German firm Cougar, based in 2007, has a lineup that features many peripherals, from CPU coolers to keyboards, and even gaming chairs. Whereas firms like Noctua are recognized for his or her “plain” brown colours, Cougar is thought for having orange accents in lots of its merchandise, and particularly for its orange followers (though you received’t discover one right here).
Now we have Cougar’s Poseidon GT 360 on our take a look at bench, an AIO Liquid Cooler which encompasses a 360mm radiator. Is the GT 360 able to taming Intel’s Core i9-12900K and incomes a spot on our finest CPU coolers record? We’ll should put it via testing to seek out out, however first listed below are the specs, direct from Cougar. The Poseidon GT 630 is at present accessible in Canada for $149.99. It’s additionally accessible in Australia and Taiwan and must be accessible in different areas quickly.
Specs for the Cougar Poseidon GT 360
| Cooler | Cougar Poseidon GT 360 |
| MSRP | $149.99 CAD |
| Radiator Dimensions | 392 x 121 x 27mm |
| Socket Compatibility | Intel Socket LGA 115X / 1200 / 1366/ 1700 / 2011 / 2066 |
| AMD AM4 / AM5 / sTRX4 / sTR4 / FM1 / FM2 / AM2(+) / AM3(+) | |
| Rated Noise Degree | As much as 34.5 dBa |
| Chilly Plate Materials | Copper |
| CPU Block Dimensions | 71.5 x 49.8 mm |
Packing and Included Contents
Cougar’s Poseidon GT 360 is packaged in a medium-sized, lengthy field, with molded cardboard and comfortable coverings of the person components for cover.
Included with the bundle are the next:
- CPU Block + Radiator
- 3x Cougar MHP 120 followers
- Mounts for all trendy CPU sockets, together with LGA1700, TR4, and AM4/AM5 motherboards
- Thermal Paste
- Data Leaflet
- Fan Splitter
- ARGB Controller
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Cooler Set up
Putting in Cougar’s Poseidon GT 360 was easy sufficient. To start, you’ll first need to safe the radiator to your case. Subsequent, press the backplate in opposition to the motherboard and safe it utilizing stand-offs and silicone pads.
Cougar doesn’t pre-install the thermal paste, however features a small tube of thermal paste with the unit. After making use of the thermal paste, press the CPU block in opposition to the standoffs, after which use the included thumb screws to safe it.
New Testing Configuration
| Cooler | Cougar Poseidon GT 360, 360mm AIO Liquid Cooler |
| Comparability Coolers Examined | BeQuiet Pure Loop 2 FX, 360mm AIO |
| Cooler Grasp Grasp Liquid PL360 Flux, 360mm AIO | |
| Cooler Grasp Grasp Liquid PL240 Flux, 240mm AIO | |
| Cougar Forza 85, Air Cooler | |
| Corsair iCUE H100i Elite, 240mm AIO | |
| DeepCool AK500, Air Cooler | |
| DeepCool LS520, 240mm AIO | |
| DeepCool LS320, 120mm AIO | |
| Thermalright Peerless Murderer 120 SE | |
| CPU | Intel i9-12900K |
| Motherboard | MSI z690 A-Professional DDR4 |
| Case | BeQuiet! Silent Base 802 Window |
| PSU | DeepCool PQ1000M |
What’s totally different than different coolers?
CPU block with ARGB Lighting & Rotatable Infinity Mirror
The CPU block has ARGB lighting assist and an “Infinity Mirror” with Cougar’s emblem which may be adjusted to any place you need. This implies you may set up the pump in any rotation with out the brand being in an odd orientation.
{Hardware} ARGB Controller
Some coolers available on the market require using proprietary software program with a purpose to change lighting settings. Cougar’s Poseidon doesn’t have software program, which suggests you’ll usually want to make use of both your motherboard’s BIOS controls to alter lighting choices or obtain a instrument resembling OpenRGB or SignalRGB with a purpose to make changes. Nonetheless, Cougar features a SATA-powered {hardware} ARGB controller which lets you change ARGB settings, fairly actually with the press of a button.
