Installation

The mounting system has been updated since the Predator 240 I reviewed previously, and I must say it's a welcome change. Simply position the backplate and rubber gasket on the motherboard before using the plastic washers and screw pillars to secure the backplate to the motherboard.


Next, apply some thermal paste and mount the CPU block.


Now, just connect the unit to the CPU fan header and a SATA power connector and you're done. Since the unit comes ready to go, there is no need to mess with the fans unless you're swapping them out for others or adding more.

The mounting hardware included with the EKWB Predator 280 is very easy to work with - only positioning the backplate proved somewhat fiddly, and even then, it was but a minor nuisance. I would rate its installation a 9 on a scale of 1 (hardest) to 10 (easiest).

The change up of removing the CPU retention system to just adding a backplate basically swapped one nuisance out for another. As such, I would say the difficulty of installation to be roughly the same even though the Predator 280 will make more users feel less apprehensive during its installation.