The ID-Cooling DX360 Max liquid cooling system has one, but very important difference from other maintenance-free liquid cooling systems. We are talking about a radiator of increased thickness. And even despite the fact that the company is somewhat disingenuous about such an upgrade, it is very difficult to overestimate it, since it is the radiator that is the key component in serial liquid cooling systems, determining their efficiency. According to ID-Cooling, the radiator area in the DX360 Max has been increased by 40% at once! The figure is truly impressive and allows us to hope not just for high cooling efficiency, but for a noticeable gap from the current leaders in the AiO liquid cooling system segment. We will tell you in detail whether these expectations were met.
⇡#Specifications and cost
⇡# Packaging and equipment
The box in which the liquid cooling system is supplied has standard dimensions for 360 mm systems and is decorated quite brightly. Traditionally, the ID-Cooling DX360 Max itself is placed on the front side with the model number and an emphasis on the word “MAX”.
On the opposite side there are brief technical characteristics and dimensions of each component.
A soft shell made of foamed polyethylene is inserted into the cardboard box, where the radiator with fans and pump are securely fixed, sealed in bags.
A separate box contains components for installing the liquid cooling system on the processor and in the case, plastic clamps for hoses, a key, and installation instructions.
The thermal paste used here is the proprietary ID-Cooling Frost X45 in a separate syringe, the declared thermal conductivity of which is 15.2 W/(m K). One syringe is enough for at least four applications on the heat spreader of the LGA1700 processor.
Like all ID-Cooling products, DX360 Max is manufactured in China. The cost of this model in Russian stores is only six thousand rubles, which is quite inexpensive for systems of this class and size. The warranty period is three years.
⇡#Design features
ID-Cooling DX360 Max is a classic maintenance-free liquid cooling system with a 360mm radiator and three 120mm fans. This model is completely black, and the thickened radiator is not even noticeable at first glance.
The only thing you pay attention to is the weight of the system, which is 1859 grams, which is 250-350 grams more than standard liquid cooling systems of this form factor.
So, here it is – the SJO radiator, because of which we actually decided to prepare this review. The radiator material is aluminum, in this regard there are no differences.
The radiator configuration is standard: 12 channels, spaced 7.5 mm apart, and between them a perforated “comb”, also made of aluminum. The radiator density is 20~21 FPI.
According to ID-Cooling, the radiator thickness in the DX360 Max is 38 mm versus the standard 27 mm in other AiO liquid cooling systems, which increases the radiator area by as much as 40%!
However, as it often happens, the devil is in the details. Formally, the thickness of the radiator is indeed 38 mm, but only in the area of the end, from which the fittings with hoses come out. Moreover, as you can see in the picture above, ID-Cooling does not hide this. The real thickness of the radiator body is only 32 mm, which we will demonstrate in the photo below.
Thus, the difference is only 5 mm in favor of the DX360 Max. If we compare the radiators by finning, which is even smaller than the radiator body, then in the DX360 Max it is 28 mm versus 20-21 mm in conventional liquid cooling systems. That is, all other things being equal, the radiator area in the DX360 Max is approximately 33% larger than in standard liquid cooling systems. Well, not bad, although this is not the +40% claimed by ID-Cooling.
An accompanying effect of increasing the radiator area in the LCS is an increase in the volume of coolant in the system circuit, which also has a positive effect on the cooling efficiency. Both end tanks of the radiator, on one of which the hoses are pressed, clearly confirm the larger volume of coolant.
The length of the hoses connecting the radiator to the pump in the DX360 Max is 430 mm, and their outer diameter is 11.5 mm.
The hoses are made of high-strength rubber and are additionally enclosed in a synthetic casing.
To secure them, the kit includes three plastic clamps.
The pump in the ID-Cooling DX360 Max is the epitome of simplicity. It is compact (73 × 72 × 58 mm), has a plastic case with beveled edges and a stylish top cover.
ID-Cooling claims a seventh-generation pump with a constant rotor speed of 2900 rpm (3030 rpm, according to monitoring data). The pump noise level is stated at 25 dBA, and the power consumption is 5.4 W.
The water block in the system is copper, microchannel, with a base measuring 54 x 54 mm.
The base is processed quite well for such liquid cooling systems, but the main thing is that it is smooth, thanks to which even on the convex heat spreader of the test processor of the LGA1700 design it was possible to obtain uniform prints.
