# EKWB EK-XLC Predator 240



## crazyeyesreaper (Sep 24, 2015)

EKWB has burst onto the all-in-one liquid cooler scene with their Predator 240. Like its name-sake, it eats the competition alive, redefining what one should expect from a pre-filled liquid cooler. Elegant and functional, it is for those who can't be bothered with a custom loop.

*Show full review*


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## newtekie1 (Sep 24, 2015)

This basically is a pre-configured, pre-filled, custom loop.  I like it!


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## Eroticus (Sep 24, 2015)

Predator 360 review is coming soon  ?


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## mrwizard200 (Sep 24, 2015)

Thanks for the review. I just got my unit and i am having to reverse the fans. 
"If EK changes this design element it would have earned a perfect 10/10. The only other issue I will mention is if you plan to remove the fans or change their orientation be prepared for headaches. The Hex key screws are of two different sizes and in my personal situation my Hex key set did not have one that fit. Hopefully EKWB will had a hex key in the future for this purpose. Still these issues only apply to those seeking to change the Predator kit. If your gonna set it forget it and call it a day then you will never run into this problem. Still a standard set of 6.32 longer radiator screws would have been prefered."

Can you say which hex key did you use??


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## ZeroFM (Sep 24, 2015)

overpriced crap . in UK H110 79.99£ vs EKWB Predator 240 169.99£


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## GreiverBlade (Sep 24, 2015)

newtekie1 said:


> This basically is a pre-configured, pre-filled, custom loop.  I like it!


i still prefer the Triton or any of the Swiftech over that one 



ZeroFM said:


> overpriced crap . in UK H110 79.99£ vs EKWB Predator 240 169.99£


Corsair is the quintessential overpriced crap reference when it come to AIO. (quality, not performance)

so, basically that DIY AIO cost almost more than 2 time and a half what did cost my Triton Core, outperform it by a small margin and is a bit more silent? that's not what i call "worth it" tho i like the pumprad idea (even if it wouldn't fit in my case)
even if i add the cost of the modification i did to my Triton Core i'm not even close to the MSRP of the Predator (2x Alphacool Coolmove 2 120,NexXxos ST30 FPI: 8, 2x Aquatuning 13/10 fittings, 1m of Masterkleer ClearFlex60 and 1L of Mayhems X1 Blood Red)



otherwise: nice review as usual


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## crazyeyesreaper (Sep 25, 2015)

GreiverBlade said:


> i still prefer the Triton or any of the Swiftech over that one
> 
> 
> Corsair is the quintessential overpriced crap reference when it come to AIO. (quality, not performance)
> ...



keep in mind the Corsair and Triton and pretty much every other AIO except the Swiftech / EKWB / Fractal Design are mixed metal loops.  Only the three listed utilize all copper designs. Those three are also easily expandable. The Triton its nearly impossible to change the pump block fittings without cracking or otherwise damaging it. There is also the fact that only the EKWB / Swiftech have a pump powerful enough to watercool an entire system.  You get what you pay for. If a $110 Standard AIO is already expensive for you then the EKWB Predator 240 obviously isn't for you.  Just as Noctua coolers and fans are not for everyone. That said people that want top quality usually are willing to pay for it.


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## GreiverBlade (Sep 25, 2015)

crazyeyesreaper said:


> keep in mind the Corsair and Triton and pretty much every other AIO except the Swiftech / EKWB / Fractal Design are mixed metal loops.


well yes ... that's why i opted for a NexXxos ST30 full copper



crazyeyesreaper said:


> Only the three listed utilize all copper designs. Those three are also easily expandable. The Triton its nearly impossible to change the pump block fittings without cracking or otherwise damaging it.


the modification i did on my Triton beg to differ, tho i didn't need to change the fittings on the block since they use the same 13/10mm i use for all the tubing



crazyeyesreaper said:


> You get what you pay for. If a $110 Standard AIO is already expensive for you then the EKWB Predator 240 obviously isn't for you.  Just as Noctua coolers and fans are not for everyone. That said people that want top quality usually are willing to pay for it.


my Triton total price is : 175chf/178.82$, well i am a little closer to the Predator MSRP than i thought ahah! if i count all current prices, in reality i paid less since the Coolmove 2 and the NexXxos ST30 were free, funny moment with aquatuning.ch ... i got them with a Alphacool Eisberg Solo pump i ordered and i didn't asked them for the kit but only the pump that i paid 42.46chf (i have a top quality CPU loop if i may say so)

110$ is not really expensive, as long as it's not a Corsair 

tho i agree with you about the pump power, also the reason why i have a separated GPU loop and a Phobya DC12-220 for it.


