Tom's Hardware Verdict
NZXT’s Kraken Elite 360 RGB is one of the best-performing and best-looking AIOs on the market, with chart-topping noise-normalized performance – but it ain’t cheap.
Pros
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Chart-topping performance
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Low noise levels
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Eye-catching display
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Tons of customization options
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RGB and non-RGB versions available
Cons
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Does not support traditional motherboard PWM control
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Very expensive
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NZXT’s Kraken line of liquid coolers dates back more than a decade. And along with its long line of PC cases, motherboards, and PSUs the company has plenty of experience dealing with PC heat dissipation. Today we’re looking at the latest flagship AIO from NZXT, the Kraken Elite 360 RGB. It features an upgraded pump, thick liquid tubing, and a fancy 2.7-inch IPS display with more customization options than a giant cephalopod has tentacles. This cooler clearly isn’t for builders on a budget – with a price tag of $294.99 USD, it’s firmly in premium territory. As such, my expectations for the Kraken Elite RGB are high. For it to make our list of best CPU coolers, performance will have to be more or less perfect.
Let’s take a quick look at the Kraken Elite 360 RGB’s specifications, then we’ll dive into its features and our benchmark testing.
Cooler specifications
| Cooler | NZXT Kraken Elite 360 RGB |
| MSRP | $294.99 USD |
| Heatsink Material | Aluminum |
| Lighting | Yes |
| Warranty | 6 years |
| Socket Compatibility | Intel Socket LGA 1851/1700/1200/115x AMD AM5 / AM4 |
| Pump Speed | 2800RPM ±10% |
| Radiator Size | 401 (L) x 120 (W) x 27 (D) |
| Base | Copper |
| Average Maximum TDP (Our Testing) | ~270W with Intel’s i7-14700K |
Packing and included contents
The outside of the box sports NZXT’s purple and white theme, with an image highlighting the design of the AIO.
The contents are well-protected with molded cardboard and plastic coverings.
Included with the box are the following:
- 3-in-1 fan block
- 360mm radiator
- Fan cable
- Mounting for modern AMD and Intel platforms
Features of NZXT’s Kraken Elite 360
*️⃣ 3-in-1 fan shroud
There’s more to a cooler than just the heatsink or radiator. The bundled fans have a significant impact on cooling and noise levels, as well as how the cooler looks in your case. And the included F360 RGB Core “fan” certainly has a unique look!
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Rather than including three separate 120mm fans which would then have to be individually connected, NZXT includes the F360 RGB Core. This is essentially one large plastic slab with three fans installed in it. The advantages of this design are aesthetics and simpler installation. The main downside: If one fan stops working, you’ll have to replace the entire block (or add three separate fans).
| Dimensions | 360 x 120 x 26mm |
| Fan Speed | 500-2400 RPM ±10%, with Zero RPM support |
| Air Flow | Up to 75.12 CFM |
| Air Pressure | Up to 3.3 mmH2O |
| Bearing Type | FDB |
| Lighting | Eight individually-addressable RGB LEDs |
| Lifespan | 60,000+ hours |
*️⃣ Large copper contact plate, pre-installed thermal paste
The Kraken Elite features a large copper contact plate to cover even the largest of CPUs, with pre-installed thermal paste applied to make installation easier.
*️⃣ Extra thick, rotatable tubing
The tubing for this AIO is made of CIIR rubber with PET braided sleeves, and it’s much thicker than what you’d find on most other liquid coolers. As a result, the AIO has more internal liquid coolant and higher flow rates – which helps make it easier to cool a CPU and should, in theory, lead to better performance.
*️⃣ Robust software with lots of customization
To customize this cooler, you’ll need to download NZXT’s Cam software - as the AIO doesn’t feature traditional PWM support. The software offers a lot of functionality and customization options, some of which are shown in the images below. You can change the fan speeds, what sensors the cooler responds to, and much more! You can even set the AIO’s display to play YouTube videos – or integrate with other options online.
If for some reason you don’t wish to install the software - the AIO will still function, but it will be limited to the default configuration.
I’ve also uploaded a quick video showing the screen and some of the ways you can customize it, which you can watch below.
Testing Methodology, and how my testing differs vs the competition
I do a few things to ensure my results are useful to PC builders. I strictly regulate the ambient temperature to 23 degrees Celsius during testing. I do not accept results at 22 or 24C as valid, even though in theory there won’t be much of a difference.
I also do my best to emulate the conditions you’d encounter using the cooler, with thermal loads similar to those a person would experience in real life, and tested in a real case rather than an open bench, which can decrease the difficulty of cooling.
Many other reviewers and, in fact, most of my own older reviews, only test coolers with a load running on the CPU. While this does provide useful information, it doesn’t paint a complete picture of how a cooler will perform. Many workloads, and especially gaming, will stress both the CPU and GPU. As such, to test how well a CPU’s cooler will perform in these situations, I’ve added two tests: one with a light CPU and one with a moderate CPU load – both while running a full load with AMD’s Radeon RX 7900GRE.
Testing configuration – Intel LGA1700 platform
| CPU | Intel Core i7-14700K |
| Motherboard | MSI Z790 Project Zero |
| Case | MSI Pano 100L PZ Black |
| System Fans | Iceberg Thermal IceGale Silent |
| PSU | Silverstone HELA 1300 |
Many factors other than the CPU cooler can influence your cooling performance, including the case you use and the fans installed in it. A system's motherboard can also influence this, especially if its socket suffers from bending, which results in poor cooler contact with the CPU.
In order to prevent bending from impacting our cooling results, we’ve installed Thermalright’s LGA 1700 contact frame into our testing rig. If your motherboard is affected by bending, your thermal results will be worse than those shown below. Not all motherboards are affected equally by this issue. I tested Raptor Lake CPUs in two motherboards. And while one of them showed significant thermal improvements after installing Thermalright’s LGA1700 contact frame, the other motherboard showed no difference in temperatures whatsoever! Check out our review of the contact frame for more information.
