EKWB Slim 240 Liquid Cooling Kit Review

[Guest]

How much cooling can you pack into an inexpensive open loop kit?

EKWB Slim 240 Liquid Cooling Kit Review : Read more

 

[Krazie_Ivan]

i'm a bit surprised *future maintenance* isn't really noted/considered as a big selling point for these "Kits" or the "Expandable" AIO's.

if a pump goes out on one of the popular closed-loop Asetek units, or you just happen to own it long enough (migrating over to a new platform upgrade) that it needs topped-off... you've got to recycle the whole thing & purchase another $90-$120 unit. whereas the Eisbaer pump is $24 on Amazon, allowing you to keep the majority of your $140-$160 cooling investment.

cars, bikes, homes, PCs... i don't mind working on & fixing stuff, so maybe it's just me?

 

[10tacle]

Excellent review. I first heard about EK's products from Frostytech. While they are more expensive than the closed loop AIO coolers, they also out perform them. EK was very smart in targeting the aggressive open loop overclocking target market builder who doesn't want the hassle of designing and customizing a ground up open cooler build buying every single component separately.

i'm a bit surprised *future maintenance* isn't really noted/considered as a big selling point for these "Kits" or the "Expandable" AIO's. if a pump goes out on one of the popular closed-loop Asetek units, or you just happen to own it long enough (migrating over to a new platform upgrade) that it needs topped-off... you've got to recycle the whole thing & purchase another $90-$120 unit.

Honestly, that's the only thing that has kept me away from water cooling as an aggressive overclocker. My Noctua NH-D14s have given me cooling solutions through five different builds in eight years and they never missed a beat and keep on cooling.

 

[DotNetMaster777]

Liquid Cooling looks very nice and I would like to try it !!!!

 

[ddferrari]

Liquid cooling looks sharp, but I see no reason for me to attempt it for my CPU. I'm still working with an i5-3570K until my next build, overclocked to a decent 4.4Ghz and it rarely cracks 70°C with my Hyper Master 212 ($30). My 1080 Ti, however, could use liquid cooling. I still manage to keep it under 70°C gaming, so even that isn't critical for me.

Even at $200, this seems overpriced to me. Decent fans can be had for $10 each, then they're slapped on a radiator. A plastic-y little pump can't cost much, and then tubing- plus the CPU mount. I see about $40 mfr cost to make the whole kit. They could probably sell this for $99 and still make a good profit after packaging and distribution.

I know liquid cooling systems are 99.9% safe if done correctly, but I still have hesitations about having liquid in my expensive setup. Maybe my next build in a few years...

 

[photonboy]

DDFERRARI,
Pascal doesn't even start throttling until into the low 80degC's so it would be POINTLESS to liquid cool your GTX1080Ti.

 

[ddferrari]

Thanks, that's what I thought! My case has filters at both the two front intake fans and the side fan, and I make a point to take the case outside every three months and blow all the dust out of it. I think that's the key to holding temps in check. Liquid cooling does look cool, but I'm not really going around showing off my system anyway.

I've got the Gigabyte Aorus 1080 Ti Xtreme (man that's a mouthful) and they have always done well with their Windforce coolers.

 

[tazmo8448]

i agree with DDFERRARI 100%