The NZXT Kraken Core 360 RGB is a liquid-cooled CPU solution designed for quiet, efficient performance. Designed with functionality as the top priority, the Kraken Core 360 RGB offers a plug-and-play solution for budget-conscious gamers. While it lacks some of the flair of other products in the Kraken lineup, its budget-friendly price point, easy plug-and-play installation, and smart design make the Kraken Core 360 RGB a solid option for gamers looking to level up from an existing air cooler.
With a radiator measuring 397 x 120 x 27 mm, the Krakem Core 360 RGB fits comfortably in most mid-tower cases. I installed it in the very roomy be quiet! Light Base 600 LX for this review; no issues were encountered during mounting. It is worth noting that this is an inverse build, so the pump is installed upside down, which makes the tube run longer. Thanks to the 420 mm of tubing, though, the Kraken Core 360 RGB fit exceptionally well.
The design follows that of most 360 mm AIOs, with the pump header featuring a toolless bracket-swapping system, making it exceptionally easy to switch between AMD and Intel CPU setups. The included backplane brackets support AMD AM5/4 and Ryzen processors, as well as Intel LGA 1851/1700 and 1200/115x Core processors. The pump can deliver an impressive 3,100 RPM while remaining impressively quiet even under heavy loads.
“Visually, the Kraken Core 360 RGB offers a fun, simple RGB-powered front panel that illuminates the NZXT logo.”
Visually, the Kraken Core 360 RGB offers a fun, simple RGB-powered front panel that illuminates the NZXT logo. Additionally, each fan can be RGB-controlled as a single unit, adding some nice accents to your setup. My only suggestion is to make the logo rotate so that those of us creating a unique build can rotate it so it’s not upside down. This isn’t a critique by any means, simply a fun quality-of-life feature that would be easy to implement in future versions of the Core 360 RGB.
As an AMD user, installing the pump controller was a simple matter of changing out the thread heads on the existing bracket. Once mounted, the pump and RGB can be connected directly to the motherboard with ample cable length to work with. With pre-applied thermal paste in place, installing it on the CPU is quick. The whole process takes about 40 minutes from unboxing to powering up, assuming you have good cable management in place.
The Kraken Core 360 RGB features a three-fan/single-frame design, making installation just as simple. After mounting the fan rack to the radiator, everything is connected via one RGB and one power cable, leaving plenty of room on your fan controller for additional fans. The included fans are PWM (Pulse Width Modulation)- enabled and support variable speed control via your preferred system control software.
“Designed with functionality as the top priority, the Kraken Core 360 RGB offers a plug-and-play solution for budget-conscious gamers.”
On that note, I was a little surprised to see that while the Core 360 RGB offers many of the features of some of the other AIOs in the Kraken lineup, from PWM fans to RGB, it isn’t recognized by the NZXT CAM software. Thankfully, it can be managed by a host of other fan control applications, and was immediately recognized by my management tools when powered on. It just seems odd that NZXT wouldn’t provide software support for their own hardware.
As for performance, the Kraken Core 360 RGB runs quite well. In stress tests, the system maintained temperatures below 90℃ on the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, even during longer runs of the Heavyload software. While it did require the fans to run at full speed for the duration of the test (as intended), the system was still incredibly quiet, never exceeding 33 dB just outside the case.
As for game testing, the Kraken Core 360 RGB consistently maintained an average temperature of around 65℃ across all titles. DOOM: The Dark Ages, running on the Nightmare graphics preset, saw it creep up to around 70℃ a few times during the test, but the AIO kept the CPU cool throughout.
In everyday productivity tasks, such as writing this review, checking email, and streaming content, the Kraken Core 360 RGB has no issue keeping CPU temperatures under 50℃. While that does creep up when performing more load-intensive tasks, such as rendering video, the Core 360 RGB still easily keeps temperatures under the 65℃ threshold.
Overall, the Kraken Core 360 RGB is a solid AIO solution. NZXT has done an excellent job of creating a streamlined, performance-focused cooler. It cools quite well and quietly, two things necessary to be competitive into days AIO market. Its simple, plug-and-play design and budget-friendly price keep it a lucrative option in a market saturated with AIO solutions.
