EK Predator 240 Review
Category : Watercooling
Published by Marc Büchel on 04.01.16
With their Predator 240 EK Water Blocks have a pre-assembled watercooling unit in their portfolio, which is entirely based on custom parts from their extensive line-up. This makes the Predator 240 powerful and at the same time easily expandable. At this point we're very curious to find out how this watercooler performs and wheter it's a convincing product or not.
Today we have the pleasure of checking out the EK Water Blocks Predator 240 pre-assembled and expandable liquid cooling system, which should be perfectly suitable for powerful gaming PCs or rigs which need good cooling and decent temperatures. With this pre-assembled kit EK basically went through their portfolio and took a 240mm CoolStream PE radiator, two Vardar F4-120ER fans, a DDC PWM controlled pump, their Supremacy MX CPU block and their ZMT industry grade tubes as well as suitable fittings. Apparently they had to make everything fit in order to give useres the all-in-one experience while mainting simple expandability. On one end of the radiator there is a small reservoir which features the integrated DDC pump. This makes the unit quite a bit longer than other AiOs and since the radiator is thicker than your usual all-in-one as well, this is not a small pre-assembled system. In the end this means, that you'll get a very well performing watercooling system but at the same time you need to check whether there is enough space in your case to install it.
As it can also be seen on the pictures, the manufacturing quality of the Predator 240 is quite impressive. EK Water Blocks decided to go for high quality components as well as materials. The Predator 240 measures a whopping 295 x 133 x 68 mm. The radiator has been made from aluminum using copper fins and the Supremacy MX CPU block is made from copper as well radiator made from aluminium and a water block with an integrated pump and reservoir mounted on top of them. If you plan on expandind the loop or if you want to change the tubes you'll have to refill the loop and for that purpose you find two fill ports, where one has been integrated into the reservoir and the other is on the opposite side of the radiator. EK is bundling the Predator 240 with their high-end Vardar F4-120ER fans, which feature high static pressure, are PWM-controlled and support operation speeds from 500 to 2200 RPM. Both fans come with four pin headers and are connected to a daughter board. Also connected to that daughter board is the PWM-controlled DDC pump. This makes it very easy to make the Predator 240 run silent.
Specifications |
||
| Model |
EK-XLC Predator 240 |
EK-XLC Predator 360 |
| Type | Pre-assembled, expandable All-in-One Watercooler | Pre-assembled, expandable All-in-One Watercooler |
| Dimensions | 295 x 133 x 68 mm (L x W x H) | 415 x 133 x 68 mm (L x W x H) |
| Provided Fan(s) | 2 x EK-Vardar F4-120ER Predator Edition | 3 x EK-Vardar F4-120ER Predator Edition |
| Supported Fan(s) | 4 x 120 mm | 6 x 120 mm |
| CPU Block base plate Material | Copper | Copper |
| Radiator Material | Aluminium caseing, copper fins | Aluminium caseing, copper fins |
| Tube | ZMT Tube | ZMT Tube |
| Socket Support | Intel LGA 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 2011 (-3) | Intel LGA 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 2011 (-3) |
| Thermal compound | EK-TIM Ectotherm 1g | EK-TIM Ectotherm 1g |
| Product Page | EK-XLC Predator 240 | EK-XLC Predator 360 |
The bundle is pretty compact, since this watercooler is only compatible with Intel sockets. Apart from that, most of the mounting kit is pre-assembled, which doesn't leave a of small parts for additional plastic bags. There is basically a back-plate, fan screws, thermal compound and a power cable with SATA connector.
| Page 1 - Presentation / Specifications |
| Page 2 - Photo Gallery |
| Page 3 - Installation & Test Setup |
| Page 4 - Absolute Performance |
| Page 5 - PWM Performance |
| Page 6 - Conclusion |
Photo Gallery
| Page 1 - Presentation / Specifications |
| Page 2 - Photo Gallery |
| Page 3 - Installation & Test Setup |
| Page 4 - Absolute Performance |
| Page 5 - PWM Performance |
| Page 6 - Conclusion |
Installation
The installation procedure is quite easy, simple and practical. It is pretty much self-explanatory and in case you are not familiar with AIO liquid systems, everything is clearly explained in the manual. The design is not completely tool-less as you will still need a screwdriver in order to mount the fans and the backplate (if necessary). The pressure on the CPU is very good and there won't be any clearance issues with regarding the the memory.
