Cube 360 Overview
Out of the box, the Cube 360 is a pretty basic looking AIO. Without looking really closely, there isn’t really anything that stands out about this cooler. That’s not to say that this cooler doesn’t look good, it’s just that nothing really stuck out to me when taking a first look. As the name implies, the Cube 360 is a 360mm AIO cooler, pairing three of AZZA’s 120mm ARGB fans with a 35mm thick 360mm radiator. There is also a Cube 240 model that is outfitted with a 240mm radiator and two 120mm fans. We have taken a look at a lot of AIOs over the last few years, so there is really no such thing as your standard looking AIO any longer when it comes to pump housing design, but we will get to that in just a bit.
The first component up is the aforementioned 360mm aluminum radiator. I will say that 35mm thickness is on the thick side of what we have seen from other manufacturers. With 22 fins-per-inch, the tight fin density is able to provide plenty surface area across a wide 35mm thickness. Additionally, the radiator that AZZA used in the Cube 360 uses rectangular fins. This design allows for more contact surface area between the fins and the water channels, which results in better heat transfer and dissipation. The entire radiator exterior is outfitted with a black paint job, devoid of any branding or logos like we have seen from other manufacturers.
Each braided cooling line exits from one end of the radiator’s end cap, and these lines are connected to the radiator via crimped connectors. I found the cooling lines to be quite flexible during installation, though their length seemed a bit short to me during installation.
I will also note that the lines directly exiting the radiator appear to have a very small diameter compared to most of the AIOs I have looked at. This could have quite the impact to flow in most AIOs, but I think the next feature may help to negate that.
Housed on the tubing end of the radiator is an integrated pump. While most AIOs utilize a combo pump and waterblock design, AZZA has moved the pump to the endcap of the radiator, and I think this might just improve waterflow through the radiator compared to a pump that is a foot away on the block. Unfortunately, this pump does not support PWM operation, but can still be adjusted via its 3-pin connection. This pump has a 50,000 hour expected lifespan, and provides 1.5 mH2O of water pressure, and a flow rate of 96 L/h.
Moving over to the CPU water block we can see exactly where AZZA came up with the Cube name. This large black cube is comprised of a plastic shell with a transparent pyramid design in the top right corner that encompasses two additional sides of the cooler.
Taking a look from the top down, we see that cube design, with the transparent triangle in the top right corner, and AZZA branding in the bottom right corner. I will say that this component did feel a bit lacking in terms of build quality, but I think that was mostly related to the fact that there is no pump inside, and the lower weight was throwing me off.
Making our way around the cooler, exiting from the bottom side we have the two cooling lines. Each line is paired up with a swiveling fitting to make installation and fitment much easier than with fixed connections.
On the right side of the cooler is we find one of the corners making up part of the clear triangle lighting zone, as well as the exit hole for the 3-pin ARGB cable.
The upper side of the cooler has the final side of that pyramid lighting zone, but other than that nothing to see here.
The left side of the cooler body is the loneliest of them all, with just a bit of angular line design keeping it from being a totally blank side panel.
Taking a look at the underside of the cooler, we see a copper cold plate, secured to the pump via 10 screws. This surface does not have a high polish finish, but instead has the satin finish that we are accustomed to seeing on most AIO units.
AZZA has chosen not to pre-apply thermal interface material to the cooler, but has chosen to include a small tube of their own thermal interface material. This is becoming a bit of a legacy option, as many manufacturers are going the pre-applied route, and while that does simplify the installation process, I do like to have additional paste available in case there are any issues during installation or testing, or even for in the future if you upgrade components or move the cooler to another system.
Included with the Cube 360 are three 120mm ARGB fans. If there was an award for the sketchiest fans included with an AIO, these would probably win it. If you have looked at as many fans as I have with all of these cooler reviews, you would be able to fell a quality fan when you see it, and these ain’t it. The low 1.8mm H20 of pressure is about the lowest I have seen with included with an AIO, and the 57.5 CFM of airflow is the lowest as well. These stats, paired up with a thicker radiator don’t bode well for efficient flow of air through the radiator. Thankfully the fans do a have a few redeeming characteristics, the first being the inclusion of rubber pads at each corner on each side of the fan. These pads help to remove any noise that might occur due to the fan body vibrating against the radiator.
The second welcomed feature of the fans is their daisychaining ability. Now, don’t get too excited. These aren’t like the fancy new fans with pogo-style connections and magnetic attachment. Instead, each fan has a male and female 3-pin power connection, as well as a male and female 3-pin ARGB connection. This does allow you to easily connect the fans to one another, and it does remove some of the cable clutter that can easily add up with some ARGB fans, but I’ve gotten spoiled by the fancier fans, and it is tough to go back to the old ways, even though they were the standard just a year ago.