NZXT Kraken X31 Liquid CPU Cooler Review

Final Thoughts
What we have here is a product designed for a specific group and I think we need to keep that in mind. As such there is plenty to love about the X31. It is well built with great finishes such as hard to scratch paint on the radiator. Although the manual is pretty lacking the installation process is exceedingly simple. Once installed it is a quiet and unobtrusive cooler that will far outperform your stock cooler. And I think that is the key. This AIO is not for those who already have a decent aftermarket cooler, air or water. It is mainly for those who are looking for their first aftermarket cooler and want to give water a try. And in that regard I believe this is an excellent cooler. As well as being simple to use, it comes with a CAM which is a great suite of software, that even the novice user will be able to make sense of.

Of course we can’t get away without at least mentioning the downsides. I would say that if you are looking to do some real overclocking this is not the cooler for you. It does it’s job and a little more, but that is about all you can expect. We would love it of course if NZXT would include a better manual, especially at this level of cooler. Indeed we are in the age of going paperless, but you can not assume all your customers will have an additional way to access your support pages. Finally I am going to have to say price. While you do get a lot of bang for your buck with the X31 I feel that in order to be competitive at this level it would be better placed $5-10 USD lower than it’s $73.99 online price.

Overall ThinkComputers would like to award the NZXT Kraken X31 with an 8 out of 10 score.

rating8 10 small

Pros:
– Fit and finish are great
– Simple to install
– Disappears once installed
– Awesome CAM software
– Great entry level AIO cooler

Cons:
– Average to just below average performance
– Manual comes up short
– Price marginally too high