Behind the name Enermax is a manufacturer of PC components founded in Taiwan in 1990. The portfolio includes PC power supplies, cases, keyboards and other peripherals. However, the main focus is currently on the development of visually appealing and powerful cooling components for PC systems. These include AiO water cooling systems, CPU coolers and case fans. The portfolio of AiO water coolers was expanded by the manufacturer in January 2023 with the Enermax AQUAFUSION ADV 360, among others, which we take a closer look at in this review.
The Enermax AQUAFUSION ADV is the further development of the AQUAFUSION, which we already had in the test in 2019, and comes with some innovations. These include a slightly adapted mounting system with extended compatibility for all current mainstream sockets and the patented pump block in dual-chamber design, which is supposed to increase the service life of the cooling solution. Enermax has also equipped the AiO water cooling with the new addressable SquA ADV ARGB fans. These now offer not only an RGB ring but also illuminated fan blades. As always, we’ll start with the technical details.
Enermax AQUAFUSION ADV 360 review: technical details
Cooler Specifications
| Dimensions (with fan) | 394 x 120 x 52 mm (W x H x D) |
| Weight (with fan) | 1300 g |
| Material | Copper (radiator bottom), aluminum (fins) |
| Cooling capacity |
N/A |
| Compatibility AMD | AM5, AM4, AM3(+), FM2(+), FM1(+) |
| Compatibility Intel | LGA 1700, 1200, 115x, 2066, 2011, 2011-3, 1366 |
| Price | € 93.93 * |
| Features |
Pump with ceramic bearings, sleeved and swivel hoses |
Fan specifications
| Fan designation | Enermax SquA ADV RGB fan |
| Dimensions | 120 mm x 120 mm x 25 mm |
| Speed | 500 – 2000 rpm |
| Volume | 15 – 32.6 dB(A) |
| Support volume | 66.3 – 135.6 m³/h |
| Air pressure |
0.67 – 3.6 mmh²O |
| Special features | Fluid Dynamic Bearing (FDB) |
| Connection |
4Pin PWM + 3Pin RGB (with expansion adapter) |
Pump specifications
| Dimensions | approx. 69 x 55 x 69 mm (W x H x D) |
| Pump RPM | 1600 – 3200 rpm |
| Bottom plate |
copper |
| Hose length | 400 mm |
| Hose diameter |
N/A |
| Special features | Ceramic bearings |
Packaging & Scope of Delivery
Enermax packs the AQUAFUSION ADV 360 in a large cardboard box that has been colorfully printed. Thus, the color black dominates and is complemented by some rainbow stripes, which are supposed to underline the ARGB aspect of the water cooling. Furthermore, the packaging shows colorful product pictures of the cooling system and lists all relevant technical data as well as the six most important features. All information is written in English only.
Inside the box, the AQUAFUSION ADV was wrapped in a form of cardboard and additionally encased by protective foils. Furthermore, Enermax donates a cardboard slipcase to the radiator, which is supposed to protect the aluminum fins from damage. The three included SquA ADV 120 mm fans with ARGB lighting were packed separately and are also wrapped in a protective foil. Finally, the box contains a bag with all the mounting accessories such as screws, a backplate, spacers, brackets, thermal paste, etc., as well as the detailed installation instructions and a lot of connection cables.
Design & Workmanship
Visually, Enermax leaves it at the AQUAFUSION ADV with the old design of radiator and pump. Thus, the heat exchanger is kept simple black, but has a glossy manufacturer’s lettering and two larger notches per side. It is made of aluminum and with a thickness of 27 millimeters is within the average of many commercially available compact water cooling systems.
The water hoses are about 400 millimeters long, encased in a fine black sleeve, and end at the pump block at two movable joints. Their mobility allows both the pump block and the radiator to be placed in different positions in the case. The connection between the hose and the radiator or pump was realized via pressed plastic sleeves. Thus, this compact water cooling system is not expandable.
The base of the pump block consists mostly of black plastic on whose lid a milky ARGB ring and a mirror were placed. Unilluminated, this mirror looks inconspicuous, but when activated, it shows the manufacturer’s logo and an RGB ring in Infinity optics. To control the ARGB LEDs, a 5V 3-pin cable can be connected to the pump unit.
The pump with ceramic bearings built into the block rotates with a maximum of 3200 rpm and is connected to the mainboard via a 3-pin connector. A transfer of heat from the heatspreader of the CPU to the pump block is done via a large copper plate.
The included SquA ADV ARGB fans are made of a black plastic and have a speed range between 500 and 2000 rpm. The milky fans are connected via a 4-pin PWM connector for power and via a 5V 3-pin ARGB header for controlling the lighting in the frame and fan hub. Furthermore, the fans have small rubber bumpers at the corners to prevent vibration from being transmitted to the radiator or case.
If you screw the radiator and fan together to form a single unit, then the team is 52 millimeters thick. Thus, the compact water cooling should also fit into cases that do not offer so much space for water cooling components. In terms of build quality, we could not find any workmanship or paint defects on the fans, radiator or pump unit. In addition, there were no bent fins or unsightly scratches.
