Review on 💦 EVGA CLC 360mm RGB LED CPU Liquid Cooler with 3X FX12 120mm PWM Fans: Intel & AMD, 5-Year Warranty (400-Hy-CL36-V1) by Brandon Barrett

I bought this 280mm cooler after EVGA's original 120mm cooler didn't meet my needs. This offers exceptional cooling capabilities and offers the best bang for your buck compared to the competition. Read below for a more detailed overview. Package. First off for beginner builders (like me) let me say that the box it comes in is quite large! The packaging of this cooler is really big and feels intimidating for a moment when you think you have to put it in your tower. The box was packaged in a glossy black EVGA-branded envelope. The brown box slides out easily and there is only one sticker/seal to cut open to access the goodies inside. The heatsink itself has thermal paste (from Shin Etsu) pre-applied, it's of excellent quality, everything is protected by a plastic coating and tucked neatly between the foam cutouts. The heatsink is (obviously) the biggest thing in the box and it's also neatly tucked away in the foam cutouts with all cables/wires folded and tied down. The overall look and packaging when opened is excellent. There's also a small hole in the foam in the center that contains several ziplock bags full of all sorts of screws, clips, and brackets, all neatly labeled for which board you're using them (AMD or Intel). Installation - one word, SIMPLE! As a novice builder I built my second computer in 15 years, it was very easy to install and I had no problems with it. First, I removed the plastic cover from the block and replaced the pre-installed Intel bracket with the included AMD bracket. All you have to do is twist it counter-clockwise and it will pop right out (use some force, don't be afraid it won't break). After I did that (I put the plastic cap back on to protect the thermal paste) I started installing the heatsink. In my Phanteks P400 case, the only space I had for such a huge heatsink was in the front of my system (attached image for reference). I had to remove the original pre-installed case fan on top of the case, otherwise it wouldn't fit, it takes up almost all of the front space. Once the heatsink was in place, I was able to mount the block directly onto the CPU bracket, line it up perfectly, and start tightening. One step I forgot to mention is that you must install the mounting bracket onto the motherboard before your CPU block rests on it. These are double sided screws that screw into a plastic bracket, usually on the bottom of the motherboard and then you just slide the CPU clamp brackets open and you cover the top with another screw. You will find more detailed instructions in the enclosed booklet. Generally very simple and easy. Performance - I've run literally every game and ultra setting (paired with a GTX 1080TI) and my CPU never went above 47 degrees (Celsius). I enabled a feature in the EVGA Flow Process App to have the RGB lighting indicate when the temperature is too high. Blue means it's cool and red means it's getting hot. It never blushed once and I've had hours of gaming sessions (including game streaming on a Shield TV) with no heat issues. Compared to the 120mm CLC model, this model got hot after about 30 minutes of intense gaming like Doom 2016. It then pressured the rest of the system, causing my graphics card fan to go crazy (not 100% of course when connected together, to be honest, but it stopped as soon as I got that clc). This offers better performance (in my opinion) than the Nzxt Kraken or other CLC CPU coolers. Another important factor is the noise level. I can barely grab this thing when it's in my Phanteks P400 case. All cooling fans are virtually silent. Quality. Exceptional build quality. It feels like a premium product and the most important part, the tubes are strong woven and don't look like they will fray or break. I wasn't afraid at all that I might bend them too much or that they might break off easily. Overall result: The EVGA CLC 280 Liquid/Water Cooler is (in my opinion) the best liquid cooler (except for the dedicated water circuit). cooler) that you can now buy for your processor in the market. It's very competitively priced and offers superior cooling compared to its little brothers and competitors. It also makes little to no fan noise, so it's nice to sit around and play for hours without feeling like you're at an airfield! I would recommend this to anyone on a budget who wants to game a lot and want a liquid-cooled processor without shelling out hundreds of dollars on a custom water-cooled rig. Don't hesitate before you buy this. EVGA has released another high quality product.