Heck of an Cooler! But just how good are they? The EKWB Nucleus AiO.

0:00 - EK is back from the TRASH
1:03 - Price Breakdown/Comparison
2:47 - Why the Price Difference?
4:14 - Unboxing VS DeepCool
6:14 - Assembly (It’s pretty good now)
9:23 - Performance Comparison
12:01 - Overall Thoughts
12:30 - Outro
EK Nucleus AIO CR240 Lux D-RGB - robeytechdeals.co/3JsTkHO - $150 - Amazon
EK Nucleus AIO CR240 Vision D-RGB - robeytechdeals.co/41TKav7 - $210 - EK
EK Nucleus AIO CR360 Lux D-RGB - robeytechdeals.co/3LdSTT2 - $190 - Amazon
EK Nucleus AIO CR360 Lux D-RGB - robeytechdeals.co/41TKav7 - $240 - EK
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EKWB Nucleus AiO's are Here! But how good are they?
• Heck of an Cooler! But...
Robeytech
/ robeytech

[@bmockeg]

Good video as always! Love the continual comparison with other comparable coolers.

[@robeytech]

Really glad you liked it!

[@jawnTem]

I've been a fan of EK ever since I took ownership of their EK AIO Predator, (which still works). dGlad to see someone else that appreciates EK and their quality products. I'm actually waiting on getting one of their 280 versions.

[@creation966]

I messaged EK and they confirmed that there are no plans to release a 280mm version.

[@subodai85]

Would love to see more fan speeds, and noise levels, normalised cooler db values to get their best temps when all outputting the same db level

[@gabbostress3432]

i'm happy i bought that for my first build. It's the first time i see a nice review of something i bought

[@ojislife]

Love this very open about your own opinions and very descriptive i couldn’t decide between this or the deepcool lt720😭

[@calebthomasralph]

Hey @robeytech Great review! I’ve been looking at the Nucleus coolers since they came out and I’m excited to to some builds with them. Side question: What open bench is that in the video? Do you like it? Is there anything that bugs you about it? I’m in the market for one but I’ve had a hard time deciding.

[@jcg702]

Good job on the video. Heard some good things about the new one.

[@tomsupf9265]

Hey Robey. Thanks for the review. A noise comparison at full loud and the temperature at 40db(a) would be great too.

[@whitemask221]

I appreciate that you go a step further and list the price of the products youre reviewing

[@djtechno95]

The AIO refreshes do keep coming this year like you said; what I think I wanna see next is a generation comparison video of the 240mm and 360mm variants of the Phanteks Glacier One series between the original Gen 1 MPH and T30 variants and the new Gen 2 T30 series; seeing if the new pump and radiator thickness influence the overall cooling (tested on a 13900K), judging the RGB effects of the Halos frames (including sticking the frames from the MPH AIOs onto the T30 fans to create the unreleased T30H AIO variants) and seeing which fan is best overall for the AIOs (including putting the MPH fans onto the Gen 2 AIOs and taking each of the three manual speed settings of the T30 into account). I hear Phanteks has pushed the release date of the D30 fans back (which from what I’ve skimmed have slightly reduced airflow and no speed switches) but I’m not sure if that means the Glacier One D30 Gen 2 AIO series is coming out at all seeing as the MPH fans have been left out of the loop for this release.

[@Trai1b1aze]

As mentioned by others, would be great if you could include an acoustic test as well. I bought an EK Elite 360 RGB AIO cooler for my new 12900ks built last year, and while the temps from it were amazing it was quite noisy compared to other AIO Coolers until I set a custom pump fan curve in bios that has it run around 70% most of the time Its still audible at 70% but not too bad, especially with headphones on, but once it goes above 70% speed theres some serious pump whine.

[@RomanGrigorenko]

I wonder how this compares to the new Lian Li Galahad II? what do you think will cool the i913900k better? what do you recommend LIAN LI GALAHAD II LCD or EKWB EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 Lux D-RGB ?

[@philmaznyk1577]

Fantastic video Roby...will you be doing a review on the new Phanteks Glacier One T30 Gen 2. I saw you talking about it at CES2023.

[@jethrokabigting5714]

Hi There, I see you removed the pump cover there, is it interchangeable with the vision once it's released? I see that the vision one's will be released on March 30 as per checking their webpage.