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## crazyeyesreaper (Sep 25, 2015)

GreiverBlade said:


> well yes ... that's why i opted for a NexXxos ST30 full copper
> 
> 
> the modification i did on my Triton beg to differ, tho i didn't need to change the fittings on the block since they use the same 13/10mm i use for all the tubing
> ...



Yup in the end different strokes different folks.

Swiftech might be a bit cheaper for the pump design and location makes it very thick and no option proper push pull config also to change fittings tubing requires a separate kit for the pump. It just goes to show that when you buy something cheaper and start modifying it you can easily end up spending the same as a better overall kit to begin with. 

But it is what it is. the kits pretty damn solid and I have a feeling it would perform even better if not held back by the crappy TIM under the 4770k IHS.


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## newtekie1 (Sep 25, 2015)

GreiverBlade said:


> i still prefer the Triton or any of the Swiftech over that one



I really don't like the way the Swiftech ones look. And I won't touch a Triton with a 10ft pole, not after the problems with the plexi on the blocks cracking and leaking and the major pain some users had to go through to just get a warranty replacment on the cooler(Raijintek outright refused to pay for any of the damaged parts).

I like the EKWB because it is literally everything you'd find in a custom loop, no hassles with expanding like Swiftech and no stupidly placed res covering a quarter of the radiator blocking fan placement and even worse airflow.


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## GreiverBlade (Sep 25, 2015)

newtekie1 said:


> And I won't touch a Triton with a 10ft pole, not after the problems with the plexi on the blocks cracking and leaking and the major pain some users had to go through to just get a warranty replacment on the cooler(Raijintek outright refused to pay for any of the damaged parts)..



they corrected that issue with the new revision (that and the longer pump cable) i use mine since quite a while and upgraded it yesterday: no issue so far
and that being said... they are, in most case, right to refuse to pay for damaged part as around 75-80% issue related to that were user induced (over-tightening something is not a material issue ... everything has a tolerance that you have to take in account.)

me it's Corsair that i wouldn't touch with a 10ft pole ... not after the issue *I* experienced 

tho i admit ... that EKWB is better than the Swiftech in the end


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## newtekie1 (Sep 25, 2015)

GreiverBlade said:


> they corrected that issue with the new revision (that and the longer pump cable) i use mine since quite a while and upgraded it yesterday: no issue so far
> and that being said... they are, in most case, right to refuse to pay for damaged part as around 75-80% issue related to that were user induced (over-tightening something is not a material issue ... everything has a tolerance that you have to take in account.)



So they fixed the problem with a revision, so clearly the original revision was in fact flawed.  But it was user error that caused it, by overtightening something, on a pre-build system that involved no tightening anywhere near where the cracks happen, so they were right to refuse to pay for damaged hardware. Damage clearly caused by a flaw in the original design...

Yeah, no, that company is shady as shit and I'll never touch one of their products again.


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## Chaitanya (Sep 25, 2015)

Thanks for the quick review, there is another big Con for this unit. *Some X99 motherboards aren't compatible with this unit the use has shell out extra for the optional installation screws on those motherboards. *Also that installation procedure on the LGA115x is stupid as hell, I would much prefer the Swiftech H240x/220x over this unit just for the ease of installation, proper compatibility will all the motherboards and lower price.


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## crazyeyesreaper (Sep 25, 2015)

Its only incompatible with X99 boards that utlilize the Narrow ILM socket. Its not really a con when a great deal of coolers do not support said socket. Narrow ILM is mostly utilized on dense server boards. At least EK has hardware to support it many vendors do not.