Test Setup |
|
| Cooler |
|
| Mainboard | ASUS Z87-Deluxe (BIOS 1602) |
| CPU | Intel Core i7-4770K Stock (Turbo On / HT On) |
| Memory | ADATA XPG V2 2x4GB DDR3-2800 CL12 1.65V |
| Video | Intel HD Graphics 4600 |
| Software |
Windows 7 x64 wPrime Benchmark v2.10 CPUID HWMonitor 1.24.0 |
| PSU | Seasonic Platinum SS-660XP2 |
| Fan Controller | Lamptron FC5 V3 |
| Thermal Compound | Pre-applied |
| Page 1 - Presentation / Specifications |
| Page 2 - Photo Gallery |
| Page 3 - Installation & Test Setup |
| Page 4 - Absolute Performance |
| Page 5 - PWM Performance |
| Page 6 - Conclusion |
Absolute Performance
Temperatures
| 7V | Idle | Load |
| EK-XLC Predator 240 | 32 °C | 49 °C |
| Deepcool Captain 360 | 31 °C | 50 °C |
| Fractal Design Kelvin S36 | 31 °C | 50 °C |
| Enermax Liqtech 120X | 32 °C | 50 °C |
| Raijintek Triton | 32 °C | 50 °C |
| Deepcool Maelstrom 240 | 31 °C | 51 °C |
| Corsair H75 Single Fan | 32 °C | 51 °C |
| Enermax Liqtech 240X | 32 °C | 51 °C |
| Noctua NH-D15S | 32 °C | 51 °C |
| Corsair H90 Single Fan | 33 °C | 51 °C |
| Corsair H110 Dual Fan | 33 °C | 51 °C |
| Noctua NH-D15 Dual Fan | 33 °C | 51 °C |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow IB-E | 33 °C | 51 °C |
| Noctua NH-C14S | 32 °C | 52 °C |
| NZXT Kraken X61 | 32 °C | 52 °C |
| SilverStone Tundra TD02-Lite | 32 °C | 52 °C |
| Cooler Master Nepton 240M | 33 °C | 53 °C |
| Cryorig R1 Universal | 33 °C | 53 °C |
| Fractal Design Kelvin S24 | 32 °C | 53 °C |
| Noctua NH-U12S Dual Fan | 33 °C | 53 °C |
| Noctua NH-D15 Single Fan | 34 °C | 53 °C |
| Thermalright Archon IB-E X2 | 34 °C | 53 °C |
| Raijintek Nemesis Dual Fan | 34 °C | 54 °C |
| Cooler Master Nepton 140XL Dual Fan | 35 °C | 55 °C |
| Deepcool Maelstrom 120 | 35 °C | 55 °C |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow ITX | 36 °C | 55 °C |
| Enermax ETS-T40 Black Twister | 34 °C | 56 °C |
| NZXT Kraken X41 | 34 °C | 56 °C |
| Enermax ETS-T40 White Claster | 35 °C | 56 °C |
| Raijintek Nemesis Single Fan | 35 °C | 56 °C |
| NZXT Kraken X31 | 35 °C | 56 °C |
| Cooler Master Nepton 140XL Single Fan | 36 °C | 56 °C |
| Antec Kühler H2O 1250 | 37 °C | 56 °C |
| Fractal Design Kelvin T12 | 36 °C | 57 °C |
| Noctua NH-U12S Single Fan | 34 °C | 57 °C |
| Thermalright Macho Rev.B | 36 °C | 57 °C |
| Raijintek Themis EVO | 34 °C | 57 °C |
| be quiet Pure Rock | 36 °C | 58 °C |
| Scythe Ashura | 36 °C | 58 °C |
| Antec Kühler H2O 950 | 37 °C | 59 °C |
| Raijintek Pallas | 37 °C | 59 °C |
| Cooler Master Hyper 103 | 36 °C | 60 °C |
| Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure | 36 °C | 61 °C |
| Prolimatech Lynx | 35 °C | 63 °C |
| Cooler Master Hyper 612 Ver. 2 | 37 °C | 64 °C |
| Thermolab Bada 2010 | 39 °C | 64 °C |
| Scythe IORI Scior-1000 | 39 °C | 65 °C |
| Lepa LV12 | 36 °C | 66 °C |
| Thermolab LP-53 | 38 °C | 69 °C |
| Enermax ETS-N30 | 37 °C | 73 °C |
| Thermolab ITX30 | 38 °C | 75 °C |
| Intel Stock | 39 °C | 83 °C |
To measure the cooling capacity we took temperatures in idle and load with the fans at 7 and 12 V. The idle temperature represents the lowest temperature hit by the processor package after 10 minutes in idle. The load temperature is the highest temperature hit by the processor after one pass of wPrime v2.10. The wPrime test takes 4 minutes and puts load on all 8 threads. Room temperature is at 25°C.
