ID-COOLING SPACE SL240 White Review – Looks Cool, Runs Cooler

Unboxing

Today we have the SPACE series from Chinese cooling hardware brand ID-COOLING, with its SL240 White AIO here for a quick test drive. The SL240 comes in two versions: black and white, the latter of which is the one we’re testing up next.

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The box comes with plenty of mounting screws and kits depending on which socket your CPU uses, ranging from legacy Intel LGA115x & AMD Socket AM4 to the latest LGA1700 & Socket AM5 from both CPU makers. Also included is the Frost X25 thermal paste and a pair of ID-COOLING AF-127-ARGB-W 120mm fans.

Appearance

The AIO pump of the SL240 uses a conventionally circular design with two pre-installed, spring-loaded screws that will be mounted on metal plates dependent on the socket type. The centerpiece is a 2.1-inch LCD panel with 480×480 resolution and 600 nits of brightness. The underside is the copper plate with a highly visible label that reminds you to remove it before installing. Note that this AIO pump cannot rotate mechanically, though you won’t have to worry about display orientation for now.

This is what the 240mm radiator looks like – fully white, with mounting points for two 120mm fans. Speaking of fans, the SL240 comes with two off-the-shelf ID-COOLING AF-127-ARGB-W 120mm units mounting via radiator screws. One thing to note – this AIO kit doesn’t have a fan controller included, so you’ll need to daisy chain both fans to the host system, which can be slightly challenging in terms of cable management.

Specifications

ID-COOLING SPACE SL240

CPU socket compatibility		Intel: LGA2066/2011/1700/1200/1151/1150/1155/1156 AMD: Socket AM5/AM4
Radiator dimensions		276 x 120 x 27 mm
Radiator tubing		400mm sleeved
Fan(s)	Model	2x ID-COOLING AF-127-ARGB-W 120mm
	Size	120 x 120 x 27 mm
	Speed	500~2400(±10%)RPM
	Airflow	78CFM (Max)
	Pressure	2.68mmH₂O (Max)
	MTTF	[Unspecified]
	Noise	29.9dBA (max)
Pump/Block	Size	76 x 76 x 58 mm
	MTTF	50,000 hours
	Noise	25dBA (Max)
Onboard display		Integrated 2.1-inch display, 480×480, 600 nits brightness
Included accessories		2x Tubing sleeve ID-COOLING FROST X25 thermal paste Installation guide Socket backplates & mounts Mounting screws (backplate, fan & case)

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Test System

CPU	Intel Core i9-13900K
Cooling	ID-COOLING SPACE SL240 (as tested) Cooler Master MasterGel Maker
Motherboard	ASUS ROG Maximus Z790 HERO
GPU	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition
Memory	Kingston FURY RENEGADE RGB DDR5-6400 CL32 (2x16GB)
Storage	Samsung SSD 980 PRO 256GB (Boot) Kingston NV1 1TB
Power Supply	Cooler Master MWE Gold 1250 V2 Full Modular 1250W
Case	VECTOR Bench Case (Open-air chassis)
Operating System	Windows 11 Home 22H2

Installation

AIO installations come in many different ways – in the case of SPACE SL240, the focus is on the socket bracket installation, so be sure to check the manual to see which type of screws and mounting materials are needed for the subsequent installation process.

In our case, we’ll be installing the AIO on the Intel LGA1700 system. Insert the mounting backplate and use the included rubber rings to keep the backplate in place. Then, put a set of plastic caps on top of each corner (be sure to use the correct one, as each one has different sizes for optimal mounting pressure).

Next, grab the specific mounting plate depending on the socket type, and fix them in place with a final set of screws. The AIO pump mounts on the two screws in the middle of both plates, a common design in air coolers. By default, the pump is oriented with the tube situated on the left side, but you can install this any way you’d like – you can rotate the display via the software which we’ll get to in a bit.

Performance

All thermal testing is done using a 10-minute OCCT v12 CPU stress test and measured via sensor readings logged through HWiNFO64. ASUS MCE is enabled on the BIOS level, with power limits governed by Intel XTU (Extreme Tuning Utility) in Windows according to specific test passes.

We compared the SL240 against the 360mm-large Cooler Master MasterLiquid PL360 Flux 30th Anniversary Edition on various thermal and power metrics. For a 240mm cooler, the ID-COOLING AIO does pretty decent for 2/3rd the size: removing power limits allows the Core i9-13900K to push 320W momentarily before stabilizing at around 285W. The CM unit stayed at 310W with an initial peak of nearly 360W, for reference.

Given that SL240 is capable of allowing the Core i9 to push beyond its 253W MTP limit, that means it is capable of handling a fully-loaded Core i9 at stock power limits, though the temperatures are quite close to the limit, in the low to mid-90s range. For reference – the CM PL360 Flux stayed under 90°C throughout, though generally, the SL240 stayed close enough despite having one less fan and around two-thirds worth of surface area to work with.

For noise testing, we use a noise meter to measure the fan noise in an open-air environment from a distance of 50cm – although actual results will vary based on the case and chassis. We measured generally identical noise levels on both systems, however – the SL240 does come out sounding a bit higher-pitched which may end up being more noticeable than the PL360 Flux, which produces a “whoosh” sound despite being slightly louder on paper.

Software

The SPACE LCD application (which you can grab via a Google Drive link on the ID-COOLING website of all places) is responsible for customization on the AIO display, nothing else. RGB and fan control is up to the host system, so refer to your motherboard manufacturer’s software for that.

Customizing the display is slightly unintuitive, I’d say. It requires you to stop the display first, which naturally doesn’t allow for a live preview of the display itself. From a customization perspective, the software could do with some UX improvements. That said, there are plenty of presets available, and you can import custom images/GIFs if that’s your cup of tea. There are also rotation and brightness adjustments available depending on your AIO installation.

Conclusion

The ID-COOLING SPACE SL240 White is a solid performer, to say the least. Cooling-wise, it does a great job at cooling even the most power-hungry CPUs on offer with the benefit of a 240mm form factor – meaning it’ll fit in virtually all PC cases that aren’t an SFF variant in nature. Still, part of the appeal of the SL240 White is in the name – for white-themed PC builds, this should complement nicely.

Just be aware that you’ll be paying extra for the color – which is RM519 MSRP at this writing (that’s RM10 more than the black version, just so you know). However, we’ve seen prices as low as RM419 in various online retailers, so look around and see if you can strike a deal out of it.

For the price, the included display sweetens the deal for those who like a bit of flair inside their case, and if you can forego the lack of creature comforts like cleaner cabling and included controllers, this is a solid choice for those who want a performant AIO without going all the way to 360mm options.

[button type=”link” size=”btn-sm” target=”blank” variation=”btn-success” block=”btn-block” link=”https://shope.ee/4VEdazZjED”]Click here to purchase the ID-COOLING SPACE SL240 White (via Shopee)[/button]

Special thanks to ID-COOLING Malaysia for providing the SPACE SL240 White AIO for this review.