Introduction

From the EKWB website:

In 1999, Edvard König bought his first computer. Soon he had realized that air cooling is not enough to cool his highly overclocked computer. So he tried to find an appropriate substitute. He found out about water cooling and shortly after he had a great desire to make his own water block. He spent days, nights and weekends developing sketches of water blocks.In the winter of 2003, the EK-7 prototype was built in very small numbers. EK-7 never seen mass production.

In early 2003, Edvard's dream came true. He finaly designed and machined his first prototypes called the EK-1, EK-2 and EK-3. Edvard's friend David joined the team to create their first CPU die simulator. Simulator helped the duo to find the best design with the tools they had at their disposal.

In 2003, Edvard designed the EK-4 from the experiences learned in the past.

By late 2003, the EK-6, derived from EK-4, became Edvard's first mass produced CPU water block.

EKWB has come a long way from one man's idea to the watercooling juggernaught it is today. EKWB is one of the top dogs when it comes to PC-liquid cooling. Having been around for over a decade, the company has garnered quiet the following, which is hardly surprising considering EKWB's attention to detail and the high quality of their products. With a long and storied history, EKWB has clawed their way to the top, and it now looks as though they have their eyes set on the world of all-in-one liquid coolers with the release of their new Predator series.

While their popularity can be attributed to their high quality CPU and GPU water blocks, EKWB hasn't been idle in other segments. They have their own line of radiators, fans, fittings, and even tubing, having branched out to cover everything needed for custom cooling loops. As such it is no surpise they would design an AIO of their own. Using the highest quality components, EKWB has released the Predator 240, and today, I will be taking a closer look at this high quality kit to see what it offers enthusiasts that want custom cooling without the do-it-yourself headache.

Packaging & Contents

The box EKWB has shipped the Predator 240 in is rather large as it measures in at roughly 36 cm in length, 16.2 cm in width, and 27.6 cm in height. The box sports a modern design with black, white, and bronze colors. On the front is an image of the Predator 240, along with badges for its expandable nature and quiet operation and the fact that it's built with overclocked systems in mind. The right side lists the key benefits of water cooling, which include unparalleled cooling performance, great overclocking potential, and the increased lifespan of components, just to name a few. Meanwhile, the back details the cooler's features, such as its all-copper design and plug-and-play ease of use.


The top of the box just has the product name and a small bit of info, while the bottom lists the cooler's specifications and requirements and has a list of contents.

Contents

EK certainly knows how to package a cooler. The kit comes in a large box with two plastic trays that leave a great deal of space for any potential dings to be dispersed, thus offering solid protection for this high-end piece of hardware.


The Predator 240 comes nearly 100% fully assembled; when EK says plug-and-play they mean it. The fans are pre-mounted, wiring is carefully run, and all the extras are just the power cords, some thermal paste, and a few screws. Everything needed for modern Intel 115x and 2011 sockets is here. However, narrow ILM 2011 is not supported unless you purchase a separate kit. AMD users are also out in the cold for the time being as this version of the Predator series of AIOs is for Intel only.

Common parts supplied for mounting include:

• 8x Fan screws
• 8x Hex key rad screws
• 4x Thumbscrews
• 2x Vardar F4 120ER fans
• 1x All-in-one liquid cooler
• 1x Intel backplate
• 1x Torx T20 key
• 1x Installation guide