ID-COOLING DASHFLOW 360 XT LITE White Cooler Review

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Sajjad Hussain

At HI Digital I test and write about different hardware configurations to show other PC users what they can expect from their build. My end goal is to educate the masses to make the right decision when they are looking for new PC parts to buy

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ID-COOLING has released a new cooler in the market, which is a little brethren of DASHFLOW 360 XT. This cooler is named DASHFLOW 360 XT LITE. The word “Lite” here designates this cooler apart from the main cooler. The price difference of both coolers is significant as well. The DASHFLOW 360 XT is at USD 200, whereas this cooler retails at USD 129. I am not going into the details of the differences between both as it is not within the scope of this article. We are taking a look at the white edition of this cooler. It will be available in black color as well. This cooler is compatible with Intel LGA 1700/1200/115x/20xx and AMD AM4/AM5 sockets.

Key Takeaways

• The ID-COOLING DASHFLOW 360 XT LITE WHITE AIO impresses with its improved implementation of the embedded fan, ensuring efficient cooling performance.
• It’s also future-ready with support for Intel LGA1700 and AMD AM5 sockets, offering compatibility with the latest CPU generations.
• With its stellar performance, sleek aesthetics, and a reassuring 5-year warranty, this AIO cooler is a compelling choice for both enthusiasts and gamers alike.

Take a look at the specs below:

Packaging and Unboxing

ID-COOLING has given a special focus on the packaging of this cooler. There is an outer packing box that is made of the paper-board material. We can see a picture of the unit, and a single glimpse is enough to tell a pleasant outlook on this unit, particularly the block that features an embedded fan and digital RGB LED lighting effects.

Looking at the backside of the packing box, we can see that there are block diagrams with dimensions printed along. Specifications of the main components are printed on both ends as well. The cooler is made in China by Shenzhen Wanjinghua Technology Co. Ltd.

When we opened the box, there was another box inside. It is made of cardboard material, and it is white in color.

Oh wow! I was not expecting this. This is the third cooler, in my experience, that comes with such premium-looking packaging. The first one was the GIGABYTE AORUS WATERFORCE X 280, and the second was the EK Nucleus CR360 Lux D-RGB. There is a thick black color Styrofoam padding. All components are tucked inside this pad for safe shipping.

What’s included in the box?

ID-COOLING has provided all mounting hardware inside a brown-colored cardboard box.

There is a printed user guide showing instructions on how to install the cooler on the supported sockets.

There are:

• 2x AMD Mounting Brackets
• 4x AMD Screws
• 4x AMD Red color Spacers

There are:

• 2x Intel LGA1700 Mounting Brackets
• 4x Intel LGA1700 Gray Color Spacers
• 2x Intel other sockets Mounting Brackets
• 4x Intel Platform Thumb Nuts
• 4x Intel LGA1200 Gray Color Spacers
• 4x Intel LGA20xx standoff screws

ID-COOLING has provided two backplates for Intel platforms. One is for the Intel LGA-1700 socket, and the second is for the Intel LGA-115x/1200 sockets.

ID-COOLING has provided a tube of a thermal paste along with a pair of white color tube clips.

There are three containers or pouches. Each has 4x fan screws and 4x radiator screws. There is a total count of 12x long and 12x short screws.

There is good news for the users with the motherboards that don’t have RGB sync technology. ID-COOLING has bundled a dedicated A-RGB controller in the box. It has a sleek and slim body. The only downside is that it has to be placed inside the PC Case, which makes it inconvenient. Anyhow, it is SATA-powered, which is a plus to the design. It has a standard 3-pin, 5V A-RGB connector on the other end. There are three buttons on it:

• M labeled button toggles the lighting modes.
• S labeled button controls the speed of the dynamic lighting modes.
• C labeled button changes the static colors.

Design

Let’s take a closer look at the components, starting with the listed features on the ID-COOLING website:

• Advanced Pump Design
• Superb Cooling Performance
• Synchronizes with motherboard RGB
• Stylish Premium Sleeved Tubing
• Universal Compatibility
• Easy Installation

Radiator

This is a 360mm cooling solution comprising an aluminum radiator. The complete assembly is finished with white color coating or spray painted. The dimension of this unit is 396x120x27mm (LxWxH). After installing the provided fans, the overall dimensions would be 396x120x53mm (LxWxH). This radiator has dense fin stacking with a count of 20 FPI. There are 20 channels for the coolant flow. Everything is pretty much of a regular standard.

