Technical Specifications as listed by XSPC
- 3mm Thick Aluminium Frame (No aluminium in the flow path)
- Copper and Brass Core
- Matt Black Painted Core
- Black Chrome Plated G1/4″ Ports
- RoHS Compliant
- Dimensions: 128 x 40 x 406mm (WxDxH) (46mm at ports)
- Weight: ~ 1082g
- Fans: 3 x 120mm (6x with push/pull)
The following technical drawings of the AX360 are courtesy of XSPC.
Note: The AX360 is usually advertised/sold as a 40mm thick radiator, which is correct for the most part. BUT the port extenders sit ~6mm proud of the casing (as per the technical details and seen in both the technical drawing and the photo below). In a cramped installation, 6mm can mean the difference between something fitting or not, so it may pay to think of it as 46mm thick for installation purposes. Our measurement at the ports was in fact 47mm.
Dimensions Measured on the Radiator Tested:
Radiator Core Dimensions:
The 20mm thick core is based on a single row of 11 2mm thick tubes arranged in the standard U-Flow configuration. The fin arrangement consists of split fins which are very finely louvered and have a 20 FPI count. This thin but dense core is highly unlikely to be a combination capable of outstanding performance but should be best suited for medium speed fans.
The following picture is a reference which shows a typical U-Flow coolant flow path, where the coolant travels up all the tubes on one side (left in pic) of the rad and then returns down the other side. U-Flow is most easily recognized when the port end has 2 separate tanks, unlike the AX360 which has the tanks fully enclosed in the external casing.
The split, louvered fins are spaced very evenly between the tubes and our sample had a fin count of 20 FPI.
Finish and Features
The black painted core of the AX360 is housed in a stylish enclosure made of 3mm thick aluminum. This enclosure is a 3 piece assembly comprised of the main body which houses the radiator, along with 2 end plates.
By removing the the 4 torx head (anti-tamper) screws from each end cap we see the radiator is only fixed to the housing by the port extenders. Otherwise the core is essentially “floating” inside the aluminum housing with pieces of foam padding stuck at each end. This padding along with the port extenders, do keep the radiator firmly in place.
The finish on the housing is perfect with no blemishes or imperfections what-so-ever. It seems to have a slight sparkle in the deep black under certain light which none of the photos managed to capture very well. As well as looking awesome, it is also silky smooth to touch. This smoothness differs from the white AX280 sample that I reviewed last year where I noted that it “is actually fairly rough in texture”
I am admittedly a fan of a matte black finish on radiators, but the black AX360 has one of the best finishes I have come across. Excellent Stuff!!
The AX360 is also available in a white finish. Photo courtesy of XSPC.
It is worth noting that XSPC’s white finish is more off white in color. Maybe better described as a warm shade of white rather than a bright white. A photo of the white finish can be seen in the following spoilered photo as seen in our our review of the AX280.
Along each side the the housing there is the XSPC logo which on our black sample was done with white lettering. The white AX360 logo is much more subtle having silver lettering. The logo is applied so that the XSPC logo is facing the correct way for a roof installation, but will be upside-down for a floor mounted installation.
Screw protection plates are not fitted on the AX360.
The screw mounting holes are located over the tubes (just) as shown above where an extra long screw was used for the photo. The supplied 30mm screws have ~5mm clearance when a 25mm fan is directly attached meaning there is absolutely no risk of damaging the radiator when using the appropriate length supplied screws. Only if custom length screws are required for your installation does the lack of a protection plates become a concern, so please be sure to check screw length carefully if using your own screws.
The AX360 is equipped with just 2 G 1/4 ports in total, either of which can be used for inlet or outlet. As mentioned previously these ports, or port extenders sit ~6mm proud the enclosure.
No alternative port options are fitted on the AX360.
Unfortunately there is no dedicated fill/drain port on the return end either.
Technically the ports are extensions which screw into the radiator through the external casing. While the port extensions’ main purpose is to provide a sealed extension from the radiator to the housing , they also fix the radiator centrally inside the casing.
The extenders are tightly fitted during assembly but they could unscrew when removing fittings. If the extenders do unscrew, a firm hand tightening should be all that is required to tighten them back up.
The port extenders have a black chrome finish which should have matched any of XSPC’s range of black chrome fittings. As seen below that was not the case with a 14mm Triple Seal PETG fitting which was much lighter.
Hopefully XSPC will offer the port extenders in the “standard” chrome finish to match their chrome fitting range.
The 15mm fan spacing is perfect and we had no trouble when test fitting a few different sets of 120mm fans.
Recently we have seen a few radiators which had poorly located fan mounting holes, so we have started taking these measurements also to check that specs are being adhered to during manufacturing.
We are pleased to advise that the fan spacing on the AX360 were all as good as can be hoped for. We suspect this is largely due to the enclosing being thick aluminium and not having any twist or flex.
The AX360 has the ports/port extenders set back from where the fans are fitted, meaning even the largest of fittings can be used such as the Bitspower 1/2″ x 3’4″ compressions pictured below.
After performance testing was complete I dismantled the AX360 for an internal inspection and to show the completely disassembled unit.
Both port extenders have to be removed and an anti-tamper torx bit is required to loosen the end plate screws.
With both port end extenders and the port end plate removed, the radiator can be carefully slid out from it’s housing.
The ease with which the AX360 can be disassembled makes it an ideal candidate for custom paintwork of the enclosure panels.
Before moving on I must mention the internal cleanliness of the AX360 sample. This is not something I normally do because cleaning rads before use is just one of those chores which we all have to do.
This AX360 was one the cleanest radiator that I have rinsed/flushed/shaken and I’ve done my fair share!
The AX360 wasn’t just very clean, it was exceptionally clean!
After a warm water flush and commencing my traditional shake-a-rad dance, there was virtually zero particles when emptying the distilled after the first time. the second shake and rinse was totally clean.
Whatever process was used to clean the radiator after manufacturing, it was very, very effective and left me thinking I wish all radiators were this good.
So here we have a 40mm thick radiator with a thin, high FPI core that has just 2 ports and no protection plates. The build quality and finish on the sample was excellent. It has a stylish look but it is lacking a few features.
Let’s see how it performs…
