Cooler Master Nepton 240M All-in-One Liquid Cooler Review

Features and Cooler Design

Features

Courtesy of Cooler Master

• Equipped with all-new Silencio fans, Nepton 120XL and 240M feature higher air pressure and quieter performance.
• 1.3x larger skived fin area and 4.6x bigger copper base than competitors for optimal thermal transfer.
• Cooler Master’s exclusive pump design has a 14 dBA noise output, a lower vibration rate of 10 mg rms, and a 70,000-hr lifespan.
• FEP tubing provides extremely low liquid evaporation rate and prevents structural kinks for higher waterflow when compared to rubber and PVC.

The Cooler Master Nepton 240M AIO liquid cooler is a factory-sealed unit comprised of an aluminum 240mm radiator and a copper-based waterblock with integrated pump assembly with an acrylic top. Cooler Master used ribbed 3/8" inner diameter / 1/2" outer diameter FEP tubing for connecting the radiator to the waterblock / pump. The ribbed construction of the FEP tubing allows for a tighter bend radius without kinking. Cooler Master also includes two of is 120mm Selencio fans, rated at 2400RPM, for heat dispersal from the system radiator.

The unit's 240mm radiator is an aluminum unit with a black powder coated surface. The power coating finish blends the radiator's appearance with the rest of the system, as well as providing some scratch resistance to its surface. The inlet and outlet barbs are integrated into the top of radiator. The tubing is held to the barbs with plastic shrink tubing, and are not meant to be removed from the barbs. A fill port is provided to the right of the barbs, covered by white tape warning the user that removing the cap will void the system warranty. This is to further reinforce the fact that the Nepton unit is not meant to be taken apart or re-configured. The radiator's fin density of 18 FPI (fins per inch), requiring the use of higher pressure fans with the unit like the included Selencio series fans. Note that its cooling efficiency with lower pressure or lower RPM fans may suffer as a result.

The side view of the radiator assembly gives a nice perception of the radiator's depth. Cooler Master designed the unit with a 27mm thick radiator, just a hair thicker than a standard 120mm case fan.

The Nepton 240M block assembly consists of a plastic top, acrylic body with fan, and a copper block / baseplate. The top has an embedded Cooler Master corporate logo that glows white when powered, and held to the acrylic body portion of the assembly via three screws through the bottom of the assembly. The pump and LED are powered via a 4-pin fan connector that will also provide pump RPM output through a supported motherboard fan header. The two integrated barbs are connected to the body with 90 connectors and a full 360 degree rotation capability. This allows for almost limitless block mounting orientation possibilities. While the barbs do stick out a bit, there we did not encounter any issues mounting the block to either board used for testing.

The block's copper baseplate bottom is a flat machined surface held to the acrylic body with a total of 12 screws. The screws are counter sunk through the baseplate's bottom to avoid any conflict with CPU surface mating. The surface is machined flat, but shows evidence of the finishing process. The three screws through the acrylic body hold the top cap in place. The CPU socket mounting hardware is mounted to the acrylic base using the four holes along the outer portions of the base.

Courtesy of Cooler Master

With the block's top cover removed, the pump assembly, power connection, and barb connections are fully exposed. The pump is held to the body with two Phillips head screws, face down into the block body. The left barb feeds liquid from the radiator into the pump chamber, while the barb on the right pushes liquid out from the CPU block to the radiator. The FEP tubing is held in place with shrink wrap holding the tubing to the barb.

Courtesy of Cooler Master

The liquid is pushed by the pump through an impingement place on to the surface of the copper CPU block. The impingement plate forces the liquid evenly through all channels of the block with liquid forced through the channels to the sides of the block. The liquid then flows out of the block through the barb. The skived fin layout of the block adds surface area for optimal heat exchange with the liquid medium.

For a mounting example, we chose the MSI Z87 MPOWER board because of its wrap-around VRM heat sink which limits space around the CPU socket. The Nepton 240M AIO CPU block easily fit within the confines of the board's socket. The barbs do come close to contacting the VRM sink with the block mounted with the barbs pointing towards the right side or top of the board, but the block fits and mates with the CPU surface without issue. If this cooler fits on this highly restrictive board, it should fit on any board out there.