EKWB EK-XLC Predator 240

[crazyeyesreaper]

EKWB has burst onto the all-in-one liquid cooler scene with their Predator 240. Like its name-sake, it eats the competition alive, redefining what one should expect from a pre-filled liquid cooler. Elegant and functional, it is for those who can't be bothered with a custom loop.

Show full review

 

[newtekie1]

This basically is a pre-configured, pre-filled, custom loop. I like it!

 

[Eroticus]

Predator 360 review is coming soon ?

 

[mrwizard200]

Thanks for the review. I just got my unit and i am having to reverse the fans.
"If EK changes this design element it would have earned a perfect 10/10. The only other issue I will mention is if you plan to remove the fans or change their orientation be prepared for headaches. The Hex key screws are of two different sizes and in my personal situation my Hex key set did not have one that fit. Hopefully EKWB will had a hex key in the future for this purpose. Still these issues only apply to those seeking to change the Predator kit. If your gonna set it forget it and call it a day then you will never run into this problem. Still a standard set of 6.32 longer radiator screws would have been prefered."

Can you say which hex key did you use??

 

[ZeroFM]

overpriced crap . in UK H110 79.99£ vs EKWB Predator 240 169.99£

 

[GreiverBlade]

This basically is a pre-configured, pre-filled, custom loop. I like it!

i still prefer the Triton or any of the Swiftech over that one

overpriced crap . in UK H110 79.99£ vs EKWB Predator 240 169.99£

Corsair is the quintessential overpriced crap reference when it come to AIO. (quality, not performance)

so, basically that DIY AIO cost almost more than 2 time and a half what did cost my Triton Core, outperform it by a small margin and is a bit more silent? that's not what i call "worth it" tho i like the pumprad idea (even if it wouldn't fit in my case)
even if i add the cost of the modification i did to my Triton Core i'm not even close to the MSRP of the Predator (2x Alphacool Coolmove 2 120,NexXxos ST30 FPI: 8, 2x Aquatuning 13/10 fittings, 1m of Masterkleer ClearFlex60 and 1L of Mayhems X1 Blood Red)


otherwise: nice review as usual

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

i still prefer the Triton or any of the Swiftech over that one


Corsair is the quintessential overpriced crap reference when it come to AIO. (quality, not performance)

so, basically that DIY AIO cost almost more than 2 time and a half what did cost my Triton Core, outperform it by a small margin and is a bit more silent? that's not what i call "worth it" tho i like the pumprad idea (even if it wouldn't fit in my case)
even if i add the cost of the modification i did to my Triton Core i'm not even close to the MSRP of the Predator (2x Alphacool Coolmove 2 120,NexXxos ST30 FPI: 8, 2x Aquatuning 13/10 fittings, 1m of Masterkleer ClearFlex60 and 1L of Mayhems X1 Blood Red)
View attachment 68132

otherwise: nice review as usual

keep in mind the Corsair and Triton and pretty much every other AIO except the Swiftech / EKWB / Fractal Design are mixed metal loops. Only the three listed utilize all copper designs. Those three are also easily expandable. The Triton its nearly impossible to change the pump block fittings without cracking or otherwise damaging it. There is also the fact that only the EKWB / Swiftech have a pump powerful enough to watercool an entire system. You get what you pay for. If a $110 Standard AIO is already expensive for you then the EKWB Predator 240 obviously isn't for you. Just as Noctua coolers and fans are not for everyone. That said people that want top quality usually are willing to pay for it.

