Mystique 360 Overview
Out of the box, the Mystique 360 is a pretty basic looking AIO, aside from its LCD-adorned pump housing, though that is becoming more common lately. From a quick look, there isn’t really anything that stands out about the Mystique 360 – no crazy color schemes, oversized LCD displays, etc. That’s not to say that this cooler doesn’t look good, there just isn’t anything too noteworthy about the overall design. As I mentioned earlier, the Mystique 360 is a 360mm AIO cooler, though DeepCool does offer a smaller 240mm version if that is what you require. DeepCool has paired up three of their 120mm FT12 SE fans with a 27mm thick 360mm radiator. With the overall look out of the way, let’s take a closer look at the individual components of this AIO.
First up we have the aforementioned 360mm aluminum radiator. At just 27mm thick, the radiator on the Mystique 360 is on the thin side of what we have seen from other manufacturers, but we will see if that has any effect on the cooling performance a little later on.
With 20 fins-per-inch, the tight fin density is able to provide adequate surface area while still confined to a 27mm thickness. The 120mm FT12 SE fans included with this AIO have a static pressure rating of 4.32mm-H2O, and should provide plenty of airflow through the radiator. The entire radiator exterior is painted black to match the rest of the cooler, and on the tubing side of the radiator is a small green DeepCool logo on one side of the endcap.
On the other side of the tubing endcap is a round plastic cap of sorts that provides support for the anti-leak solution that DeepCool notates on their product packaging. This cap covers an internal pressure-relief bag that will compress when the internal pressure of the cooler increases due to the rise in heat with cooler use. As the bag compresses, this will allow the internal volume of the cooler to increase, thus reducing the internal pressure that can cause a leak. All that said, DeepCool does go on to note that if the system’s critical level is passed (no details on when that might happen), a leak could occur.
Each braided cooling line exits from one end of the radiator’s end cap, and these lines are connected to the radiator via crimped connectors. This time around, DeepCool has outfitted a nice looking gunmetal shroud around the fittings, which makes this look a bit nicer and more refined than what we saw on the LS120 WH we had looked at previously. I found the cooling lines to be quite flexible during installation, and their 410mm length seemed to be just right to provide flexibility during installation, while also not being so long as to be in the way.
DeepCool has also provided two hook-and-loop straps to help wrangle the tubing, though I do like the plastic clips that they provided with the LS120 WH better.
Taking a look at the CPU water block and pump combination unit, we find a very “professional” looking design, with a mostly black body, with some satin gray bezels. DeepCool makes note that the Mystique 360 utilizes their 5th generation water pump, featuring a more efficient motor that operates at 3400 RPM, while maintaining just a 21 dB(A) noise level.
Taking a look at the pump and reservoir combo from the top down, we see the main focus of this cooler, the 2.8″ TFT LCD. This display can function in both landscape and portrait orientations, and is automatically adjusted via the internal gyroscope. With a 640 x 480 resolution, these specifications should result in a sharp looking image. Surrounding the screen itself is a satin gray bezel with an angled design. A DeepCool nameplate and logo are featured on one side of the surround, but other than that it is a very discreet looking design.
Making my way around the cooler, exiting from the bottom side we have the two cooling lines. Each line is paired up with a swiveling fitting to make installation and fitment much easier than with fixed connections. These fittings feature the same shrouds that are found on the radiator, which again adds a more refined look to the cooler.
Just to the side of the connections is where the four, yes four, cables exit the housing. These cables are for the following: 3-pin fan header for pump monitoring, 3-pin ARGB header for pump housing ARGB LEDs, SATA power for powering the pump and screen, and USB 2.0 header for control of the pump screen.
The top side of the pump housing is quite plain, with just a small gap above the blank side that allows for a bit of separation between the screen bezel and pump housing body.
The left and right sides of the housing are identical, each with a cutout along the top edge that reveals a checkered surface that is slightly recessed from the exterior. It is here on these sides where the ARGB LEDs are hidden beneath the screen bezel. With these LEDs on, they act to illuminate the area around the CPU socket to provide a nice back glow for your system.
Taking a look at the underside of the cooler, we see a copper cold plate, secured to the pump via 10 screws. DeepCool indicates that this coldplate has been redesigned to provide improved performance in the way of heat transfer. This is possible via the 0.1mm flow channels and a precise liquid splitter that is in charge of making sure fluid is flowing smoothly through the base. DeepCool has implemented pre-applied thermal paste with the Mystique 360, and it was evenly applied across the majority of the smooth copper base.
FT12 SE Fans
Included with, and pre-installed on, the Mystique 360 are three of DeepCool’s FT12 SE 120mm fans. With an operating range of 500-2150RPM, and up to 72.45CFM of airflow, these nine-blade fans should provide plenty of power when paired with the 360mm radiator. Their 4.32mm-H2O static pressure rating should be plenty for the 20 fin-per-inch fin density of the radiator.
The all-black design of the FT12 SE fans continues at each corner of the fan, where a rubber mount is placed to reduce vibration and noise output of the fan. Additionally, the interconnecting fan cables are also all black.
Speaking of those interconnecting cables, the FT12 SEs feature the ability to daisy chain to one another, reducing the overall cable management needed with this AIO. This is a pretty handy feature, though I wish we would have seen some cable-less fans here, as they are becoming more and more prevalent, and make installation and wiring a breeze, in addition to their improvements to cable clutter.
