I will get straight to the point if you are looking for the best performing 240 mm all-in-one liquid cooler; the ID-Cooling Dashflow 240 Black Basic isn't it. There are better options from a pure cooling performance standpoint in the 240 mm category if money is no object. However, that doesn't mean it is a bad AIO. In fact, it is a stellar performer when you consider the highly attractive price point of $70. Of all the AIOs I have tested, the Dashflow 240 Black Basic delivers the best performance per dollar in its class. It managed to handle both our Intel and AMD test benches with room to spare, and it won't break the bank. Put another way, in the OC FPU extreme torture test, it was 2°C behind the Corsair H100i PRO RGB while tying the Alphacool Core Ocean T38 and CM MasterLiquid PL240 Flux on our AMD Ryzen 9 3900X. Looking at the Intel Core i9-10900K, it beat the Corsair unit while coming 2°C behind the other two offerings mentioned above. The only liquid cooler that even comes close in a value comparison is the Alphacool Core Ocean T38. Even then, the ID-Cooling Dashflow 240 Black Basic holds a noticeable lead.

On the performance front, its biggest weakness is in regard to noise output. At 25% PWM, the unit hit 39 dBA, which is 4 dBA above our typical noise floor. It also hits 55 dBA at max RPM. What I can say is that the noise is not really pump-related. While the pump is audible with the fans at 25% PWM, the noise is a deeper whirring sound that wasn't unpleasant but was noticeable. Beyond 25% PWM, the only noticeable noise is from the airflow of the fans. I encountered no odd humming or negative tonal noises during testing, so while the unit isn't the quietest of the bunch, it wasn't as bad as the data would lead you to believe. Still, it was noticeable, and is worth mentioning. The next weakness was the mounting hardware, and even then, I consider it more of a minor issue. The hardware worked well, and I encountered no problems. It just has room for improvement. A design with threaded stand-offs is always easier to install than trying to hold a bracket, screw, and spacer along with a backplate until it is secured.

As for build quality, the unit is well built, but it lacks attention to detail in regard to the white LEDS on the pump block. I honestly didn't even know the unit had lighting at first until I stared at it for a bit and decided to kill the lights. The LEDs act almost like white or silver accent trim, if you will, more than a source of illumination. I feel the lighting is weak enough ID-Cooling could have just omitted it altogether to save a few more bucks. Still, it does add to the unit's visual appeal, and it wasn't unpleasant, so it's more of a "hey, it's here" situation. As with most liquid coolers, I also didn't encounter any problems with memory or GPU clearance, which is always a plus. Furthermore, the three-year warranty, while not great, is a step up from baseline one to two-year warranties seen on other entry-level AIOs.

Overall the ID-Cooling Dashflow 240 Black Basic is a great example of a liquid cooler that drops luxury features to deliver solid performance at a budget-friendly price while still looking good in the process. Therefore I have no problem recommending it.