By: Aaron Lai
September 2, 2026
Last month, I attended our annual church summer conference, but I arrived late due to some prior engagements. I have gone to this camp all my life, so even though I was going late, there was nothing too out of the ordinary. However, when I arrived, I was immediately greeted with a story and a video from a parent. The day before, some of the youth decided the best way to get into someone's moving car was to climb and hang on to the outside. According to people retelling the story, security at the location was called and they threatened to call the police on these offenders. However, the real surprise to me was the fact most of these youth, when confronted, did not think much of it and sarcastically laughed off any threat of repercussions. While reckless behavior is understandable with people whose frontal cortex has not fully formed, and the guilty party's identity was not surprising in the slightest, I was still shocked to hear the events. There are times when you might want a change in pace or something unexpected to happen, but I prefer smaller shocks like improved food for meals or meeting new people instead of car surfing and other acts of endangerment. In a similar vein, today Fractal Design has launched several new products, including a lineup of closed-loop water coolers called Radius. As such, what surprises does our Radius 240 RGB Black bring today? Is it something that we can pleasantly retell, or an incident that will live on in infamy? Let us read on to find out!
Today's review unit arrived with three other release day Fractal Design products, each in their own separate corrugated cardboard box. Traveling with UPS and their Standard ground service, this box arrived in excellent condition with no dents or bruises to be concerned about. Inside, the Fractal Design Radius 240 RGB Black was shrink wrapped to ensure no one else got into the container. It was also packed with some packing material to reduce damage from impact. Along with the Radius 240 RGB Black, Fractal Design also sent us their Summit, Define One, and the Refine 2, which are all launching to market on the same day.
Fractal Design has embraced a more natural look with their retail containers, and the Radius 240 RGB Black is a very minimalist box. The outer shell is a natural cardboard color with the Fractal logo on the top left and the product name on the bottom right. A small tagline of "Experience Gaming" can be found on all their new products, including this one. Once you remove the sleeve, you will see a plain white box with some features about the cooler on the two exposed ends. Otherwise, there is not much else to speak of given how minimal the design is.
Before we continue, I have grabbed the specifications from the reviewer's guide for your viewing pleasure:
Pre-mounted fans: 2 x Dynamic 3 - 12 RGB Black
Adjust Pro integration: Yes
Cold plate material: Copper
Thermal paste: Pre-applied
Block dimensions (with fittings) LxWxH: 83x71x59mm
Sockets supported (Intel): LGA 115X/17XX and LGA 1200/18XX
Sockets supported (AMD): AM4 / AM5
Tube material: EPDM
Fittings, block side: Articulating 90-degree Elbow
Fittings, radiator side: Barbed fitting
Pump rotational speed (RPM): 3400 ±10%
Pump bearing type: Ceramic bearing
Pump PWM control: Yes
Pump acoustical noise (full speed, 50 mm dist.): 34.8 dBA
Pump maximum pressure: 2.1 mmH2O
Pump input voltage: 12V
Pump input current (without fans): 0.2A ± 20%
Pump MTTF: 40,000 h @ 40 °C
Radiator dimensions L×W×H: 277 × 120 × 27 mm
Radiator housing material: Aluminum
Radiator fin material: Aluminum
Radiator fan screw threads: 6-32
Tube length: 400 mm
Pump power cable length (SATA): 450 mm
PWM cable: 300 mm
USB 2.0 internal header cable: 600 mm
Warranty: 5 years
Unit weight: 1.40kg
Out of the box, the Fractal Design Radius 240 RGB Black is packaged in two plastic bags with one that covers the radiator and fans, while the other covers the pump and the tubing. The unit is situated in a cardboard egg carton like shell. A separate cardboard box holds some accessories including additional mounting hardware for Intel-based systems and mounting screws for radiators. It is refreshing to see the default brackets installed on the pump block are for AMD systems, which shows Fractal Design is recognizing which one is more popular for mainstream and prospective users. The Radius cooler is capable of installation on modern sockets including Intel 115X / 17XX / 1200 / 18XX and AMD AM4 / AM5. The only recent socket we are missing is the AMD Threadripper series, which is understandable given the larger size of the integrated heat spreader. The pump and block combination have thermal paste applied on it already, so there is a plastic shell to prevent users from smudging the paste around. Finally, there is a user guide included to help users get set up with the AIO cooler.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. Installation and Test Results
4. Conclusion
