Thermal Performance

Thermal Performance scores are derived from the relevant Performance Factor scores. We set this scale with 75% and below as the 0 mark, with each 2.5% increase from 75% in relative performance adding 0.5 to the awarded performance score.

Push Only Thermal Performance – 4.5/5

The XE 360 set a new benchmark with it’s Push Only thermal performance. Its result was average at low fan speeds but placed first in the medium and high speed categories giving it a 97.1 comparative performance factor which equates to a 4.5/5 score.

Push/Pull Thermal Performance – 5/5

Another category, another first place and another new benchmark for the XE radiator. The 98.1 APF translates to a 5/5 score awarded for Push/Pull thermal performance. To say this is a dominant performance would be an understatement:

Overall Thermal Performance – 5/5

With the Push Only and Push/Pull category wins it would be quite amazing if the XE didn’t place first in the overall results.  It’s results put it well clear of the nearest competitor and it’s 97.6 Master Performance Factor score means that another perfect 5/5 score is going to the XE and makes it the current overall thermal performance winner!

XE - APF All b

Features & Quality – 4.0/5

The CoolStream PE 360mm from EK has a great satin black finish and overall the build quality is excellent. My only criticism is that the side material of the casing is a bit thin for the length and as such leaves it feeling a bit flimsy when handling the rad. At 65mm including the ports it is a thick rad, so it won’t be suitable for all installation scenarios.

A compromise has been made when EK decided on the 4 ports that the XE is fitted with. The XE’s 4 ports are 2 more than it’s new stable mate the PE which has only 2, but is less than the 5 which the XTX had. (XTX being replaced by the XE).  It’s also less than the 7 that some of the competition have.

Tube protection plates are not fitted under the fan mounting holes and the tubes are located in very close proximity to the screw holes. Take extra care if using custom mounting hardware.

The core of the XE is slightly biased towards medium and high speed fans, but still performs extremely well with lower fan speeds.

With a medium/high FPI count the XE will need some cleaning time allocated every now and then to keep it at peak performance.  If you are worried about dust build up then a lower FPI rad like the SR2 will still give great performance.

The XE’s medium restriction level will not cause any additional concern when planning the required pump set-up for your loop.

Summary – 4.5/5

The EK CoolStream XE 360mm is an excellent thermal performing radiator with both Push Only and Push/Pull fan assemblies. It placed first in both categories as well as taking the overall best performing radiator award out of a huge group of 26 radiators.  This is no mean feat!

The boxy design is unique to the CoolStream “E” series and should blend seamlessly into any build without drawing attention to itself.

The XE 360 really has no drawbacks, and deserves to be placed on your short list to choose from if looking for a top performing rad and you have the available space to accommodate it thickness

At the time of writing the XE360 was due to hit shelves at any moment and is rumored to have a retail price of around $100.

Once released we’ll update the pricing and provide the EK Webshop Link. I hope EK have a whole heap of these available as I believe they’ll be flying off the shelves!

Where to buy: EK e-shop $99.99 + shipping from Europe

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

9 COMMENTS

  1. Another great review of a great rad. Excellent work Fast Fate and EK.

    Will have a couple of these on their way as soon as I can.

  2. On your analysis page when comparing the average GPM @ 750/1300/1850 P/P your graph for this review differs from say the coolgate G2 review analysis numbers. Power dissipated on the G2 review page at AVE GPM 1850 P/P is 497.7 and in this review it shows the G2 @ 461. This discrepancy is across all radiators and fan speeds in your group A reviews, the power dissipated is much lower in this review.

    I know you changed your temp reading set-up to get better accuracy but I never found anything referencing the change in Power dissipated due to that. Its confusing, could you please explain why the numbers changed.

    BTY, always great reviews…..thank you!!

    • Good catch! Yes this is because for Group A we were using averaged power dissipation numbers across all of Group A. After publishing Group A and continuing analyzing numbers with Group B we found that repeatability was increased by using calculated power dissipation from each run rather than the average over all tests. Therefore all later numbers are processed using this method. Soon we will be going back and editing all the results to be consistent in the methodology 🙂

  5. Thanks for the review.

    This seems like close to the “ultimate” radiator it would seem.

    Basically, this thing needs 2 things as you’ve noted:
    – Screw protectors (this I think is a big oversight and would not be hard to integrate at all)
    – A fill/bleed at the end (this I think is less important)

    Otherwise, this is basically the ultimate radiator. I suspect that an 85mm version thick “Monster” variant of this would be able to outperform even the HWLabs GTX Black Ice.

    Do you think that the louvered fins and higher tube count (14) are responsible for this radiator’s all around good performance?

  6. Not sure if my commented posted earlier, but this is a repost.

    It would seem that the ultimate radiator then would be a thicker variant of the XE 360mm. It’s interesting to note that this fan, despite it’s medium fin density, keeps up with all other radiators across the board.

    Why?
    – Perhaps the louvered single fin design is superior?
    – I also note that it has 14 tubes, rather than the typical 12 tubes.

    I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on that.

    I would guess that a “Monster” radiator thickness (say 85mm or perhaps even 100mm) would be probably the ultimate radiator, especially if they could fit more tubes in.

    I hope that in the future, EK will add screw protectors. That I think is a big oversight.

    Anyways, thanks for the review.

  7. […] So EK have confirmed that dents will not turn into leaks – so if you have dents then feel free to carry on with your life.  I am confused about the statement that only the 480 radiator is affected given that we’ve seen dents on other sizes.  Still there is an option to RMA if you’re at all concerned.  Hopefully this is the last we see of the issue because the XE is a great performing radiator! […]

Comments are closed.