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The basic design of the Fractal Design Kelvin S36 is very similar to the vast array of liquid CPU coolers which are currently on the market. That said, the Kelvin S36 boasts a 360 mm radiator – something that is quite uncommon among all-in-one liquid coolers.
We are interested to see whether this brings significant performance benefits over the 240mm models we have tested previously.
Fractal has designed the Kelvin S36 so that it can be upgraded in the future if required, meaning that all of the fittings are standard sizes.
The fill-port and radiator fittings are G1/4″ and feature compression fittings which connect the 8/11mm PVC hosing which spans the radiator and CPU block. Fractal Design have chosen to pre-install anti-kink coils to the hoses which should improve durability.
The CPU block and pump combination unit appears to be a unique design to Fractal Design – this contrasts with many competing models which use a standard OEM design from Asetek. This unit is fairly low profile and features right-angled compression fittings to attach the hoses.
Turning the unit over reveals the large copper CPU block which has a brushed finish. Unlike many competitors Fractal Design does not pre-apply the thermal paste, meaning that you can easily use your preferred brand if you want to deviate from the standard tube that is supplied.
As its name suggests, the Kelvin S36 features a 360mm radiator. This is a fairly thin model, only measuring 30mm thick.
The compatibility of this model will be restricted to a small portion of cases though as there are not a great deal of models out there which support 360mm radiators. It is worth bearing in mind that the end tank on one end of the radiator is quite large too which may hinder compatibility further.
Fractal Design include three 120mm fans with the cooler which are PWM models that spin between 800 and 1700 RPM. There is a three way fan splitter included in the box which means these can all be connected to the CPU fan header on your motherboard.
Nice review. It will be great if you can make a review of S24. 🙂 This one is really nice product, only thing that i notice is that bracket does not have holes for a different sockets, just slider like hole where you can move screws to fit. Does the block tend to move a lot during instalation? Particulary interested in mounting it on a 1150 socket.