EKWB EK-XLC Predator 280

[crazyeyesreaper]

@crazyeyesreaper
I believe you when you say, that the positions don't change that much. But when the spread between the results gets noticeable bigger, it becomes somewhat misleading for the less informed reader/buyer when he considers price to performance and he bases his buying decision on a 1-2K difference, when it reality the performance difference is much bigger.

Let's all hope that AMD is able to deliver something usefull in the coming months, for all of us who wish for more than 4 cores at a reasonable price point (platform wise).

Thing is 90% of users just buy what some random pleb recommends them. Example people still recommend the 212 Evo yet its been beaten by numerous competitors that cost less yet people still buy it. The sad state of affairs is that the majority dont care they buy a 212 Evo or they buy something from Corsair in terms of AIOs. The rest that do read the reviews then split the decision based on region and pricing 1-2C means nothing really. Most people buy something for 1 of 3 reasons. 1 performance (least likely), 2 how it looks, 3 brand loyalty.

Then again even if the performance gap widens a small amount on larger chips i run into the next issues. Mini-ITX based coolers for SFF systems. with Socket 2011 a few of those coolers will not work hell even some various Tower coolers do not support LGA2011 therefore cant review them. To be blunt to test all options and make everyone happy i would need to use LGA 115x / LGA2011 and eventually AM4.

Right now it takes about 10 hours to complete a review since i run all tests till completion or up to 15 mins. 45 mins per test x2 (stock and oc) 1.5 hrs x 4 tests so thats 6 hours not counting install / photos and write up adding just 1 other platform would technically double that work load to cover all bases and make everyone happy would push that upwards of 25 to 30 hours or so to cover everything properly. Essentially what I am saying is i would love to go further in depth to cover more and do more but eventually you hit a point where the work required becomes ridiculous. I have a day job and a life so I cover the greatest majority of users I can and that is Intel LGA115x for the time being.

Not to mention that since the cooler hierarchy doesn't change all that much between platforms means someone can still make an educated guess as to what they should be buying. Especially since you should always be reading more than one review. While I would say I offer a bit more than some reviewers out there I am by no means the definitive source as such. Users should always collate data to find the best possible option for their systems.

 

[Dippyskoodlez]

I don't know why people are bickering about methodology including CPU's when it should actually be tested like this:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/9415/top-tier-cpu-air-coolers-9way-roundup-review/11

With the bonus advantage of not needing to buy/change computers

 

[Caring1]

I'm not a fan of garden hose style connectors, nor plain black rubber hoses, they should give options on hose and connector types.
If they used angled, swivel connectors and braided stainless hoses, they have me sold on it.

 

[Hiryougan]

Btw. are you guys planning on reviewing the new Grandis? I am very curious how it matches up against NH-D15 since the construction is very similar.

 

[Franzen4Real]

Thank you for the review! I own a Swiftech H240X and it was nice to have that included in the charts to see how this stacks up. I was hoping you could comment on the EK's pump sound. I use the ASUS AISuite to set my fan speeds, and at idle my pump makes a very slight ticking sound when running that slow. It is not loud, but it is loud enough that I slightly notice it during light/no load computer usage. I was wondering if the EK pump makes any noticeable sound when running at idle?

While I do like my H240X, I have to say that my main draw to the EK product is the quick disconnect pieces already installed. I would like to add a GPU block for my GTX1080 to the H240X, but as a noob to building actual loops it has put me off from doing so as I don't know that I completely trust myself to get all the new fittings attached to the hoses properly and without leaks. If it were as easy as unhooking the quick connect, plugging on the new hoses, and filling up the loop, I'd have it done already.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

Pump on the EK does put out a bit of noise but inside a case its nearly inaudible even when you can hear it the noise is not unpleasant. No weird tonal noises or grinding etc. Just a smooth sound at least in regards to the unit I received. As for sound at idle yes you will hear it but its faint