# NZXT Kraken Elite 360

- Source: https://stierproducts.com/products/nzxt-kraken-elite-360-rgb
- Category board: https://stierproducts.com/categories/cpu-coolers
- Placement: #23 of 24 in CPU Coolers, F tier
- Brand: NZXT
- LP on this board: 0
- Last researched: 2026-09-10T07:50:31.460Z
- Method: https://stierproducts.com/methodology
- Dataset: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22062813 - every board at once, one dated snapshot per release, same licence, prices and photographs left out
- Reuse: Text, rankings, tier assignments, LP values and verdicts are free to quote and reuse with attribution to stierproducts and a link to the source URL (CC BY 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Product photographs are not covered: they belong to their respective owners and are reproduced to illustrate the product being reviewed. Do not redistribute them under this licence.

## Verdict

The RGB-and-LCD tax personified, with CAM software as a long-term liability. Under this lens it sits below every pick, and the Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 is the cooler to buy instead.

## For

- LCD pump-top is the flashiest marketing hook in the category
- Thermal performance on par with cheaper rivals

## Against

- You pay a premium for RGB and aesthetics rather than cooling
- Mandatory CAM software with a poor longevity record
- Outperformed by air coolers from Noctua and be quiet!
- Large price premium for the LCD pump-top
- Performance merely matches cheaper rivals

## Flagged as one to avoid

This product entered 4 of 10 runs as one buyers cross-shop but should not buy, rather than as a pick. It is published here rather than dropped.

## Evidence

Consolidated from 25 cited sources across 20 outlets

| Outlet | Said by | Stance | Link | Link status |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Tweaktown | tweaktown.com | - | https://www.tweaktown.com/news/112579/giveaway-win-an-nzxt-h6-rgb-plus-case-kraken-elite-aio-rgb-fans-and-1200w-psu/index.html | fetched and confirmed |
| guru3D Forums | Hilbert Hagedoorn | - | https://forums.guru3d.com/threads/review-nzxt-kraken-plus-360-rgb-a-cool-and-quiet-lcs-cooler.457958/ | fetched and confirmed |
| The Provoked Prawn | The Provoked Prawn | - | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpGTwc3hkjU | fetched and confirmed |
| www.guru3d.com | Hilbert Hagedoorn | - | https://www.guru3d.com/review/review-nzxt-kraken-plus-360-rgb-a-cool-and-quiet-lcs-cooler/page-10/ | fetched and confirmed |
| The Provoked Prawn | The Provoked Prawn | - | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGF4XZQYtTg | fetched and confirmed |
| BC Zone | BC Zone | - | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUy7ZO7m6w4 | fetched and confirmed |
| The Provoked Prawn | The Provoked Prawn | - | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oeIa9J_jkQ | fetched and confirmed |
| FIRE WOLF TECH | FIRE WOLF TECH | - | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgTjk_kFbVM | fetched and confirmed |
| TimsComputerRepair | TimsComputerRepair | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2SdHYGicr0 | fetched and confirmed |
| Tofu Golem | Tofu Golem | - | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4R_LPBCG-M8 | fetched and confirmed |
| The Provoked Prawn | The Provoked Prawn | - | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BKZGZwzfVA | fetched and confirmed |
| The Provoked Prawn | The Provoked Prawn | - | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3qUBk4UFqQ | fetched and confirmed |
| Tech for Techs | Tech for Techs | - | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqFirt4RuOE | fetched and confirmed |
| Reviewsinside | Reviewsinside | - | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewvqB4uegKY | fetched and confirmed |
| Device DE | Device DE | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EV9F55FN0I | fetched and confirmed |
| Robeytech | Robeytech | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mihxXlbvjXU | fetched and confirmed |
| igor´sLAB | Enrico Steinert | C | https://www.igorslab.de/en/nzxt-kraken-elite-360-rgb-in-test-display-show-with-solid-cooling-performance/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Hardcore Gamer | Cory Wells | - | https://hardcoregamer.com/review-nzxt-player-three-prime-gaming-pc/ | fetched and confirmed |
| The Provoked Prawn | Mortuum | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BKZGZwzfVA#comments | fetched and confirmed |
| Geektopia | Geektopia | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF-wHPYXueo | fetched and confirmed |
| Giga Tech Show | Giga Tech Show | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkTu6Nxhc5c | fetched and confirmed |
| GeekaWhat | Katherine Neul | B | https://geekawhat.com/nzxt-kraken-elite-360-rgb-v2-2024-cooler-review/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Modders Inc | modders-inc.com | B | https://www.modders-inc.com/nzxt-kraken-elite-360-rgb-aio-review/ | fetched and confirmed |
| Rim Brake Rodeo | Rim Brake Rodeo | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyeDbuMDlt4 | fetched and confirmed |
| Wizard Review | Wizard Review | B | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-yUjCGIkWs | fetched and confirmed |

