The manufacturer behind the name Corsair no longer needs to be explained to hardware enthusiasts. Nevertheless, we would like to say a few words by way of introduction. Corsair was founded in the USA in 1994 and is a world-renowned manufacturer of PC hardware. Initially, the main focus was on high-performance memory modules, but Corsair has since made a name for itself in many other areas. These include, for example, all-in-one water cooling systems. With the Corsair Nautilus 360 RS, which we are testing today, the manufacturer now wants to gain a foothold in the lower price range and attack the competition that is already strongly represented there.
Corsair Nautilus 360 RS review: Technical details
General specifications |
|
| Dimensions (with fan, L x W x H) | 396 x 125 x 52 mm |
| Weight (with fan) | 1.6 kg |
| Compatibility AMD | AM5 / AM4 |
| Intel compatibility | LGA 1700 / 1851 |
| Cooling capacity |
N/A |
| price |
€ 109.31 * |
| Warranty | 6 years |
Radiator specifications / heat sink specifications |
|
| Type | Soldered radiator |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 396 x 125 x 27 mm |
| Radiator material | Aluminum |
Fan specifications |
|
| Number of fans | 3 |
| Fan designation | Corsair RS120 |
| Bearing type | hydrodynamic sleeve bearing (FDB) |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 120 x 120 x 25 mm |
| Fan speed | 300 ~ 2100 rpm ± 10 % |
| Max. Noise level | 10 ~ 36 db(A) |
| Max. Volume flow | 22.6 ~ 123.7 m³/h |
| Max. Air pressure | 0.2 ~ 4.15 mm H2O |
| Illumination | N/A |
| Rated voltage (fan) | 12 V |
| Rated current (fan) | N/A |
| Rated power (fan) | N/A |
| Connection (fan) | 4-pin PWM |
| Fan cable length | 50 mm + 120 mm (daisy chain) + 600 mm extension |
Pump specifications |
|
| Cooling plate material | copper |
| Speed (pump) | 1600 ~ 3150 rpm ± 6 % |
| Rated voltage (pump) | 12 V |
| Nominal current (pump) | N/A |
| Rated power (pump) | N/A |
| Connection (pump) | 4-pin PWM |
| Hose length |
450 mm |
Packaging & scope of delivery
Corsair packs the Nautilus 360 RS in a colorful and eye-catching cardboard box. In addition to the typical manufacturer colors of black and yellow, we also find a printed image of the AiO water cooling system on the packaging. Corsair has also placed a table with the technical data and a list of the most important features on the back.
Inside the box, Corsair has used as little plastic as possible. Only the radiator and the pump block are wrapped in a plastic film to better protect them from scratches. All other components as well as the accessories and the main packaging itself are made of cardboard or paper. The scope of delivery includes the radiator/pump combination, three 120 mm fans and the mounting accessories in the form of screws, spacers, a backplate, the mounting instructions and a PWM cable extension for the fans.
Design & workmanship
The radiator of the Nautilus 360 RS is made of aluminum and is painted black. This applies to both the fins and the surround. Corsair then places a shiny manufacturer logo on both sides of this frame. The radiator is 27 millimeters thick, which is the typical average for compact water cooling systems.
The two connecting hoses of the compact water cooling system are each 450 millimeters long, are made of rubber and have been coated with a nylon fabric for optical reasons. The manufacturer has pressed the hoses into metal sleeves on both the radiator and the pump block, meaning that the circuit cannot be expanded. However, there are two swivel hose joints on the pump block that can be rotated very far.
The pump housing of the Nautilus 360 RS follows the simple trend of the radiator. It consists mainly of black plastic and is rounded at the corners. Unlike the ARGB version of the Nautilus 360 RS, the logo plate on the non-ARGB version cannot be rotated. If the logo is to be oriented correctly, the tubes must always point to the right. In addition to the logo, there are also circular symbols on the pump cover that look a bit like the letter “Y”.
According to Corsair, the pump inside the block should achieve a high flow rate and operate very quietly at the same time. However, Corsair does not provide more detailed information on the type or speed. We were able to determine a speed range of around 1600 to 3150 rpm in our practical test. The manufacturer uses a copper base plate on the underside, which has been provided with a layer of thermal paste ex works. The pump is controlled via a separate 4-pin PWM cable.
