The Cougar Poseidon Ultra 360 ARGB AIO Cooler Review: Bright Lights, Average Cooling

Cougar, established in 2008, has become a notable name in the PC hardware market, particularly among gamers and enthusiasts. While Cougar might appear to be a relatively recent addition to the industry, it is backed by HEC/Compucase, a veteran in the PC market known primarily for its OEM products. Cougar was created as a subsidiary to focus on developing and marketing high-performance products tailored to the needs of gamers and PC enthusiasts.

Initially, Cougar focused primarily on PC cases, gradually expanding its product lineup as the brand gained recognition. Over the years, Cougar has successfully diversified its offerings to include a wide range of products, from gaming chairs to mechanical keyboards. This strategic expansion has allowed Cougar to establish a strong presence in the gaming hardware market.

In this review, we are focusing on Cougar's latest entry into the liquid cooling market, the Poseidon Ultra 360 ARGB cooler. The Poseidon Ultra 360 ARGB is a high-performance, all-in-one liquid cooler featuring a 360mm radiator and vibrant ARGB lighting, designed to appeal to both performance enthusiasts and those looking for a visually striking setup. This review will delve into the AIO cooler’s key features, cooling efficiency, and noise levels, to determine how it stands up against the competition in the increasingly crowded liquid cooler market.

Packaging & Bundle

Cougar packages the Poseidon Ultra 360 ARGB cooler in large, durable cardboard boxes. While the box maintains the company’s signature black and orange color scheme, it prominently features vibrant images showcasing the RGB lighting capabilities of the cooler, making it a visually striking package. Inside, the cooler and its components are securely protected by custom cardboard inserts, ensuring safe transport.

The box contains a rather basic bundle for a premium CPU cooler. Cougar includes the necessary cables for powering the fans and the controller, a single-use dose of thermal compound, and the hardware required for mounting the cooler onto the CPU socket. There is no standalone RGB controller, the cooler requires a compatible motherboard or controller available to function.

The cooler is equipped with three 120 mm fans that feature a unique frame design, blades with convex ridges, and an advanced hydraulic bearing for improved performance and durability. Although the specific original manufacturer of the fans is not disclosed, the part number is DF1202512FDMN. These fans are outfitted with ARGB LEDs and have a semi-transparent blade and inner ring assembly, which is designed to diffuse the lighting softly, enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal of the cooler.

The Cougar Poseidon Ultra 360 mm ARGB AIO Liquid Cooler

The Poseidon Ultra 360 ARGB cooler from Cougar maintains a design typical of all-in-one (AIO) liquid coolers, consisting of a single radiator, two hoses, and a block that integrates the CPU contact plate with a compact liquid pump. Cougar went with typical rubber tubing with an external nylon sleeve for added mechanical protection. The fittings are plastic, as is the case with the majority of AIO coolers nowadays.

The radiator in the Poseidon Ultra 360 ARGB follows the standard dual-pass cross-flow design, with fine fins soldered onto thin oblong tubes. This design remains the industry standard for AIO systems due to its superior efficiency within the compact dimensions required and the temperature variations these coolers manage. The hose connections on the radiator are fixed, which can limit flexibility a little during installation. Cougar designed the radiator to be just 27 mm thick to ensure greater compatibility. However, with the fans included, the entire AIO system still requires at least 52 mm of clearance, making it essential to install this cooler in a case designed for AIO systems.

Cougar's design efforts are particularly evident in the main block assembly. Except for the contact plate, the rest of the assembly is made of plastic and acrylic, with Cougar making severe efforts to make the block as visually appealing as possible. The top of the block assembly can be removed if turned counterclockwise softly, allowing the user to adjust the logo’s orientation (yes, the large hex screw heads are fake). The 90° hose fittings can swivel, adding some flexibility to the installation process.

The main block assembly features a squircle-shaped metallic contact plate made of copper. The plate is not machined to a mirror finish but it is smooth and flat enough. The designer hid the screws holding the cold plate in place behind the plastic cover. No thermal compound is pre-applied, giving users the option to use their preferred thermal paste. The contact plate is large enough for all the processors this cooler is compatible with.

Cougar has put significant emphasis on RGB lighting with the Poseidon Ultra 360 ARGB, resulting in an impressive display. The lighting is both vibrant and smooth, effectively diffused by the semi-transparent blades of the fans and the top of the main block. If connected to a compatible motherboard, the cooler will sync with the system’s lighting theme. Note that if the motherboard does not support 5V ARGB LEDs and if there is no other available controller, the lighting of the Poseidon Ultra 360 ARGB will not turn on at all.