Conclusion
Today we looked at the performance of the Enermax LIQMAXFLO 360mm Cooler and stacked it up against various competitors under a 13900K doing its best to keep the showdown hot. We’ll recap the performance below and see how the Enermax LIQMAXFLO 360mm stood up to the heat in our kitchen!
Summary of Temperatures
From a temperature perspective, the Enermax LIQMAXFLO 360mm did a reasonable job keeping our Intel 13900K in check at the base test load of 200W, typically trading blows with the more expensive Cooler Master 360 ATMOS cooler that we recently looked at. As the heat reached and surpassed the 250W level continued to perform reasonably but generally fell back behind the 360 ATMOS while performing on par with the PL360 FLUX and CORELIQUID E360.
The sweet spot for the Enermax LIQMAXFLO 360mm performance is in the 1000-1500 RPM range for its fans.
Summary of Sound Levels
The Enermax LIQMAXFLO 360mm when running with its pump at 100% (and therefore, its vrm/pump fan at 3000 RPM) was the loudest cooler that we’ve seen in a while. However, that’s not a completely fair comparison to all other coolers that we’ve tested with a vrm/pump fan, we’ve set that fan to 50% due to its ability to take a lap around your yard and trim the weeds. Due to the configuration of the pump, we could not unpair the pump speed from the fan speed which is what left us with these results.
Overall, the 120mm fans included with this AIO are quiet on their own, however, the key to keeping the Enermax LIQMAXFLO 360mm quiet is through a well-configured fan curve on your rig.
Pump/VRM Fan Speed Reduction Impact
Because our testing methodology forced the vrm/pump fan to 100%, we decided to take a look at how dropping that to 50% would make a difference to both the noise level and performance of the Enermax LIQMAXFLO 360mm.
Taking a look at the sound front, at the highest RPM speeds, we saw little to no difference in the dB(A) readings. At the 1900 RPM fan speed level, there was no subjective difference between the pump speeds, however, when dropping to 1500 RPM and below, the Enermax LIQMAXFLO 360mm became virtually inaudible.
As the higher fan speeds don’t make much of a sound difference, we decided to focus on the cooling performance difference at the quietest end at the 600 and 1000 RPM levels to see the trade-off for backing off on the vrm/pump speeds. Overall, we saw a 5-6 degree Celsius increase in CPU temperature in exchange for the loss of fan noise.
Final Points
Looking at the charts from a pure performance perspective, we find the Enermax LIQMAXFLO 360 to deliver middle-of-the-road performance in a noisier manner than some of the units that we compared it to using our standard methodology. However, when you factor in the price and the overall polish of the AIO’s presentation, it suddenly looks a lot more compelling.
Rewinding to a few months ago at Computex when I was at Enermax’s booth, the rep I was speaking with was quite excited about the value proposition that they were going to provide – the aim being a product that punches far above its price point (which of course, he could not tell me at that time). The Enermax LIQMAXFLO 360 is currently offered via Enermax direct for $129.99. Its competition in this review ranged from the $139.99 price point (MSI MAG CORELIQUID E360) to the Cooler Master PL360 FLUX ($176) and Cooler Master 360 ATMOS ($159.99).
Re-evaluating the charts when considering the price, the Enermax LIQMAXFLO 360 generally outperformed two more expensive AIOs and traded blows with another at the mid to moderate wattage range. Factor in the test methodology wrinkle to the vrm/pump fan and suddenly the twinkle in the rep’s eyes is understood – Enermax is delivering a great value package with the Enermax LIQMAXFLO 360 and it is certainly worth including on your shortlist if you’re on a budget.