[@IamMxfia]

Would love to see if it holds up to the Arctic LF2 360, Arctic pump speed is lower but the thicker radiator is an entire new argument

[@redclaw72666]

Fun fact it loses by 7 degrees lol 😅 and that's due to the slow pump

[@MrAokayj]

That test bench is cool as all hell

[@jellyfishtube]

Thanks to your video I made up my mind to order DeepCool Ls720SE

[@Lonestar166]

Good video, you have a new subscriber. Just my thoughts, when you did the installation on the Z790 motherboard, perhaps you could have actually shown connecting the cables to the motherboard headers. It's been 8 years since my last build, a lot has changed in the PC world. (I'm getting ready for a Z790 build, if I can ever find the ROG Z790 Maximus Extreme mb).

[@ryutsuisen]

I bought the 360mm to pair it with my Ryzen 9 5950x. I do Photogrammetry with my rig and this AIO keeps it really cool and surprisingly quiet as well under full load.

[@justatim8143]

I have one problem, you cannot remove the backplate on AM5 like you can on AM4 so do you just bolt the cooler to the AM5 backplate using the same screws.

[@paul2609]

The LCD version seems to be cancelled due to supply issues according to some posts in their Reddit.

[@jakobbosch2283]

been thinking about buying this aio. stupid question: can i still change the color of the fans and pump with a asus tuf gaming b550 plus mobo? is there a software from asus that allows me to do that?

[@Leon-Belmont]

one question, is this one better than the EKWB AIO CPU Cooler Elite 360, 360mm Radiator? i saw that one in amazon and keep me thinking xd

[@jasperm.478]

I would love to see how this compares to its comparable predecessor, the EK-AIO Elite 360 D-RGB (push-pull configuration). I currently own the EK-AIO Elite 360 D-RGB, and I want to know if it would be an upgrade or downgrade to switch over to the newer non-push-pull nucleus.

[@smokethatgameb9937]

I would love to know myself If the upgrade would be worth it. But the Ek rep told me to go with Ek 360 elite for my 5900x. But I am planning to build my second Pc and I will be going with a 7900x3d.

[@ac_astro4951]

This is exactly the video i was looking for, I was scouring the internet for this aio paired with the 13700k but nothing came up, thanks for the review!

[@FutureVegan]

Good video and good review. Between the EK Nucleus CR360 LUX (151€ with no leds or 181€ with leds) and the Deepcool LT720 (120€) which one would you pick for a i9 13900k?

[@AexoeroV]

Hello, which one you picked? Im torn between this two and for the same CPU! Does the LT720 can really cool a 13900K?

[@FutureVegan]

@@AexoeroV I went for the Deepcool LT720 because the performance was very similar and I like much better the way it looks. I'm happy with it but have only been using it for 1 month. Have no complaints so far. 13900k / z790 carbon / 64 gb corsair 6000 mhz cl30 ram / corsair rm1000x shift / deepcool lt720 / rtx 3900. I use my pc for editing videos and will do some streaming later on this year.

[@AexoeroV]

@@FutureVegan i like the looks better too for the LT720, and the price is now 115 euros on Amazon, far les than the EK Nucleus which i can find at 190 euros in my country. Have you done tests in cinebench, does the 13900k throttles?

[@FutureVegan]

@@AexoeroV for that difference in price I think is a no brainer. I did several tests with cinebench and no throttles. I forgot to mention I used artic mx-6 paste. I do think I got a good i9, I've read some reviews of people claiming their i9 was very hot. Don't get me wrong, it gets hot but with this set up it's manageable.

[@AexoeroV]

@@FutureVegan thanks for the reply, do you use a contact frame too?

[@chippsterstephens6800]

All white on pre order! Cannot wait!

[@Pennywise-dm8in]

Some words about the noise level would be nice, is the pump really silent ?

[@keppycs]

Would've liked to see a D15 in the charts as well. Just so we have an air cooler as easy reference ^^

[@cheex9861]

When I saw this AIO I knew it was the one. Full load keeps my 13600k 69degrees max, I love the look of the Cooler too, a bit cheaper than their competitors as well. Expect nothing less from EK considering their top of the line for water cooling anyway

[@vabeachkevin]

Im waiting for that 360 Vision. Hopefully it will be in stock this year.

[@irving608able]

Can anyone tell me if Lian li al120 first generation fans will fit on this aio? I’m worried about the connection nubs stopping the fans from fitting

[@user-yq5od9uj3f]

You left out the important noise factor. How does it match up with other aios in the db area?

[@christopherbartleson8918]

I wonder how these compare to the Corsair AIOs.