The ID-Cooling liquid cooling radiator is equipped with three 120 mm DF-125-K (ID12025M12S) fans. This is one of the most modern models of the company with a nine-blade impeller with a diameter of 113 mm and a 52 mm stator.
Among the design features, we note the stepped frame at the air flow inlet (Stepped Inlet Design), designed to impart turbulence to the laminar air flow, which promotes air flow and reduces the sound tone. The Austrian Noctua was the first to implement such a solution in its fans, and now we can see it from Chinese manufacturers.
As for the fan speed, it is regulated by pulse-width modulation (PWM) in the range from zero to 2150 rpm.
The maximum air flow of a single fan can reach 85 CFM, static pressure is 2.83 mm H2O, and the noise level is 32.5 dBA.
The fans are based on hydrodynamic bearings, but their standard service life is not specified in the specifications.
The power consumption of a three-pole six-phase electric motor is declared at 2.2 W – almost the same as we got during measurements. The starting voltage is 4.1 V.
Rubber corners are glued to both sides of the fan frame to reduce noise levels.
The fans are secured to the radiator with screws and connected in series to a single 450 mm long cable.
Well, in conclusion of the DX360 Max review, we will add that the level of heat dissipation of the processor, which such a system should cope with, can reach 350 watts. By the way, ID-Cooling has only two liquid cooling systems with such a level of heat dissipation (the second is DashFlow 360 XT Pro).
⇡#Compatibility and installation
The ID-Cooling DX360 Max water block is compatible with AMD processors of the Socket AM5/AM4 design and Intel processors of the LGA115(x)/1200/1700/1851 design. Step-by-step instructions are included in the package, but there is no electronic version of them on the website. The process of assembling the mount on the motherboard for each of the supported sockets differs only in the use of different guides and bushings and looks like this.
For Intel, we note the use of a metal reinforcement plate with stiffening ribs and even more durable guides.
By the way, we are throwing ID-Cooling an idea to make clamping nuts with a knurled head for the same Allen key from the kit that is used to tighten the spacer bushings, which will allow them to be tightened without a screwdriver at all.
As for installing the radiator in the case, everything is standard here, except for its increased thickness, that is, 12-13 mm more space will be required for installation in height. Moreover, ID-Cooling warns about this on the page of its product.
In our case, the radiator with the liquid cooling system fans was installed on the top panel of the Thermaltake Core X71 with the fans oriented to blow out of the case.
To connect the system to the motherboard, you will need one 4-pin connector for fans, one 3-pin for the pump, and one 5V ARGB connector for backlighting the pump cover, which, compared to other AiO liquid cooling systems, is extremely laconic.
Everything is ready for start and testing.
⇡#Test configuration, tools and testing methodology
A comparison of the efficiency of the ID-Cooling DX360 Max and its competitors was carried out in a closed system case with the following configuration:
- Motherboard: MSI MPG Z790 Edge WiFi (Intel Z790, LGA1700, BIOS H.D2 dated 08/22/2024);
- Socket amplifier: ID-Cooling ABF-1700;
- Processor: Intel Core i9-13900K 3.0-5.8P/2.2-4.3E GHz (Raptor Lake, 10 nm, 8/16P+16E-core, 36 MB L3, TDP 125/253 W);
- Thermal interface: ID-Cooling Frost X45 [15.2 W/(m K)];
- RAM: DDR5 2 × 24 GB Team Group T-Create Expert (CTCED548G7200HC34ADC01), XMP 7200 MHz 34-42-42-84 CR2 at 1.4 V;
- Video card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 Super Fe 8 GB / 256 BIT, 1470-1650 / 14000 MHz;
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- System and benchmarks: Crucial T700 1 TB (CT1000T700SSD3, PCIe 4.0 x4);
- Benchmarks and games: Patriot VIPER VP4300 1 TB (VP4300-1TBM28H, PCIe 4.0 x4);
- Benchmarks and games: Netac N950E Pro 1 TB (NT01N950E-001T-E4X, PCIe 3.0 x4);
- Benchmarks: Gigabyte GP-AG4500G 0.5 Tbyte (PCIe 4.0 x4);
- Benchmarks: SSTC Hammerhead P990 Pro Plus 1 TB (PCIe 4.0 x4);
- Storage: Intel SSD 730 0.5 TB (SATA III, BIOS vL2010400);
- Archived: Samsung Ecogreen F4 HD204UI 2 TB (SATA II, 5400 rpm, 32 MB, NCQ);
- Case: Thermaltake Core X71 (six 140mm be quiet! Silent Wings 3: three in front for intake 800-1050 rpm, two on top for exhaust 800-1020 rpm, one in the back for exhaust 800-1610 rpm, PWM control);
- Control and monitoring panel: Zalman ZM-MFC3;
- Power supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 (1.65 kW, 80 Plus Gold), 135 mm fan).