| 12V | Idle | Load |
| Deepcool Captain 360 | 30 °C | 48 °C |
| Fractal Design Kelvin S36 | 30 °C | 49 °C |
| EK-XLC Predator 240 | 31 °C | 49 °C |
| Raijintek Triton | 31 °C | 49 °C |
| Corsair H90 Single Fan | 32 °C | 50 °C |
| Corsair H110 Dual Fan | 32 °C | 50 °C |
| Noctua NH-D15S | 31 °C | 50 °C |
| Noctua NH-D15 Dual Fan | 32 °C | 50 °C |
| Deepcool Maelstrom 240 | 33 °C | 50 °C |
| NZXT Kraken X61 | 31 °C | 50 °C |
| Fractal Design Kelvin S24 | 31 °C | 51 °C |
| Noctua NH-C14S | 31 °C | 51 °C |
| SilverStone Tundra TD-02 Lite | 31 °C | 51 °C |
| Corsair H75 Single Fan | 32 °C | 51 °C |
| Enermax Liqtech 240X | 32 °C | 51 °C |
| Noctua NH-U12S Dual Fan | 33 °C | 51 °C |
| Cooler Master Nepton 240M | 32 °C | 52 °C |
| Cryorig R1 Universal | 32 °C | 52 °C |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow IB-E | 32 °C | 52 °C |
| Thermalright Archon IB-E X2 | 33 °C | 52 °C |
| Enermax Liqtech 120X | 31 °C | 53 °C |
| Deepcool Maelstrom 120 | 33 °C | 53 °C |
| Noctua NH-U12S Single Fan | 33 °C | 53 °C |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow ITX | 34 °C | 53 °C |
| Fractal Design Kelvin T12 | 34 °C | 54 °C |
| NZXT Kraken X41 | 33 °C | 54 °C |
| Cooler Master Nepton 140XL Dual Fan | 33 °C | 54 °C |
| Raijintek Nemesis Dual Fan | 33 °C | 54 °C |
| Raijintek Themis EVO | 33 °C | 54 °C |
| Enermax ETS-T40 White Claster | 34 °C | 54 °C |
| Noctua NH-D15 Single Fan | 33 °C | 55 °C |
| NZXT Kraken X31 | 34 °C | 55 °C |
| Prolimatech Lynx | 34 °C | 55 °C |
| Raijintek Nemesis Single Fan | 34 °C | 55 °C |
| Scythe Ashura | 34 °C | 55 °C |
| Antec Kühler H2O 1250 | 35 °C | 55 °C |
| Enermax ETS-T40 Black Twister | 35 °C | 55 °C |
| Thermalright Macho Rev.B | 34 °C | 55 °C |
| be quiet Pure Rock | 35 °C | 56 °C |
| Antec Kühler H2O 950 | 36 °C | 56 °C |
| Raijintek Pallas | 36 °C | 56 °C |
| Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure | 34 °C | 57 °C |
| Cooler Master Nepton 140XL Single Fan | 34 °C | 57 °C |
| Lepa LV12 | 35 °C | 57 °C |
| Cooler Master Hyper 103 | 36 °C | 58 °C |
| Cooler Master Hyper 612 Ver. 2 | 35 °C | 59 °C |
| Scythe IORI Scior-1000 | 37 °C | 60 °C |
| Thermolab Bada 2010 | 39 °C | 64 °C |
| Thermolab LP-53 | 37 °C | 65 °C |
| Enermax ETS-N30 | 34 °C | 68 °C |
| Thermolab ITX30 | 36 °C | 69 °C |
| Intel Stock | 35 °C | 70 °C |
Fan Speeds
| 7 Volt | 12 Volt | |
| Raijintek Nemesis Single Fan | 840 rpm | 1'180 rpm |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow IB-E | 840 rpm | 1'320 rpm |
| Enermax Liqtech 240X | 750 rpm | 1'300 rpm |
| Raijintek Nemesis Dual Fan | 780 rpm | 1'200 rpm |
| Cooler Master Hyper 612 Ver. 2 | 520 rpm | 1'260 rpm |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow ITX | 840 rpm | 1'320 rpm |
| Thermalright Archon IB-E X2 | 780 rpm | 1'380 rpm |
| Cryorig R1 Universal | 960 rpm | 1'440 rpm |
| Raijintek Pallas | 960 rpm | 1'440 rpm |
| Scythe Ashura | 600 rpm | 1'440 rpm |
| Noctua NH-U12S Dual Fan | 900 rpm | 1'500 rpm |
| Thermalright Macho Rev.B | 780 rpm | 1'320 rpm |
| Noctua NH-U12S Single Fan | 900 rpm | 1'500 rpm |
| Corsair H90 Single Fan | 960 rpm | 1'500 rpm |
| Corsair H110 Dual Fan | 960 rpm | 1'500 rpm |
| Noctua NH-C14S | 960 rpm | 1'500 rpm |
| Noctua NH-D15S | 960 rpm | 1'500 rpm |
| Raijintek Themis EVO | 960 rpm | 1'500 rpm |
| Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure | 660 rpm | 1'530 rpm |
| Fractal Design Kelvin S24 | 1'270 rpm | 1'540 rpm |
| be quiet Pure Rock | 1'000 rpm | 1'560 rpm |
| Noctua NH-D15 Dual Fan | 960 rpm | 1'560 rpm |
| Noctua NH-D15 Single Fan | 1'020 rpm | 1'560 rpm |
| Fractal Design Kelvin S36 | 1'400 rpm | 1'740 rpm |
| Prolimatech Lynx | 600 rpm | 1'740 rpm |
| Fractal Design Kelvin T12 | 420 rpm | 1'800 rpm |
| Enermax ETS-T40 Black Twister | 1'020 rpm | 1'860 rpm |
| Enermax ETS-T40 White Cluster | 1'260 rpm | 1'860 rpm |
| Lepa LV12 | 1'100 rpm | 1'850 rpm |
| NZXT Kraken X41 | 1'180rpm | 1'840 rpm |
| Thermolab Bada 2010 | 1'140 rpm | 1'980 rpm |
| Corsair H75 Single Fan | 1'200 rpm | 1'980 rpm |
| NZXT Kraken X31 | 1'200 rpm | 1'980 rpm |
| NZXT Kraken X61 | 1'180 rpm | 1'980 rpm |
| Cooler Master Nepton 140XL Dual Fan | 1'500 rpm | 1'980 rpm |
| Intel Stock | 1'260 rpm | 2'040 rpm |
| Enermax Liqtech 120X | 1'270 rpm | 2'050 rpm |
| EK-XLC Predator 240 | 1'020 rpm | 2'160 rpm |
| Thermolab LP-53 | 300 rpm | 2'180 rpm |
| Scythe IORI Scior-1000 | 280 rpm | 2'220 rpm |
| Deepcool Maelstrom 240 | 1'440 rpm | 2'220 rpm |
| Deepcool Captain 360 | 1'400 rpm | 2'240 rpm |
| Deepcool Maelstrom 120 | 1'500 rpm | 2'280 rpm |
| Cooler Master Nepton 240M | 1'140 rpm | 2'300 rpm |
| Cooler Master Nepton 140XL Single Fan | 1'560 rpm | 2'400 rpm |
| Cooler Master Hyper 103 | 1'580 rpm | 2'400 rpm |
| Antec Kühler H2O 950 | 1'620 rpm | 2'400 rpm |
| SilverStone Tundra TD02-Lite | 1'440 rpm | 2'460 rpm |
| Antec Kühler H2O 1250 | 1'620 rpm | 2'480 rpm |
| Thermolab ITX30 | 1'620 rpm | 2'580 rpm |
| Enermax ETS-N30 | 1'080 rpm | 3'080 rpm |
| Raijintek Triton | 1'140 rpm | 3'450 rpm |
Fan speeds (RPM) at 7 and 12 V.
Noise Levels
| 7 Volt | 12 Volt | |
| Cooler Master Hyper 612 Ver. 2 | 33.4 dBA | 34.9 dBA |
| be quiet Pure Rock | 33.3 dBA | 37.0 dBA |
| Enermax Liqtech 240X | 33.5 dBA | 37.0 dBA |
| Intel Stock | 33.3 dBA | 37.1 dBA |
| Noctua NH-D15 Dual Fan | 32.2 dBA | 37.4 dBA |
| Noctua NH-U12S Single Fan | 32.3 dBA | 37.4 dBA |
| Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure | 32.3 dBA | 38.4 dBA |
| Lepa LV12 | 34.6 dBA | 38.8 dBA |
| Thermolab ITX30 | 33.4 dBA | 38.9 dBA |
| Noctua NH-D15 Single Fan | 33.7 dBA | 38.9 dBA |
| Raijintek Pallas | 34.7 dBA | 39.3 dBA |
| Cooler Master Hyper 103 | 34.2 dBA | 39.5 dBA |
| Noctua NH-U12S Dual Fan | 33.4 dBA | 39.6 dBA |
| Thermolab LP-53 | 31.2 dBA | 39.7 dBA |
| Raijintek Themis EVO | 33.9 dBA | 40.1 dBA |
| Scythe IORI Scior-1000 | 32.8 dBA | 40.3 dBA |
| Thermalright Macho Rev.B | 32.5 dBA | 40.4 dBA |
| Thermolab Bada 2010 | 32.3 dBA | 40.4 dBA |
| NZXT Kraken X31 | 35.5 dBA | 40.5 dBA |
| NZXT Kraken X61 | 35.7 dBA | 40.6 dBA |
| Thermalright Archon IB-E X2 | 32.4 dBA | 40.6 dBA |
| Enermax Liqtech 120X | 33.4 dBA | 40.6 dBA |
| Prolimatech Lynx | 33.0 dBA | 40.3 dBA |
| Enermax ETS-T40 Black Twister | 33.1 dBA | 40.7 dBA |
| Enermax ETS-T40 White Claster | 33.3 dBA | 40.7 dBA |
| Scythe Ashura | 32.0 dBA | 41.0 dBA |
| Noctua NH-C14S | 32.0 dBA | 41.1 dBA |
| Noctua NH-D15S | 32.0 dBA | 41.1 dBA |
| Corsair H90 Single Fan | 34.1 dBA | 41.2 dBA |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow IB-E | 34.7 dBA | 41.2 dBA |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow ITX | 34.7 dBA | 41.2 dBA |
