The PC cooler industry remains vibrant with several options for users to select from. There are several well-known and go-to brands for cooling enthusiasts, but every once in a while, we get an opportunity to review products from companies that are unheard of. ASRock is the latest entrant in this market who have been steadily expanding its PC hardware and component reach into various segments. At CES, we got to see their full-fledged lineup, ranging from entry-level to mainstream and high-end designs.
Today, we are going to test one of their latest gaming AIO coolers, the Steel Legend 360 LCD, which comes in a 360mm option. The ASRock Steel Legend series is positioned as the mainstream offering with Black and White themed models.
These bring LCD-goodness and top-cooling capabilities to mainstream audiences with up to 350W TDP support, 3.4" full coverage LCD with a magnetic waterblock, and full integration of ASRock's PolyChrome RGB Sync software, triple Aerospace-grade LCP fans, and a dual-inlet design. Even more interesting is the fact that the waterblock employs a VRM fan, which offers additional airflow to the CPU, VRMs, and even an M.2 SSD.
ASRock Steel Legend 360 LCD 360mm AIO Liquid Cooler - Technical Details
So starting off with the specifications first, the ASRock Steel Legend 360 LCD is a 360mm AIO cooler that comes with a 360mm radiator and is compatible with both Intel and AMD platforms, including the latest LGA 1700/1851 and AM5/AM4 CPU solutions.
The AIO cooler comes in a white color scheme, which is currently a popular choice for new PC builders.
The package itself is very nicely arranged, with each component in its own compartment and labeled. The AIO also ships with a handy guide that lists the installation procedure for both AMD & Intel CPUs, and is very straightforward.
The 360mm radiator is heavy-duty, with a 27mm design that ensures higher heat dissipation than standard 360mm AIO coolers.
The whole unit measures 397x120x27mm, and houses several aluminum fins. The company calls it a high-performance CPU cooler, which is expected from a 360mm AIO.
The radiator comes with three 120mm FDB fans. These are rated to operate at up to 2500 RPM with a 0.30A DC12V power input. All three fans are encased in a singular frame and offer a 360-degree HALO ARGB effect, which looks stunning and is fully customizable using ASRock's Polychrome Sync software.
Furthermore, the cooler ships with a top LCD cover which magnetically attaches over the pump, & offers a 3.4" IPS display with a 480x480 resolution and 60Hz refresh rate. The module is operated through a USB-C connection on the sides of the cover, and can be used to display various images, GIFs, and real-time HW info.
Each fan has a 4-pin PWM connector & offers a maximum of 76.7 CFM airflow, and an air pressure of 4.16 mmH20, while running between 0-2500 RPM (38.3 dBA).
Moving over to the CPU water block, ASRock states that it is leveraging a next-gen cooling pump with a 3-phase, 6-slot, 4-pole motor for higher flow, while retaining extended durability and peak cooling. The water block makes use of a dual-side inlet cooling path, which shortens the coolant flow distance & helps retain balanced distribution across the internal "high-density" micro-fin array.
The water block is a bit taller than some standard AIO coolers since it houses a VRM fan on the top. With this VRM fan, ASRock claims up to 25 °C lower VRM temperatures, which means lots of cooling and worry-free overclocking. The VRM fan is a 70mm design that operates at up to 3000 RPM and uses a standard 4-pin PWM connector to run.
The CPU makes contact with a large copper baseplate, offering more than enough contact space for modern-day CPUs.
The tubes themselves are lengthy, with 450mm of length, and utilize IIR+EPDM materials that offer more resistance to coolant evaporation and deformation. Plus, the new braided sleeve design offers a premium and durable look.
ASRock Steel Legend 360 LCD 360mm AIO Liquid Cooler - Cooler Performance
For testing the performance, we used the AORUS X670E Xtreme motherboard paired with an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D CPU, 32 GB of G.Skill Trident Z5 NEO RGB memory (DDR5-6800 EXPO), and a ROG THOR II 1000W PSU. The chassis used was a Lian Li O11 Dynamic XL, which allowed us to mount the radiator on the top since the front is a mirror panel.
CPU Idle Temps @ Default (Lower Is Better)
CPU Workload (MT) Temps @ Max RPM (Lower Is Better)
CPU Gaming Temps @ Max RPM (Lower Is Better)
The overall temperatures of the ASRock Steel Legend 360 LCD are good and worth the price range.
Noise 75% Normalized (Lower Is Better)
Conclusion - Mainstream LCD AIO With Decent Cooling Performance
ASRock has once again offered a nice mainstream AIO cooler option for PC builders. The Steel Legend 360 LCD delivers good cooling performance on high-end and high-TDP CPUs. The cooler does output slightly higher noise than its Phantom Gaming sibling, which we tested out in our previous review, but it's not that distracting.
It comes with easy installation, and the VRM fan did help bring down temps by 10-15 °C in our tests. Overall look-wise, the SL360 LCD is simply stunning, with its unique ARGB Halo radiator design, a premium LCD cover, and lots of fun and nifty real-time monitoring utilities. The AIO cooler module also comes with a 6-year warranty, while the display module has a 2-year warranty, good enough for long-term PC use. It looks like ASRock is off to a great start in the cooling segment.
Things I liked about the ASRock Steel Legend 360 LCD 360mm AIO Cooler:
- Good cooling performance
- Low Noise output
- Single-frame & pre-installed fans on radiator
- A VRM fan that delivers superb cooling
- Great overall design
- Comes with a 6-year warranty
- Both Intel and AMD CPUs support
- Available in White and Black colors
- Available in 360 and 240mm designs
- Easy Installation
Things that can be improved:
- Cable clutter
- Slightly noisy at full load
- VRM fan can get a little bit noisy
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