Cryorig H5 and R1 Universal Reviews

Performance Analysis

While both the R1 Universal and the H5 are more than capable of taming a modern, overclocked LGA115x CPU, neither result is particularly outstanding given the price. The R1 Universal manages a delta T of 43°C. This is definitely cool, outperforming most other air coolers we've tested by a fair margin, but the Macho Rev. B which is around £30 less managed a slightly better result. It was quieter than the R1 Universal too, with the latter sitting between it and a noisy all-in-one liquid cooler, producing a noticeable noise at full speed. In fairness, only the Corsair H80i GT and H100i GTX have managed to keep things at a delta T of 40°C or below, and that's at their very loud maximum fan speed setting. It's likely that the CPU itself is the limit, but that's still valuable data to have, as it suggests you won't see much benefit by investing in more expensive coolers. Meanwhile, the H5 achieves a respectable 48°C and isn't too noisy for its performance level, though again the result doesn't blow us away.


The LGA2011 system is a different beast altogether, however. Here, the dual tower, dual fan design of the R1 Universal really comes into play – it beats the Macho Rev. B convincingly and is on par with similarly priced and even more expensive all-in-one liquid coolers. Conversely, however, even 15 minutes under load was enough to push the H5 to its limits, and our CPU reached its Tj Max and downclocked itself. This did not happen immediately, but as time passed the temperature just kept creeping up. Other air coolers have struggled on this system, with the Alpenföhn Atlas at 7V also failing. As with that cooler, we suspect the issue is the fan being unable to dispel the copious amounts of heat quickly enough – remember the H5 only has a single slimline fan.

The R1 Universal posts another fantastic result on the AMD rig; the second best result overall, in fact, beating what the H80i GT can do even with its fans at full speed. With a delta T of 31°C, the H5 is further down the charts with a less impressive result.

Conclusion

The performance of all of these coolers is a mixed bag. The R1 Universal definitely has some impressive capabilities, and when the heat is turned up (for example on an overclocked LGA2011 or AMD CPU) it's really able to flex its muscles – just make sure you've room enough for it. The H5, however, never really manages to demonstrate much prowess – a thinner heatsink and thicker fan may well have yielded better results while retaining full RAM compatibility. Still, one thing that can be said for both coolers is that they are extremely well designed and a joy rather than a pain to work with.