The far block has a rectangular finish without any label or branding of any sort.

ID-COOLING has done satisfactory fin stacking as we did not find any bend or broken fin on either side of the radiator.

The tube connection side of this DASHFLOW 360 unit has nice-looking white color clamps, which conceal the connection of the tubes with the barbs. There is a sticker pasted between both clamps. Looks like it has a serial number printed over it, though I am not sure.

Both sides of the mainframe have a stylish DASHFLOW printed label or sticker in the middle. The overall paint job is satisfactory.

ID-COOLING uses rubber tubes on this unit. There are nylon braided mesh sleeves over these rubber tubes. These sleeves are also in white color, which gives a neat and clean outlook to the unit. These tubes run to approximately 465mm in length.

Block

The most striking feature of this cooler is the overall block design, which looks really good in person. Even pictures don’t do justice to its beauty. This block is not circular. Rather, it sits between rectangular and square designs. Its dimension is 94x90x62 (LxWxH). What one does not realize is the relatively large size of this block. Here, 62mm is the overall height of this unit. Looking from the top, we can see a fan inside. This is an embedded fan to cool the near socket areas of the motherboard. This is not a new idea or concept, and many vendors have their solutions in this regard, but ID-COOLING has definitely paid attention to airflow actually reaching the VRMs. The top cover is made of plastic and can be removed. In fact, it needs to be removed during the installation, which is not mentioned in the user guide.

We are showing one side of the block in the above picture. Look at the guided vanes towards the upper base. This is where the air would come out from the embedded fan and spread over the near socket area of the motherboard. This is a good implementation.

The above picture shows the backside of the block where there is a tube connection. This connection is in 90ᵒ. The barbs are 90ᵒ adapters. The user can rotate the tubes after installing the cooler to make room or for looks as per the requirements. This is pretty much standard implementation on the liquid coolers. There are white color cables on the base.

We have removed the top cover to take this picture. Now we can see the embedded fan. The good part of this design is that this fan is powered by a 4-pin PWM connector. This fan has 11 blades. We can see a brand logo in the center. There is a ring-style structure surrounding the blades. It has digital RGB LEDs for lighting effects. This fan stands at 70x70x15mm. ID-COOLING has rated its speed between 800 to 2800 ± 10% RPM. Its static pressure rating is 1.90mmH₂O, and its airflow rating is 23 CFM. The noise output is rated at 28 dB(A). It takes 0.08A at 12VDC. It has a ball bearing.

There is a sticker pasted on the base cautioning the user to remove it before installation. This sticker protects the surface from scratches.

This unit has a large size copper base, which measures 54x60mm. The fin stack density is 0.2mm. We can see a black color aluminum plate above the copper base plate. We can see two standoffs on this plate. The opposite ends of these standoffs have spring-loaded screws, which remain hidden under the top cover.

The pump of this cooler is powered by a 4-pin PWM connector cable. There is also a 3-pin socket. You can optionally connect the embedded fan’s power cable to this socket and control the speed of both fans from a single source. There are standard 3-pin 5V A-RGB connectors for daisy-chain capability. The pump is powered by a three-phase motor. The pump has a ceramic bearing. Its speed is rated between 0 to 2500 RPM. It has a current rating of 0.32A at 12VDC. The operating voltage range is 10.8 to 13.2 VDC. The started voltage is mentioned to be at 7VDC. The input power is mentioned as 3W, and the flow rate is mentioned as 135L/H.

The embedded fan is powered by a 4-pin PWM connector.

ID-COOLING has provided three non-RGB all-white edition fans with this cooler. This could be another cost-saving step with this cooler compared to a regular DASHFLOW XT cooler. I must say, even without RGB, these fans and the block make up such a good-looking unit that it is hard to ignore. There are 7 blades in each fan. The hub has a large diameter, and we can see a brand logo over it. Another feature is a large size anti-vibration pad on each mounting corner. These pads got pressed with the pressure of the screw heads, which ultimately lifts the edges off, so don’t over-tighten the screws.

The frame is quite sturdy, and there is no flex in it. I could not locate the arrow symbol on the frame. These symbols help novice users determine the direction in which the air flows through the fan and the direction in which the blades spin.

