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 cooling systems was expanded by the manufacturer in fall 2023 to include the LIQMAXFLO and LIQMAXFLO SR series. We are testing the Enermax LIQMAXFLO SR 360 today.
Behind the Enermax LIQMAXFLO SR 360 is an AiO water cooling system with a 360 mm radiator, which is designed to impress with its excellent cooling performance. The manufacturer lists the 27 mm radiator, three 120 mm fans with stronger fan blades and an additional 60 mm fan on the pump block for cooling the RAM and voltage converters as the main features. Furthermore, the newly developed pump with dual-chamber design and patented Shunt Channel Technology is designed to work efficiently and smoothly. The Enermax LIQMAXFLO SR 360 is already available for € 104.90 *.
Enermax LIQMAXFLO SR 360 review: Technical details
General specifications
| Weight | 1.3 kg |
| Compatibility AMD | AM5 / AM4 / AM3 / FM2 / FM1 |
| Intel compatibility | LGA 1700 / 1200 / 115x / 2066 / 2011 / 2011-3 / 1366 |
| Cooling capacity |
370W |
| Price |
€ 104.90 * |
Radiator specifications/ heat sink specifications
| Type | Soldered radiator |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 395 x 120 x 27 mm |
| Radiator material | Aluminum |
Fan specifications
| Number of fans | 3 |
| Fan designation | Enermax UCSF12P-LMF |
| Bearing type | hydrodynamic sleeve bearing (HDB) |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 120 x 120 x 26.8 mm |
| Fan speed | 500 ~ 1800 rpm |
| Noise level | 15~23.46 dB(A) |
| Max. Volume flow | 98.59 m³/h |
| Max. Air pressure | 2.4 mm H2O |
| Rated voltage (fan) | 12 V |
| Nominal current (per fan) | 0,08 A |
| Rated power (fan) | 0,96 W |
| Fan connection | 4-pin PWM |
Pump specifications
| Dimensions (W x D x H) | approx. 80 mm x 70 mm x 65 mm |
| Cooling plate material | Copper |
| Pump speed | 1200 ~ 3000 rpm |
| Rated voltage (pump) | 12 V |
| Nominal voltage (LEDs) | 5 V |
| Rated current (pump) | 0,43 A |
| Nominal power (pump) | 5,16 W |
| Pump connection | 4-pin PWM |
| LED connection | 4-pin (5V-D-coded-G) |
| Tube length |
400 mm |
| Fan speed (VRM fan) | 500 – 3000 rpm |
| Rated current (pump) | 0,24 A |
| Nominal power (pump) | 2,88 W |
Packaging & scope of delivery
Enermax packs the LIQMAXFLO SR 360 in a large box made of color-printed cardboard. In addition to the main colors black and red, the cardboard box shows a few product images, a list of the most important features and a table with all relevant technical data. Inside, a thin foam mat lies on top of the components. Underneath, Enermax places the AiO water cooling system and all accessories in a protective form made of cardboard or in other plastic foils.
The scope of delivery includes the radiator-pump combination, three 120 mm fans, assembly instructions and necessary assembly accessories such as backplates, screws, spacers etc., a tube of thermal paste, optional connection cables and three hose clamps.
Design & workmanship
Visually, the radiator of the Enermax LIQMAXFLO SR 360 remains very inconspicuous. It consists of black painted and soldered aluminum fins, which are surrounded by a matt black frame. Its depth of 27 millimeters is absolutely average for current AiO water cooling systems. Enermax has also taken the opportunity to place the product name in silver on both sides.
The connection between the radiator and pump block is made via black, textile-coated hoses that are around 400 millimeters long. Together with the swivel joints, this provides enough space for flexible installation even in larger housings. Enermax uses sleeves/shrink tubing made of sturdy rubber at the ends of the tubing. However, this makes the solution a closed system in which the cooling circuit cannot be extended. In addition to the hose connections on the radiator, a valve for pressure equalization can also be found.
