Everyone knows the EK Nucleus AIO CR360 Direct Die is amazing for direct-die applications, but what if, for whatever reason, you want to use a non-delidded CPU?
I've been running a delidded 13900KS for the past couple months with this AIO and it performs just as well as all the reviews said–dropping temps 15c-20c under full load. It comes with a custom cold plate, designed for direct die, which means you also have to install the included special backplate, contact frame and mounting hardware. Switching to a 14900KS, I was curious and wanted to test something before I delidded the CPU.
I wanted to know:
1. With the special contact frame and mounting hardware, what if you ever want to use a CPU that's not delidded? Say, you want to test something or maybe you're binning CPUs like a madman. Can you still mount a stock CPU with the IHS still on?
2. If yes, what would the performance be, especially with the direct die cold plate having a much smaller contact-surface area (when applied to a non-delidded CPU, only the protruding rectangle tip of the coldplate will make contact with the IHS).
- With one minor change, yes. A CPU with stock IHS still intact, will not fit into the special EK contact frame, so you have to use a different one–Thermalrite, Thermal Grizzly, etc. I used a Thermalrite contact frame with the 4 screws from the EK frame, which fit perfectly (Note: The regular stock screws are much larger and will not fit into the special EK backplate).
- To test performance, I used Cinebench R23. Using a Thermalrite contact frame + Thermal Grizzly Kryosheet, I scored back to back 40K+ runs, with max temps averaging low 80c. Being that a stock 14900KS can easily hit 100c, even on the best AIOs, that's pretty impressive.
CONCLUSION
For an AIO that's designed for direct-die applications, I was surprised to see what it's capable of with a non-delidded CPU. It easily outperforms my Corsair H170i Elite 420mm, that I was using previously, which is also a great AIO in it's own right. I'm curious how much it has to do with the extreme smoothness of the coldplate, as it was designed for direct die and studies show results tend to be better with smoother/flatter coldplates.
TLDR: The EK Direct Die CR360 AIO is a BEAST. Robust quality design, beautiful RGB fans (which contrary to reviews are actually surprisingly quiet, once you set your fan curve), amazing performance, and peace of mind, knowing it's fully compatible with non-delidded CPUs.
10/10 Highly Recommended.
14900KS Direct Die + Liquid Metal @ 59x/45x, no power limits.
EK Direct Die AIO Photos From Testing <—- More photos from testing.