• TWEAK
• Cooling
• Air cooling

Antec Vortex View 360

Before we take a closer look at the Vortex View 360 from Antec, I found the specifications from their website.

The technical specifications:

• Intel Socket: LGA115X, LGA1200, LGA1700, LGA1851
• AMD Socket: AM4, AM5
• Fan Size: 120mm x 120mm x 25mm
• Fan Speed (100%): 2000 rpm
• Noise Level (100%): 28.6 dB
• Pressure: 2.46 mm H2O (Max)
• Pump speed (rpm): -
• Pump connector: 4-pin
• RGB connector: -
• Tube length (mm): -
• Size & Weight radiator
  • (H x W x D) 394 x 120 x 27 mm
  • - g

Around Vortex View 360

The Antec Vortex View 360 is a 360 mm AIO water cooler, where the focus is not only on cooling performance, but also on the visual expression in the case. The large 5” IPS screen is one of the most striking features, as it can be rotated 360 degrees and adjusted via a movable ball joint, so it can easily be adapted to different case layouts. Via Antec's iUnity software, the screen can be used to display system data, images, animations and overlays, while ARGB back-glow with 18 addressable LED zones provides extra depth around the display. At the same time, the cooler comes with three 120 mm PWM fans, copper contact surface, efficient pump and reinforced hoses, making the Vortex View 360 a cooler that combines function, performance and personalization in one overall solution.

In the box for the Antec Vortex View 360 you will find the AIO cooler itself with the 360 mm radiator, the pump head with the adjustable 5” IPS screen and the three 120 mm PWM fans, which are pre-mounted on the radiator. The necessary mounting equipment is also included for both Intel and AMD, including brackets and standoffs for LGA115X, 1200, 1700, 1851 as well as AM4 and AM5. In addition, cables and connections for fans, pump, screen and control via the iUnity software are included, so that the cooler can be assembled and configured directly in the system.

The included fans for the Antec Vortex View 360 are three 120mm PWM fans, which are designed to balance cooling performance and noise levels. They operate at speeds from 400 to 2000 RPM and have a rated airflow of 59.23 CFM and an air pressure of 2.46 mmH₂O, making them suitable for use on the radiator. The fans use FDB bearings and have a rated lifespan of 50,000 hours, while the noise level stays at up to 28.6 dB(A). Overall, they act as a set of fans that should deliver stable airflow without making the cooler unnecessarily noisy.

The pump head on the Antec Vortex View 360 is undoubtedly one of the cooler's most striking elements, as this is where the large 5" IPS screen is located. The screen has a resolution of 1280 × 720, 60 Hz refresh rate and can be used for both system data, images, animations and overlays via the iUnity software. The special thing is that the screen is mounted on an adjustable ball joint, where it can be rotated 360 degrees and locked with a turntable, so that the angle can be adjusted to the chassis. Behind the screen is ARGB back-glow with 18 addressable LED zones, which provides extra depth and a more exclusive look. At the same time, the pump head is based on an efficient pump architecture with a focus on low vibration and quiet operation.

The radiator on the Antec Vortex View 360 is a 360 mm aluminum radiator with space for three 120 mm fans, which provides a large cooling area to handle modern processors with high heat generation. The radiator itself measures 394 × 120 × 27 mm and is therefore the typical size for a 360 mm AIO solution. The hoses are reinforced and made with a focus on durability and leak resistance, so they must be able to withstand both regular installation and long-term use. However, the exact length of the tube hoses is not clear from the available material.

Assembly

The assembly of the Antec Vortex View 360 seems to be built around a relatively simple process, with the necessary mounting hardware included for both Intel and AMD. The cooler uses an integrated mounting system, where parts of the hardware are already prepared from the start, making the setup itself more manageable.

Depending on the platform, the pump head must be oriented correctly, with Intel recommended to mount it facing south, while AMD recommends mounting it facing east so that the contact surface hits the processor optimally. The radiator is mounted as a traditional 360 mm AIO with the three 120 mm fans, after which the pump, fans, monitor and any RGB control are connected to the system.

