Final Score: 85%
The Gigabyte Aorus WaterForce X 360 is a rather interesting, All In One / Closed Loop Cooling solution. One where Gigabyte may not have taken any risks in opting for Asetek as the OEM/ODM for the new WaterForce X series but they certainly put their own spin on things. The end result is an AIO that offers a blend of Asetek’s consistency with actual innovation. Put simply, it may look and act different but with Asetek as the underlying foundation buyers can rest assured that Gigabyte’s Aorus WaterForce X 360 is a Good. Safe. Choice.
This hybrid approach actually is refreshing. Typically, if you have seen one Asetek AIO you have seen them all. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred a ‘manufacturer’ simply slaps their label on Asetek’s bog standard design and releases a(nother) bog standard AIO on to a market filled with bog standard Asetek water cooling solutions. This is because, much like the old saying about IBM, no one ever got fired for spec’ing Asetek. Asetek offer a proven design that may no longer offer chart topping performance but is a known quantity and is a very safe choice for companies who lack the experience in water cooling.
Gigabyte and their Aorus WaterForce X is not just another bog standard Asetek based AIO. Instead, it is the exception that proves the rule. Yes. Where others are fine with being ‘good enough’ Gigabyte found ways to breathe life into a design that is starting to show its age and included some rather unique value-added features. Features that when tallied up mean that no matter if you are SilentPC Enthusiast, custom builder looking for an easy way to add a lot of synchronized lighting effects, or even just a PC Gaming enthusiast the Gigabyte Aorus WaterForce X 360 will be a good choice.
With that said, the shear amount of uniqueness may take away a bit of the overall value of the Gigabyte Aorus WaterForce X 360. For example, including the microSD card slot costs money, and that in turn increased the MSRP. For a feature that many probably will never use. A rarely used feature that could have easily been replaced with a 128-256MB NAND IC and using the included USB+software to upload custom images to its integrated LCD display. Others may like the reduction in fan noise, but may be less enthused with the reduction in lifespan associated with horizontally mounted sleeve bearing fans. Others still may love the fact that this AIO is not going to kill a low-end motherboard’s 4-pin fan header, but will not love the fact that Gigabyte did not include a ‘dummy’ 4-pin fan cable to keep the BIOS from throwing a fit on POST. It really is a quirky model but if you can mitigate the quirks that are important to you, you will end up with an above average Asetek based AIO cooling solution.
In the end, no, the Gigabyte Aorus WaterForce X 360 is not perfect. It is however an excellent choice for a wide range of buyers. One that will provide good to great cooling performance for 99percent of typical scenarios and do it in style. So unless you are pushing insane voltage levels and actually have to worry about VRM temperatures, or ‘X’ quirk is a deal breaker for a given build, we would have almost no hesitation in opting for this AIO over other less expensive Asetek based 360mm AIOs. In summary, if you are looking for a large CLC the Gigabyte Aorus WaterForce X 360 should indeed be on your radar. Doing otherwise may make you overlook a truly viable alternative to bog-standard AIOs.
The Review
Gigabyte Aorus WaterForce X360
In the end, no, the Gigabyte Aorus WaterForce X 360 is not perfect. It is however an excellent choice for a wide range of buyers. One that will provide good to great cooling performance for 99percent of typical scenarios and do it in style.