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## Nokiron (Sep 25, 2015)

Chaitanya said:


> Thanks for the quick review, there is another big Con for this unit. *Some X99 motherboards aren't compatible with this unit the use has shell out extra for the optional installation screws on those motherboards. *Also that installation procedure on the LGA115x is stupid as hell, I would much prefer the Swiftech H240x/220x over this unit just for the ease of installation, proper compatibility will all the motherboards and lower price.


It's not really a concern. No one expects a 2011 Narrow-ILM kit with their cooler.


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## xulos (Sep 25, 2015)

Its not about narrow-ILM. its about holes through the MBO. Asrock and GB doesnt have drilled holes in retention kit, so the screws from ek block doesnt fit.









 watch from 8:22


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## GreiverBlade (Sep 25, 2015)

newtekie1 said:


> So they fixed the problem with a revision, so clearly the original revision was in fact flawed.  But it was user error that caused it, by overtightening something, on a pre-build system that involved no tightening anywhere near where the cracks happen, so they were right to refuse to pay for damaged hardware. Damage clearly caused by a flaw in the original design...


let me rephrase then.

they corrected the issue about the plexi.

75-80% user induced  failure due to over-tightening does not refer to the previous statement, it left 20-25% failure due to the plexi quality used in the 1st batch (also related to a poor packaging design that they "updated" a bit tho i still found the packaging to be really not enough.)



newtekie1 said:


> Yeah, no, that company is shady as shit and I'll never touch one of their products again.


Shady? well they get good review most of the time and their air cooler are not bad, albeit being pure copycat of known brand most of the time... the Triton on the other hand is quite original.
(btw "i'll never touch one of their product again." you got a Triton or something else from them? )

then this is what i used before for my CPU loop (what i still use for the GPU loop atm also without the CPU block ofc )

for 179.69chf/182.72$ you get basically the same as you get in the EKWB Predator with 3 difference : 1. a 150 res 2. 1Lt of coolant (enough for 1 fill and 1 refill ) 3. a 60mm thick 240mm rad
ok the 17.27$ cover the assembly and the PWM spliter is a bonus indeed and that kit need more place to be installed

tho for the initial price of a H60 2013 (that i owned and it was the only Corsair AIO i had that didn't got any problem, beside being a bit too noisy blame the AMD CPU that was under  ) i got the Triton who from base is close to a H100i with my modification i got closer to the price of the aforementioned H100i (well ... it look a tad better for the same price if i may say so)

i owned a H60(v1) H70 H60 2013 H100 H100i and a Seidon 120V, all corsair except, as i mentioned previously, the H60 2013, got issues (pump failing, tubes degradation, leak and such) the Seidon 120V replaced the H70  in-between and performed quite good for a lower price than a H60 (around 29chf less)

The Predator is a real good expandable AIO for those who don't want to get a kit like the one in the pics, indeed but it has some constrain, the major one i see is: the rad is bigger due to the pump and res integrated to it (which can be an advantage in some case ofc).

when i did my loop i had no experience in watercooling and i did it on feeling, which worked quite right.
If you wonder why i have a Triton now ... well, i wanted to try, mod it, and see what it was really worth... call that a compulsive buying, and also because i have a Asus Poseidon 980 and previously a pair of Trident X RAM


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## newtekie1 (Sep 25, 2015)

GreiverBlade said:


> let me rephrase then.
> 
> they corrected the issue about the plexi.
> 
> ...



The point is the problem with the cracking plexi was Raijintek's fault and they refused to replace hardware damaged by it.  That is shady and shows a company that won't stand behind their product and doesn't care about their customers.




GreiverBlade said:


> (btw "i'll never touch one of their product again." you got a Triton or something else from them? )



Yes, I put a Triton, one of the first batch, in a customer's build, it cracked and leaked after a day. Killed the 980 and the PCI-e slot on the motherboard. I contacted Raijintek and they told me to send the cooler back to where you got it. I asked them to reimburse me for the damaged parts that I can't RMA because they are stained with fluid, and they basically told me to f off.

I know Corsair isn't perfect, I've seen them leak, but at least Corsair will replace any parts their units damage. They do this for their power supplies and AIO coolers.