The special thing about the assembly, however, is the screen, which can subsequently be adjusted and rotated to suit the cabinet layout and the desired viewing angle. Overall, the assembly appears user-friendly, but with a little extra focus on correct orientation and cable routing due to the display and iUnity control.

The Test – Use and Performance

Test system

• MSI MEG Z690 Unify
• Intel I9 12900K
• MSI Nvidia RTX 2080 Ti
• 32 GB HyperX Fury DDR5 5200 MHz CL36
• Samsung 970 EVO 500GB SSD
• Seasonic Prime TX-1300

Test software

• Cinebench (Benchmark)
• HWinfo64 (Monitoring)

Procedure

The test is set up so that we first warm up the system with Cinebench for 5 minutes. Then it runs for 10 minutes where we measure the average temperature in HWiNFO64. We then finally subtract the room temperature at the given time and land on a delta temperature to give as neutral a picture as possible. The fans are set to run at full speed, so you get a picture of the maximum cooling performance with the load we now give it. This should give a real picture of how much you can strain the different coolers, and whether they can take more or less than what we give them.

**After following up a bit on the I9 12900K and heat generation, I have chosen to turn off Hyper-Threading to give the cooler a chance to show what it can do, rather than pushing the CPU to its maximum. All future tests will run like this.

The measurements:

• Room temperature: ~ 26 degrees
• Fan speed: ~2000 RPM
• TDP: 202W

In the idle test, the Antec Vortex View 360 ends up with a delta temperature of 3 degrees, which places it in the better part of the field. The result matches, among others, the be quiet! Pure Loop 3 LX 360 and the Arctic Liquid Freezer III 420, which also land at 3 degrees in the same test. There are a few coolers in the overview that achieve a lower delta temperature of 1 degree, but the difference at idle is generally limited and should be seen as an indication of how effectively the cooler keeps the temperature down without load. Overall, the Vortex View 360 delivers a solid idle result, where the temperature is kept low and stable.

Under load, the Antec Vortex View 360 ends up with a delta temperature of 47 degrees, which places it firmly in the middle of the field among the tested 360 mm AIO coolers. It matches, among others, the Enermax Liqmaxflo 360mm, while it is slightly ahead of the Cooler Master MasterLiquid 360L Core ARGB at 46 degrees. However, there are coolers like the EK Nucleus AIO CR360 and Arctic Liquid Freezer III 420 that deliver lower temperatures in the test. Overall, the result shows that the Vortex View 360 delivers reasonable cooling performance under load, but without being among the absolute strongest in terms of pure temperature.

Noise level

Our noise measurements were made with a UNI-T UT353 dB meter. The measurements were made in a “real world” setup and not in a sound chamber. External influences have of course been tried to be reduced as much as possible but, as mentioned, were not made in a sound chamber. Our measurements should therefore be taken as a general indicator and not a scientific measurement. They primarily serve as a basis for comparison across tested products, which are always tested under as comparable conditions as possible.

The Antec Vortex View 360 ends up with a noise level of 39.5 dBa, which places it in the quieter part of the field. It is almost identical to the Cooler Master MasterLiquid 360 Atmos, which lands at 39.4 dBa, and it is also quieter than several of the other 360 mm solutions in the test. Compared to models such as the Silent Loop 3 360 and the EK Nucleus AIO CR360 Dark, there is a clear difference in the noise level. The result therefore shows that the Vortex View 360 not only delivers a reasonable cooling performance, but also keeps the noise at an acceptable and comfortable level during the test.

Price

It has been possible to find the Antec Vortex View 360 at a price of $310.

If you want to find more information about the Vortex View 360 from Antec, you can click on the banner.

Conclusion

The Antec Vortex View 360 is an AIO cooler that clearly tries to stand out from the crowd, and it does so primarily with its large 5” IPS screen. The screen is undoubtedly the cooler’s most striking feature, as it allows for both personal customization and viewing system data directly inside the case. This makes the product more interesting for users who are not only looking at raw cooling performance, but also at the overall look of their system. At the same time, it is a clear advantage that the screen can be rotated and adjusted, as it provides better opportunities to position it correctly in different case layouts.

