Test setup and results …
For this review of the NZXT Kraken Core 360 RGB water cooling system, we are using our AMD AM5 test system, which consists of the following components.
| Mainboard | NZXT N7 B850 |
| SSD | Crucial T700 1TB M.2 PCIe 5.0 NVMe SSD CT1000T700SSD3 |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D |
| RAM | 2x 32GB DDR5-6400 |
| PSU | Seasonic Prime TX-1300 |
| Graphics card | AMD Radeon RX9070XT |
| Operating System | Windows 11 – Version 25H2 |
Measurements …
For the performance test, we stress the processor using the Prime 95 Small FFT test program to generate maximum heat in the CPU. We set the pump to 100% PWM and measure the CPU temperature at various fan speeds. At an ambient temperature of approximately 23°C, the Kraken Core 360 RGB Water Cooling system had no trouble adequately cooling the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor – overclocked with PBO – even at just 10% PWM. Thanks to the 360mm radiator, the fans only had to spin at 650 RPM to keep the CPU at a maximum of 86.4°C. At 1,000 RPM, the CPU temperature is already a comfortable 81.2°C. If you increase the fan speed to 1,600 RPM, the CPU temperature drops by another 1.7°C to 79.5°C. At 2,000 RPM – where noise levels are already noticeably higher – you can still achieve a slight temperature reduction, bringing the Ryzen 9800X3D processor down to 77.9°C. However, the final 400 RPM do not yield any significant further temperature reduction, as we measure 77.8°C at 2,400 RPM.
In summary, the NZXT Kraken Core 360 RGB CPU water cooler easily handles the 150W of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor and is also suitable for processors with significantly higher power dissipation.
Noise level …
At full power, the pump produces only a faint hum that can be heard, at best, in PCs designed for exceptionally low noise levels. As soon as a few case fans are running and a high-performance graphics card is installed in the PC, the pump is no longer audible. For particularly quiet operation, however, you could also throttle the pump slightly, though this is unlikely to be necessary in most cases.
The 360mm single-frame fan also impresses with its good performance and low noise level. At 10% PWM and 650 RPM, the triple-fan setup runs pleasantly quietly and easily dissipates 150W of heat. Up to 1,600 RPM, the cooling performance increases significantly while remaining at an acceptable noise level. At higher RPMs, the noise level then rises sharply, though this barely results in any improvement in temperatures at 150W of heat dissipation.
The Kraken Core 360 RGB liquid cooler is therefore suitable for both quiet PC builds and high-performance PCs, offering plenty of flexibility to find your personal sweet spot between noise level and cooling performance.
NZXT Kraken Core 360 RGB Lighting …