With the exception of the base plate, the pump block is made of black plastic and has a magnetic top cover that can be easily removed and rotated. Enermax places the VRM fan with a diameter of 60 millimeters underneath the ventilation opening. The fan blows cold air to the voltage converters and RAM via side ventilation slots. The CPU heat is absorbed via a copper base plate with factory-applied thermal paste, a pump with ceramic bearings and a two-chamber system. The pump and VRM fan are controlled via a single 4-pin PWM connector. This means that if the pump rotates faster, so does the fan.
The supplied fans are of the Enermax UCSF12P-LMF type and are completely black. The frame width is 120 millimeters and the frame height is an unusual 26.8 millimeters. This enabled the manufacturer to angle the five fan blades differently and make them stronger. In addition, all eight corners have rubberized surfaces for decoupling. The connection to the mainboard is made via a 4-pin PWM cable with daisy-chaining option. The manufacturer specifies a speed range of 500 to 1800 revolutions per minute.
Fully assembled, the Enermax LIQMAXFLO SR 360 has a total weight of 1.3 kilograms. Similar to the depth of around 54 millimeters (including the fans), these are typical values for a compact water cooling system in the 360 mm range. In terms of build quality, we were unable to identify any defects or problems. The fan, radiator or pump unit showed no processing or paint defects. There were also no bent fins or unsightly scratches.
Enermax LIQMAXFLO SR 360 Test: Assembly
A test system mounted on a benchtable is used for the review. 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*
- ASUS TUF Gaming B550M-Plus*
- 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*
Enermax uses a system with a backplate and a modular mounting frame on the pump block to mount the LIQXMAXFLO 360. It is then attached using spacers and spring-loaded screws.
For our AMD system, we start by preparing the mainboard and removing the two plastic brackets of the AMD retention module. We then had to screw the plastic spacers into the retention module. It is important to ensure that the spacers have differently dimensioned threads on both sides.
The next step is to prepare the pump block. To do this, attach the corresponding metal mounting frame to the pump block by simply sliding it into the corresponding guide rail on the cooling block. The frame then engages automatically at a certain point. As heat-conducting paste is already applied to the radiator base at the factory, this step is not necessary. However, for reasons of comparability, we have removed the thermal paste and applied the Arctic MX-4.
Finally, the pump block is screwed evenly to the spacers using four spring-loaded screws and the radiator is placed and secured in the housing. Depending on the orientation of the pump, the cover can then be rotated so that the manufacturer’s lettering is in the correct orientation. Overall, the mounting system used is well thought out and enables the compact water cooling system to be attached quickly and easily. The installation instructions also clearly describe each individual installation step, should any questions arise.
Cooling performance and volume
As already shown in the previous chapter, we use an AM4 system based on the Ryzen 5 1400 and the ASUS TUF Gaming B550M-Plus as test hardware. The Ryzen runs at 3.8 GHz at 1.175 V. To heat up the processor, it was loaded with Prime95 for 30 minutes. The temperature of the CPU was then read out with the CPUID hardware monitor. The room temperature was always around 20 °C during the measurements.
