EK Nucleus AIO CR360 Lux -D-RGB Cooler Review

AIO watercooling is by far one of the easiest ways to get the best cooling possible without having to put in some serious money.  These coolers are generally easy to install and provide an optimal way for getting CPU heat outside of the chassis.  Of course, the DIY watercooling scene can often give you better thermal performance but is generally done for aesthetic reasons over the actual need to save a couple degrees.

In this review we took at look at the new Nucleus AIO CR360 Lux from EK.  This is a standard 360mm watercooler with a few very specific EK features thrown in.  Starting with the radiator you are presented with a standard fin array for optimal airflow followed by a shroud designed to cover the radiator end tanks and hoses.  The height of this shroud matches the thickness of the included 120mm ARGB fans to give the Nucleus AIO a finished look.  To dress the cooler up even more you’ll find diamond-cut brushed aluminum side panels along the sides of the radiator.

The pump block features a dense micronfin copper coldplate, for optimal thermal transfer and combined with a rather tall structure housing the pump and internal water channels.

At the top of the pump block you’ll find a translucent panel with the EK logo which can be repositioned to ensure the logo is always facing the right direction.  Under this panel is a strip of Addressable RGB lights that are electrically connected to the EK logo for maximum RGB effect.

You will get three ARGB 120mm EK Loop FPT fans with the Nucleus AIO that feature the EK OminiLink daisy chain technology.  This allows you to quickly link your radiator fans together complete with 4-Pin PWM and 3-Wire ARGB connections with a minimal amount of extra wiring to worry about.  Once linked together a dedicated fan tail will interface with the appropriate motherboard headers.   

Testing Conclusion
I have been using the EK Nucleus on the Hardware Asylum test bench for quite a while and first used it during the Aorus Z790 Elite X motherboard review and Core i9 14900K processor.  The Nucleus didn’t do much to assist in any major overclocking gains and was later swapped out for a number of different coolers as I explored the new processor.  Thermal performance was a little better on the Core i7 12700K and offered a good mix of performance across the board.

I did find that the EK Loop fans to be quite loud throughout my testing sessions.  At maximum speed the specifications indicate a 36dB noise ceiling @ 72 CFM.  While these are impressive numbers, I found that you can easily tell when the system is doing even the smallest of tasks.

While having noisy fans isn’t a huge deal, I did take issue with the mounting hardware used to install the EK Nucleus.  This system uses a backplate system but requires that you install the standoffs through the motherboard.  This will clamp the backplate to the PCB and despite it being a difficult task it works quite well.  My issue comes from when you are attempting to remove the cooler, The knurled nut and spring combo do not release very well and end up pulling the standoff from the backplate causing a violent, and dangerous release of the pump block.  This is due to a mismatch in thread length and distribution of spring pressure.

Overall, the cooler is a nice addition to the EK AIO family, it looks great when installed and offers decent performance for a 360mm cooler.  I like the design aesthetic and RGB placement but feel they could have spent more time on a better system for installing the cooler.

Excellent Performance
Large Braided Hoses
360mm Radiator support
Daisy Chain RGB and Fan Cables

Mounting hardware could have been better
Included fans are quite loud