To obtain stable and objectively comparable results, the main processor parameters were fixed in the following values: BCLK frequency – 100 MHz, performance core multiplier – 54, frequency – 5.4 GHz, energy-efficient core multiplier – 43, frequency – 4.3 GHz , Vcore voltage is 1.145-1.15 V. In the BIOS of the MSI motherboard, the third level of voltage stabilization on the processor core (CPU load-line calibration) was set.
According to HWiNFO64, the processor’s heat output with these settings reached 260 watts. The effective RAM frequency was recorded at 6.933 GHz with voltages of 1.305/1.295 V (VDD/VDDQ), and its main timings were fixed at 34-42-42-54 CR2 with additional adjustment of secondary and tertiary timings. The VCCSA voltage was fixed at 1.055 V. The ring bus frequency was set at 4.7 GHz.
The testing was carried out on the Microsoft Windows 11 Pro operating system version 24H2 (26100.3194). The software used for the test:
- Cinebench R23 – to create a stress load on the processor (Test Throttling mode, two consecutive cycles of approximately 10 minutes each);
- HWiNFO64 8.21-5655 – for temperature monitoring and visual control of all system parameters.
A screenshot of the monitoring during one of the testing cycles looks like this.
The processor load was created by two consecutive Cinebench R23 cycles. 10 minutes were allocated between cycles for the CPU temperature to stabilize. The final result, which you will see on the diagram, is the maximum temperature of the hottest of the eight productive CPU cores at peak load and in idle mode, as well as the average maximum temperature for all such cores. In addition, a separate table will show the temperatures of all productive CPU cores, their average values, and the temperature delta between the cores. The room temperature was monitored by an electronic thermometer installed next to the system unit with a measurement accuracy of 0.1 °C and the ability to monitor the room temperature change hourly over the past 6 hours. During this testing, the temperature fluctuated in the range of 23.5–24.6 °C (the delta was taken into account in the results).
The noise level of the cooling systems was measured using an OKTAVA-110A electronic noise meter from midnight to three o’clock in the morning in a completely closed room with an area of about 20 m2. The noise level was measured outside the system unit case, when the only noise source in the room was the cooling system and its fans. The noise meter, fixed on a tripod, was always located strictly at one point at a distance of exactly 150 mm from the fan rotor. The cooling systems were placed in the very corner of the table on a foamed polyethylene substrate. The lower limit of the noise meter’s measurements is 22 dBA, and the subjectively comfortable (please do not confuse with low!) noise level of the cooling systems when measured from such a distance is around 36 dBA. We take 33 dBA as a conditionally low noise level.
The first competitor to the ID-Cooling DX360 Max today was the 360mm liquid cooling system ID-Cooling FX360 INF (₽5,580).
The second one added to the testing is one of the best liquid cooling systems in the 360 mm form factor – DeepCool LQ360 (11,999 ₽).
Our testing today would not be complete without one of the best air coolers – PentaWave Z06D SRB (4,080 ₽).
Let us add that the rotation speed of the fan impellers of the tested cooling systems was regulated in the range from 800 rpm to their maximum in steps of 100 or 200 rpm using a special controller, the accuracy of which is ±10 rpm.
⇡#Cooling efficiency
Compared to the ID-Cooling FX360 INF, the new DX360 Max looks noticeably more efficient, winning by up to 5 degrees Celsius at maximum speeds and about 3.5 degrees Celsius at minimum speeds. At the same time, it should be understood that the FX360 INF itself is not the best 360 mm liquid cooling system in terms of cooling efficiency, so if the DX360 Max with its thicker radiator claims to be the leader, then it should be compared with the DeepCool LQ360. And in this comparison, we can see a completely different picture.