 

[GreiverBlade]

keep in mind the Corsair and Triton and pretty much every other AIO except the Swiftech / EKWB / Fractal Design are mixed metal loops.

well yes ... that's why i opted for a NexXxos ST30 full copper

Only the three listed utilize all copper designs. Those three are also easily expandable. The Triton its nearly impossible to change the pump block fittings without cracking or otherwise damaging it.

the modification i did on my Triton beg to differ, tho i didn't need to change the fittings on the block since they use the same 13/10mm i use for all the tubing

You get what you pay for. If a $110 Standard AIO is already expensive for you then the EKWB Predator 240 obviously isn't for you. Just as Noctua coolers and fans are not for everyone. That said people that want top quality usually are willing to pay for it.

my Triton total price is : 175chf/178.82$, well i am a little closer to the Predator MSRP than i thought ahah! if i count all current prices, in reality i paid less since the Coolmove 2 and the NexXxos ST30 were free, funny moment with aquatuning.ch ... i got them with a Alphacool Eisberg Solo pump i ordered and i didn't asked them for the kit but only the pump that i paid 42.46chf (i have a top quality CPU loop if i may say so)

110$ is not really expensive, as long as it's not a Corsair

tho i agree with you about the pump power, also the reason why i have a separated GPU loop and a Phobya DC12-220 for it.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

well yes ... that's why i opted for a NexXxos ST30 full copper


the modification i did on my Triton beg to differ, tho i didn't need to change the fittings on the block since they use the same 13/10mm i use for all the tubing


my Triton total price is : 175chf/178.82$, well i am a little closer to the Predator MSRP than i thought ahah! if i count all current prices, in reality i paid less since the Coolmove 2 and the NexXxos ST30 where free, funny moment with aquatuning.ch ... i got them with a Alphacool Eisberg Solo pump i ordered and i didn't asked them for the kit but only the pump that i paid 42.46chf (i have a top quality CPU loop if i may say so)

110$ is not really expensive, as long as it's not a Corsair

tho i agree with you about the pump power, also the reason why i have a separated GPU loop and a Phobya DC12-220 for it.

Yup in the end different strokes different folks.

Swiftech might be a bit cheaper for the pump design and location makes it very thick and no option proper push pull config also to change fittings tubing requires a separate kit for the pump. It just goes to show that when you buy something cheaper and start modifying it you can easily end up spending the same as a better overall kit to begin with.

But it is what it is. the kits pretty damn solid and I have a feeling it would perform even better if not held back by the crappy TIM under the 4770k IHS.

 

[newtekie1]

i still prefer the Triton or any of the Swiftech over that one

I really don't like the way the Swiftech ones look. And I won't touch a Triton with a 10ft pole, not after the problems with the plexi on the blocks cracking and leaking and the major pain some users had to go through to just get a warranty replacment on the cooler(Raijintek outright refused to pay for any of the damaged parts).

I like the EKWB because it is literally everything you'd find in a custom loop, no hassles with expanding like Swiftech and no stupidly placed res covering a quarter of the radiator blocking fan placement and even worse airflow.

 

[GreiverBlade]

And I won't touch a Triton with a 10ft pole, not after the problems with the plexi on the blocks cracking and leaking and the major pain some users had to go through to just get a warranty replacment on the cooler(Raijintek outright refused to pay for any of the damaged parts)..

they corrected that issue with the new revision (that and the longer pump cable) i use mine since quite a while and upgraded it yesterday: no issue so far
and that being said... they are, in most case, right to refuse to pay for damaged part as around 75-80% issue related to that were user induced (over-tightening something is not a material issue ... everything has a tolerance that you have to take in account.)

me it's Corsair that i wouldn't touch with a 10ft pole ... not after the issue I experienced

tho i admit ... that EKWB is better than the Swiftech in the end

 

[newtekie1]

they corrected that issue with the new revision (that and the longer pump cable) i use mine since quite a while and upgraded it yesterday: no issue so far
and that being said... they are, in most case, right to refuse to pay for damaged part as around 75-80% issue related to that were user induced (over-tightening something is not a material issue ... everything has a tolerance that you have to take in account.)

So they fixed the problem with a revision, so clearly the original revision was in fact flawed. But it was user error that caused it, by overtightening something, on a pre-build system that involved no tightening anywhere near where the cracks happen, so they were right to refuse to pay for damaged hardware. Damage clearly caused by a flaw in the original design...

Yeah, no, that company is shady as shit and I'll never touch one of their products again.