[@Ragernor]

Bought the aio but it doesnt fit in my case... radiator is to thick. Could you recommend a case?

[@CalmConcept]

EK Nucleus vs Lian-Li Galahad 2 performance?

[@jean-phil]

the big question is : how much % faster can your CPU run with a 3c better AIO ? my understanding is probably less than 1% .. so I would go with the best looking AIO instead

[@LoLander999]

I own the EK AIO 360 Basic as well as the EK Nucleus AIO CR 360 LUX D-RGB and I haven't seen much of a huge difference in the installation process. Slightly better cooling, however, I'd be perfectly fine with using either one. Doubly pleased.

[@alphacobra6742]

Show us software for controlling the fans speeds and RGB.

[@JosePto]

How is it compared to the Phanteks Glacier One 360MP?

[@SLSAMG]

Keeps my stock 14900k running cool, with brief spikes to 88C on a single core. For a game as CPU-intensive as CP2077, that's very impressive indeed, especially on a dark hero, which by default will draw more power than your typical entry level mainboard. My ambient room temperature is 26c, for reference, and for those curious about the noise, it's a bit loud at 3000RPM (highest setting). Overall, if you've got tons of case fans, they will drown out the pump noise.

[@axi6ne8us]

Which new 8th gen aseket cooler comes with Noctua fans?

[@haies09]

Kinda sad you didn’t compare it with a Arctic Liquid Freezer II

[@kalsim]

You should put how many watts the CPU is pulling in your CPU load test graph.

[@PenguinsTechStuff]

i wanted too see how it would perform with the Lian Li UNI SL120 fans

[@Smidddy]

Hey Robey, thanks for the review, I would absolutely LOVE on of these for my 13700K. Problem is, they seem to have dissapeared from the face of the earth. There is no reference to them on the ekwb website anymore, and my local reseller has been out of stock since I saw this review. What's the deal, and has anynoe else noticed this?

[@GuidoDePalma]

they are now, also white version coming in may

[@redclaw72666]

Already bought the dark with no RGB frills for $160 😅 looking forward to it

[@choppergirl]

I don't know about propreitary connectors though. What do you do when one of your fans dies and the company has long since passed out of business.... That's the biggest issue for me. OR what to do if I find my motherboard has no RGB or ARG connectors ont hem. I mean, CPU fan pin headers and SATA and 4pin Molex are standard power supply power sources... why use anythign else for power?

[@davido_labido]

CPU pins are being used to power, you can plug them into the fan controller if you like, you just need the adapter cable that is included.

[@ZRay507]

i'd really love for the Vision (display one) to be on stock... still waiting for it for months now

[@redclaw72666]

Just a waste of money go buy the dark version without the RGB frills lol can't wait for mine 😅

[@FromTheHood]

You should have tested 240 mm versions also.

[@DJaquithFL]

Temperature, Durability and Support in consideration of Price is what's important to me. Personally I loathe Corsair's mega-bloated iCue but their hardware component choices are tough to ignore and are in general very reliable due to good choices and attention to QC. I have both Corsair and EK right now and both are good. Also, newer doesn't necessarily mean better and only time will tell.

[@robeytech]

Yeah unfortunately that’s a much longer term test. Good feedback though. Will try to figure out a way to add more.

[@ioannisdanos995]

Good video but what about noise, air and static pressure ?

[@robeytech]

I will look at adding that, but tbh it’s kind of showing in the all up cooling.

[@leonato83]

What about noise?

[@anml9962]

Help!! Very new in the PC market currently working on a beast PC build and I was going to BestBuy to buy the 4090 the one I want is the ASUS - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Overclock 24GB GDDR6X PCI Express 4.0 Strix Graphics Card - Black however it hasn't came back in the stock for over 4 weeks so I found a GIGABYTE - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Gaming OC 24GB GDDR6X PCI Express 4.0 Graphics Card - Black and I went to compare the specs and it wouldn't show up and I was wondering if there is a difference between them at all, plz help!

[@mysteriousgamingog5249]

Gigabytes been having alot recalls on their cards atm. Might wanna steer clear from for a bit

[@larslambrecht9577]

Can i yous Lianli 120 sl fans on the cooler

[@toonnut1]

13900k results?

[@Sanosuke-Sagara]

I changed two * very kind EK and also very helpful * but both models of the nucleus 360 rgb present the exact same problem and that is an out of scale pump noise with a certain gurgling noise (yes I tilted it, shook it but it is not nothing changed) So I can't say I'm satisfied with this cooler in all honesty. As soon as I can I will change it with another of the models that will be presented in 2024 but not from EK

[@savke3268]

Noise?