There is a 4-arms assembly on each fan’s backside. One arm has catchers to hold the wire coming out from the hub and going towards the frame. There is a sticker in the center with the power rating of the fan. The fans are made in China.

Each fan is powered by a 4-pin PWM connector cable. The specifications of the fans include:

Installation

The cooler is tested on the AMD AM5 platform. The installation process is easy, and it goes by:

• Remove the stock mounting brackets from the motherboard.
• Place the red color spacers over the studs on the motherboard.
• Place the ID-COOLING provided AMD mounting bracket over the spacers.
• Use the screws to secure the mounting brackets.
• Remove the top cover from the block.
• Peel off the protective cover from the base of the block.
• Apply the thermal paste on the CPU.
• Place the block on the CPU by aligning the holes on the mounting plate with the standoffs on the mounting brackets.
• Use a screwdriver to secure the block on the socket.
• Install fans on the radiator.
• Install the radiator in the case or as per requirement.
• Connect the cables and put the top cover back on.
• Installation is completed.

There is no clearance issue with respect to the DIMM slots or the PCIe slot. However, your case must have a clearance for the 360mm size liquid cooler.

RGB Lighting

We have mentioned above that there are digital RGB LEDs in the block for which ID-COOLING has provided standard RGB connectors. This makes the connection compatible with the RGB sync technology of motherboard manufacturers. We have tested on GIGABYTE X670E AORUS MASTER using RGB FUSION 2.0, and the lighting was responding to the changes in the software.

Thermal Testing

We have used the below-mentioned configuration for this testing:

• AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
• ARCTIC Liquid Freezer – II 240
• ID-COOLING DASHFLOW 360 XT LITE White
• GIGABYTE X670E AORUS MASTER
• ASRock Radeon RX 7600 Phantom Gaming 8GB OC
• Sabrent Rocket 32GB DDR5 kit 4800MHz CAS 40
• XPG S50 Lite 1TB Gen4 NVMe SSD [For OS]
• Be quiet! Straight Power 11 850W Platinum PSU
• Open-air Testing

Here is the settings table:

The motherboard was updated to the latest BIOS before this testing, along with chipset software. We did not use ECO Mode from GIGABYTE. These Eco modes are based on thermal limits, and the CPU will operate on the set limit anyway.

Result

Because the temperature variation is over 1ᵒC, we are reporting delta temperature, which is calculated by subtracting ambient temperature from Tctl/Tdie sensor temperature. All coolers are tested the same way, so the margin of error applies to all. ID-COOLING DASHFLOW 360 XT LITE WHITE cooler has performed quite well on our test bench. Keep in mind that the ARCTIC cooler is 240mm in size.

Noise

We did not measure the noise output due to repair & maintenance noise in the neighborhood.

Should You Buy It?

Buy It If:

You want to save big bucks: The ID-COOLING DASHFLOW 360 XT LITE is an excellent budget option, so you should go for it if you don’t plan to spend big money on a 360mm AIO but still want good value out of it.

You are building a white gaming PC: With its beautiful white design, the DASHFLOW 360 XT LITE is the perfect choice for a white-themed PC build.

Don’t Buy It If:

You have a flagship processor: While the DASHFLOW 360 XT LITE does a great job at cooling the Ryzen 7 7700X, and the similar likes of an i7-13700K, it is not suitable for an i9-13900K.

Conclusion

The ID-COOLING DASHFLOW 360 XT LITE cooler, available in white and black versions, is a lighter variant of previous models. It claims to be universally compatible, working with Intel LGA1700 and AMD AM5 sockets. The cooler features a well-finished white aluminum radiator with a 360mm size and nylon braided mesh sleeves on the tubing.

One notable feature is the block design, which includes an embedded fan for efficient cooling. The pump is PWM-controlled with a ceramic bearing and a 3-phase motor. Three non-RGB white fans with Fluid Dynamic Bearings are included. RGB enthusiasts can enjoy digital RGB LEDs around the block and a SATA-powered RGB controller.

Installation is straightforward but lacks instructions for removing the top cover. Overall, it’s a solid cooling solution with a total of 11 installation items required for the AMD AM5 platform.

Sajjad Hussain

[How-To Guides Expert]

Laiba, our tech guru at HI Digital, simplifies and crafts How-To Guides with a Google IT Support Certificate. Beyond tech, she captures the city’s aesthetics through her lens. Join her journey where tech meets creativity!

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