| Corsair H110 Dual Fan | 33.3 dBA | 41.7 dBA |
| Corsair H75 Single Fan | 34.5 dBA | 41.7 dBA |
| Enermax ETS-N30 | 34.2 dBA | 43.0 dBA |
| Raijintek Nemesis Single Fan | 35.8 dBA | 43.1 dBA |
| Cryorig R1 Universal | 36.7 dBA | 43.2 dBA |
| Deepcool Captain 360 | 36.6 dBA | 43.4 dBA |
| Raijintek Nemesis Dual Fan | 36.1 dBA | 43.6 dBA |
| Cooler Master Nepton 140XL | 34.3dBA | 43.8 dBA |
| Cooler Master Nepton 240M | 34.9 dBA | 44.5 dBA |
| Fractal Design Kelvin S24 | 37.0 dBA | 46.3 dBA |
| Fractal Design Kelvin T12 | 25.4 dBA | 46.5 dBA |
| Deepcool Maelstrom 120 | 38.2 dBA | 46.9 dBA |
| Fractal Design Kelvin S36 | 37.8 dBA | 48.7 dBA |
| NZXT Kraken X41 | 37.5 dBA | 48.8 dBA |
| Deepcool Maelstrom 240 | 39.7 dBA | 49.3 dBA |
| EK-XLC Predator 240 | 33.6 dBA | 49.6 dBA |
| Raijintek Triton | 37.0 dBA | 49.7 dBA |
| SilverStone Tundra TD02-Lite | 41.9 dBA | 53.3 dBA |
| Antec Kühler H2O 950 | 46.3 dBA | 58.2 dBA |
| Antec Kühler H2O 1250 | 47.9 dBA | 65.2 dBA |
Decibel meter (Voltcraft SL-200) has been placed 1 meter away from the cooler. Measurements are conducted in a quiet room, where there are no other noise source. 32 dBA is the lowest we can get in our room. Also here the measurements are conducted at 7 and 12 V.
| Page 1 - Presentation / Specifications |
| Page 2 - Photo Gallery |
| Page 3 - Installation & Test Setup |
| Page 4 - Absolute Performance |
| Page 5 - PWM Performance |
| Page 6 - Conclusion |
PWM Performance
Temperatures
| Idle | Load | |
| Corsair H110 Dual Fan | 33 °C | 50 °C |
| EK-XLC Predator 240 | 34 °C | 50 °C |
| SilverStone Tundra TD02-Lite | 32 °C | 51 °C |
| Corsair H90 Single Fan | 33 °C | 51 °C |
| Noctua NH-C14S | 32 °C | 52 °C |
| Noctua NH-D15 Dual Fan | 32 °C | 52 °C |
| Noctua NH-D15S | 33 °C | 52° C |
| Fractal Design Kelvin S36 | 33 °C | 52 °C |
| NZXT Kraken X61 | 33 °C | 52 °C |
| Deepcool Captain 360 | 34 °C | 52 °C |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow IB-E | 33 °C | 54 °C |
| Fractal Design Kelvin S24 | 34 °C | 54 °C |
| Raijintek Nemesis Dual Fan | 33 °C | 54 °C |
| Deepcool Maelstrom 240 | 34 °C | 54 °C |
| Enermax Liqtech 120X | 34°C | 54 °C |
| Noctua NH-D15 Single Fan | 34 °C | 54 °C |
| Cryorig R1 Universal | 35 °C | 54 °C |
| Enermax Liqtech 240X | 36 °C | 54 °C |
| Cooler Master Nepton 240M | 34 °C | 55 °C |
| Noctua NH-U12S Dual Fan | 33 °C | 55 °C |
| Raijintek Nemesis Single Fan | 34 °C | 55 °C |
| Corsair H75 Single Fan | 35 °C | 55 °C |
| Raijintek Triton | 33 °C | 55 °C |
| Thermalright Archon IB-E X2 | 36 °C | 55 °C |
| Fractal Design Kelvin T12 | 35 °C | 56 °C |
| NZXT Kraken X41 | 35 °C | 56 °C |
| Raijintek Themis EVO | 35 °C | 56 °C |
| Deepcool Maelstrom 120 | 36 °C | 56 °C |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow ITX | 36 °C | 56 °C |
| Prolimatech Lynx | 34 °C | 57 °C |
| Enermax ETS-T40 White Claster | 35 °C | 57 °C |
| Thermalright Macho Rev.B | 35 °C | 57 °C |
| Antec Kühler H2O 1250 | 36 °C | 57 °C |
| NZXT Kraken X31 | 36 °C | 57 °C |
| Noctua NH-U12S Single Fan | 36 °C | 57 °C |
| Cooler Master Nepton 140XL Dual Fan | 37 °C | 57 °C |
| be quiet Pure Rock | 38 °C | 58 °C |
| Enermax ETS-T40 Black Twister | 35 °C | 58 °C |
| Scythe Ashura | 36 °C | 58 °C |
| Raijintek Pallas | 37 °C | 58 °C |
| Cooler Master Nepton 140XL Single Fan | 38 °C | 58 °C |
| Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure | 35 °C | 59 °C |
| Antec Kühler H2O 950 | 37 °C | 59 °C |
| Cooler Master Hyper 103 | 36 °C | 60 °C |
| Cooler Master Hyper 612 Ver. 2 | 36 °C | 62 °C |
| Thermolab Bada 2010 | 39 °C | 64 °C |
| Scythe IORI Scior-1000 | 42 °C | 66 °C |
| Thermolab LP-53 | 39 °C | 67 °C |
| Lepa LV12 | 37 °C | 70 °C |
| Thermolab ITX30 | 39 °C | 70 °C |
| Enermax ETS-N30 | 38 °C | 71 °C |
| Intel Stock | 39 °C | 75 °C |
At this point we plugged the fan(s) to the motherboard CPU fan header and let the motherboard take care of fan speeds. In other words the motherboard will adjust the fan speed via PWM signal according to CPU temperature. The idle temperature is the lowest temperature hit by the processor after 10 minutes in idle. The load temperature is the highest temperature hit by the processor after one pass of wPrime v2.10. The wPrime test takes 4 minutes puts load on all 8 threads. Room temperature is 25°C.
Fan Speeds
| Idle | Load | |
| Thermalright Macho Rev.B | 306 rpm | 680 rpm |
| Scythe Ashura | 436 rpm | 550 rpm |
| Noctua NH-U12S Dual Fan | 380 rpm | 687 rpm |
| Noctua NH-U12S Single Fan | 450 rpm | 740 rpm |
| Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure | 471 rpm | 770 rpm |
| EK-XLC Predator 240 | 600 rpm | 800 rpm |
| Thermalright Archon IB-E X2 | 580 rpm | 805 rpm |
| Cooler Master Hyper 612 Ver. 2 | 413 rpm | 825 rpm |
| NZXT Kraken X31 | 750 rpm | 830 rpm |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow IB-E | 637 rpm | 854 rpm |
| Noctua NH-D15 Single Fan | 466 rpm | 860 rpm |
| Scythe IORI Scior-1000 | 424 rpm | 880 rpm |
| Noctua NH-D15S | 840 rpm | 900 rpm |
| be quiet Pure Rock | 380 rpm | 920 rpm |
| Enermax Liqtech 240X (600 - 1300 rpm Preset) | 790 rpm | 950 rpm |
| Noctua NH-D15 Dual Fan | 560 rpm | 955 rpm |
| Raijintek Triton | 955 rpm | 955 rpm |
| Noctua NH-C14S | 860 rpm | 960 rpm |
| Corsair H75 Single Fan | 800 rpm | 969 rpm |
| Enermax Liqtech 120X | 580 rpm | 970 rpm |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow ITX | 490 rpm | 990 rpm |
| Cryorig R1 Universal | 800 rpm | 980 rpm |
| Corsair H90 Single Fan | 870 rpm | 1'000 rpm |
| Prolimatech Lynx | 765 rpm | 1'077 rpm |
| Deepcool Captain 360 | 710 rpm | 1'090 rpm |
| Corsair H110 Dual Fan | 950 rpm | 1'100 rpm |
| Enermax ETS-T40 Black Twister | 820 rpm | 1'110 rpm |
| Raijintek Themis EVO | 990 rpm | 1'115 rpm |
| Cooler Master Nepton 140XL Dual Fan | 740 rpm | 1'140 rpm |
| Deepcool Maelstrom 240 | 760 rpm | 1'150 rpm |
| Enermax ETS-T40 White Claster | 920 rpm | 1'170 rpm |
| Raijintek Pallas | 952 rpm | 1'170 rpm |
| Raijintek Nemesis Dual Fan | 1'120 rpm | 1'190 rpm |
| Fractal Design Kelvin T12 | 715 rpm | 1'200 rpm |
| Fractal Design Kelvin S24 | 780 rpm | 1'200 rpm |
| Fractal Design Kelvin S36 | 800 rpm | 1'210 rpm |
| NZXT Kraken X61 | 840 rpm | 1'270 rpm |
| Raijintek Nemesis Single Fan | 1'120 rpm | 1'270 rpm |
| Cooler Master Nepton 140XL Single Fan | 800 rpm | 1'280 rpm |
| NZXT Kraken X41 | 1'190 rpm | 1'320 rpm |
| Deepcool Maelstrom 120 | 790 rpm | 1'360 rpm |
| Lepa LV12 | 870 rpm | 1'400 rpm |
| Cooler Master Nepton 240M | 700 rpm | 1'430 rpm |
| Cooler Master Hyper 103 | 950 rpm | 1'465 rpm |
| Thermolab Bada 2010 | 1'250 rpm | 1'500 rpm |
| Antec Kühler H2O 950 | 1'280 rpm | 1'610 rpm |
