EK-AIO Elite 360 D-RGB in the test – With a whopping 6 fans for a class win of the all-in-one water cooler?
Hardly half a year after I tested the EK-AIO 240 D-RGB, the EK-AIO Elite is now being added. According to EK Waterblocks, the regular EK-AIO became one of the best-selling items after a short time, so that you want to expand your own range a little. Most of the design has been retained, but the polarizing RGB acrylic pump block has been swapped for a more elegant revision made of black nickel with an illuminated EK logo. You can find out what has changed since the predecessor and how the new water cooling performs in the test in the following article:
Packaging / scope of delivery
The box in which the AIO (hopefully) will surely find its way to you is unchanged.
Black letters on a white background, the product image with RGB lighting and the EK logo are the only splashes of color. The back gives information in English about the exact dimensions, content and features. On the narrow side there is a short list of the most important properties in several languages.
Instead of the usual cardboard tray, EK uses foam to protect the AiO. The enclosed handbook It deserves its name because the installation is shown in detail on 12 double pages in each language. But a look into the packaging already gives an idea of the upcoming bag madness.
Each fan, accessory and screw set is individually packed and sometimes even sealed, so unpacking unfortunately produces a considerable amount of plastic waste. On the one hand, individually labeled packages are of course pleasant, on the other hand, the illustrations and descriptions in the manual are good enough to find the parts shown unsorted within seconds.
You can have this double-edged sword ready to open all the bags.
In addition to the mounting accessories, the EK-HUB is also included, a stripped-down EK Loop Connect controller, so to speak. Up to seven 5V ARGB 4-pin PWM fans can be operated using power supply via SATA (no Molex, Juhu!). It is controlled via a PWM connection on the mainboard, the RGB lighting via 3-pin 5V ARGB. As the name suggests, the EK-HUB does not have its own logic, but forwards a signal to all connected devices.
Freed from plastic, you can also take a first look at the EK-AIO Elite itself. The pump block is surprisingly heavy and cold in the hand, the black nickel gives the water cooling a really high quality impression.
The consistently very good workmanship is also reflected in the radiator, only a handful of Finns are a bit out of line:
So this time there is no severe “radiator cellulite”. Nevertheless, the note that some bent fins do not significantly affect the cooling performance and function of the radiator.
Assembly / installation
At the time of the review there is still no dedicated video tutorial from EK for this new model, but nothing really has changed in the installation since the last EK-AIO. Here again the video worth seeing:
With the current Ryzen platform, the existing backplate of the mainboard is used again. The two AM4 brackets are attached to the underside of the pump block with four screws. Four more screws, which also serve as spacers, go into the backplates of the mainboard and the pump block on top. Another four spring-loaded screws are tightened by hand for the appropriate contact pressure. The whole thing is easy to do, a third party or double-sided adhesive tape is not required.
Depending on the case, the installation with a full fan assembly could be a challenge, because a total of 77mm thickness in the push / pull configuration does not fit everywhere. Alternatively, three more fans are not bad for the general airflow.
There is still a little tripping hazard when installing, because the screws for the radiator are different lengths for the front and back. So watch out what goes where! As with the last EK-AIO, the connections on the pump block are also one above the other, not next to each other as is usually the case. This significantly limits the rotatable angle, but should still be sufficient in most cases. Nine aRGB LEDs per fan let the Vardar-S shine in all colors of the rainbow, but rubberized contact points to the radiator and housing have been dispensed with. Another little tip for lazy cleaning: do not remove the protective film on the pump block until the very end, the high-gloss look magically attracts fingerprints. Be prepared for a lot of cables that need to be laid neatly.
Specifications
Below is an overview of the technical data, a complete overview is available on the manufacturer’s website.
Pages:
- 1 – Introduction and technical data
- 2 – cooler test, results and conclusion
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