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We reviewed the Enermax Liqmaxflo in 360mm form a while back but today we look at the big brother from the Liqmaxflo series. The Liqmaxflo 420 is the largest AIO CPU cooler from Enermax, It is priced just a little higher than the 360mm version but offers a larger cooling surface area, 3 x 140mm ARGB fans and a VRM cooling fan. So is this huge 420mm radiator version going to boost cooing performance or is it just unnecessary bulk that won’t fit a lot of cases? Let’s find out.
Enermax Liqmaxflow 420mm Features:
- Liqmaxflo is equipped with a 60mm VRM cooling fan with a 3-phase 6-pole motor and speed of up to 3000RPM to reduce the temperature of surrounding motherboard components.
- A detachable pump top cover allows users to rotate and change the orientation of the Enermax logo. At the same time, the VRM fan lighting can be synchronised with support from motherboard software.
- The Liqmaxflo series features Enermax's latest dual-chamber pump with patented Shunt-Channel technology with optimised flow and pump pressure to improve cooling efficiency.
- Liqmaxflo radiator size is increased to 38mm thickness to improve cooling performance compared to standard 27mm thick radiators.
- The included Enermax Silent Flow 140mm fans feature a fluid dynamic bearing, ARGB lighting and high-pressure fan blades to increase airflow and static pressure without compromising noise output at 25.46dBA max.
The cooler comes packaged inside a regular cardboard box with product images, key features and specifications printed. Inside the box, all the parts of the cooler and accessories are packed into a cardboard crate and sorted into individual bags, there is additional cardboard protection around the radiator.
Fans included with Liqmaxflo are Enermax Silent Flow 140mm fans with five 3mm thick blades angled at 34.73° which Enermax says forms “equilibrium between enhanced cooling performance and minimized noise levels” with a speed range of 500-1700RPM and max static pressure of 2.71 mm-H2O.
Silent Flow fans are not the interconnected type that are becoming ever more popular but the wiring can be daisy chained between fans and then split off to individual PWM speed control and ARGB motherboard headers. Each mounting point is fitted with anti-vibration rubber pads.
Another feature of the Silent Flow 140mm fans is ARGB lighting. Beneath the fan hubs are RGB LEDs that illuminate the fan blades. The ARGB lighting can be customised by the included Enermax controller or synchronised via motherboard software.
The cooler is a closed loop unit with a radiator, tubing and CPU block/pump unit integrated. It's an aluminium radiator with dimensions of 460 x 140 x 38mm. It's covered with a satin finish coating which looks smooth and even and on either side of the radiator are silver glossy Enermax logos.
However, at one end of the radiator there is a filling port with a removable plug. The user manual provides instructions on refilling but there's no mention of how often it should be carried out, the manual just says “as needed”, I would suggest checking yearly. A maintenance kit is included with the cooler to assist in refilling.
The CPU block/pump is a relatively compact unit measuring 70 x 70 mm at the base of the block is a copper micro-skived cold plate which comes with a Dow Corning thermal compound pre-applied. There is a small tube of additional thermal compound in the maintenance kit for re-installation.
Rotary 90° fittings enter the CPU block on one side, the tubing is covered with braided sleeving which is common in almost all AIO coolers now and on top of the CPU block is a 60 x 60 mm VRM fan with speed up to 3000RPM, designed to cool motherboard components surrounding the CPU. CPU block connections include 4-pin PWM and 3-pin 5V ARGB.
Included with Liqumaxflo along with the cooler and fans is mounting hardware for Intel and AMD platforms including Intel LGA 1700/1200/115x/2066/2011/2011-3/1366 and AMD AM4/AM5, as well as fan PWM / ARGB adaptor cables, a SATA fan power cable and a simple ARGB controller.