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## GreiverBlade (Sep 25, 2015)

newtekie1 said:


> The point is the problem with the cracking plexi was Raijintek's fault and they refused to replace hardware damaged by it.  That is shady and shows a company that won't stand behind their product and doesn't care about their customers.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


i see, well you are right, just as i am right about Corsair .. the situation is in reverse for me ... it's Corsair who told me to f off when my H100 leaked, tho lucky me it was not a 980 but a 560Ti and a 890 mobo (Asus Crosshair IV Extreme)


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## Assimilator (Sep 25, 2015)

Considering the thickness (and price) of this unit, I'm a bit disappointed/confused as to why it doesn't dominate in all the tests. Would be interesting to see how it does with a pair of Scythe Gentle Typhoons, for example. Push/pull probably isn't going to be an option for most people with this cooler, so I can see the H105/H110 etc. winning out there.


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## Ja.KooLit (Sep 25, 2015)

im sure this is compatible with the naked ivy kit from EK for this who want to use a lidless cpu


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## Chaitanya (Sep 25, 2015)

crazyeyesreaper said:


> Its only incompatible with X99 boards that utlilize the Narrow ILM socket. Its not really a con when a great deal of coolers do not support said socket. Narrow ILM is mostly utilized on dense server boards. At least EK has hardware to support it many vendors do not.


Like @xulos mentioned it's not Narrow ILM socket but the regular run of the mill 2011-3 Motherboards. It's a serious oversight on EKs part not to consider these sockets while providing a mounting kit. To top that off their website is broken so when you click the check compatible motherboards its dead hyperlink. So EK is counting that people will blindly purchase the kit just to find out that the AIO is not compatible with their motherboards who in turn will another 4$+shipping for extra mounting hardware which should have been included in a 200$ AIO. Most of the motherboards that have this issues are entry level Gigabyte X99 boards and it's going to a headache for the users to find out their 200$ CPU cooler doesnt work with their PCs. Again for a person who is not a enthusiast will have a hard time removing the socket retention and then installing a new backplate on their motherboard.


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## newtekie1 (Sep 25, 2015)

Jayztwocents talked about this issue and contacted EKWB, he said they are changing the mounting screws to include two different types(one for 1150 and one for 2011) and they will send replacement mounts free of charge to anyone that bought the first revision and needs them.


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## GreiverBlade (Sep 25, 2015)

Assimilator said:


> Would be interesting to see how it does with a pair of Scythe Gentle Typhoons, for example.


considering that the EKWB Vardar are Gentle Typhoon but EKWB branded (both are Nidec OEM iirc) that would be limit pointless? maybe with some other fans with a high cfm.

also in that review the result is ... middle of the chart (even if there is not so much difference between the top and bottom of the chart although )
http://www.legitreviews.com/ekwb-predator-240-aio-liquid-cpu-cooler-review_171968


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## Potatoking (Sep 26, 2015)

EK backplate is great, I am using it with air coolers too. Its the only thing that prevents motherboard warping. Whats up with all the ease of installation lately? this is pretty much custom loop, not a LEGO set...


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## Assimilator (Sep 26, 2015)

GreiverBlade said:


> considering that the EKWB Vardar are Gentle Typhoon but EKWB branded (both are Nidec OEM iirc)



Nope. Vardar may or may not be manufactured by Nidec, but the design is different to the GT series. The end result is that the Vardar is quite a bit louder than the GT.


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## Darksword (Sep 26, 2015)

newtekie1 said:


> Jayztwocents talked about this issue and contacted EKWB, he said they are changing the mounting screws to include two different types(one for 1150 and one for 2011) and they will send replacement mounts free of charge to anyone that bought the first revision and needs them.



That's good to hear.  Although you'd think they would have thought of this ahead of time.  How does something like that get overlooked in the design phase?


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## newtekie1 (Sep 26, 2015)

Darksword said:


> That's good to hear.  Although you'd think they would have thought of this ahead of time.  How does something like that get overlooked in the design phase?



Probably because they didn't buy Asrock and Gigabyte boards to test. Heck, they might not have samples for many boards at all and just went with what Intel says the design should be. Remember, the boards that this doesn't work on are using sockets that don't use the standard design.