The three RS120 fans supplied have a frame width of 120 millimeters and consist of a black fan frame and a black rotor with nine fan blades. Connected via a 4-pin PWM cable with daisy-chaining option, the fans rotate between 420 and 2100 revolutions per minute and a zero fan mode is also available. The cables on the fan are very short to make cabling easier. An additional PWM extension is included in the scope of delivery. Unfortunately, the RS120 fans do not offer any decoupling options.
In terms of workmanship, the Corsair Nautilus 360 RS leaves a very good impression. The paintwork on all components is neat and we were unable to detect any paint defects, dents, scratches, bent fins or other processing faults on our test sample. With its dimensions of 396 x 125 x 52 millimeters and a weight of around 1.6 kilograms, it is within the normal range for compact water cooling systems of this size and should fit neatly into many cases.
Corsair Nautilus 360 RS review: Assembly
For the performance test, a test system is used which is mounted on a benchtable. This allows us to rule out factors such as heat build-up in the case. The test system consists of the following components.
- AMD Ryzen 5 1400 @ 3.8 GHz at 1.175V*
- MSI B350 PC-MATE*
- Patriot Viper 16 GB DDR4-3000*
- TeamGroup T-Create Classic PCIe 4.0 DL*
- Gigabyte AORUS GTX 1060 6G*
- LC-Power LC550 V2.31 Platinum Series 550W*
The installation on our AMD test system was completed quickly, as only a few steps are required to install the Corsair Nautilus 360 RS. First, the factory Intel frame on the CPU block had to be removed and replaced with the AMD frame. This process requires no tools, just a little force in the thumbs.
We then had to remove the front plastic brackets of the AMD retention module and replace them with four mounting bolts. Now the pump block was placed on the base and screwed down evenly with four spring-loaded knurled screws. Finally, of course, the radiator should be installed in the case. The Intel installation of the Corsair Nautilus is similar, except that the supplied plastic backplate is used here.
Regardless of the platform, installation is very straightforward and can be completed quickly thanks to the few steps involved. The pre-applied heat-conducting paste also plays a large part in this. Finally, the spring-loaded screws always ensure the correct contact pressure. If anything is unclear, a look at the manual or the quick start guide should help. However, Corsair only provides both online.
Cooling performance and volume
As already shown in the previous chapter, we use an AM4 system based on the Ryzen 5 1400 and the MSI B350 PC-MATE as test hardware. The Ryzen runs overclocked with 3.8 GHz at 1.175 V CPU voltage. To heat up the processor, we fully loaded it with Prime95 (Small FFTs) for 30 minutes in each scenario. We then read out the temperature of the CPU with the CPUID hardware monitor and the room temperature was always around 20 °C during the measurements.
| wdt_ID | CPU-Kühler | Temperatur Minimaldrehzahl (in °C) | Temperatur 50% PWM (in °C) | Temperatur 100% PWM (in °C) | Minimale Lüftergeschwindigkeit (in U/min) | Lüftergeschwindigkeit bei 50% PWM (in U/min) | Lüftergeschwindigkeit bei 100% PWM (in U/min) | Minimale Pumpengeschwindigkeit (in U/min) | Pumpengeschwindigkeit bei 50% PWM (in U/min) | Pumpengeschwindigkeit bei 100% PWM (in U/min) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 123 | Thermaltake TH280 V2 ARGB | 0,00 | 46,60 | 45,90 | 550 | 1.200 | 1.800 | 680 | 2.100 | 3.200 |
| 124 | Cooler Master MasterLiquid 240 Atmos ARGB | 0,00 | 50,40 | 46,50 | 560 | 1.340 | 2.270 | 1.965 | 6.620 | 10.230 |
| 125 | be quiet! Pure Loop 2 240mm | 0,00 | 50,70 | 46,70 | 800 | 1.070 | 2.080 | 4.150 | 4.700 | 5.530 |
| 126 | Alpenföhn Panorama 2 | 0,00 | 76,00 | 66,80 | 450 | 1.450 | 2.720 | |||
| 127 | Alpenföhn Brocken 4 | 0,00 | 53,60 | 49,60 | 410 | 870 | 1.610 | |||
