The Corsair iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX RGB AIO Cooler Review: Meticulous, But Pricey

Corsair, a longstanding and esteemed producer within the PC elements trade, initially constructed its repute on memory-related merchandise. Nevertheless, almost 20 years in the past, Corsair started diversifying its product line. This growth began cautiously, with a restricted variety of merchandise, however shortly proved to be extremely profitable, propelling Corsair into the trade powerhouse it’s at this time.

One in every of Corsair’s most triumphant product classes is all-in-one (AIO) liquid coolers. This success is especially notable provided that their preliminary foray into liquid cooling in 2003 didn’t meet expectations. Nevertheless, Corsair didn’t throw within the towel. Undeterred, they re-entered the market years later, leveraging the rising recognition of user-friendly, maintenance-free AIO designs. This gamble paid off handsomely, as AIO coolers at the moment are one in all Corsair’s flagship product traces, boasting a wide selection of fashions.

On this evaluation, we concentrate on the most recent addition to Corsair’s AIO cooler lineup: the iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX. This mannequin is much like the iCUE LINK H150i RGB, however introduces refined but important enhancements, together with a efficiency improve with an enhanced pump. The TITAN 360 RX continues Corsair’s custom of innovation and high quality, seamlessly integrating into the iCUE ecosystem for an optimized person expertise. Its single-cable design ensures a clear and easy set up, making it a standout in Corsair’s evolving cooler lineup.

Packaging & Bundle

We obtained the brand new iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX in a large cardboard bundle, reflecting the cooler’s substantial measurement. True to Corsair’s branding, the packaging options their signature black and yellow colour scheme. The field prominently shows a vivid picture of the iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX, providing a glimpse of its aesthetic attraction. Upon opening, we discovered the cooler and its elements securely housed inside custom-designed cardboard inserts, making certain they remained well-protected throughout transit.

As anticipated, Corsair consists of all the mandatory mounting {hardware} within the field for the iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX. Separate paper pouches include the {hardware} for AMD and Intel processors, making the set up course of simple. Moreover, the bundle consists of the iCUE Hyperlink Hub, a vital element of the iCUE ecosystem, which is required for the cooler to operate.

Inspecting the offered cables, we seen that the iCUE Hyperlink Hub requires a 6-pin PCI Categorical connector for energy. Corsair doubtless opted for this to save lots of customers the effort of utilizing a Molex cable simply to energy the hub. Contemplating that almost all customers buying the iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX doubtless have a robust PSU with spare PCI Categorical connectors—particularly with the prevalence of 12VHPWR/12V-6×6 connectors for contemporary graphics playing cards—this resolution is smart. Nevertheless, in eventualities the place the person has simply sufficient PCI Categorical connectors for his or her graphics playing cards, they is perhaps pressured to improve their PSU or use Molex-to-PCIe adapters. Given the hub’s modest energy necessities, together with an adapter or various energy possibility would have been a considerate addition.

The Corsair iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX RGB AIO Liquid Cooler

At first look, the Corsair iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX RGB AIO cooler may appear much like many different 360 mm AIO coolers in the marketplace. Nevertheless, a more in-depth inspection reveals a singular characteristic that units it aside: the whole absence of free cables, which contributes to a remarkably tidy design. The cooler follows the usual AIO structure with a single radiator, two hoses, and a block that integrates a copper CPU contact plate with a mini liquid pump. Corsair has opted for black sleeved, low-permeation rubber tubing for the iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX RGB, which is rather more versatile than most different comparable options.

The iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX RGB options a big radiator, measuring 396 mm in size, which requires a case able to accommodating three 120 mm followers in a row and offering ample house for the radiator’s extra bulk. With a thickness of 27 mm, the radiator calls for a complete clearance of 55 mm when paired with followers for correct set up. The radiator employs a twin move cross-flow design with finely soldered fins onto skinny rectangular tubes, a standard characteristic in AIO coolers. Its low airflow resistance, because of the modest thickness, means that the radiator is optimized for prime efficiency even with minimal air strain.

Corsair pre-installs the three RX120 RGB followers on the radiator, and impressively, there’s not a single seen wire. These followers are uniquely designed with connectors on the edges of their frames, permitting them to hyperlink immediately to one another. Only one cable can be utilized to attach the followers to the hub, offering each energy and ARGB/velocity management. The fan frames are outfitted with LEDs behind diffusers on all sides, together with the within rim, making a placing lighting impact. Moreover, a small sensor is mounted on one of many fan’s helps. These followers use magnetic levitation motors, a uncommon however extremely dependable and quiet possibility resulting from their excessive price, and have a broad operational vary of 300-2100 RPM. The principle distinction between this cooler and the iCUE LINK H150i RGB could very effectively be the followers, because the earlier model had QX120 followers put in, which had a most rotational velocity of 2400 RPM. Additionally, the ornamental plates on the edges of the followers are removable and could be eliminated ought to the person needs to.

The principle block meeting of the iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX RGB is comparatively giant and should initially seem easy, however its squircle construction conceals subtle design parts. The opaque high half homes a number of LEDs, able to delivering immersive lighting results. The highest plate is removable and could be rotated to match the orientation of the cooler in any system, whereas it additionally provides customers the potential for aesthetic customization, significantly these with entry to 3D printers or CNC machines. The block’s design is smooth and freed from exterior connectors or wires.

The iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX RGB cooler comes outfitted with a squircle copper contact plate on the base of the block, secured with eight screws. The plate’s floor, whereas not polished to a mirror end, is designed in order to make sure optimum thermal power switch. Corsair has pre-applied their XTM70 thermal paste to the contact plate, which is meant to supply superior thermal conductivity, enhancing the cooler’s total effectivity. The one draw back right here is that pre-applied paste limits customers to only one set up – and it must be carried out proper the primary time – forcing customers to buy another thermal compound if for any purpose the cooler is faraway from the CPU.

As soon as every thing is linked and powered on, the iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX RGB transforms into a blinding gentle present. LED management is managed via the iCUE LINK interface, with customizable lighting results obtainable through Corsair’s iCUE software program. With the superior capabilities of the iCUE software program, customers can choose from a variety of programming choices, from easy aesthetic results to sensible, function-based lighting, reminiscent of temperature-dependent colours and alarms. The iCUE LINK module, working with the iCUE software program, allows full integration throughout all appropriate Corsair gadgets, permitting for modern inter-device management. For instance, customers might program the operate row of a appropriate keyboard to behave as a lighting indicator for the cooler’s fan RPM, or synchronize the cooler’s lighting with the lively profile on a Corsair mouse.