 

[Chaitanya]

Thanks for the quick review, there is another big Con for this unit. Some X99 motherboards aren't compatible with this unit the use has shell out extra for the optional installation screws on those motherboards. Also that installation procedure on the LGA115x is stupid as hell, I would much prefer the Swiftech H240x/220x over this unit just for the ease of installation, proper compatibility will all the motherboards and lower price.

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

Its only incompatible with X99 boards that utlilize the Narrow ILM socket. Its not really a con when a great deal of coolers do not support said socket. Narrow ILM is mostly utilized on dense server boards. At least EK has hardware to support it many vendors do not.

 

[Nokiron]

Thanks for the quick review, there is another big Con for this unit. Some X99 motherboards aren't compatible with this unit the use has shell out extra for the optional installation screws on those motherboards. Also that installation procedure on the LGA115x is stupid as hell, I would much prefer the Swiftech H240x/220x over this unit just for the ease of installation, proper compatibility will all the motherboards and lower price.

It's not really a concern. No one expects a 2011 Narrow-ILM kit with their cooler.

 

[tetrapak]

Its not about narrow-ILM. its about holes through the MBO. Asrock and GB doesnt have drilled holes in retention kit, so the screws from ek block doesnt fit.

watch from 8:22

 

[GreiverBlade]

So they fixed the problem with a revision, so clearly the original revision was in fact flawed. But it was user error that caused it, by overtightening something, on a pre-build system that involved no tightening anywhere near where the cracks happen, so they were right to refuse to pay for damaged hardware. Damage clearly caused by a flaw in the original design...

let me rephrase then.

they corrected the issue about the plexi.

75-80% user induced failure due to over-tightening does not refer to the previous statement, it left 20-25% failure due to the plexi quality used in the 1st batch (also related to a poor packaging design that they "updated" a bit tho i still found the packaging to be really not enough.)

Yeah, no, that company is shady as shit and I'll never touch one of their products again.

Shady? well they get good review most of the time and their air cooler are not bad, albeit being pure copycat of known brand most of the time... the Triton on the other hand is quite original.
(btw "i'll never touch one of their product again." you got a Triton or something else from them? )

then this is what i used before for my CPU loop (what i still use for the GPU loop atm also without the CPU block ofc )

for 179.69chf/182.72$ you get basically the same as you get in the EKWB Predator with 3 difference : 1. a 150 res 2. 1Lt of coolant (enough for 1 fill and 1 refill ) 3. a 60mm thick 240mm rad
ok the 17.27$ cover the assembly and the PWM spliter is a bonus indeed and that kit need more place to be installed

tho for the initial price of a H60 2013 (that i owned and it was the only Corsair AIO i had that didn't got any problem, beside being a bit too noisy blame the AMD CPU that was under ) i got the Triton who from base is close to a H100i with my modification i got closer to the price of the aforementioned H100i (well ... it look a tad better for the same price if i may say so)

i owned a H60(v1) H70 H60 2013 H100 H100i and a Seidon 120V, all corsair except, as i mentioned previously, the H60 2013, got issues (pump failing, tubes degradation, leak and such) the Seidon 120V replaced the H70 in-between and performed quite good for a lower price than a H60 (around 29chf less)

The Predator is a real good expandable AIO for those who don't want to get a kit like the one in the pics, indeed but it has some constrain, the major one i see is: the rad is bigger due to the pump and res integrated to it (which can be an advantage in some case ofc).

when i did my loop i had no experience in watercooling and i did it on feeling, which worked quite right.
If you wonder why i have a Triton now ... well, i wanted to try, mod it, and see what it was really worth... call that a compulsive buying, and also because i have a Asus Poseidon 980 and previously a pair of Trident X RAM

 

[newtekie1]

let me rephrase then.

they corrected the issue about the plexi.

75-80% user induced failure due to over-tightening does not refer to the previous statement, it left 20-25% failure due to the plexi quality used in the 1st batch (also related to a poor packaging design that they "updated" a bit tho i still found the packaging to be really not enough.)

Shady? well they get good review most of the time and their air cooler are not bad, albeit being pure copycat of known brand most of the time... the Triton on the other hand is quite original.

