Overall and Final Verdict
So for EVGAs first jump into the CPU AIO Cooler market, they didn’t follow the normal trend and just repackage a basic OEM kit like everyone else. They designed a unique all in one unit with more control, a clean look, and their own fan design as well. The sleeved tubing, RGB lighting for the logo, and the overall waterblock look all together gives it a great style that should look good in just about any build. You can turn off the lighting if you want or set it to match your build. Their software is still a little laggy but even in this early state it has a lot of control and gives more information than you get with anything else that I have tested. Especially being able to see the coolant temperature on top of everything else. The cooling performance was also great!
Being still new to the market, EVGA does need to work on getting more size options out. Especially a 240mm option as that is normally the most popular size. I’m also still a little unsure about the fans. They were quiet when I didn’t mess with fan speeds because the CLC 280 ran cool but when I turned the fans up they got a little noisier than I expected. The unique design also makes it easier to get wires or fingers in the fan accidentally so you have to be careful of that as well.
Pricing wise EVGA has the CLC 280 that I tested today priced with an MSRP of 129.99 and you can already get it cheaper in stores. This puts it right with the Corsair H110i and NZXT X61 that are the closest competition with similar features. The clean look and sleeved cables put EVGAs new kits up near the top of the list for people looking for a nice AIO kit where in the past I only recommended the H100i and H110i kits. It's nice to see more premium AIO kits becoming available and I’m excited to see what EVGA is going to bring out in the future. If their GPUs are any indication, they won’t just leave things alone, they will continue to try to improve.
Live Pricing: HERE
