When looking at overall cooling performance, the ID-Cooling Dashflow 360 XT can be considered a good but not great offering. With the fans at max RPM, the cooler holds its own against all other 360 mm liquid coolers on the AMD test bench. In those benchmarks, the cooler sits in the middle of the pack, with the best options offering 2°C lower temperatures, while the worst performers are 2°C higher than the Dashflow 360 XT. However, once the cooler is configured to operate at 45 dBA, its performance begins to fall off, showing that the included fans work best at high RPM and are the limiting factor. On the Intel side of things, performance slips towards the back of the 360 mm liquid coolers. Now before you get the wrong idea, that doesn't make it a terrible cooler. In fact, its performance is still exceptionally good as it handled the OC tests with plenty of room to spare at acceptable noise levels. It just isn't the absolute best performer in this class.

Keep in mind that compared to many other AIOs, this particular unit offers active cooling not only for the CPU but the VRM, system memory, and M.2 SSD, and yes, it does make a difference. While the open-air test bench doesn't see a massive change, I still noticed a 3-4°C improvement, and the SSD was also 2-3°C cooler. Inside a conventional chassis, the difference will be far more pronounced. Add in the extra fan for your system, and you start to get a bit more value here than you may have originally thought. The 8-port PWM fan and ARGB hub, while not new or amazing, is a nice inclusion as well since it should help get all your ARGB parts functioning with less wiring mess. It also makes it easy to configure all the case fans etc, to operate based on CPU temperature, which considering how hot AMD's AM5 and Intel's higher-end LGA1700 CPUs can be, makes for a nice to have. Again none of these inclusions are new, but in a reasonably priced package, with an extra fan and a solid 5-year warranty, it does make the cooler more attractive as an option.

As for build quality, the unit is well-built with no major issues that stand out. Sure, I think threaded standoffs for AMD would be better than plastic spacers, but beyond that, there were no issues with memory or graphics card clearance. The overall product was immaculate out of the box thanks to fantastic packaging, and while the ARGB lighting may not be to everyone's taste, ID-Cooling isn't using a strange or proprietary connector and software; instead, opting to use the standard plug and your motherboards included ARGB software. I have no real complaints in regard to the unit's build quality or aesthetics. In general, from the moment you open the box, it feels like a premium product. Only the performance doesn't quite meet expectations.

In summary, the ID-Cooling Dashflow 360 XT is an all-in-one liquid cooler that, while not the best performer in its size class, proves to be a unique option on the market; what it lacks in punching power, it makes up for with notably useful extras and a fantastic warranty. If the unit was priced closer to $160 rather than $180, I would be more willing to recommend it for new builds, but at its current price; the premium feel doesn't bridge the performance gap.