[@temptor7585]

been using the EX Nucleus 360mm on my 13900k for about 2 months now. its been more than great. Keeps my CPU under 82c in Cinebench stress test.. Just insanely good.

[@firetitan4145]

does that apply to like a 14900k with the intel power limit ??=

[@Tpecep]

What with power consumption? You use it on 253w limit or unlocked? If unlocked how much then?

[@firetitan4145]

Naw the normal Power Limit 253​@@Tpecep

[@deuswulf6193]

Thermalright AIOs range from $50-80, which if on a budget seems to stand out the most, otherwise the Artic and Deep Cool options are a better bet. The EK still hits over the $200 mark.

[@MrVoayer]

That kind of performance doesn't come silent, does it? Glarring omission in this review ! :-(

[@simonedwards2703]

In stock in the UK now

[@simonedwards2703]

@Pinned_by_RobeyTech Hi .. Replying as asked .. Thanks ..

[@ryansherman4556]

i have a ek basic non rgb 360 aio works great

[@statusqo1]

I Don't get it , The intro clearly shows a CR240 but you only show stats for the 360 ? Why Not show both So we can make a clear choice .

[@MrJoaoAfonso]

I think I go for the non led version

[@SuperTrololo]

I get mine today. I change it wirh my asus riyuin it has not enough power for the 13900k

[@ChrisDaytrader]

Does this EK Water Blocks EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 work well with your 13900K, im thinking of getting this, thx

[@SuperTrololo]

@@ChrisDaytrader yes it works perfectly. The Boost Clock is way higher. Its a night and day difference

[@ChrisDaytrader]

@@SuperTrololo Thats awesome news thx, i only just ordered today the EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 Dark, and the bonus is we dont need software always running like corsair and the others, will control aio just from bios.

[@IdahoMthman]

My Ek aio is amazing

[@picklesandufos7860]

what no one is covering is the pre-installed paste that's on there. I'm gonna use Arctic MX-6 as it's even better than Thermal Grizzly...............sooooo.........I guess I have to scrap all that pre-pasted crap off there. Wish they wouldn't have done that.

[@Brigade069]

What's in your hand?

[@robeytech]

Controls the teleprompter 😀

[@Brigade069]

Whatever it is put it down it is distracting lol.

[@DannyPotatoes]

i Wish this was available in 280MM

[@viktorlamtiugov2586]

Please add Krakens to your chart))

[@dibcrayron]

Try it on Intel 139000ks 👍

[@Tpecep]

What about noise

[@SLSAMG]

The pump is loud on the highest setting.

[@SilverJoystix]

DeepCool needs to change their name to DeepCheap.

[@reeasy8644]

deepcool and Corsair Both are not the best choice, I installed 2 from Corsair, both broke after a short time.. the Deepcool, which had just come onto the market, failed directly after a week of operation by my colleagues... if you look at the reviews, it is there also more and more frequent.

[@mawandaeed]

I would still go for Deepcool ls520 , great bang for buck. Ek is good but a 240 aio over $110 is just unnecessary

[@Zaelrae]

I have to be the one to do it and I'm not sorry.. Heck of A Cooler* .... an is not correct in this sentence title 😂

[@s7robe297]

What a massive L not putting the Decibel levels… that’s the biggest factor besides temp. Learn how to actually review products please

[@picklesandufos7860]

Also, Noctua fans aren't the best anymore. Phanteks T30's are.

[@highspeed_hula1938]

Until phanteks create a noctua color scheme they’re still not the superior option in my opinion. Didn’t the T30 introduce a much much thicker frame.

[@picklesandufos7860]

@@highspeed_hula1938 Being superior isn't about color. That's racist. The ugly Noctua brown is .........ugly. What makes a fan "better" is what it was designed for.....cooling. The Phanteks T30 are 30mm vs 25mm and are a greyish black. It's their cooling performance that makes them the best

[@highspeed_hula1938]

@@picklesandufos7860 race has nothing to do with the color of a pc fan; I’m unsure if you’re fishing to troll… or if you’re being serious. Obviously my last post was sarcasm based upon a bias towards one company for clear aesthetic reasons. I think what I was also getting at is that… I don’t feel the performance difference is worth it to make the swap for most people or the form factor cases they run. Example: I run a TT P6 case. I’m going to be running the limited edition EK Direct-die. Because I’m be hitting 70 on C23 hardly constitutes the need to run a thicker fan. This is of course subject to me as Im not speaking to everyone else…. I guess if you want 1 degree shaved off your temps when gaming then? Go for it … you could always undervolt your cpu as well. Idk. I also don’t see how the OG noctua fans are ugly. I think they’re pretty stylish. And what if noctua wanted to make their design thicker as well? I’m pretty sure they’d be constituted with the victory again. At some point chasing minimal gains is frivolous. Because… then what? What’s next?? Chase another degree but pushing and pulling?

