Final Thoughts & Conclusion
We’ve run tons of air cooling solutions and water cooling solutions and built many DIY, pick-your-own-parts kits, but the EK-XLC Predator 360 comes ready to strap on and run, saving many hours of planning and executing DIY loops. Even their kits, which are DIY loops, are easy to install, but the Predator 360 was just a joy to install and run. Screw in four hold down posts into the CPU socket, drop on four springs, butter up the CPU, slap the block on and tighten down the screws, plug it in and enjoy triple radiator cooling.
The EK-Kit L360 ran a little cooler but at a much higher cost than the Predator 360, and the L360 is basically a DIY kit in a box so it’s more complicated to install.
We loved the ease of install on the predator EK-XLC 360, and it gave us great performance up to 4.4GHz on the 5820k, Intels HEDT (High End Desktop Platform) which runs hotter than the 6700K consumer processor. If we had any complaints about the Predator 360 it would be it installed too easily, there was no sense of “I worked my nerd butt off and did it”, then to top off, the ease of use of the QDC (Quick Disconnect Connector.
For great overclocking temperatures or just plain overkill on stock speeds, the price and performance of the EK-XLC Predator 360 just can’t be beat. EKWB has a real winner with this kit, and we have awarded it the Bjorn3D Golden Bear Award.
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I’d say cpu cooling and gpu cooling are pretty much useless if only temperatures are measured and noise levels are completely ignored. There is not even a an opiniated subjective piece written about noise levels.
In other words, the first company that attaches a product like http://pop.h-cdn.co/assets/cm/15/05/54ca65712283e_-_leaf-blowers-01-0911-xln-2622270.jpg to a copper piece of metal that can be attached to a cpu will win the bjorn3d ultimate all time favorite award.
The EKWB Predator is whisper quiet and can’t be heard over normal system fans. If noise levels were a problem we would let you know immediately. We use a sound meter with a lower gateway of 30dBA and it wouldn’t register on our sound meter.
I find it weird on the temps of the 5820k at 4.3ghz….i run mine at 4.4 with an older h100 ..and my temps never go past 71c
Different chips require different voltages and heatsink quality and positioning on the chips varies by a great degree hence the delidding practice extreme OC’s use. Our 5820k is an early model improvements might have been made. It is also tested on an open test bed chassis which is dramatically different than an in chassis test. Open test beds don’t have air flow control front to back while chassis do. Chances are the difference you are seeing is simply chassis airflow compared to an open chassis test bed.