware and peripherals reviews I was forced to push back several demanding ones like this one (if it were up to my doctor i'd be out completely). In any case we hope that this will not in any way hinder our long standing cooperation with EK Water Blocks. Coming back to the Fluid Gaming kits when EK emailed me saying they were releasing some “starter” water cooling kits which would fit right between their high-end custom loops and their AIO models I was very interested and as it turns out I wasn’t wrong to be so. Sure their Fluid Gaming A120 and A240 models can’t compete with their higher-end EK-KIT P280 which we have in our charts but as EK pointed out several times their goal was to outperform similarly sized AIO models and we think they’ve done exactly that. On top of that they also have the same kits ready with support for NVIDIA and AMD cards for more demanding users at very attractive prices. That’s not to say the Fluid Gaming line is perfect since honestly it’s still a bit rough around the edges. For example the plastic cap used with the pump/reservoir combo is hard to secure sometimes and the AluStream radiators used don’t scream quality like their CoolStream line. Of course i didn’t expect that to begin with from the Fluid Gaming sets but having tested several standalone radiators and kits that distinction was very clear.

   So just how much does EK Water Blocks ask for their Fluid Gaming A120 and A240 Liquid CPU Cooling Sets? Well currently the Fluid Gaming A120 set retails for roughly USD140 inside the USA and for 152.41Euros inside the EU (directly from EKWB) whereas the Fluid Gaming A240 set can be found for USD159.99 inside the USA (Newegg.com) and for 172.73Euros inside the EU (again directly from EKWB). Granted these prices are not exactly on par with what we see in the AIO market but it’s pretty much next to impossible to build a custom water cooling loop for the same price as an AIO one so we can’t really call these expensive. The only serious problem is with the availability of the kits in the USA and since the EKWB store tends to be somewhat expensive outside of the EU we do hope something gets done soon. All said and done both the A120 and A240 Fluid Gaming Liquid CPU Cooling Sets are not only valid choices for people looking to get their very first steps in custom water cooling but thanks to their performance and low noise levels they are also ideal for gamers looking for something unique (compared to AIO models) which is why both kits get our Golden Award.

PROS

- Overall Build Quality
- Very Good Cooling Efficiency
- High Static Pressure 120mm Vardar Fans (2.24mmH2O)
- Size (Slim Radiator / Compact Pump-Reservoir Combo)
- Looks (Always Compared To AIO Models)
- Price (For Complete Water Cooling Kits)

CONS

- USA Availability