At maximum fan speeds of these liquid cooling systems, when their noise levels are the same, the DX360 Max is 1 degree Celsius behind at peak load. It gets worse from there. Already at 1800 rpm, the difference between these systems increases to 2 degrees Celsius in favor of the LQ360, and with a decrease in fan speed, the situation for the DX360 Max only gets worse. Ultimately, at 900 and 800 rpm, the ID-Cooling lags behind DeepCool by 5 degrees Celsius, which is unfortunately a lot for systems of the same class. But the liquid cooling system deals with the PentaWave Z06D SRB supercooler very confidently, demonstrating an advantage of 4 to 8 degrees Celsius. However, it could not be otherwise.
Traditionally, we increase the load by increasing the frequency of the processor’s productive cores to 5.5 GHz at a voltage of 1.175-1.18 V.
According to HWiNFO64, the processor’s heat output with such settings at peak load reaches 270-275 watts. ID-Cooling FX360 INF was not tested in this mode, so its results are not on the diagram.
With increasing load, the results became more dense. At maximum speed, the difference between the ID-Cooling DX360 Max and DeepCool LQ360 was reduced to 0.4 degrees Celsius, one might say, there is no difference at all. At 1800 rpm, where the noise level of these liquid cooling systems is again the same (the difference is 0.2 dBA), their efficiency is also the same, and at 1600 rpm, DeepCool is more efficient by a little more than 1 degree Celsius. A very tough fight. Then, at 1400 rpm, the DX360 Max loses by almost 2 degrees Celsius, as well as at 1200-1100 rpm. The last mark to which we managed to reduce the fan speed of the ID-Cooling DX360 Max without losing processor stability was 1000 rpm at 35.5 dBA, where the processor temperature reached 90.5 degrees Celsius. With the same noise level, the DeepCool LQ360 operates at 900 rpm and cools the processor to 88.7 degrees Celsius. In principle, the difference is small, and we can state that when the load increases, the ID-Cooling DX360 Max manages to reduce the gap from the leader due to the increased radiator area. Nevertheless, let’s say, hand on heart, these are not the results we expected from the DX360 Max today. Probably, such a liquid cooling system ID-Cooling should equip with six fans at once, not three.
In addition, we tested the liquid cooling system with the motherboard’s BIOS automatic settings, using only the TDP limit of 320 watts and 340 watts. In this mode, the ID-Cooling DX360 Max was tested only at the maximum 2250 rpm, and the results are shown in the screenshots with the full monitoring data.
320 watts
340 watts
At a peak load of 320 watts, the ID-Cooling DX360 Max keeps the processor temperature within 92 degrees Celsius on the hottest core, and at 340 watts the temperature rises to 97 degrees Celsius, but no throttling of the processor is recorded at this stress test distance.
⇡#Noise level
From maximum speed to 1400 rpm, the noise level of the ID-Cooling DX360 Max and DeepCool LQ360 is almost the same, but with a further decrease in fan speed, the DX360 Max looks more advantageous than its competitor and at the boundaries of subjective comfort and relative silence, it wins over the LQ360 by about 100 rpm. Interestingly, two fans on the PentaWave Z06D SRB cooler operate with the same noise level as three on the ID-Cooling DX360 Max. Well, the leader in noise level today is the ID-Cooling FX360 INF. According to subjective assessment, it is difficult to make any claims to the ID-Cooling DF-125-K fans – they do not rustle or rattle, there is no vibration, the sound of the electric motor is not recorded in the entire speed range.
The noise level of the ID-Cooling DX360 Max pump was only 30.6 dBA. This is a fairly quiet pump, which will suit the vast majority of users. In comparison with pumps of other AiO liquid cooling systems, it looks like this.
In general, it turns out that of all the ID-Cooling liquid cooling systems we tested, the DX360 Max has the quietest pump.
⇡#Conclusions
For only six thousand rubles, ID-Cooling offers its DX360 Max with a radiator of increased thickness and area, which allows the liquid cooling system to cope with very high loads, removing up to 340 watts of thermal energy from the processor. This is the main feature of this system, but it would be great to see the DX360 Max V2 version with six identical fans installed on both sides of the radiator. Yes, it will be bulky and heavy, but the efficiency should increase significantly, especially in quiet modes. In all other respects, this is a typical 360 mm liquid cooling system with a quiet and laconically illuminated pump, universal and reliable mount, very effective Frost X45 thermal paste and a three-year warranty. A very good option for the most productive processors with a high level of heat generation.