A lot of the time things like waterblocks are designed off the reference drawings, not actual products.


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## RejZoR (Sep 27, 2015)

I wonder if they have any plans to release EK-XLC Predator 120. A single fan version. I'd be interested in that, so I can stick in in the front of my case. I'm not willing to sacrifice top cover and lose the silence...


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## ChaoticG8R (Sep 28, 2015)

I must have missed where this outperforms the less expensive Swiftech loop(s).  This gets a 9.5 for performance not as good as, or just on par with something at least $50 cheaper?  Also less warranty length, complicated Intel install and no AMD options.  Really think the scores shouldn't be so inflated in respect to the competition.


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## newtekie1 (Sep 28, 2015)

ChaoticG8R said:


> I must have missed where this outperforms the less expensive Swiftech loop(s).  This gets a 9.5 for performance not as good as, or just on par with something at least $50 cheaper?  Also less warranty length, complicated Intel install and no AMD options.  Really think the scores shouldn't be so inflated in respect to the competition.



This matches the Swiftech 2x140mm cooler, in a 2x120mm format.  Also, the Swiftech 2x120mm cooler still has radiator mounting issues.  So it is either deal with Radiator mounting issues that can't be fixed without a massive redesign of the product, or deal with minor mounting issues on non-standard motherboards.  I'll take the EKWB problem over Swiftech's.  But if you look at the review done here the Swiftech also gets a 9.5.  The EKWB is a better product, but costs more, that is all there is to it.


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## crazyeyesreaper (Sep 28, 2015)

Lets see,
Better design
All G1/4 fittings no adapters needed to change tubing / fitting
PWM controller built onto radiator for cleaner wiring and easier access.
Solid performance
Capable of proper push / pull configuration
Actually purchasable
no annoying LEDs


Its a premium product. Premium Halo products seldom ever have a good return on investment doesn't stop people from buying $1000 CPUs, $1000 GPUs, $500 PSUs and $300-500 cases.  Its a good AIO. Sure you can go cheaper but the same can be said in pretty much every aspect of life.

$12 Faded Glory Jeans or $50 Carharts?
$8 Fast Food Burger $25 Angus Beef burger
$15,000 Ford Focus $50,000 Lexus / BMW etc
$12 Wallmart Sneakers $99 Nike track shoes.
Regular Gas or Supreme.

It is what it is. One thing people fan to notice is the thermal limit that happens with 4770 / 4790k  You reach a certain threshold for cooling and its like hitting the wall. The H105 / H220-X / H240-X / Predator 240 All hit that same wall give or take. And since most users do not delid their CPU i won't do so just to make coolers look better. As such the Predator got a 9.5 it performs similarly and has a few draw backs at the same time it proves better in other ways.

And for the record, 

H220-X got a 9.9 Score so why are you bitching in the first place?
H240-X got a 9.5 it was bigger and louder with the same flaws as the smaller unit.


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## ChaoticG8R (Sep 28, 2015)

newtekie1 said:


> The EKWB is a better product, but costs more, that is all there is to it.



Yea, I guess I wasn't necessarily sold on the "better product" aspect.  It seems relatively on par due to restrictions from both designs.  I know the block from EK is generally considered superior, but then the pump is considered superior on the Swiftech, so there are definite trade offs in both directions.  What I would say, is that if both were available for $150, I would happily take the EK unit because it does look cleaner for my uses.  But at a 33% markup....not really sure I would equate the two.



crazyeyesreaper said:


> All G1/4 fittings no adapters needed to change tubing / fitting



Maybe I missed where the Swiftech units I was referring to don't have G1/4 fittings?  Won't deny at all that this EK units has some beautiful fittings though, not sure if worth $50...



crazyeyesreaper said:


> H240-X got a 9.5 it was bigger and louder with the same flaws as the smaller unit.



Apparently you don't understand comparative reviews.  That's fine.  I'm sure EK will be happy to keep sending you free products while you are on your knees for them.  Just disappointing, I only can come to TPU for the GPU and mobo/memory reviews these days...At least the forums are still my preferred venue of interaction.  All I said was, if another product with the same feature set, with the same or even better performance, and costs less, gets the same review score, then I think your methodology of scoring needs to be reconsidered.  Finally, where are you buying a $8 fast food burger?

