An All-In-One Water Cooling Setup That Can Be Controlled Under Linux

For those looking to have an all-in-one water cooling setup where the pumps and lighting can be controlled under Linux, there is now a viable option thanks to the open-source GKraken project.

While Linux hardware support in general has improved sharply over the past nearly 15 years that Phoronix has been around, one of the areas that hasn't advanced as much has been in regards to supporting various enthusiast/gaming peripherals -- especially for products like water cooling systems that offer some controls exposed over a USB interface. There are few independent, community-driven efforts out there while now jumping out as one of the most promising is GKraken, which is to support NZXT Kraken water cooling systems.

Developer Roberto Leinardi wrote into Phoronix to talk about his work on supporting the NZXT Kraken X-series water cooling setups under Linux with at least the X42 / X52 / X62 / X72 products.

This GTK-based open-source program allows for controlling and monitoring the water pump's speed, the radiator fan(s) RPM/duty, and related functionality. There is currently work-in-progress coverage on lighting controls for these pumps too with their RGB lighting capability.

This work-in-progress Python3+GTK application appears to be off to a very good start and seems quite usable today for the various NZXT Kraken X water cooling products. Those wishing to learn more about it can visit GKraken on Gitlab.

At the high-end is the Kraken X72 for about $180 that supports both Intel and AMD processors and has three 120mm fans cooling its radiator while at the low-end is the Kraken X42 that is a single 140mm radiator. The Kraken water coolers are available from the likes of NewEgg.