EKWB Releases Bigger, Expandable Predator AIO Water Cooling System

By Kevin Carbotte
published

EK Water Blocks has been teasing its fans with images and videos of the 360 mm Predator all-in-one water cooling system since the middle of August. The 240 mm Predator went on sale in late September, but the 360 mm version offers one notable feature that the smaller option lacks: easy expandability.

Both EKWB Predator all-in-one water cooling solutions are assembled with standard EKWB components. The company did not cut corners and go the closed loop route. You can purchase all of the major components that make up the EK-XLC Predator 360 as standalone parts, and the Predator system uses standard G1/4 threading, so any fitting will work if you chose to customize.

The EK-XLC Predator 360 includes a Supremacy MX CPU block, which EKWB said is built with the purest copper available and then polished to a mirror finish to improve cooling performance. The radiator used in the package is a 360 mm CoolStream PE with a copper core. The company includes three EK-Vardar high-static pressure PWM fans to keep everything cool.

To pump the fluid through the loop, EKWB mounted an industry-standard DDC pump to the CoolStream PE radiator using a vibration-free design that the company is calling "Hovercore." EKWB said it is a way to de-couple the pump from the radiator, preventing vibration and allowing for near silent operation. 

Using standard components and threading makes it easy to add components to the loop, and EKWB expects that its fans will want to do just that, so it simplified the process by adding quick disconnect (QDC) fittings to one of the two tubes leading to the CPU block. The company said these QDC fittings are medical grade and will not drip when disconnected, and added that the quick disconnects can be used to add a GPU to the loop without draining the system. The company noted that the GPU must be prefilled to add it to the loop.

The EK-XLC Predator also includes its own integrated PWN fan splitter hub, which helps tidy up the cabling. The three fans and the pump plug into the splitter, and a single PWM cable connects to the CPU fan header on the motherboard. A single SATA connection is used to power the entire all-in-one kit.

The EK-XLC Predator 360 is readily available today from the EK Webshop and through its partner reseller network. The price has been set at $239.99. 

The current version is compatible only with Intel-based systems with LGA-115x and LGA-2011(-3) sockets. An AMD version is in the works but won't be available until 2016.

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Kevin Carbotte

 Kevin Carbotte is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware who primarily covers VR and AR hardware. He has been writing for us for more than four years. 

12 Comments Comment from the forums
  • TechyInAZ
    I love this idea of new expandable AIO water coolers. Very cheap and very compact, allowing almost anybody to cool the CPU and other chips without needing a beefy pump and reservoir.
    Reply
  • Johnby
    Purchased one a few days ago for a new build and looking forward to seeing it!
    Reply
  • Gam3r01
    I like it.
    Reply
  • McWhiskey
    They say to add a GPU, the GPU has to be pre-filled. How would one go about doing that?
    Reply
  • thundervore
    This is awesome, add one of these to one of their monoblock and it is a godsend.
    My only question is, how do one prefill a GPU water block before connecting it without making a mess?
    Reply
  • jaber2
    Wish it, want it, get it!
    Reply
  • Marcus Zettergren
    To fill this system (my guess is that it comes dry from the factory) and a gpu, simply use the fill/drain port that you can see on the pump. AFAIK there is no way to pre-fill a EK gpu block.
    Reply
  • afroman340
    Well there is a way to pre-fill a gpu block but you would have to have the hosing and the quick connects connected to the block, then fill block and disconnect the quick connect connectors and the loop would stay filled. Then connect it to the system and you would be good to go. Though I would think that they would sell those as accessories as to buy your own (which I have done before) can be upwards of 50 bucks just for the connectors.

    If they sold the quick connects that they have pictured for cheap, that would be awesome!
    Reply
  • JackNaylorPE
    I wish I could find a review that addressed some details....

    1. How does it handle push / pull ? .... not enuff fan connectors.

    2. Aside from the "fill GPU" question how about adding any component ? Drain QD should be at lowest point in the loop, fill point the highest. You wouldn't prefill the GPU, simply tie it in. Then you go to the top fill port (silver thingie in top pic) and fill the loop from there.

    3. Problem is, as I see it, that filling and bleeding from same port is cumbersome. The way I would approach filling the loop after adding any component would be to:

    a) Take off fill plug
    b) Add a G/14 Bitspower C-47 fitting which would transition from the screw threads to a 10mm acylic tube about 12" long.
    c) Use a squeeze bottle or funnel to fill tube
    d) Run pump using 12V DC power source in short bursts to allow water to drop in and air to get out thru tube. Cost is about $5 for parts not counting DC power source.

    This is what I use for DC power for bleeding and leak testing water loops w/o risk of water damage to components.
    http://www.frozencpu.com/products/9106/bus-192/AC_to_DC_Adapter_-_110V_AC_to_12V_DC_Converter_w_Standard_4_Pin_5000mA_Max.html

    I routinely use this method on each WC build whether custom loop or Swiftech H-220-X / 240-X series. It works quite well on the Swiftech because of the provided reservoir and Window.

    4. Video has fans installed backwards (exhaust) greatly reducing effectiveness of cooling using preheated interior case air for cooling and, in many cases, setting up negative case pressure (unless ya have 5 or more intake fans) which will suck in dust and PSU exhaust heat in thru rear slot grilles.

    With 2 ports (fill / bleed), a reservoir window and 6 fan ports, it would be much more attractive.
    Reply
  • xryanx123
    I have to disagree with you Jack.
    Why would you want radiator fans pulling the hot air into your case? And you're talking about dust, which would get pulled into the case through the radiator, unless you put a filter onto the radiator, but at that point im sure making the fans exhaust would perform better than a filtered intake. I'd much rather create some filtered intake fans to bring cold air into my case (that aren't part of the radiator) rather than pulling hot air into the case and hoping i can exhaust it all fast enough.

    On top of that, the whole point of these types of coolers is the expectancy that you will be adding your GPU to the cooling system. Meaning that there will really be very little heat being produced inside of the case, so the air in your case should have a delta very close to that of the air in your home. And about the negative pressure, negative pressure is better than positive in my experience. If you have positive pressure, then you end up with hot air being trapped inside of your case also creating dead zones. Where if you have negative pressure, you are getting rid of the hot air and making room for the cooler air to actually flow through your case. The best combination i've used was a good balance of positive and negative pressure, but try and add just a tiny tiny bit more negative pressure so that the hot air actually gets sucked out.

    The best example i can think of would be your house in the summer months. Adding just a fan in your window (we're going to assume its colder outside than in your house) will bring in cool air, but it still has to mix with all of the hot air already in your house before it can effectively cool everything. If you then added an exhaust fan on the other side of the house pulling the hot air out one side of the house, and cool air into the other side, you're effectively creating air flow that will cause the cool air to mix around the area faster while removing the hottest air right out of the house so it cannot warm the fresh air as quickly.


    I hope that makes sense, and I am not trying to start a flame war, just my two sense
    Reply