[@picklesandufos7860]

@@highspeed_hula1938 not phishing or fishing homie. If your last post was sarcasm, then it wasn't obvious. Calling it racist is a joke, as it seems everyone calls everything racist or homophobic these days. People don't have form factor issues due to 5mm. Whether the T30's are "worth it" to someone is whether they find 4-6c worth it. Every little bit adds up. - Use best fans, get 4-5c lower - Use best thermal paste (Arctic MX-6), get a few more lower C's - If intel, use a contact frame, get about 7c lower - Use the best airflow case, get even lower All of this together adds up to great temps.....WHICH.......in Arizona.....helps keep the PC from heating up the room. It's not just "1 c" as you said. It's all about over 15c difference vs just using other stuff. And the Noctua color scheme is ugly, that's why everyone loves the chromax black versions. Just because YOU like it, doesn't mean they aren't ugly. YOU just don't mind. Yes, if Noctua made a 30mm fan, it probably would take the top spot again, but they haven't yet, so for now they're 2nd place. You seem to think I'm attacking your precious Noctuas. If you like them, then like them and be well. They do just fine. I'm simply stating they're 2nd place right now in temps. There's lots of PCer's that stack various min/max factors that then collectively add up to a great amount. It's not about chasing a couple C's. It's about if you're piecing together a system, then you obviously want the best, so then you should get the best. I never said if you already have a system running, you should run out and replace your fans. I think you're running off your assumptions and then coming at me based on your assumptions without knowing the point of view I'm coming from. But be well

[@highspeed_hula1938]

@@picklesandufos7860 I understand that what you’re saying about everyone going crazy to calling people racist and shit. That was an honest mistake I’m assuming you were being serious. Context is difficult via text sometimes. I’m not denying that the T30s are getting better cooling performance but I honestly don’t think it is anything more than a degree at best. I can certainly study on that though. I’d argue possibly that thermal grizzly may have the best thermal compound followed by kingpin. I’ve used both but I’ve had some shit batches of the thermal grizzly if consistency os one thing then I’ll give you that for the MX. I think the bracket for the 12th and 13th gen are very necessary at this point. Not that I have to worry with the EK Delidded and direct die. Arizona is a tough sell considering your temps can only be as cool as the ambient temp generally … that sucks. I LS live to live there because I love the heat… I don’t think my German Shepherd would agree. Also… the T30 case fans would not work in my Thermal take P6- assuming I mount the fans direct behind the front glass panel then they certainly won’t. I could put the Fans behind the bracket but there’s really no point to that. Wouldn’t do me any justice. My secondary case is the Nvidia edition cm690 advanced II by cooler master from back in the day. I don’t think the T30 would have the allowance for the front fan or even the two top fans. Maybe the rear though.

[@najeebshah.]

eh nicer box is not worth the extra money, nor are things i probably dont need, thanks for the video, definetly going for the deepcool now. that 3 degree difference is margin of error assembly and mounting wise lol. 1 either this video is sponsored by EK or 2 your common sense is just plaing garbage the way you made excuses here

[@robeytech]

If you measured it once sure but we don’t, so no the average temp across multiple runs and hundreds of data points is lower. So yes, this is one of the best AiO’s out there but I also pointed out the value with the last chart that it is expensive. Regardless of the cost I am showing you why it may cost more, and it’s up to the buyer to determine value, hence why I showed the box and the extras. To some folks that matters. Oh and btw, I would say if it was sponsored by EK if it was, which I didn’t. I didn’t make excuses I just don’t like to slam products for clicks. The data says it’s the best performance and people pay far more for far less performance gains all the time. So no I just try to approach it form more than just your single myopic point of view.

[@Goldmanknight]

Are the dark and rgb versions the same cooling perfomance@@robeytech

[@gustavmh8423]

to be honest corsair icue sucks is just for show i just want a AIO who beat the shit out of any other just keep the bloody cpu cool with oiut thee amount of shit ICUE put into windows