Performance: 35 out of 40
When you pair a large triple 120mm radiator with three fairly fast fans, then mix in a good pump and relatively large diameter tubing the results almost have to be good. This is what we were expecting and that is what the Aorus WaterForce X 360 delivers. The devil of course is in the details, and as is the theme of the review, this AIO is quirky. On the one hand it does have an excellent pump, relatively low restriction tubing, and a large radiator. On the other the radiator is thin. At this price point, and with so much competition, we really would have liked to have seen a 30mm thick rad at the minimum and would have preferred ~38mm. This does tarnish the Aorus’ luster a bit. The same is true of the fans. They are fairly fast, move a decent amount of air, have good static pressure, and even have 8 LED zones for lighting goodness… and do all that while being rather quiet. The quirk is that they are sleeve bearing. A distinct downgrade from the previous generation’s dual ball bearing design. As such the Aorus WaterForce X 360 is a great step in the right direction but there is still a lot of room for improvements.
Ease of Use: 18 out of 20
This is an area that Asetek is known for getting right and the Aorus WaterForce X 360 is no exception to the rule. Once again, a few minor quirks… like not having the USB header on the rotating part of the block… or not having a 4-pin fan cable for letting the motherboard know that there actually is a cooler on the CPU; but overall, it is a relatively easy to work with AIO. One that really will not be overly difficult for even first-time users to get up and running.
Build Quality & Warranty: 15 out of 20
Once again, the easiest way to describe the build quality is to say it is quirky. Gigabyte obviously put a lot of time, money, effort, and thought into the upgraded Aorus line. The end result is many noticeable improvements, but a few head scratchers. Head scratchers like the (at best) “side-grade” change from dual ball to sleeve bearing fans; or the improved pump and lower restriction tubing tied to a thin radiator… and not a thicker one that combination could properly handle; or excellent control software… yet forgetting to include a way to keep the system from pitching a fit on POST. The same is somewhat true of the warranty. Three years is a touch short. If you want to instill confidence in buyers you need to offer better than ‘industry standard’. So it too can be considered… quirky.
Value: 17 out 20
While it certainly has a few quirks that may make its overall value plummet for some buyers the Aorus WaterForce X 360 does have a lot going for it. Everything from truly customizable lighting, to very good cooling performance, to even a rather user-friendly installation process. The Aorus WaterForce X 360 really does make a good argument for justifying its asking price. Just understand that your personal assessment may differ greatly.
Final Score: 85%
The Aorus WaterForce X 360 certainly is not perfect. It certainly is quirky. It is however not a bad performer, nor a bad design. As long as you can overlook, or mitigate, the quirks it comes with it will impress you. No matter if what matters to you is noise levels, shear cooling potential, or even how much it can add to a custom builds overall aesthetics, it is a good AIO with a good host of features. One that we would have zero issues using a wide variety of builds. We just wish that Gigabyte had spent just spent a wee bit more time on the fiddly bits… as that is where they made a few missteps.
