Performance
Obviously, this is a more common 240mm radiator size, but with the newer pump technology and improved fans, it’s certainly competitive. The NZXT Kraken 240 AIO managed to score a respectable 87c when we tested it back in 2023, and two years later, this new cooler has managed to trim off a respectable 2c from the load temperature on the same CPU. That may not sound like a lot, but honestly, the i9 we use for testing is a notoriously difficult CPU to cool, so I’m suitably impressed.
Moving on to our optimised settings, we see a broadly similar result. With our Intel Core i9-12900K overclocked to 4.9 GHz on all P-Cores and 4 GHz on all E-Core, but undervolted to 1.3v to reduce power usage and heat, the Kraken Plus trimmed down another degree, which again is about in line with what we would expect from some efficiency improvements in things like the fans and pump design. Certainly enough to make light work of our i9.
Acoustic performance was decent, and while the old model scored extremely well, being one of the quietest AIO we’ve ever tested, that was largely down to its default fan curve settings. Any AIO can be whisper quiet if you turn the fans down! This one does run a little louder, but honestly, it’s still extremely quiet and you’re unlikely to really be bothered by it. If you push the fans up, then yeah, it’s going to hit around 46 dBa, but unless you’re pushing your CPU hard on a hotter day, you don’t really need to push the cooling capacity that hard.
