NZXT Kraken X53 240mm AIO Review

A Closer Look

The Kraken X53 comes nicely packaged. There’s a one-piece soft brown cardboard interior, separating all the major components. All the major components are wrapped in thick plastics and generally very well protected.

In the box, you’ll find two 120mm AER fans. They’re not RGB or anything outlandish like that. However, they are easily some of the best fans on the market right now.

The fans look stunning, although aesthetics never seems to be a struggle for NZXT. There’s a mild two-tone look to them with those angular scoops around the fan blades.

At the side of the fan, a durable fan cable with thick sleeving and heat wrap keeping things looking very neat and tidy.

Fittings and Fixtures

Nothing too crazy here really, with a SATA power cable and a micro-USB to USB motherboard header cable. Both of these will connect directly to the pump housing.

There are fittings for all major sockets here too, with the exception of TRX40, which is supported, but you need an extra bracket (not included).

Of course, you get the AMD retention ring in the box, but the Intel bracket comes pre-fitted to the pump.

Plus, the universal backplate will support all major sockets thanks to the sliding fitting. It’s pretty much what you would expect from the latest Asetek design.

The Cooler

Being an AIO cooler, everything is ready to rock right out of the box. There’s a really good length to the tubing, but it’s surprisingly flexible. I haven’t played with an AIO for a little while, but I often find many have very rigid tubing, which drives me nuts.

Stamped in the side, a lovely NZXT logo. I like that they’ve kept the branding quite

Down the side of the pump, you’ll find the fitting for the included USB cable and SATA power connector. I still don’t get why these aren’t somehow wired into the radiator though, as routing into the pump is a cable routing nightmare in my opinion.

On the plus side, you do get some easy pivot mounts on the tubing, which I do like.

The thermal paste is pre-installed, which makes for an easy install. However, I would like to see them include it in a tube in the box, should you need to re-install at a later date.

A little warning sticker on the top. I’ll leave that on for now, as it’s protecting the shiny top while I install it.

Fitting it all up is easy enough, and while there are only two fans included, they do include screws for four should you need them. Of course, there are short screws for fitting it to a chassis too.

Once it’s all installed, it’s pretty much as you would expect. However, I do love the pump design which features an NZXT logo on the top layer of the glass, but a trick infinity mirror design around the edges. It is RGB, so fire up the CAM software and you can dial in your favourite colours, temperature response colour changes, etc.