ID-COOLING FX360 INF AIO CPU Cooler Review

1. ID-COOLING FX 360 INF2. Test Results3. Closing Thoughts4. View All Pages

Currently, the AIO market is saturated with budget 360mm coolers, so the competition here is fierce. We don’t expect the absolute top thermal performance from these budget coolers but some surprise us. However, that’s not the case with the ID-COOLING FX360 INF. Thermal performance is a fair bit below some other budget 360mm AIOs and it's priced a few quid higher. That means the ‘bang for buck' performance ratio isn’t the best but the performance is solid enough to keep the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X from overheating, so on a lower power CPU it will be fine.

That said the build quality seems ok, the installation process is quick and simple and the RGB lighting effects look bright and strong. There is very little light bleed coming from the individual LEDs on the fans and the semi-opaque fan blades do a solid job of diffusing the light. The black coating on the radiator is smooth and even, it looks like a quality finish and the braided sleeving on the tubing finishes it off nicely too. So even though it’s a budget cooler, it has a good quality feel.

ID-COOLING bundles two types of AMD mounts with the cooler so you can install it either with tubing facing to the side or top/bottom of the CPU, it comes with a healthy tube of thermal compound so if you need to remove and reinstall the cooler for any reason there should be thermal compound spare to do this. Even at max fan speed the FX360 INF runs very quietly, maximum noise output is one of the lowest we have tested with the 9950X test system so far.

I would have liked ID-COOLING to have pre-applied some thermal compound to the cold plate to make the installation process even easier for novice users, it just removes any installation anxiety. There is also a little confusion in the official specs as ID-COOLING lists the pump as being PWM but it's actually only voltage control.

Performance that lags a little behind similarly priced alternatives but it's not all bad as the low noise output, RGB effects and good build quality will be attractive to some users. However you can tune the fan speed on louder coolers to the same level as the FX360 INF and get better thermal performance, so keep that in mind when looking for your next cooler.

We found it listed on Amazon HERE.

Pros:

• Quick and simple installation/setup.
• Quiet operation even at max fan speed.
• Decent ARGB lighting effect with very little LED light bleed.

Cons:

• Performance lags behind some competitors.
• No pre-applied thermal compound.
• The pump is only 3-pin voltage control despite the specs saying PWM.

KitGuru says: The ID-COOLING FX360 INF is pretty affordable at around £80, but there are cheaper and better-performing coolers out there. So if you are on a very tight budget, it's worth checking what's available first before splashing the cash on this.

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