Enermax’s Liqtech 120X gets off to a good start with a price of $80 – a figure that puts it right in the thick of the current market.
It’s a strong contender in other departments too. The Liqtech matches the SilverStone Tundra for build quality, which makes it one of the sturdiest coolers on test, even if its workmanlike design means its looks can’t match those of fancier coolers.
The pump is hewn from a solid, squared-off block of aluminium that’s similar to the SilverStone’s heavyweight hardware, and its aluminium mounting arms offer similar strength. Even the thick rubber tubes feel sturdier than most.
The 3-pin pump cable and two 4-pin fan cables are all braided too, and those fan cables plug into a braided splitter so only one motherboard power header has to be used.
Each fan has manual speed control, with settings for 1,300, 2,000 and 2,500rpm. However, the switches sit next to each fan’s motor, so changing the front fan’s speed involves removing the side of your case – and changing the rear spinner’s speed requires unscrewing the radiator. It’s an impractical approach that puts you off changing fan speeds.
Installation is otherwise simple. Standoffs lock the backplate’s screws into place, so you don’t need to hold it down, and you then line up the mounting arms and spring-loaded screws. The mounting arms for Intel sockets arrive pre-installed, but it’s easy enough to swap the hardware for an AMD machine.
The Liqtech’s pump also has a smart LED, but that’s as far as it goes in terms of fancier features. You can’t change the LED’s colours, and there’s no software for managing fan speeds, which is annoying when the manual fan control is so tricky to use.
Adjusting the fan speeds has a big impact on cooling ability too. With the fans in Overclock mode, our LGA1150 rig returned a delta T of 54°C – one of the better results from the 120mm units on test. In Silent mode, though, the temperature rose to 61°C – one of the warmest results on test.
Likewise, in Overclock mode on our LGA2011 CPU, the Liqtech’s delta T of 54°C was solid, but in Silent mode, it could only manage a comparatively warm delta T of 64°C. Of course, the trade-off for the drop in performance is quieter operation, which is sorely needed, as the Liqtech is one of the noisiest coolers on test at full.
The middle mode, Performance, offers the best balance, but it still runs the fans at up to 2,000rpm, so while it’s quieter than the Overclock mode, it’s still comparatively noisy.
SPECS
Compatibility Intel: LGA115x, LGA1366, LGA2011;
AMD: Socket AM3+, AM3, AM2+, AM2, FM2+, FM2, FM1
Radiator size (mm) 120 x 43 x 153 (W x D x H)
Fans 2 x 120mm
Stated noise 30dB(A)
Conclusion
Enermax’s Liqtech 120X is an effective cooler when its faster fan modes are engaged, but it gets noisy, and better hardware is available for both LGA1150 and LGA2011 systems.
The Raijintek Triton offers much better cooling ability for just $3 more on LGA1150 systems, the award-winning NZXT Kraken X41 offers a better balance of cooling and design, albeit for a little extra investment, and the Corsair H105 is a superior cooler for LGA2011 systems.
VERDICT
Reasonable cooling at high fan speeds and decent build quality, but its comparatively noisy operation sees it losing out to the competition.
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