Question 1

does it come with thermal paste?

Accepted Answer

It does have that thin layer of thermal compound that usually ships with CPU heatsinks. It has a plastic cover to protect it in shipping.

Question 2

I have this cooler.  This is my first time using any type of liquid cooling.  I noticed that the CPU temp will, all of a sudden,  jump up about 20 degrees or so for a few seconds.  The fans rev up and it goes back down.  Is this normal or should the CPU temp and fan speeds stay fairly consistent?

Accepted Answer

My EVGA CLC 280 doesn't have a noticeable change in fan speed or temp and I'm running a 7700k Kaby Lake processor . Make sure you're using the right header on your motherboard, should be using cpu1 or like my board AIO header. Temp rise is normal under heavy load but shouldn't be cycling. Use the EVGA software from their website to monitor and adjust your unit

Question 3

Does just the water block light up and not the fans. If not the fans. Could RBG fans from say Corsair be used?

Accepted Answer

The water block gets hooked up to a USB on your motherboard to light the block and control the led. One cable from the water block powers the pump from the standard cpu fan/water pump header on the mobo. Any 140mm fans will work. I added 2 Thermaltake Riing fans to operate the radiator in push/pull. I've had this AIO for about 7 months now. I absolutely love it. As a note ... It has an awesome built in feature that turns the water block led red when your cpu get too hot. I've had alot of AIO coolers in over 20 builds. This is by far the best I've had.

Question 4

Will this work on an ASRock x399 Taichi with a 1920x threadripper. is the RGB a 3 or 4 pin connector?

Accepted Answer

"Hi, Yes This Will Work On Your AMD Motherboard The 1920x...It Will Fit Current & Future AMD & Intels.  This EVGA Cooler Is Better Than The Corsair H100, H110.  I Currently Own 2 Of These EVGA 280s & They Perform & Outlast Other Coolers That I Have Owned & Watched Fail.. I Have Sent 2 Of The H110s Back & The Shipping Cost Me $48.00. Then They Sent Me A Refurbished Unit. I Also Have A 3rd H115 That Has Failed Also.. I Don't Want To Spend Another 48$ To Ship It Back, I May Try To Repair It.. That's When I Decided To Look At Other Brands...I Bought 2 Of These EVGA Units & Both Are Still Performing On An ASRock X99 Professional 3.1 & ASRock X99 Workstation Both With. A 5930k,  At Idle 24-29..Depending On Temperature Outside.. I Always Run These Coolers Full Blast.. That Is Probably Why The Corsairs Had Failed. The Graphic Cards In These Machines Are Both EVGA,  A 970 & A 1070.... I Really Want To Buy An EVGA Motherboard... but $1800 For Their Latest HighEnd MB>. Crazy Prices.

Question 5

Would this perform on par with a Noctua NH-D15 cooler?

Accepted Answer

I'm not sure on the numbers, but if you're looking to get an AIO it is perfect I've built two computers with them in the span of almost 3 years and I have never had an issue.  With an AIO the heat disperses much quicker. Depending if you're wanting a high end processor or are looking to render anything I would recommend an AIO over an air cooler. If you're wanting numbers watch JayzTwoCents on youtube, he compares the NH-D15 with a custom water loop. A custom water lop is a little better than an AIO but the numbers will be slightly common enough to decide on which to go with.

Question 6

I am a little confused on the part where it says you can swap the fans. Does that mean I can just swap the fans for an ol' 140mm fans? If so, could I swap them out for Corsair LL140 RGB fans?

Accepted Answer

you can use any fan the same size. the unit is set up to pull air through the radiator so if you use it as it comes in the box it will blow air into the case. you need to move the fans to the other side of the radiator so it will blow air out of the case. I hope I explained it ok.  there are videos to show this.

Question 7

would this work with a h110m-ds/hyper motherboard and an i7 7700k?

Accepted Answer

yes. why are you pairing an overclocking processor with a non overclocking motherboard and then cooling it with a cooler for overclocking? 
just a tip, you may want to consider the 240mm version instead of the 280, the 280 conflicts with spacing in a lot of cases and vrms, generally 240mm mounting is spaced out a lot better, and 240 should still be more than enough for a 7700k, especially since you wont be overclocking it.

Question 8

Will this fit in a Cosair Carbide Series 240 case?

Accepted Answer

It won't. By the specs at corsair website, the Carbide 240 will only accept 120mm fans in it's chassis. If I'm not mistaken, EVGA has released a CLC 240mm cooler as well.

Question 9

280mm compatible with NZXT H440 Case?

Accepted Answer

In NZXT website, in the specification area from H440 case, there is the following:
Radiator Support:
Front 2 x 140 or 3 x 120mm 
Top 2 x 140 or 3 x 120mm 
Rear 1 x 140/120mm

So, even you can mount it in the front or top of the case without any issues, says NZXT.

Question 10

Can two additional, standard 140mm, fans be placed on the other side of the radiator, for a push/pull configuration?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but they won't be controlled by the EVGA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. So you'll need to make sure that the rpms are the same because it my cause turbulence if it's pushing fastErica or slower than it can pull vice versa. Imo though. You don't need them. Mine doesn't even change temp from the fans at idle to full soeed

Questions & Answers