| wdt_ID | CPU-Kühler | 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 | 46,60 | 45,90 | 550 | 1.200 | 1.800 | 680 | 2.100 | 3.200 |
| 124 | Cooler Master MasterLiquid 240 Atmos ARGB | 50,40 | 46,50 | 560 | 1.340 | 2.270 | 1.965 | 6.620 | 10.230 |
| 125 | be quiet! Pure Loop 2 240mm | 50,70 | 46,70 | 800 | 1.070 | 2.080 | 4.150 | 4.700 | 5.530 |
| 126 | Alpenföhn Panorama 2 | 76,00 | 66,80 | 450 | 1.450 | 2.720 | |||
| 127 | Alpenföhn Brocken 4 | 53,60 | 49,60 | 410 | 870 | 1.610 | |||
| 128 | AMD Wraith Stealth | 95,00 | 76,00 | 800 | 1.430 | 2.630 | |||
| 129 | Corsair A115 | 49,40 | 46,90 | 190 | 920 | 1.560 | |||
| 130 | Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE | 49,50 | 47,50 | 350 | 1.050 | 1.680 | |||
| 131 | Thermalright Assassin X 120 SE | 53,60 | 50,60 | 340 | 1.070 | 1.690 | |||
| 132 | DeepCool Assassin IV (Silent) | 51,40 | 48,70 | 500 | 860 | 1.330 | |||
| CPU-Kühler | 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 from the table and the diagram, the CPU of our test system reaches a maximum of 50.3 °C (at 50% PWM fan and pump speed) and 46.2 °C (at 100% PWM fan and pump speed) under full load. Depending on the speed, this puts it slightly ahead of or between the high-end air coolers. Measured against the price of € 104.90 *, the performance shown is very good and offers plenty of scope for overclocking or more powerful CPUs. However, it is noticeable that the LIQMAXFLO SR 360 loses some performance, especially at reduced speeds.
Due to the wide speed range of the fans and the pump, you can easily set everything between “silent”, “audible” and “clearly audible/disturbing” via the BIOS/UEFI. Unfortunately, the fans in our review sample make a clear bearing noise at lower speeds. We found these noises quite annoying. It is also unpleasant that the VRM fan and the pump cannot be controlled separately, as the VRM fan can also be heard much faster than the pump. A separation would have enabled a better balance between performance and volume.
Enermax LIQMAXFLO SR 360 test: Lighting options
The Enermax LIQMAXFLO SR 360 has six ARGB LEDs that can be controlled via the mainboard. Enermax places the LEDs in the fan hub of the VRM fan, which is located in the pump block. They are controlled via the mainboard using a 3-pin 5V ARGB connection. The cable also has a Y-switch, which can be used to connect additional fans or ARGB strips. Unfortunately, we find that the connection cable is very short. Finally, a few impressions of the activated lighting.
Conclusion of the Enermax LIQMAXFLO SR 360 test
Despite its relatively low price, the Enermax LIQMAXFLO SR 360 has a lot to offer. It has a basically simple appearance, which is somewhat broken up by the ARGB fan in the pump block. In addition, the magnetic and rotatable pump cover prevents a misaligned manufacturer’s logo. We also liked the overall build quality and the simple but solid assembly of the compact water cooling system. Finally, the cooling performance shown can also be described as very good, although the performance decreases more at lower speeds compared to other AiO water cooling systems.
Unfortunately, there are also a few negative aspects to the Enermax LIQMAXFLO SR 360. We are particularly annoyed that the VRM fan and the pump cannot be controlled separately. The generally quite quiet pump is quickly drowned out by the volume of the VRM fan at higher PWM values. If you focus on silent operation, the performance is measurably reduced. The three 120 mm fans also produced annoying background noise, which was particularly noticeable at lower speeds. Finally, we also found the ARGB connection cable of the pump block to be very short.
With a price of € 104.90 *, the Enermax LIQMAXFLO SR 360 is positioned in the upper entry-level range. In return, it offers a solid overall package of performance, appearance, workmanship and assembly. However, the lack of separation in the control of the pump and VRM fan as well as the annoying background noise of the fans could prove to be an exclusion criterion for many.
Enermax LIQMAXFLO SR 360
Design
Workmanship
Mounting
Performance
Value for money
87/100
The Enermax LIQMAXFLO SR 360 offers a solid overall package of performance, appearance, workmanship and installation. However, the lack of separation in the control of the pump and VRM fan as well as the annoying background noise of the fans could prove to be an exclusion criterion for many.
No replies yet
Neue Antworten laden...
Gehört zum Inventar
Beteilige dich an der Diskussion in der Basic Tutorials Community →