HOOT! ID Cooling Auraflow 240 Review *RGB AIO*

djdestiny

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This AIO just arrived last week when I was having the runs all week. Unfortunately.

I am reviewing it though and I'm ecstatic that there is finally a much cheaper RGB equipped AIO on the market.

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I already jumped the gun this early :s13:
While it doesn't have the trippy NZXT RGB rainbow effect, that is rather unnecessary for me. It also costs a lot

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ID Cooling has been making great boxes and this new design completely one ups their older boxes. Looking great!
Here's a hint, it's called Auraflow because it supports Aura.. but what exactly is Asus Aura?

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Now that's a PROPER manual.

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It's actually big, unlike CoolerMaster manuals of old (and maybe right now even) which opened up like a "pocket atlas map" which were anything but or have really tiny fonts.
Every AIO I've ever opened up and looked at the manual is also guilty of that.

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Gone is the comet tail LED and in with a simple design that doesn't shout itself ... How does the RGB work? Read on later.
Also here's a second hint, the new design will carry on the Frostflow+ that's coming soon that will replace the current Frostflow lineup

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While I would normally say don't forget to peel it off but many times I wonder who will see a plastic wrap around the AIO and think "Yeah I think that belongs on it"

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The block is shiny and very flat! While not a mirror finish like the deepcool lucifer who really cares?

To be continued on next post
 
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djdestiny

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Why does it have a RGB splitter? I will explain later.
That "molex" to RGB adaptor actually plugs into the "molex" in red green or blue to set the AIO in such colors

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Other accessories. The fan screws are not in the picture because it was on the fans at this point of time, my bad.

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It has a simple design, with LEDs in the hub which often looks rather ghastly but this time it's actually translucent so it doesn't do too badly in the "I am a LED fan and I am not supposed to shine like a thousand suns through one LED". The ring around the fan is also translucent and can actually be removed to be substituted for other colors.
However whether you can actually buy other colors is unknown to me at this point but they pick up the ambient light and emit a nice glow in the same tone!

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It's a 12v 0.18A fan... Has a maximum speed of 1800rpm which is actually fairly mild and the noise it produces is not too shabby, at least compared to Corsair H100i GTX which makes a lot of noise.
Rated at 74.5cfm and 2.15mmh2o which is a bit low for a radiator fan, I wonder how much it hurts temperatures but the old Frostflow 240L actually came very close to H100i GTX (now branded as H100i v2 because of hardwarelabs the radiator company) while being rather quieter.
And not to mention, nearly half the price for the 240L (which will be getting an update very soon)

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Hmm what is the plug other than the fan plug? Remove the cover and it reveals a RGB plug that is meant to be plugged into the rgb splitter seen before. Each fan has one of these.
That also means you can't use the RGB function without a RGB header but ... you're not buying this with a rig or board without RGB right? It already has a RGB splitter so hook these to your RGB controller and the last plug can go to your existing rgb strip

It doesn't have the rainbow effect like the NZXT ones do but here's a secret to why they say ASUS Aura compatible :
ASUS aura as I learnt last week has 3 versions depending on the motherboard you buy :
ASUS Aura has a base version (like on the B150i Aura/Wifi ITX board) that simply has a RGB backlit on the back of the mobo and that's it. It lacks RGB headers and in most ITX cases you can't see the backlighting.
I only found out because I had no choice but to get the b150i a while back for a friend because PCT ran out of pretty much every other ITX board and between splurging more on a Gigabyte H270 ITX ... or any other H270 ITX that costs even more...
The next ASUS Aura typical of current gen motherboards usually are simply RGB headers. (I have heard from ASUS CVI owners that the app simply doesn't really work and you can't uninstall it and killing the process simply creates another process...)
The last ASUS Aura comes on really expensive motherboards and are the ones that can support LED strips with programmable functionality on them or NZXT Aer RGB fans with the rainbow effect which I am not keen on or even fond of.

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The corners of the fan have a bump that is supposed to provide some damping but sadly, it doesn't touch on the radiator and is really meant for cases.

Next post please
 
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djdestiny

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The pump has a RGB plug too!

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Obligatory gratuitous shot

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If you haven't noticed by now, the Auraflow has sleeved tubing and the current Frostflows already sell off the shelves with sleeved tubing for a while now which is a HUGE bonus to me because really only pricey AIOs have it.
I know, I have a Frostflow 240L with them

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See what I meant by the ring glowing?

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Small touches like this brushed aluminium cover even on a AIO of this level makes it much more worth it!

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A look at the radia- what's that? what came in??

Oh the CoolerMaster Masterliquid 240! (Not exactly but close enough)

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I've been wanting to test it for a bit now and I've a companion for this review

Continue on next post
 

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Continue on next post discussing benchmarks on temps scored with each AIO and at stock and overclocked temps on LGA1151 Skylake platform with a 6700k.

(No ryzen sadly because it is my PC and Skylake definitely puts the hammer on any cooler... They run like a thousand suns)

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Benches were done on a really hot day. We're talking 33c ambient hot. Ouch,
Intel Core i7 6700k bench (Same bench as before)

http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/hardware-clinic-2/id-cooling-frostflow-240g-gpu-aio-5351986.html
Yep, identical bench.