| Intel Stock | 1'230 rpm | 1'630 rpm |
| Antec Kühler H2O 1250 | 1'390 rpm | 1'690 rpm |
| Thermolab LP-53 | 1'475 rpm | 1'672 rpm |
| SilverStone Tundra TD02-Lite | 1'650 rpm | 1'950 rpm |
| Enermax ETS-N30 | 970 rpm | 2'250 rpm |
| Thermolab ITX30 | 1'475 rpm | 2'253 rpm |
Values are in RPM, we took the lowest speed hit by the fan(s) in idle and the highest under load.
Noise Levels
| Idle | Load | |
| Noctua NH-C14S | 32.0 dBA | 32.0 dBA |
| Noctua NH-D15S | 32.0 dBA | 32.0 dBA |
| Noctua NH-U12S Single Fan | 32.0 dBA | 32.0 dBA |
| Thermalright Macho Rev.B | 32.0 dBA | 32.1 dBA |
| Noctua NH-D15 Dual Fan | 32.1 dBA | 32.3 dBA |
| Noctua NH-U12S Dual Fan | 32.0 dBA | 32.4 dBA |
| Noctua NH-D15 Single Fan | 32.1 dBA | 32.6 dBA |
| Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure | 32.0 dBA | 32.7 dBA |
| Thermalright Archon IB-E X2 | 32.5 dBA | 32.7 dBA |
| Enermax Liqtech 120X | 32.1 dBA | 32.8 dBA |
| Enermax ETS-T40 Black Twister | 32.3 dBA | 33.0 dBA |
| be quiet Pure Rock | 32.4 dBA | 33.1 dBA |
| Corsair H75 Single Fan | 32.2 dBA | 33.2 dBA |
| Enermax ETS-T40 White Claster | 33.0 dBA | 33.2 dBA |
| Thermolab LP-53 | 33.0 dBA | 33.2 dBA |
| Scythe Ashura | 32.0 dBA | 33.4 dBA |
| NZXT Kraken X61 | 34.6 dBA | 35.8 dBA |
| Cooler Master Hyper 612 Ver. 2 | 33.1 dBA | 33.5 dBA |
| Enermax Liqtech 240X Dual Fan (600 - 1300rpm Preset) | 33.2 dBA | 33.5 dBA |
| Cooler Master Hyper 103 | 32.0 dBA | 33.6 dBA |
| Prolimatech Lynx | 33.3 dBA | 33.9 dBA |
| Raijintek Nemesis Single Fan | 33.5 dBA | 34.2 dBA |
| Corsair H90 Single Fan | 33.7 dBA | 34.2 dBA |
| Thermolab Bada 2010 | 33.8 dBA | 34.2 dBA |
| EK-XLC Predator 240 | 32.9 dBA | 34.4 dBA |
| Corsair H110 Dual Fan | 33.3 dBA | 34.4 dBA |
| Intel Stock | 33.3 dBA | 34.4 dBA |
| Scythe IORI Scior-1000 | 33.2 dBA | 34.6 dBA |
| Raijintek Nemesis Dual Fan | 33.7 dBA | 34.6 dBA |
| Lepa LV12 | 34.4 dBA | 34.7 dBA |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow IB-E | 34.0 dBA | 34.8 dBA |
| NZXT Kraken X31 | 34.5 dBA | 34.9 dBA |
| Deepcool Captain 360 | 33.9 dBA | 34.6 dBA |
| Thermalright Silver Arrow ITX | 33.8 dBA | 34.6 dBA |
| Fractal Design Kelvin T12 | 36.5 dBA | 35.1 dBA |
| Fractal Design Kelvin S36 | 34.2 dBA | 35.3 dBA |
| Raijintek Themis EVO | 34.8 dBA | 35.3 dBA |
| Fractal Design Kelvin S24 | 34.7 dBA | 35.6 dBA |
| Deepcool Maelstrom 120 | 34.9 dBA | 35.7 dBA |
| Raijintek Triton | 36.2 dBA | 36.2 dBA |
| Enermax ETS-N30 | 33.8 dBA | 36.9 dBA |
| Cryorig R1 Universal | 33.5 dBA | 37.1 dBA |
| Thermolab ITX30 | 34.1 dBA | 37.6 dBA |
| NZXT Kraken X41 | 34.8 dBA | 37.9 dBA |
| Deepcool Maelstrom 240 | 36.1 dBA | 37.9 dBA |
| Cooler Master Nepton 140XL | 34.8dBA | 39.4 dBA |
| Cooler Master Nepton 240M | 33.8 dBA | 40.1 dBA |
| Raijintek Pallas | 35.9 dBA | 41.4 dBA |
| Antec Kühler H2O 950 | 41.7 dBA | 45.8 dBA |
| SilverStone Tundra TD02-Lite | 43.1 dBA | 46.2 dBA |
| Antec Kühler H2O 1250 | 43.5 dBA | 47.9 dBA |
Decibel meter (Voltcraft SL-200) has been placed 1 meter away from the cooler. Measurements are conducted in a quiet room, where there are no other noise source. The 32 dBA measurement is the lowest we were able to get in our room.. Also here the measurements are conducted at lowest and highest fan speeds in idle and under load, respectively.
