Review: Enermax ELC240

Final Thoughts and Rating

Tackling the all-in-one liquid cooling market is a challenge for any manufacturer. With little room to innovate - there's only so much you can do with a pump and a radiator on a closed loop - manufacturers are hard-pushed to find ways of developing products that genuinely raise the bar in terms of cooling performance.

Enermax's collaboration with Asia Vital Components could well lead to innovative new designs, but right now, it's playing it relatively safe with 120mm and 240mm all-in-one kits that don't stray too far from the norm.

The reviewed ELC240 performs well in regards to cooling a hot-running Ivy Bridge processor, particularly for a pre-production sample, but it falls short of matching the rival Corsair Hydro Series H100; a proven solution from an established brand.

But Enermax's biggest challenge may not be the competition, it's the marketplace in general. With today's cutting-edge CPUs becoming increasingly efficient, it's difficult to see where premium all-in-one radiators fit in. The enthusiast crowd is likely to favour custom loops that cool multiple components, while the budding overclocker will find little need to look beyond a sub-£50 air cooler.

Enermax has made a competent entry into the liquid cooling market, but it may need to do more to catch the eyes of an increasingly-niche audience.

The Good

Good cooling performance
Ultra-easy installation
Frees up room around the CPU socket

The Bad

Expensive, for a CPU cooler
Requires specific chassis support
Dual fans can get loud

HEXUS Rating

Enermax ELC240

HEXUS Where2Buy

TBC.

HEXUS Right2Reply

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