Cougar MHP 120 Followers
There’s extra to a liquid cooler than simply the radiator and pump. The followers included have a major impression on cooling and efficiency. Included with the Poseidon GT 360 are three Cougar MHP 120 followers, which have a strong black colour and excessive static stress. These followers don’t assist ARGB lighting, a selection we felt was odd, contemplating the CPU block does have RBG lighting.
| Mannequin | MHP 120 |
| Dimensions | 120 x 120 x 25 mm |
| Fan Velocity | 600-2000RPM ±200RPM |
| Air Circulate | 82.48 CFM |
| Air Stress | 4.24 mmH2O |
| Noise Degree | As much as 34.5 dB(A) |
| Lighting | None |
Radiator with “UTTERIGHT” Fins Design
Many radiators use fins with curved endings – however not Cougar’s Poseidon AIOs. As an alternative, Cougar makes use of “UTTERIGHT” fins, that are formed at a proper angle. Cougar states that this design permits for better warmth switch space and elevated cooling effectivity compared to extra frequent fins designs.
Testing Configuration
I will be testing Cougar’s Poseidon GT 360 with Intel’s Core i9-12900K, paired with an MSI Z690 A PRO DDR4 motherboard and Be Quiet’s Silent Base 802 casease. As a result of elevated thermal density of the Intel 7 manufacturing course of, in addition to modifications to core and element layouts, Alder Lake CPUs are harder to chill than earlier technology CPUs in essentially the most heat-intensive of workloads.
Because of this coolers that saved earlier technology merchandise just like the i9-10900K good and funky typically battle to maintain Intel’s i9-12900K underneath Tj max–the highest temperature earlier than the CPU begins to throttle. Many coolers I’ve examined have did not hold the i9-12900K underneath TJ max when energy limits are eliminated in workloads like Cinebench and OCCT. We’ll discover out earlier than lengthy how this compares to AMD’s newest Ryzen 7000 CPUs, which even have increased TDPs than previous-gen chips.
Please be aware there are lots of elements aside from the CPU cooler that may affect your cooling efficiency. A system’s motherboard can particularly affect this, as there are motherboards available on the market with CPU sockets that are not as much as Intel’s spec, which might trigger warping or poor contact with the CPU. The case you utilize will even affect cooling outcomes.
With Alder Lake’s cooling calls for in thoughts, I will be score CPU Coolers in 3 totally different tiers.
Tier 1: These coolers are in a position to hold the i9-12900K beneath TJ max in most hundreds, with no energy limits enforced. I anticipate solely the perfect liquid coolers to satisfy this normal.
Tier 2: These coolers are in a position to hold the i9-12900K underneath the TJ max threshold with CPU energy limits of 200W enforced. I anticipate most liquid coolers and the perfect air coolers to satisfy this normal.
Tier 3: These coolers are in a position to hold the i9-12900K underneath TJ max with CPU energy limits of 140W enforced.
Testing Methodology
To check the boundaries of a cooler’s thermal dissipation capabilities, I run two major stress assessments: Cinebench and OCCT, every for 10 minutes. Whereas this can be a brief period of time, it’s enough to push most coolers – air and liquid – to their limits.
Whereas stress testing in Cinebench, I run each with energy limits eliminated and with an enforced 200W CPU energy restrict. On this take a look at setup utilizing MSI’s Z690 A Professional DDR4 Motherboard and Be Quiet’s Silent Base 802 Laptop Case, solely the perfect coolers are in a position to go Cinebench testing when energy limits are eliminated.
I don’t take a look at OCCT with out energy limits as a result of trying to take action leads to CPU bundle energy consumption leaping to over 270W and immediately throttling with even the perfect AIO coolers. As an alternative, I take a look at at 200W to present coolers an opportunity at passing. I’ve additionally included 140W outcomes to present knowledge corresponding to a CPU that doesn’t use as a lot energy, resembling AMD’s Ryzen 5800x or Intel’s i5-12600K.