| Page 1 - Presentation / Specifications |
| Page 2 - Photo Gallery |
| Page 3 - Installation & Test Setup |
| Page 4 - Absolute Performance |
| Page 5 - PWM Performance |
| Page 6 - Conclusion |
Conclusion
| General | + | - | |
| Overall, the EK Water Blocks Predator 240 is a very good product which was able to impress us especially thanks to easy expandability and cooling performance. EK Water Blocks offers a lot of cooling performance with their first AiO liquid cooling system. While reaching best-in-class performance also in terms of noise levels the Predator 240 is a convincing product. |
- Cooling capacity
- Quality
- PWM - Design |
||
| Installation | + | - | |
| The installation is very simple, as it is practical and pretty straightforward. The included mounting kit is only compatible with Intel sockets. There is a single backplate and most of the mounting kit has been pre-assembled. Should the installation not be self-explanatory, than there is a great and very informative manual. The thermal paste comes in a small bag and there is 1 gram of it. This is enough for a few applications. | - Easy and practical | - Compatible only with Intel sockets | |
| Performance | + | - | |
| The EK Water Blocks Predator 240 series features excellent cooling performance in every scenario, including 7V and 12V as well as the PWM mode. We tested the Predator 240 with our fan controller which we use for all reviews. With the fans sets to 7V, the Predator 240 managed first place and at 12V it scores second regarding load temperatures. Using the PWM mode the Preadtor 240 again reaches first place. On average this is the most powerfull all-in-one watercooler we've had for testing so far. | - Cooling performance | ||
| Noise Levels | + | - | |
| The pump on the EK Water Blocks Predator 240 is not inaudible but in order to hear it you have to move close to it with you ear. If you have the watercooler in a closed case you definitely won't hear it. While using two fans at 7V, the Predator 240 is subjectively very silent hitting 33.6dBA. At 12V, we measured 49.6 dBA at 2'160 rpm, which is actually loud. When testing the cooler in PWM mode, noise levels do not go past 34.4 dBA, which is very silent again. |
- Very silent pump
- Generally low noise levels |
- Noise levels 12V | |
| Recommendation / Price | + | - | |
| The EK Predator 240 is an excellent pre-assembled, expandable all-in-one watercooler. Is rather unsurprising that such a high-end watercooler comes with a steep price of 199.95 Euro (excl. VAT). Nevertheless we believe the price is adequate for what you get, since this is a very powerful all-in-one solution which is very simple to expand. There is enough performance that you could integrate a GPU waterblock into the loop and you won't have to worry about temperatures at all. We really like this watercooler and we can definitely recommend it to anybody looking for a high-end AIO. |
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Price
- Enthusiast - Overclocking - Modding - Gaming-PC |
||
| Rating | |||
| The Predator 240 from EK Water Blocks receives excellent 5 out of 5 stars. | |||
| Page 1 - Presentation / Specifications |
| Page 2 - Photo Gallery |
| Page 3 - Installation & Test Setup |
| Page 4 - Absolute Performance |
| Page 5 - PWM Performance |
| Page 6 - Conclusion |