However, this also means that the Vortex View 360 requires a little more space and planning than a simpler AIO cooler without a display. The screen naturally takes up more space around the pump head, and you therefore need to make sure that there is enough space in the case if you want to make full use of it. On the other hand, it also adds something extra to the overall experience, because you can use it for system monitoring, images, animations and visual customization. The iUnity software plays an important role here, as it is through the software that you gain access to many of the features that make the cooler different. This is positive, but it also means that the software is necessary if you want to get the full benefit of the product.

The assembly of the Antec Vortex View 360 is generally easy and straightforward, and the necessary mounting hardware is included for the common platforms. The support for both Intel LGA115X, 1200, 1700, 1851 and AMD AM4 and AM5 makes the cooler relevant for many different systems, and it is also positive that the construction itself seems solid. The radiator, hoses and pump head give a good impression, and overall the Vortex View 360 feels like a product where both build quality and finish have been thought about.

When we look at the performance itself, the Antec Vortex View 360 delivers a reasonable result. At idle, it ends up with a delta temperature of 3 degrees, which places it in the better part of the field and shows that without load it has an easy time keeping the temperature low and stable. Under load, it lands at a delta temperature of 47 degrees, which is a solid result, but not enough to place it at the very top among the tested coolers. There are competitors that manage to push the temperature further down, and therefore the Vortex View 360 is not the obvious choice if you are only chasing the lowest temperature for the money.

However, it is important to see the cooler as a complete package. The Vortex View 360 is not just about maximum cooling capacity, but about the combination of cooling, display, RGB, software control and noise level. On the test platform with Intel i9-12900K and a TDP of 202W, the cooler shows that it can easily handle a hot and demanding processor, and it does so without the noise running wild. With a measured noise level of 39.5 dBa, it places itself in the quieter part of the field, which is positive, especially when the test is carried out with the fans at high speed. It is close to the Cooler Master MasterLiquid 360 Atmos and below several other models in the comparison, which makes the overall experience more pleasant.

The price of 1970 kroner places the Antec Vortex View 360 at the more expensive end of the 360 mm AIO cooler market. This is not necessarily unreasonable when you consider the large screen, adjustable mounting, build quality and additional features, but you are clearly paying extra for the display part. Therefore, you also need to be sure that you will actually use the screen actively. If you are not interested in system data, animations or visual customization, there are simpler and cheaper alternatives that may make more sense.

As a pure cooler, the Vortex View 360 is good, but not dominant. As an overall product, however, it stands out stronger because it offers a combination of features that are not just about temperatures. It is best suited to the user who is building a system where appearance, personalization and functionality are of high importance. The advantages lie primarily in the large 5” IPS screen, the possibility of system data, the easy assembly, the solid build quality, the reasonable noise level and the stable temperatures. The disadvantages lie primarily in the price, the space requirement around the screen, the dependence on the iUnity software and the fact that the cooling capacity is not among the absolute best in the test.

Overall, the Antec Vortex View 360 strikes an interesting compromise between performance, noise, design and personalization. It is not the most aggressive 360 mm AIO in terms of pure performance, but it delivers a good overall experience and adds something extra to the system, both visually and functionally. For the right target group, the display is more than just decoration, and that is precisely why the Vortex View 360 ends up as a strong and different AIO solution that especially makes sense in a modern PC build with a focus on both cooling and expression. We end up with a score of 8 out of 10.

Benefits

• 5” IPS Display with personalization options
• Possibility of system data in the screen
• Solid idle and load temperature
• Reasonable noise level
• Supports the common platforms
• Easy assembly
• Solid build quality

Disadvantages

• The screen requires extra space
• You pay extra for the screen feature
• Does not achieve best cooling ability
• iUnity required to utilize the cooler

Score: 8