Enermax AQUAFUSION ADV 360 review: assembly
For the review, we are using a test system on a benchtable. This allows us to rule out factors such as heat buildup in the case. However, a case (HYTE Y40) was used to explain the assembly steps. The test system consists of the following components.
- AMD Ryzen 5 1400 @ 3.8 GHz at 1.25V
- MSI B350 PC Mate
- Crucial Ballistix Sport LT gray 32 GB DDR4-3000
- Corsair Force Series MP510 960GB Nvme
- Gigabyte AORUS GTX 1060 6G
- LC-Power LC550 V2.31 Platinum Series 550W
The compact water cooling system comes with detailed assembly instructions. In this manual, all the main assembly steps are explained well and understandably with text and pictures. First, this required the radiator including the fans to be connected to the housing. Then the CPU block is equipped with the AMD mounting frames by means of four small screws.
Now, on the front of the motherboard, the front mounting brackets of the AMD retention module need to be removed and four long threaded spacers need to be screwed into the backplate instead. After applying an appropriate amount of thermal paste and removing the protective foil of the copper plate, the CPU block could be placed on the stand-offs. The subsequent locking is done via four silver thumbscrews with integrated springs, which are supposed to regulate the contact pressure.
Due to the solid mounting system, the installation was very easy and quickly completed. Especially the use of screws with springs prevents too much contact pressure on the installed CPU. In case of doubts during the installation, a look at the detailed instructions could quickly provide clarity.
Lighting options
Since the Enermax AQUAFUSION ADV 360 offers a lot of lighting options, we will dedicate this chapter to this topic only. All fans (rotor, fan frame) and the pump (pump cover) have addressable LEDs, each of which can be controlled via a 3-pin 5V ARGB connector. Since the fans each have a splitter, they and the pump can be connected together to a single ARGB header on the motherboard. If the motherboard does not have a corresponding header, Enermax also includes a control unit with the accessories. This has numerous effects as well as control options and wes connected via SATA power connector to the PSU. Finally a few impressions of the activated lighting.
Loudness and cooling performance
As pointed out in the previous chapter, we are using an AM4 system based on the Ryzen 5 1400 and the MSI B350 PC Mate as our test hardware. The Ryzen runs at 3.8 GHz at 1.25V. To warm up the processor, it was loaded with Prime95 for 15 minutes. The CPU’s temperature was then read with the CPUID hardware monitor and the room temperature was around 20 °C during the measurements.
| Cooler | Operating scenario | RPM | temperature |
| AMD Wraith Stealth | 50% PWM | 1450 rpm | 99 °C |
| AMD Wraith Stealth | 100% PWM | 2650 rpm | 89.8 °C |
| LC-Power LC-CC-120-RGB | 50% PWM | 950 rpm | 61.1 °C |
| LC-Power LC-CC-120-RGB | 100% PWM | 1500 rpm | 56.6 °C |
| Enermax AQUAFUSION ADV 360 | Fan 50% PWM Pump 7V |
Fan 1350 rpm Pump 2200 rpm |
52.9 °C |
| Enermax AQUAFUSION ADV 360 | Fan 50% PWM Pump 12V |
Fan 1350 rpm Pump 3200 rpm |
51.3 °C |
| Enermax AQUAFUSION ADV 360 | Fan 100% PWM Pump 12V |
Fan 2100 rpm Pump 3200 rpm |
50.1 °C |
In terms of cooling performance delivered, the Enermax AQUAFUSION ADV 360 knows how to impress and can easily keep up with 360 mm variants from other manufacturers. The pump emits a slight hum at full speed, but this is easily drowned out by the fans when they are running at maximum speed. If the AQUAFUSION ADV is used in a silent system, we recommend throttling both the pump and the fan. Since at least our CPU only recorded three degrees higher temperatures at reduced speeds, throttling should basically not be a problem. There is enough leeway until a critical temperature is reached. The minimum fan speed on our specimen was 650, while the pump speed was 1600 rpm.
Summary of the Enermax AQUAFUSION ADV 360 Test
Now let’s come to the conclusion of this test. The Enermax AQUAFUSION ADV 360 basically represents a sensible extension of the old series. Especially the renewed fans, whose rotors are now also illuminated, and the pump unit with its Infinity look attract all eyes. In addition, the build quality of the compact water cooling leaves no room for complaints. The overall package is rounded off by an excellent and simple mounting system as well as the extensive accessories package and the resulting high socket compatibility.
However, the good cooling performance of the Enermax AQUAFUSION ADV 360 comes at the price of a rather high noise level. Especially the fans should be throttled so that there is some silence. Overall, we would have liked the minimum speed to be a bit lower than 650 rpm. Otherwise, we couldn’t recognize any other negative aspects.
With a price of € 93.93 *, the Enermax AQUAFUSION ADV 360 is one of the cheaper, but not the cheapest compact watercoolers with 360mm radiator and RGB lighting. Still, we think the Enermax AQUAFUSION ADV 360 is a good alternative to the competition if you like the looks.
Enermax AQUAFUSION ADV 360
Design
Workmanship
Mounting
Performance
Value for money
90/100
The Enermax AQUAFUSION ADV 360 offers a good overall package of convincing cooling performance as well as mounting and a chic look with addressable LEDs. However, the fan and pump should be throttled if the desire is for a lower volume.
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