From what I can tell, it seems that EK has the $50/$60 markup over the Swiftech units due to their internal testing showing some dominated performance over the competition.




 

 

But to each their own.  My initial response was in your conclusion where you said "if cost is not a concern and you want the highest level of performance"...and hence why I asked for that highest level of performance backing.  Since you don't seem to have it, and are trying to be combative in other ways, I'll just step out of the thread at this point.  Nice AIO, I really hope with more of these Asetek legal battles, that more companies start making more competitive products like the legends are beginning to produce.


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## newtekie1 (Sep 28, 2015)

ChaoticG8R said:


> Yea, I guess I wasn't necessarily sold on the "better product" aspect.



I don't see how, the only negative for the EK-XLC is the mounting hardware for 2011, and that only affects non standard motherboards.  Everything else is better than the Swiftech.



ChaoticG8R said:


> It seems relatively on par due to restrictions from both designs.



The Swiftech has way more issues.



ChaoticG8R said:


> I know the block from EK is generally considered superior, but then the pump is considered superior on the Swiftech, so there are definite trade offs in both directions.



Where do you get the pump is better on the Swiftech?  They are using basically the same style DDC pump.  Swiftech's just has that funky head/res combo thing on it.

And you aren't even acknowledging all the other issues with the Swiftech.  Like the pump/res placement blocking a fan mounting point, and a quarter of the airflow of the rad.  And the fact that the swiftech has to be mounted horizontally, while the EK can be mounted vertically in the front area of a case(yes, a lot of people do this).



ChaoticG8R said:


> Maybe I missed where the Swiftech units I was referring to don't have G1/4 fittings? Won't deny at all that this EK units has some beautiful fittings though, not sure if worth $50...



The inlet port on the Swiftech pump on both the H240-X and H220-X require an adapter to use standard G1/4 fittings.  They sell the adapter here: http://www.swiftech.com/G1/4-ADAPTER.aspx

And the cost just to get that adapter to my door...$17!


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## beardofnails (Oct 2, 2015)

Swiftech h240-x owner here. Had I been able to get my hands on one of these, I think I would have, just because it would have been a little easier to install. I also added another 280mm radiator and an EK gpu block to the h240-x and it wasn't difficult at all. My main issue with the swiftech is the elbow fittings on the pump/res are really fiddly. I quite like how it looks while it is all set up, though the res window is cloudy and kind of worthless as you can't really see the water moving unless you have air bubbles or swirly dye. So far my i5 and gtx 780 stay get up to 30-40c depending on loads, ambient temp stays between 20 and 22c. I don't have a sensor for water temps. Overall though , this EK unit would have been a better choice I think, just because of the cleaner appearance.


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## Vlada011 (Oct 8, 2015)

I will buy this cooler in December and waterblock for graphic card.
99% 360mm version. Only I'm still not sure waterblock for Fury X or 980Ti/TITAN X.
My first loop. I didn't saw cooler better and design closer to me without some ugly details.
Look very strong and nice performing but I think with 10/13mm fittings will look even better.

TPU made so big mistake that I can't describe... 
They choose CPU with worse heat transfer ever made for testing coolers.
You can't find worse model for testing than i7-4770K, it's worse even than i7-4790K.
This cooler should be tested on i7-5820K or i7-5930K depend what more people have, 
6 cores, good heat transfer, flux solder...
Not some Processors capable to OC on 4.4GHz with H100 and 4.5GHz with full custom loop with worse heat transfer.  i7-950, i7-2600K or i7-5820K. 
That's models for testing coolers where cooler can show real performance.
What can be done on some processors where water cool only 1/3 of CPU heat constantly.


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## heky (Feb 16, 2016)

Was just choosing between the Swiftech H220X2 Prestige and the EKWB Predator 240. EK it is! Was thinking about installing it in the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv matx case. Does someone know the internal measurements of that case? Would like to be 100% sure the Predator will fit, since it is 295mm long.


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