NZXT Kraken X73 vs Z73

What Real People Say: NZXT Kraken X73 vs Z73

Henry P – Chicago, IL

NZXT Kraken X73 vs Z73: The Kraken Z73 is just a remarkable yet costly AIO. Would it be more rational and easier on the wallet to get the X73 for about $100 cheaper … yes however you lose out on the absolutely incredible Screen. I decided to just go full Hoah and get the Z73 for my Ryzen 9 3900x Overclocked to 4.4 ghz at 1.28 v and under video gaming load (COD) it balanced 42c on the CPU bundle with a space temperature of 24c.

AIO is installed on the front of the case with the fans set to 800rpm in a pull setup (extremely peaceful) and the pump set to 100% at 3000rpm (extremely quiet as well). Currently utilizing stock thermal paste that came pre-applied. Might change to Thermal Grizzly later.

The CAM software works great and have actually had no issues that everyone else is discussing. Took me no time at all to get it up and running.

Please do yourself the favor and just click on the buy it now button if you can afford it and would like to spend lavishly a little.

This AIO Cooler was incredibly simple to set up. This was the first PC I’ve built and I truly wanted to go for it with the RGB. I enjoyed that this cooler could support a custom-made GIF image and NEEDED it. It works really well at keeping my Ryzen 3900x cooled and looks excellent in my glass front case. I changed out the two fans that began the radiator with Corsair RGB fans so they matched the rest of my case. The 2 fan radiator variation fit perfectly in the NZXT H710i case I got. Total 10/10 extremely pleased with this item.

All of my online buddies enjoy teasing me about investing double the cost on all my part for RGB however I understand they are all privately envious. Everybody who sees it personally really desires this cooler for their cpu as well! For somebody who only used the stock fan that included their CPU this is such a huge improvement and actually cleans up the method your case looks. The webcam software application is very user friendly and easy.

I upgraded from a x63 to the Kraken x73 as I recently got a larger case (h710i). I installed the radiator and fans on top of my case to exhaust the air out.

Alan S – Laramie, WY

I utilized the installing bracket which included my case to install the radiator and fans. The mounting bracket was put in between the radiator and fans and after that I put the screws in to wait in place. You can likewise screw the fans straight onto the radiator if you want. You just require to mount the fans into your case. I would recommend at this phase connecting the IN & OUT daisy chain cables. I made the mistake of setting up into my case initially then discovered it too tough to link the cable televisions so needed to take everything back out to link the cable televisions. You need to link the IN cable to your very first fan and then the OUT into second etc. The first fan needs to be linked straight to your controller unless you already have RGB fans then it’s just a case of daisy chaining them completely.

I have an Intel CPU so I didn’t need to change the bracket on the pump. If you have AMD all you need to do is swap it for the right bracket. Before you mount the pump you need to connect the correct backplate to the back of your motherboard. Then you mount the pump to the CPU and motherboard. The pump includes thermal paste pre applied nevertheless I used my own.

Next action is to connect the fans to your motherboard. In my case I have the nzxt controller so I just linked the fans to the splitters linked to the controller. The other choice is to link the cable television provided to the motherboard and then connect the fans to the fan splitters. If you do this then I don’t believe you can manage the RGB lights as they require to go through the controller.

The last action is to link the cables from the pump. The breakaway cable television has 3 ends. One is connected to my PUMP header on my motherboard, the other to an extra SATA cable television coming from my PSU, and the other is just left hanging as I had to utilize for it. The second cable television connected to the pump is the usb one which is likewise linked to an extra USB header on your motherboard.

Once whatever was connected I turned pc on to ensure everything was working then installed the CAM software. The software is intuitive and easy to utilize. The fan LED can by resolved separately however I simply opted for one color. There is likewise RGB lighting on the pump which can also be changed. The temps on idle are in between 30-33 degrees. Whilst gaming it’s generally 40-50 degrees however on certain CPU demanding games it does go higher. Tension testing on Aida 64 the temperatures were in between 65-70 degrees. Temperatures will vary depending on what CPU you have so my outcomes will likely be various to yours.

Overall extremely delighted with this product, simple to install, decent temperatures and RGB fans offer the case a nice appearance.

