A Closer Look
NZXT has a solid track record for product design, and the Kraken series is no exception. While this new model does look new and improved, it does still share that familiar NZXT DNA in its design. If you get an NZXT case, motherboard, cooler, power supply, even a gaming mouse, you can bet they’re all match each other in terms of aesthetics, and I love that focus on brand unity.
It’s a 240mm AIO, so as you would expect, the radiator is slim and relatively compact, offering wide compatibility with many PC cases. It supports mounting of 2 x 120mm fans on either side for a push or pull configuration.
It comes with NZXT’s latest fan design, with both a non-RGB and RGB version available for you to choose from.
Installation of the Kraken Plus 240mm has been made more straightforward with several thoughtful design choices. Firstly, the Intel bracket comes pre-installed, so it’s as simple as screwing it down to the motherboard backplate. Of course, if you’re on AMD, just pull off the Intel bracket, clip on the AMD bracket, and then the process will be largely the same.
An integrated RGB and fan controller is now housed directly within the cooler, which significantly reduces cable clutter. But how do I connect my fans? A single breakout cable handles all necessary connections, with this chunky connector on the cooler side, but it splits into SATA, PWM, and RGB on the other end, so nice and easy to deal with.
The inclusion of pre-applied thermal paste simplifies the mounting process even further, albeit if you’re re-installing the cooler, you’ll need to reapply using the TIM that comes in the box.
The centrepiece of its customisation is the 1.54-inch square LCD screen, driven by NZXT’s CAM software, which admittedly I wasn’t a fan of when it launched years ago, but it has since become much more robust. Plus CAM allows you control over many elements of your system, NZXT products, RGB sync, fan control and more.
While the screen isn’t as big as the one of the new 420mm Kraken, it’s still a decent display, and offers the same level of customisation, but obviously this 240mm model is going to be much more affordable too, so it’s a fair trade-off.
