EK AIO Elite 280mm D-RGB All-in-One CPU Liquid Cooler with EK-Vardar High-Performance PMW Fans, Water Cooling Computer Parts, 140mm Fan, Intel 115X/1200/2066, AMD AM4

Compared to the normal d-RGB version, the Elite has a more powerful pump, as well as an additional set of fans (so this 280mm has 4x 140mm fans). My unit had some serious QC issues, where the pump was extremely loud with lots of bubbling noise. It felt underfilled when I shook it, and it turned out that whatever EK did during manufacturing, they somehow pressurized the internals of this unit. This meant that no matter how much I tried to adjust the orientation, there were always air bubbles stuck at the pump, making an ungodly grinding noise from all the air bubbles, even at very slow speeds; I had to remove the coldplate and slowly fill back up the AIO with distilled water since the loop was underfilled. A bit of a shame, because this is one of the better performing AIOs out there, with good looking fans (the extra set of fans you probably should use for case fans, because the performance impact to having all 4 fans on the 280mm AIO is very little, if at all), and can totally handle a Ryzen 7 7800X3D.

The radiator tank sounds half filled and also sounds like pieces of something were moving around inside the radiator and the pump when operating. Temps spiked really high at desktop and pump noise was audible over casse panels being on and fans spinning at high speed. Pump makes a sloshing sound then temps spike to 90C at desktop then back to 50C until the sloshing sound comes back. Sounds like something is jamming the pump every so often as it makes it’s way thru the cycle. I remounted the pump several times and still got the same result with high temps and the AIO is just so loud and not functional. It’s crazy this leaves the factory like this.

One of the fans came broken out of the box and they refused any kind of rma

Do yourself a favor and save yourself the nightmare hassle of dealing with their RMA process. You might as well take you hard earned money and light it on fire. My AIO was dead on arrival. The only thing that works are the fans with no RGB by the way. Oh and the RMA dept. only responds once a day with one instructuon at a time as if you leave your computer in pieces for days. What a joke.

I have tried 6 different 280mm AIOs in two years; cheaper, more expensive ones and I have always been unsatisfied with them. Mostly because the pump noise. Very difficult to find a quiet one, because reviews don’t measure or write about, they care only the fan noise. I don’t care fan noise, because i change the factory fans always to quiet Noctua fans.Fortunately this EKWB has variable water pump speed and at 50% level have already no noise. That is very good because other brands with Asetek pump designs are often noisy even already at 20% speed, while some other manufacturers water pump running always at very noisy 100% level speed. This EKWB is not using Asetek pump, it is using their own design! Very good! Here possible to change the rotation speed in bios or with a Fan control program in Windows.Build quality very good, the block is heavy and gives premium feeling. The only downside it doesn’t contain LGA1700 bracket. And it contains 4 springs in the holding mechanism and one always disappearing at refitting and very very difficult to find it.