| 128 | AMD Wraith Stealth | 95,00 | 95,00 | 76,00 | 800 | 1.430 | 2.630 | |||
| 129 | Corsair A115 | 0,00 | 49,40 | 46,90 | 190 | 920 | 1.560 | |||
| 130 | Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE | 0,00 | 49,50 | 47,50 | 350 | 1.050 | 1.680 | |||
| 131 | Thermalright Assassin X 120 SE | 0,00 | 53,60 | 50,60 | 340 | 1.070 | 1.690 | |||
| 132 | DeepCool Assassin IV (Silent) | 0,00 | 51,40 | 48,70 | 500 | 860 | 1.330 | |||
| CPU-Kühler | Temperatur Minimaldrehzahl (in °C) | Temperatur 50% PWM (in °C) | Temperatur 100% PWM (in °C) | Minimale Lüftergeschwindigkeit (in U/min) | Lüftergeschwindigkeit bei 50% PWM (in U/min) | Lüftergeschwindigkeit bei 100% PWM (in U/min) | Minimale Pumpengeschwindigkeit (in U/min) | Pumpengeschwindigkeit bei 50% PWM (in U/min) | Pumpengeschwindigkeit bei 100% PWM (in U/min) |
As can be seen in the table and diagram, the CPU of our test system reaches a maximum of 54.2 °C (minimum speed), 46.5 °C (at 50% PWM fan and pump speed) and 44.6 °C (at 100% PWM fan and pump speed) under full load. With these very good values, the Corsair Nautilus 360 RS is placed in the upper range of the table and can therefore convince in terms of the cooling performance shown.
The assessment of the general noise level is somewhat more difficult. At full speed, the fans in particular can be described as very loud and annoying. The audible humming of the pump at maximum speed is barely noticeable. It is therefore all the more pleasing that, at least in our test system, the speed could be significantly reduced without the cooling performance suffering greatly as a result. At 50% PWM for the pump and fan, which corresponds to speeds of 2200 (pump) and 1050 (fan), the background noise was much more pleasant and the cooling performance was still very good.
Conclusion of the Corsair Nautilus 360 RS test
Now we come to the conclusion of this test. The Corsair Nautilus 360 RS convinced us with its simple and sleek appearance as well as its very good cooling performance, which is on a par with some more expensive compact water cooling systems. The Nautilus 360 RS is also easy to install and wire. This overall package is rounded off by the use of a pump and fan with a wide speed range as well as the 6-year warranty, which clearly shows that Corsair has confidence in its own products.
If we were to find fault with the Corsair Nautilus 360 RS, it would be the fans, which become annoyingly loud at speeds above 1200 rpm. In addition, Corsair does not provide any decoupling between the radiator and fan frame. Furthermore, the manufacturer does not include a replacement tube of thermal paste in the scope of delivery and owners of older sockets such as LGA 115X are left out in the cold, as this compact water cooling system is only compatible with newer sockets.
At a price of € 109.31 *, the Corsair Nautilus 360 RS nevertheless leaves us with a good overall impression in conjunction with the overall package on offer. If you are also a fan of Corsair but not of the iCUE-Link universe, then the ARGB version of the Corsair Nautilus would also be worth a look. If you also like silence, then you should definitely create a proper fan curve in the BIOS/UEFI.
- Simple look
- Very good cooling performance
- Simple installation and cabling
- Very good workmanship
- Wide speed range for fan and pump
- 6-year guarantee
- Loud fan at maximum speed
- Fan without decoupling
- No replacement thermal paste
- Only compatible with relatively new sockets
Corsair Nautilus 360 RS
Design
Processing
Assembly
Performance
Price-performance ratio
89/100
The Corsair Nautilus 360 RS is a very well-made compact water cooling system that offers decent cooling performance and is easy to install. It also has a sleek appearance and a 6-year warranty. On the other hand, the fans are annoying at higher speeds and it is not compatible with older sockets.
