Key features
Although PCCooler operates mainly in the Asian market, the company is trying to establish itself in the rest of the world. So, today I bring you a review of the DS360-BK cooler, which falls into the upper mid-range segment of liquid AIO coolers. One of the interesting features of this cooler is, for example, a display that shows the current CPU temperature or very high quality fans that can rival the absolute best on the market in certain situations.
Build, design and key features
The PCCooler DS360-BK is based on a classic liquid cooler design, where a pump is integrated in the cooling block, which circulates the coolant through a pair of tubes to the radiator, where it is subsequently cooled by a trio of fans. Although the pump in the block is not equipped with PWM control, during testing I found that its speed can be very easily regulated using the UEFI or even more conveniently using the handy FanControl application, which in honesty I can’t imagine any PC without.
In the photos below, you can notice the cleverly designed fan cables that can easily be connected in a single series, which of course greatly simplifies cable management in your build. Personally, I consider this solution to be a certain standard that every liquid cooler manufacturer should follow. There is no greater annoyance when building a PC build than to deal with a needlessly messy tangle of cables, even more so with cables for ARGB backlighting. Some manufacturers solve this with a proprietary connector that can merge both PWM and ARGB signals, but this solution usually requires either a controller or at least an adapter to connect the fans to the motherboard.
Fortunately, PCCooler relies on the proven standard power connector and PWM fan speed control. Unfortunately, the absence of a proprietary connector necessarily leads to a trio of different cables running from the cooling block and pump. You need to somehow power the pump, provide data to the display on top of the block and also somehow solve the ARGB backlighting of this block.
The cooler’s coldplate is made of copper and its surface area can easily cover any processor heat spreader on which this cooler can be installed. As is good practice with most of the liquid coolers on the market, the tubes are attached to the cooling block by a pair of 90° swivel fittings, which have a pleasantly stiff action and do not change their position too easily when pulling on the tubes. The tubes are 400 mm long, have a textile braid for a nicer look and greater durability, and include two plastic clips that allow them to be routed in parallel for a sleeker overall look to your build.
The upper surface of the cooling block is divided into a functional and a design part. In the upper left corner you will find a segment display that shows the current CPU temperature. However, for this display to work, you need to install a simple application on your PC, where you can choose between °C and F or whether to launch the application at OS startup. The larger half of the top of the block then consists of an acrylic glass cover, under which is an ARGB strip with an infinity mirror effect. Unfortunately, the entire top surface of the cooling block is also a very effective magnet for dust and fingerprints.
The cooler’s accessories are nothing original, but at the same time there is nothing missing. The mounting system is made entirely of metal with a matte black finish, and the installation of the cooler itself is practically a trivial matter, guided by a clear user manual. You’ll appreciate the included extension cable for the fans given the small length of the cables on the fans themselves, and the tube of thermal paste should last you for several applications.
Pump, radiator and fan parameters
The physical parameters of the DS360-BK do not deviate from what we are used to with similar coolers. The dimensions of the cooling block with the pump are not overly large despite the presence of the display on the top surface, and the price of this cooler is still at the limit of acceptability in this class. Probably the biggest problem will rather be the very limited availability on the European market.
| Cooler | Cooler | PCCooler CPS DS360-BK | DeepCool Mystique 360 | EK-Nucleus CR360 Lux D-RGB White |
| Supported sockets | Supported sockets | Intel 115x, 1200, 1700, 20xx; AMD AM4, AM5 | Intel 115x, 1200, 1700; AMD AM4, AM5 | Intel 115x, 1200, 1700, 20xx; AMD AM4, AM5 |
| Radiator dimensions (H × W × T) | 396 × 120 × 27 mm | 402 × 120 × 27 mm | 400 × 124 × 27 mm | |
| Block dimensions (H × W × T) | 73 × 73 × 66 mm | 93 × 77 × 66 mm | 82 × 69 × 31 mm | |
| Hose length | 400 mm | 410 mm | 400 mm | |
| Pump speed | Hloubka s ventilátorem | 3200 rpm | 3400 rpm | 3100 rpm |
| Radiator material | aluminium | aluminium | aluminium | |
| Max RAM height | no restrictions | no restrictions | no restrictions | |
| Warranty | 3 years | 5 years | 5 let | |
| Approx. retail price | 140 EUR | 180 EUR | 180 EUR |
The cooler comes with a trio of the very solid F5 R120 PWM fans. These fans performed very well in the recent tests by Ľubo Samák and even attacked the very top of their class when used with a radiator up to 28 mm thick. This makes them the logical choice for pairing with the DS360-BK cooler. I’m also curious about the acoustic profile of the cooler, of course, which you’ll find out in one of the following chapters.
| Fan | PCCooler F5 R20 PWM | DeepCool FT12 SE PWM | EK-Loop FPT 120 D-RGB | |
| Bearing | Bearing | FDB | ||
| Max. speed | Max. speed | 2200 rpm | 2150 rpm | 2300 rpm |
| Max. static pressure | Max static pressure | 3.20 mm H2O | 4.32 mm H2O | 2.70 mm H2O |
| Max. airflow | Max. airflow | 147.4 m3/h | 123.1 m3/h | 130.8 m3/h |
- Contents
- Key features
- Measurement methodology
- Results – 39 dBA
- Results – 42 dBA
- Results – 45 dBA
- Results – 48 dBA
- Results – maximum speed
- Spectral analysis of noise
- Conclusion and evaluation
Hmm, first places almost everywhere you look. A good cross verification of the results of the F5 R120 from fan tests.