The point is the problem with the cracking plexi was Raijintek's fault and they refused to replace hardware damaged by it. That is shady and shows a company that won't stand behind their product and doesn't care about their customers.

(btw "i'll never touch one of their product again." you got a Triton or something else from them? )

Yes, I put a Triton, one of the first batch, in a customer's build, it cracked and leaked after a day. Killed the 980 and the PCI-e slot on the motherboard. I contacted Raijintek and they told me to send the cooler back to where you got it. I asked them to reimburse me for the damaged parts that I can't RMA because they are stained with fluid, and they basically told me to f off.

I know Corsair isn't perfect, I've seen them leak, but at least Corsair will replace any parts their units damage. They do this for their power supplies and AIO coolers.

 

[GreiverBlade]

The point is the problem with the cracking plexi was Raijintek's fault and they refused to replace hardware damaged by it. That is shady and shows a company that won't stand behind their product and doesn't care about their customers.




Yes, I put a Triton, one of the first batch, in a customer's build, it cracked and leaked after a day. Killed the 980 and the PCI-e slot on the motherboard. I contacted Raijintek and they told me to send the cooler back to where you got it. I asked them to reimburse me for the damaged parts that I can't RMA because they are stained with fluid, and they basically told me to f off.

I know Corsair isn't perfect, I've seen them leak, but at least Corsair will replace any parts their units damage. They do this for their power supplies and AIO coolers.

i see, well you are right, just as i am right about Corsair .. the situation is in reverse for me ... it's Corsair who told me to f off when my H100 leaked, tho lucky me it was not a 980 but a 560Ti and a 890 mobo (Asus Crosshair IV Extreme)

 

[Assimilator]

Considering the thickness (and price) of this unit, I'm a bit disappointed/confused as to why it doesn't dominate in all the tests. Would be interesting to see how it does with a pair of Scythe Gentle Typhoons, for example. Push/pull probably isn't going to be an option for most people with this cooler, so I can see the H105/H110 etc. winning out there.

 

[Ja.KooLit]

im sure this is compatible with the naked ivy kit from EK for this who want to use a lidless cpu

 

[Chaitanya]

Its only incompatible with X99 boards that utlilize the Narrow ILM socket. Its not really a con when a great deal of coolers do not support said socket. Narrow ILM is mostly utilized on dense server boards. At least EK has hardware to support it many vendors do not.

Like @xulos mentioned it's not Narrow ILM socket but the regular run of the mill 2011-3 Motherboards. It's a serious oversight on EKs part not to consider these sockets while providing a mounting kit. To top that off their website is broken so when you click the check compatible motherboards its dead hyperlink. So EK is counting that people will blindly purchase the kit just to find out that the AIO is not compatible with their motherboards who in turn will another 4$+shipping for extra mounting hardware which should have been included in a 200$ AIO. Most of the motherboards that have this issues are entry level Gigabyte X99 boards and it's going to a headache for the users to find out their 200$ CPU cooler doesnt work with their PCs. Again for a person who is not a enthusiast will have a hard time removing the socket retention and then installing a new backplate on their motherboard.

 

[newtekie1]

Jayztwocents talked about this issue and contacted EKWB, he said they are changing the mounting screws to include two different types(one for 1150 and one for 2011) and they will send replacement mounts free of charge to anyone that bought the first revision and needs them.

 

[GreiverBlade]

Would be interesting to see how it does with a pair of Scythe Gentle Typhoons, for example.

considering that the EKWB Vardar are Gentle Typhoon but EKWB branded (both are Nidec OEM iirc) that would be limit pointless? maybe with some other fans with a high cfm.

also in that review the result is ... middle of the chart (even if there is not so much difference between the top and bottom of the chart although )
http://www.legitreviews.com/ekwb-predator-240-aio-liquid-cpu-cooler-review_171968

 

[Potatoking]

EK backplate is great, I am using it with air coolers too. Its the only thing that prevents motherboard warping. Whats up with all the ease of installation lately? this is pretty much custom loop, not a LEGO set...