My, how things have changed! The last time I reviewed EK radiators was more than a few years ago, and nothing outside of the EK-Coolstream XE had impressed me for the money. The least recommendable of the lineup back then was the 30-mm thick EK-Coolstream SE which cost more than better-performing radiators, felt like it could easily bend inward, and wasn't really doing anything noteworthy, either. The EK name had yet to leave a mark for radiators thus, and I was quite curious whether this new generation would change my mind. Of course, I had to start with the direct EK-Coolstream SE 360 replacement—now called the EK-Quantum Surface S360—and am happy to say that it is a very impressive start and sets a high bar for the other EK-Quantum Surface radiators being tested as we speak.

From one of the worst performers in the thin radiator class to arguably the best one overall, the EK-Quantum Surface S360 easily merits a recommendation. Almost everything has been overhauled for the better, including smaller quality of life improvements not mentioned in the pros list above; among those is the switch from UNC 6-32 to M4 threads and the core geometry finally not just being another one of those. The choices made for the coolant tubes and fins, and the ensemble coming together, play well in an age of excellent static pressure-optimized fans. It also scales quite well, which is something I wasn't expecting. Coolant flow restriction is quite low, so no significant flow restriction is added to the loop over even some angled fittings.

In fact, the issues I have are small to where I was debating giving this the top Editor's Choice award. But there are ultimately some small hiccups and a few things missing I'd want to see to clear that benchmark. Not having a full black color option yet seems like a simple enough fix, but users would have to either wait or spend more money on replacement end cover plates and an Allen key. Multiple ports would have been nice as well, with Alphacool having shown how it is done, and the nearly $100 cost adds higher expectations with QC too, especially with the slightly offset ports in this sample—an easy fix, to be fair. To be fair, material and freight expenses are quite high these days to where I don't even include my performance-per-dollar charts anymore since each new batch of radiators seems to rise in cost, especially for previously released radiators. So I'll happily recommend the EK-Quantum Surface S360 and am excited to check out the rest of the EK-Quantum Surface radiator series!