Allison C. – Rome, GA

NZXT Kraken X73 vs Z73: I formerly owned an AIO but unfortunately, it was no longer operating to optimal levels in spite of only being a years of age. If an appropriate cooler is not used, I have an i7-9700K which can run hot on idle and extremely hot on load. I had this concern together with a failing AIO. After setting up the X73 I was impressed with the outcomes. On idle I have seen temperatures go as low as 27 ⁰ C, on load it only reached 65 ⁰ C optimum after a solid 3-5 hours of video gaming. But would be consistent around 55-60 ⁰ C on full load. I have actually been utilizing it for nearly a month and so far I am exceptionally pleased with my purchase. Side note, my fans and pump are on at 80-100% all the time and with the 3 fans for the X73, I likewise have 3 leading exhaust fans and a single fan at the back for exhaust. There isn’t much sound that would disturb me personally. Particularly with a headset on.

This AIO cooler is a stunning thing on the computer, efficiency (cooling sensible) is nothing out of this world, it carries out similar to any other 360mm AIO out there, the pump is silent but the fans have to start harder when a Ryzen 9 3950X heats up a bit. The only real advantage for this cooler over others is the very nice screen on the pump, likewise, the setup is quite easy.

For those installing it, there are just 2 positions you can orient the pump, on if with the hose pipe outlets dealing with the ran which might be an issue if the slots are close to the CPU socket, and the second alternative is with the hose pipe outlets facing downward. This is since the software application only enables you to turn the screen orientation by 90 degrees counterclockwise.

In general, this is a nice addition, but in my modest viewpoint, a little pricey for what it is and what it does compared to other choices out there.

I can see a Chinese business developing a cheap round OLED screen attachment that will simply stick over any other cooler pump, which will be completion of this cooler’s insanity.

If you do not have to work to tough for your buck, I recommend it only. Otherwise, try to find a much cheaper choice which will cool your CPU just as excellent as this one if not more, and wait a bit for the pump accessory screens that will start to appear whenever soon.

This Kraken Z73 is perfect for anyone creating a build that has looks and function in mind, and as for me served as the perfect last touch to my construct.

First off installation is a little a trouble with this due to the additional connections that the little screen needs. For some this may end up being a dealbreaker because of the fact that it might not fit in some smaller sized type factor builds or even a Mid-tower ATX develop with all the RAM slots inhabited.

There’s a bit of a recognized issue involving particular AMD motherboards and the USB connection to those motherboards. I didn’t experience this specific issue with a Gigabyte X570 Aorus Master but your mileage might differ. In case you do have an issue, contact NZXT assistance and they’ll provide a usb center that works as a workaround up until they can roll out Krakens with the irreversible fix integrated in or whatever.

If you are planning on the screen dealing with right side up, one more thing to be conscious of is that unlike what the handbook says there are only 2 viable setup directions. It’s real that there is a method to rotate the image through the NZXT CAM software application however if it isn’t installed in one of the previously mentioned orientations then regrettably it wont be able to turn it to the appropriate orientation which appears like an odd constraint but it is what it is.

Okay so the performance of this cpu cooler is good, however I was honestly expecting just a bit more cooling performance from this latest pump style however it fizzles by a non-insignificant amount. I previously utilized a Deepcool Castle EX which is also a 360mm radiator AIO and the distinction in not just temperature but also sound is definitely noticeable and is a bit disappointing for a AIO cooler at this cost point.

Let’s be sincere if you’re purchasing this or considering buying this then the factor for it is most likely because of the amazing little screen that this thing has, and I can guarantee you that one shining feature was more than worth it for me but it might not be for someone else, undoubtedly. I was surprised at how crisp and clear the screen is for how small it is, and while you can publish your own gifs, pictures or whatever there is a bit of a learning process in ensuring your selected gif fits the method you desire it to without a loss in quality or perhaps unforeseen cropping or sizing problems. There’s a growing variety of useful guides online to guide you in how to do this so it’s normally a non issue.

Now for the CAM software application, I’ll confess I’ve never ever used it prior to with this Kraken X73 and I didn’t truly have an excellent viewpoint of it based of off some really unfavorable things I’ve either heard from pals or check out from users online, but with all that baggage developed going into this I’m relieved to state that my fears were unproven. The existing version of the software has an user-friendly user interface with lots of data and options for those seeking to modify things to their exactly preferences. When it comes to completely loading on startup, while the one drawback I will mention is that it appears to take much longer than contending software. This isn’t regrettable of a problem more of a nagging annoyance, but it does take some getting used to as when it lastly loads your user profile depending on your fan curve and lighting set up it could vary from barely obvious, to a gale force disco colored cyclone.