4.8GHz 1.4v this time to keep it stable, normally it needs 1.32v but that day was extremely hot and this is well, June.

But yes, the ID Cooling Auraflow 240 (which is basically a frostflow with RGB) is actually 2degrees and it's not within margin of error because these are held for an hour and averaged out over 2 runs.

Noise wise the ID Cooling is slightly louder because the fans aren't as good as the CM but then they are nowhere near as loud as a Corsair H100i and both pumps I'm happy to report are reasonably quiet. Critically where this AIO sits it is just below a H100i GTX (now called v2) which is the king of performance... and noise according to earlier reviews comparing the frostflow 240L and the h100i GTX.

And you're asking about the pricing? Well I cannot confirm the pricing right now but it should be around 138SGD.

Yes. 240 RGB AIO for half the price of the NZXT X52 :s13:

Best time to usher in the RGB age! Definitely highly recommended.
 
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IceWater_

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How’s the fans on the Auraflow? Heard there’s a rattling noise on Frostflow between 1200 to 1300RPM, does this have the same problem?
 

djdestiny

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How’s the fans on the Auraflow? Heard there’s a rattling noise on Frostflow between 1200 to 1300RPM, does this have the same problem?

The original frostflows had that problem but when I tested ramping up and down RPM range it didn't have that problem.

Thankfully.
 

IceWater_

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Nice, I noticed static pressure on the fans quite Low compared to frost flow, 2.15mmH2O vs 3.15 and slightly lower cfm, does it affect the temp much? And also noticed pump is 25dba, is it loud if inside close door aircon room with fan at Low rpm?
 

djdestiny

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Nice, I noticed static pressure on the fans quite Low compared to frost flow, 2.15mmH2O vs 3.15 and slightly lower cfm, does it affect the temp much? And also noticed pump is 25dba, is it loud if inside close door aircon room with fan at Low rpm?

I think that's because their ratings are more in line with actual performance. Their fans are not the best, they are a bit weak but they aren't that far away from the best AIO fans.


Even though they state 25dB for the pump, in practice it's even quieter than the CM pump which is already quiet compared to earlier Asetek AIOs
 

IceWater_

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I think that's because their ratings are more in line with actual performance. Their fans are not the best, they are a bit weak but they aren't that far away from the best AIO fans.


Even though they state 25dB for the pump, in practice it's even quieter than the CM pump which is already quiet compared to earlier Asetek AIOs

Oh I see.. was thinking of either getting another 2 ID cooling rgb fan of same model on Taobao ($8 each) for push pull and use rgb fan for case fan OR maybe buy 2 CM masterfan air balance/pressure also on Taobao for $16 each. Do u think it’s worth? Btw thanks for ur input, rly hard to find any info on this AIO now
 

djdestiny

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Oh I see.. was thinking of either getting another 2 ID cooling rgb fan of same model on Taobao ($8 each) for push pull and use rgb fan for case fan OR maybe buy 2 CM masterfan air balance/pressure also on Taobao for $16 each. Do u think it’s worth? Btw thanks for ur input, rly hard to find any info on this AIO now

Honestly it isn't that far behind the air balance pressure and you'd be hard pressed to spend more for the CM fans.

The SF12025 should be good for your case fans. (Same as the ones on the Auraflo)

Also, unless you wanna match RGB, if you can use 14cm fans get CF14025 or something... Or Thermaltake riing 140 from you know where. :D

or if you don't mind not having LED, phanteks F140MP from the same place :s13:
 

IceWater_

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Honestly it isn't that far behind the air balance pressure and you'd be hard pressed to spend more for the CM fans.

The SF12025 should be good for your case fans. (Same as the ones on the Auraflo)

Also, unless you wanna match RGB, if you can use 14cm fans get CF14025 or something... Or Thermaltake riing 140 from you know where. :D

or if you don't mind not having LED, phanteks F140MP from the same place :s13:

Ok so i bought the auraflow 2 days ago, definitely better than my old Seidon 120V plus but wondering if it can be better. The jetflo fan on my old 120v plus is definitely stronger, can feel quite a lot more air pushing through radiator when i put my hand in front of it than the auraflow fans. Is it worth getting another set of sf12025rgb fans for push-pull setup? Its quite cheap, problem is idk where to find the extra screw to screw fan to radiator. Do neighbourhood hardware shop have?
 

djdestiny

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Ok so i bought the auraflow 2 days ago, definitely better than my old Seidon 120V plus but wondering if it can be better. The jetflo fan on my old 120v plus is definitely stronger, can feel quite a lot more air pushing through radiator when i put my hand in front of it than the auraflow fans. Is it worth getting another set of sf12025rgb fans for push-pull setup? Its quite cheap, problem is idk where to find the extra screw to screw fan to radiator. Do neighbourhood hardware shop have?

I actually have a Seidon 240P here and the rad isn't as dense as the Auraflo 240 and from memory the Jetflos are not good fans for rads.

Interesting point though. I might test them both on the same rad.
 
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