NZXT Kraken X62 vs X72

LukeMurtagh1995 · 7 Sep 2019 at 11:31

Hello,

I am thinking about going with either an NZXT Kraken X62 or X72 to cool my i7-9700K overclocked to 4.7GHz. Does anyone have any recommendations as to which one I should choose? Money is no issue here as I am simply wondering which would give me greater performance. I've seen reviews, such as one by GamersNexus, in which the X62 consistently did better than the X72. Could anyone explain why? I realise the X62 has two 140mm fans compared to the three 120mm fans on the X72, but surely three 120mm fans would perform better than two 140mm fans, even if only marginally? Is there any reason to go for the X72 over the X62?

Thanks!

Specs:
CPU: i7-9700K.
CPU Cooler: ?
Motherboard: Asus ROG Maximus XI Hero (WiFi).
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3200.
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO 500GB M.2 SSD and Samsung 860 EVO 1TB SSD.
GPU: EVGA GeForce RTX 2080TI 11GB FTW 3 Ultra.
PSU: Corsair RM1000i 1000W 80+ Gold.
Case: NZXT H710i.

Ross Thomson · 11 Sep 2019 at 09:57

Depends on fan performance. Surface area of a 360 is larger than the 280. 140 fans are generally quieter than 120s like for like.

Oblivion007 · 11 Sep 2019 at 10:37

x72 outperforms the x62.

On a price to performance basis the x62 wins.

doyll · 11 Sep 2019 at 12:46

X72 and X62 have near identical performance .. because while X72 has slightly bigger surface X62 is 3mm thicker giving it slightly more airflow area.
X72 rad with ends is 394x120x27mm with rad being 360mm long giving 1166400sqmm airflow area
X62 rad with ends is 315x143x30mm with rad being 280mm long giving 1176000sqmm airflow area

But best price to performance is with a top tier air cooler. Air cooling is just as good as CLC, costs much less, has no pump to wear out .. and when it does wear out you have no cooling until you replace cooler so no system to use until new cool is installed. With air the only things that wear out are fans, and any fan will work held on with rubber bands until suitable replacement is in hand. Top tier air are from £50-£90 total cost .. and depending on what case you have maybe the added cost of a couple good case fans. Kraken X62 is £140 and X72 is180 .. 2-3 times the cost of good air cooling .. even if needing a couple case fans these CLCs are still about twice as much.