Jan 14, 20223 min read

240mm AIO CPU Cooler Showdown - NZXT X53 vs Corsair H100i vs EKWB AIO Basic

Have you ever wondered if a 240mm AIO is better than most of the CPU Air Coolers in the market? or are you wondering which is the best 240mm AIO CPU Cooler for your needs? Well in this video, by comparing the NZXT Kraken X53, Corsair's H100i RGB Pro XT and EK's AIO Basic 240, I answer both those questions, and I also go through their Unboxing, Quick Installation Guide, their performance and my final thoughts on each of them.

Or, continue reading for my quick take on them.

Testing Conditions

CPU: Ryzen 9 5900x - All Core Overclock 4.4GHz @ 1.2V approx 150W CPP

RAM: G.Skill Trident Z Royal OC 3800MHz FCLK 1900MHz CL-14-15-15-35

MOBO: X570 Asus Crosshair Formula VIII

GPU: AMD Radeon 6900XT (Reference Model)

PSU: Seasonic Prime TX-750

Thermal Paste: Noctua NT-H1

Full Fan Speed Performance

In this test, the fans are set at their max speed to give each AIO its best ability to cool the CPU. Pump speeds are set to auto, and I noted they are usually settled at 2200 RPM in all three AIOs.

From this test which it seems like NZXT has their pump, rad and fans well optimized to give the best cooling of the three. However, EK's AIO does a decent job considering it is much less noisy even though the fans run at 2100RPM, and cool the CPU to a max of only 66.1°C.

Corsair's AIO is a bit of a letdown considering it sounded like a helicopter and was the loudest of the three and the cooling was just par with the others.

40dbNoise Normalized

Now, this is the test that I see most people will be looking forward to using on a daily basis.

In this test, NZXT's X53 still beats out both its competition. However, EK AIO Basic 240 was only 0.8°C more making this as good as NZXT's.

Here again, Corsair falls far behind and getting close to the performance of normal CPU Air Coolers. It could be down to the fact that Corsair ML fans need some update or the fact that the mounting is only a 2 point mechanism which could have led to uneven coverage of the AIO over the CPU Die (in AMD).

Final Thoughts

All 3 of these AIO's have their merits which leads me to recommend each of them based on your needs.

NZXT's Kraken X53

It's definitely the best AIO in terms of its performance. However, NZXT CAM software and the fact that you can't control the fans using the NZXT Cam Software without using the NZXT RGB and Fan Controller (which is not included in the package) leads it to be just short of perfect for the MSRP of 129 USD.

This leads me to give NZXT Kraken X53 the "Performance Crown" and the silver "Worth It" Medal

Corsair H100i RGB PRO XT

I expected more from Corsair's AIO, it wasn't close to the other 2 AIOs in this showdown in terms of performance. But, I have to give it to Corsair for building iCue software to manage RGB, fan speed and many more, is hands down the best implementation of any in the market right now. So, if you plan on building an all Corsair Build, with Elgato streaming components and devices then look no further Corsair's AIO is the one you need to be buying.

So with that, I would give Corsair's H100i RGB PRO XT the "Ecosystem Crown" and the silver "Worth It" Medal.

EK AIO Basic 240

To me, if I were to suggest an AIO cooler to a family or friend for a budget build then this AIO from EK would be the one.

The performance(cooling) you get at just 89 USD (399 QAR @Store974) is unmatched. Yes, you lose out on RGB and dedicated software for controlling the AIO, but what's the need you could do just that with your already included motherboard vendor software/BIOS.

So considering all that I am giving the "No-nonsense" EK AIO Basic 240 the "Budget Crown" and my gold "Grab IT" Medal.