## Nearest alternatives on this board

| Rank | Product | Tier | Page |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 | S | https://stierproducts.com/products/arctic-liquid-freezer-iii-pro-360 |
| 2 | Noctua NH-D15 G2 | S | https://stierproducts.com/products/noctua-nh-d15-g2 |
| 3 | Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE | A | https://stierproducts.com/products/thermalright-phantom-spirit-120-se |
| 4 | Noctua NL-LC1-36 | A | https://stierproducts.com/products/noctua-nl-lc1-36 |
| 18 | be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 5 | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/be-quiet-dark-rock-pro-5 |
| 19 | MSI MAG CoreLiquid A13 360 | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/msi-mag-coreliquid-a13-360 |
| 20 | be quiet! Pure Rock Pro 3 | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/be-quiet-pure-rock-pro-3 |
| 21 | DeepCool Assassin IV | D | https://stierproducts.com/products/deepcool-assassin-iv |
| 22 | Corsair iCUE Link Titan 360 RX LCD | F | https://stierproducts.com/products/corsair-icue-link-titan-360-rx-lcd |
| 24 | Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition | F | https://stierproducts.com/products/cooler-master-hyper-212-black |

The full board is at https://stierproducts.com/categories/cpu-coolers.

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is the NZXT Kraken Elite 360 for?

Nobody we can recommend. The research calls it mediocre value wrapped around an LCD and chained to CAM software, with thermal performance that merely matches cheaper rivals and a shorter warranty than the Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360. Buy the Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360 instead. The research says it out-cools the Kraken for less money with a longer warranty.

### What is the better alternative to the NZXT Kraken Elite 360 on this board?

The Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360, the only S tier cooler on our board. It has top-class thermals, a 6-year warranty and no software dependency. If the pump-top screen is the reason you were looking at the Kraken, the Thermalright Grand Vision 360 in B tier has strong thermals and an LCD display at a price where the premium brands charge double for the same feature set.

### What goes wrong with the NZXT Kraken Elite 360?

The research lists four cons. A large price premium for the LCD pump-top, performance that merely matches cheaper rivals, full dependence on NZXT's CAM software with a years-long reputation for bloat, bugs and account nagging, and a shorter warranty than the Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360. The standard AIO wear paths, pump bearings and gradual coolant permeation, apply on top.

### Does the NZXT Kraken Elite 360 need CAM software?

Yes. The research describes full dependence on CAM, which controls the LCD, lighting and fan and pump curves. The loop will cool at default behaviour without it, but the features you paid the premium for do not work. CAM's reputation for bloat, bugs and account nagging is one of the main reasons the cooler sits in F tier.

### How do you install the NZXT Kraken Elite 360?

Mount the radiator and its three fans in a 360mm position first, with the radiator's top edge higher than the pump so any air pocket stays out of the pump. Fit the socket bracket, apply thermal paste if the cold plate is not pre-pasted, and tighten the pump block evenly in a cross pattern. Connect the pump's USB and power leads to the motherboard headers the manual names, install CAM, and rotate the screen image in software so it reads correctly.

### Does the NZXT Kraken Elite 360 come with thermal paste?

NZXT ships its Kraken coolers with thermal paste pre-applied to the cold plate. Do not add more on top, and keep the protective cover on until you mount the block. If you remove the block later, clean both surfaces and apply fresh paste from a tube.

## What this tier means

- F: Avoid. The evidence points you elsewhere.

## How to read this

- Each category is researched in four independent runs, one per lens (expert consensus, value, reliability, community pulse). Every run ranks a board of candidates that deliberately includes products buyers cross-shop but should avoid. Placements score on a ranked ladder (LP), and tiers are derived from LP, so no tier is ever assigned by hand.
- LP is this product's points on its own category ladder. It is comparable within a category and not across categories.
- Link status reports what our pre-publication link check found when it fetched the cited URL. It says nothing about the quality of the review.
- A citation with no usable link is listed rather than dropped, and is excluded from the counted total above.

## Image

https://stspimgdevmfyk46r5vwkay.blob.core.windows.net/images/products/nzxt-kraken-elite-360-rgb.webp

Product photographs are not covered: they belong to their respective owners and are reproduced to illustrate the product being reviewed. Do not redistribute them under this licence.