I would absolutely recommend this for a particular kind of pc home builder, this is obviously mainly for show and as long as you do enter into this with that in mind I find it hard to believe that you won’t be as delighted as I am having this stunning little screen inside my construct firing off different gifs or whatever I decide to have on the screen. It’s always the first thing anybody asks me about when they see my computer because of how special it is and how clear and brilliant that little screen actually is.

Terry C – New Brunswick, NJ

Total I’m extremely pleased and would certainly order this again if I were to build another PC today.

All of the pictures reveal to mount this with the tubes at the top. This causes air bubbles and kills the cooler causing the fans to run more difficult and temps to remain greater. If front mounting, televisions on the radiator must be at the bottom. Air rises to the top. After switching my temps are cooler and the fans stay quieter at medium loads. I have an H510 case, but the x63 does not precisely fit well. You need to really press it therein, however it will fit with a bit of elbow grease. Its simple to ingratiate televisions at the top, however your cooling/performance will suffer considerably.

This was very simple to set up temperatures are truthfully alright but once again its summer season time so perhaps that’s why its running on idle 50c and not that excellent of ventilation in my room, the led from the cooler isn’t the brightest however not really visible when all lights are on in my case. I do still have a complaint which is those little dents that you know doesn’t actually impact it all too much with the Radiator however bothers me due to the fact that this wasn’t from the delivery since it was boxed quite well with no dents so this was straight from NZXT however as long as it works then its fine. I guess I was unlucky. In general excusable for an aio and saving over half a cost of an aio corsair cooler which I know how pricey those are so I do advise it if you’re on a spending plan or perhaps if you have a really big frustrating noctua cooler but you want to do vertical mount gpu.

Edit: so after some time I realize the cooler’s tubes were pressing the ram a little which is kinda stress some given that it might bend the dimm slot. I tried turning it however realize the other cable televisions would remain in the way as well with the ram. I attempted putting it the other side as well however then the blades would hit televisions on the top so this is actually annoying. At this point the only method I can solve this is simply eliminating a minimum of 1 or 2 of my rams because dual transporting would be allowed however that would be a waste on my part to not use my ram. If only the connection of cable televisions were able to turn this would be quickly troublesome totally free however I guess can’t avoid 100% irritating basic problems.

-Update on moving my AIO cooler to the top: So concerning to the placement of my aio I moved it from the front to the top of my pc, which is exhaust, now my issue with this is NZXT’s style with the tubing in addition to my case, Its really bothersome how I need to remove my 140mm fan to offer room for the tubes I may at this point need to modify my case to at least have a fan there.

A few essential tips when installing AIO coolers vertically, the radiator pipes must be on the bottom. if they’re on the top, you’re most likely to get some gurgling sounds from the pump as any trapped air bubbles might get drawn into the pipelines and create a gurgling sound. If you’re mounting the radiator to the top of the case, the position of the pipes does not matter, simply whatever works finest for your layout.

likewise, ensure you plug the 4 pin port from the pump to the “AIO” or “PUMP” fan adapter on your mobo. these connectors will run at 100% power enabling your software (NZXT Cam, in this case) to control the pump speed. if your mobo does not have those fan adapters, you can utilize any other fan connector such as “CHA” or “CPU”, but if you do this make certain you set that adapters power in bios to full power or disable any speed control for that particular connector. again, this will permit the pump to get full power from the mobo, and NZXT Cam will manage the pump speed.

It cools much like any other. Naturally, the software application does not play great with others. Need to mount with hoses on pump at the bottom. Since the ram will obstruct if you are using all 4 slots. What sells it is really the pump head enjoyable with the screen. The fans are quiet, move a bunch of air throughout the radiator. Use the beta version of software application to manage the ram Stix on the mobo. About as far as playing nice with Asus board. Simulated the adapters for RGB daisy chained ideal beside each other. Put pump port on the fan op. Header one next to aio header. Mobo will not see a fan and won’t get pass bios which is a good function to have to avoid damage from heat. Plug usb 2.0 into mobo. Fans into pump wire and sata power. And it’s ready to go.

I switched out the 2 fans that came on the radiator with Corsair RGB fans so they matched the rest of my case. The first fan requires to be linked directly to your controller unless you currently have RGB fans then it’s just a case of daisy chaining them all together.

The other option is to link the cable television supplied to the motherboard and then link the fans to the fan splitters. Side note, my fans and pump are on at 80-100% all the time and with the 3 fans for the X73, I likewise have 3 leading exhaust fans and a single fan at the back for exhaust. Make sure you plug the 4 pin adapter from the pump to the “AIO” or “PUMP” fan port on your mobo.