LGA 1700 Installation
1. The first thing you’ll need to do is attach the fan shroud to the radiator (which requires four screws rather than the 12 you’d need with three separate fans), then plug the fan cord into to the radiator.
View Original
View Original
2. Secure the radiator to your case.
3. Place the CPU bracket against the rear of the motherboard. Secure it using the included standoffs.
4. Take the CPU block and press it against the CPU. Secure it with the included thumbscrews.
5. Connect the PWM cable to your motherboard, power on your computer, and installation is complete.
Albert Thomas is a contributor for Tom’s Hardware, primarily covering CPU cooling reviews.
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Sluggotg Excellent review! I wish it used a 14900K instead of the 14700K. If someone is going to use a very expensive cooler, they most likely would have spent the money on a 14900K too. Also it would be more informative to those who do have a 14900K and are looking for better cooling.Reply -
thestryker The performance is very impressive given that they didn't do it with increased radiator volume. Once you're talking ~$300 though that eliminates the clear price advantage over a custom loop so all that's left is ease of use.Reply -
saunupe1911 Their software sucks though. I can't by another NZXT product because of it. I will wait until Arctic builds something that's better.Reply
On second thought my Arctic 360 is only a few degrees behind hit. Yeah no need for an upgrade. -
GentleX With multiple cables required for RGB and fan connections, managing cable organization can be challenging.Reply -
Albert.Thomas Reply
That's fair - but honestly coolers pretty much scale the same between the i7 and i9 models.Sluggotg said:Excellent review! I wish it used a 14900K instead of the 14700K. If someone is going to use a very expensive cooler, they most likely would have spent the money on a 14900K too. Also it would be more informative to those who do have a 14900K and are looking for better cooling.
The main reason I prefer to use the i7 model is because the very best of coolers can keep it under peak temperature in stress tests, but you can't do that with the i9 - every cooler will hit peak temp with the i9! Also I would imagine more folks bought the i7 model. -
cix1976 Hi Albert,Reply
your reviews and tests are great, nothing to say about that.
What would you say if a car magazine, after testing a Ferrari Roma and a Hyundai Elantra, published an article with this title:
Ferrari is much faster than Hyundai.
My answer is: okay, Ferrari is faster but it costs much more!!!
Coming back to the main topic, does it make sense to spend 250€ for a nzxt kraken elite 360 instead of 80€ for an Arctic Liquid freezer 360?
In my opinion no, it does not make sense.
I'll make you a proposal: why don't you also post a chart with the Average Watt Cooled/price ratio?
Then the ranking would change a lot.
Nzxt would have a score of 0.976 while Arctic 3.212, more than triple!!! -
Albert.Thomas Reply
My answer: With all respect, I think it is kinda dumb to compare a Ferrari to a Elantra, they serve entirely different markets.cix1976 said:My answer is: okay, Ferrari is faster but it costs much more!!!
Why stop there? Why overpay for an Arctic Liquid Freezer when there are quality AIOs from Thermalright and ID-Cooling which are even cheaper?!cix1976 said:Coming back to the main topic, does it make sense to spend 250€ for a nzxt kraken elite 360 instead of 80€ for an Arctic Liquid freezer 360?
A chart like that would make it look like the only thing worth purchasing would be a $15-$20 entry level air cooler, that would be a bit misleading if you ask me.cix1976 said:I'll make you a proposal: why don't you also post a chart with the Average Watt Cooled/price ratio?
Then the ranking would change a lot.
Nzxt would have a score of 0.976 while Arctic 3.212, more than triple!!! -
enkidude Thanks for the review, Albert. You've been pumping out a lot of reviews lately, and I appreciate the effort that goes into each one.Reply
I'm relatively new to CPU cooler performance testing, and I'm curious about the process involved in obtaining the "Average watts cooled" metrics. I'd like to try recreating a similar test myself.
I can wrap my head around finding a max watts cooled - the maximum wattage cooled by a cooler before reaching TJMax, but how do you identify the average in this case? Is it perhaps an average of maximum values across several tests? Or are you somehow logging averages over a certain time frame in a single test?
Thanks again. -
monkey_biz What I am missing in this review are the functional differences between the Kraken 360 and the Kraken 360 RGB Elite.Reply
If I understand correctly, they are identical save for RGB lighting and a different display. Is that correct? -
Kevlar08 Replycix1976 said:
Coming back to the main topic, does it make sense to spend 250€ for a nzxt kraken elite 360 instead of 80€ for an Arctic Liquid freezer 360?
In my opinion no, it does not make sense.
I'll make you a proposal: why don't you also post a chart with the Average Watt Cooled/price ratio?
Then the ranking would change a lot.
Nzxt would have a score of 0.976 while Arctic 3.212, more than triple!!!
I even registered on the site to answer your comment.
As an owner of this cooler, I can tell you that yes the price tag is high, even if I got it on a sale for 220 usd. Yet it is by far the quietest AIO I ever had and as someone that often has to work with the pc for 8, 10 and in some cases even 12 hours per day, it makes (for me ) a huge difference. in fact I only got it after seeing and hearing it working at a friend's house.
To an extent the Kraken 360 spoiled me, since after a few months of ownership I can easily ear the noise from other AIOs and feel somewhat less confortable for that. So for that alone it is - for people like me - worth the price.
In addition it also performs better than the large majority of AIO's what is a plus as I like the cpu to run as cold as possible, and as I write this, with a productivity task on the background my cpu (14900 undervolted) sits at 29 C when ambient air temperature is around 22 or so.