NZXT Kraken X61 AIO CPU Cooler Review

With the stock temperatures in mind, the Noctua NH-D15 comes out on top when it comes to sound levels. No matter how you look at it, the NH-D15 is a superb cooler, coming second to it isn’t hard to do. The Kraken X61 results are still very impressive, and with such a tight bunching of numbers, showing off its muscle a little.

Next, overclocking; We used the Asus Rampage V Extreme Motherboard 6 core overclock pre-set and manually set the DDR4 to 2666Mhz.

The Kraken X61 is coming out in second place with very similar results as the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3. The Noctua NH-D15 has won this one with 9°C drop over the Kraken X61 under overclocking load. The Kraken X61 result is still very good, it’s just edging a little too close to the 100 °C mark.

This is where the Kraken X61 has the last laugh with stunning overclocking sound level results under load. The Noctua NH-D15 is still in there with the best idle sound levels, but coming in second place when the load is turned up.

The be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 comes in third for all test results, which isn’t bad considering the company. We are not going to talk down the Dark Rock Pro 3, its a superb cooler, even with its fitting issues.

Conclusion

All round, the NZXT Kraken X61 AIO CPU Cooler is superb. It cools really well, looks really good, and is generally whisper quiet. Our only issue with the NZXT Kraken X61 is the price, £102.25 (inc VAT) currently, which is about 30% more than the Noctua NH-D15 at £65.46 (inc VAT).

If we think back to the introduction, you are going to be in a group of people who have a certain amount of conditions that need to be met, so the extra cash needed for this may be a no brainer. If you are not, why would you dodge the Noctua NH-D15 or the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3?

However, it is a very cool piece of kit, and it looks very good, and performs exceptionally well. So if you have deep pockets and want something a little different, the NZXT Kraken X61 is the one for you. If you have a build coming up that needs a compromise, this is also a very good candidate for high end cooling at a high end price point.