The Sapphire Nitro+ S240-A is a decent all-around performer that will certainly get the job done while adding some visual flair with its spider-inspired pump block and ARGB lighting. In terms of raw cooling performance, the 7th-generation Asetek-based design does better on our Intel than AMD test system, with performance in the upper middle of the pack for 240 mm based all-in-one liquid coolers on the Intel test bench. On AMD, however, it falls behind other offerings that not only perform better, but cost less, though it did handle both CPUs when overclocked with a bit of room to spare.

Sadly, what can't be swept away in favor of looks over performance is that the fittings on the pump blocked a DIMM slot on both test systems, AMD and Intel. It doesn't matter if the memory has heatsinks or not. The fittings overhang the slot to such an extent that installing memory in the slot closest to the CPU is impossible. While this may not be the case on all motherboards, if you plan to run four DIMMs of memory, you are likely going to encounter a clearance issue unless you do a deep dive on your motherboard selection.

Meanwhile, build quality is good, but the mess of cables coming from the pump makes cable management a bit of a headache. It seems Sapphire tried to offer a solution that keeps everything neat and tidy, but it had the opposite effect. The cables don't interfere with anything. They simply look ugly with no easy way to hide them since the power, fans, and ARGB lighting all connect via a wire harness from the pump. These connectors are also somewhat proprietary, so it is not plug-and-play if you want to connect other fans to the pump wiring harness. While the Sapphire cooler does offer a standard ARGB connector to add other devices, it doesn't change that the entire design is more complicated than it needs to be, and results in higher cost.

Finally, while cooling performance is very good on our Intel test bench, other more affordable options provide better performance and performance per dollar with similar features. Liquid coolers like the Lian-Li Galahad 240 go toe-to-toe with the Nitro+ S240-A on Intel and deliver better performance hands down on AMD while costing $40–60 less at the time of writing. In such a crowded and cut-throat market, these minor issues are what really hold the Sapphire cooler back. If you really like the looks of the Nitro+ S240-A and are on an Intel system, it's not a bad choice if you're not concerned with maximizing performance per dollar and only have two sticks of RAM. However, the short two-year warranty on the cooler (three years on the fans) is woefully lacking compared to the competition, and somewhat of a killing blow to its viability, especially for those concerned about the longevity of liquid coolers.

Overall, the Sapphire Nitro+ S240-A is a good-looking all-in-one liquid cooler that provides adequate performance; however, that is not enough for it to step out of the shadow of its competition.