InWin AR36

Introduction

InWin , in recent years, has distinguished itself above all in the design of cases with solutions that are satisfying for the market. To complete the offering, however, as happened to other competitors, it needed to offer a series of peripherals that could be integrated into its flagship solutions, a sector which we will deal with in this review. InWin has unveiled its latest cooling solution: the AR36 AIO liquid cooler. This 360-mm cooler combines ARGB lighting on the fans with the infinity mirror effects of the pump cover to offer enhanced aesthetics. The lighting effects are mainly adjusted and controlled by linking to the motherboard or a third-party controller. It is compatible with major motherboards, such as ASUS AURA, GIGABYTE RGB FUSION 2.0, MSI MYSTIC LIGHT SYNC and ASRock POLYCHROME SYNC. The AR36's most striking feature is its “infinity mirror” design on the CPU block to create a visual effect with seemingly endless reflections of ARGB lighting. But the AR36 isn't just about looks. The copper baseplate features high-density microchannel fins that draw heat away from the CPU to increase the thermal headroom and sustain higher boost clocks. InWin has also included three Neptune AN120 fans with the AR36. These ARGB fans feature turbine blades optimised for high static pressure, making them ideal for radiator cooling.

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The AR36 supports all recent AMD and Intel processor sockets, including the latest AMD AM5 and Intel LGA1851. It comes with durable mounting kits and a tool-less design for the CPU block, ensuring installation is as simple and easy as possible.

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Packaging & Contents

The box is black with a huge splash of color to grab your attention and let you know that the cooler is ARGB equipped. The top has the model name.

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The back of the InWin AR36 box has a detailed table of dimensions and specifications. The icons at the bottom represents the ARGB synchronization with motherboards of major brands.

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The left side has the name InWin AR36. It shows us an QR Code leading to the online manual and features.

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The right side shows us info about InWin.

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The AIO, fans and accessories in the package are all protected by a foam layer. The AR36 is safely packed in a plastic bag in the cardboard inlay.

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It come's bundled with InWin's Neptune AN 120 ARGB fans, thermal paste, ARGB Extension Cable 500 mm, PWM Extension Cable 500 mm, fasteners, and the modular, tool-free brackets for Intel and the AMD socket. All kinds of CPUs are installed with different screws, so InWin was very considerate to help users separate and pack them in plastic bags.


A Closer Look

AR36 has an integrated water cooling design, which is similar to most AIO's. The special feature is that the pump is designed at the water pipe position. Short and long screws are included for installing the fans, and the radiator as well.

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The water block is particularly large with 396mm length. We see the neatly arranged high-density water-cooled row of fins. Available in black or white, the 360mm radiator is 27mm thick with 20 fins per inch, providing an exceptionally large surface area for heat transfer and improving thermal conductivity.

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The water pipes connected to the side of the water cooling head can be adjusted in angle to match the radiator installation.

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The ARGB CPU block features an infinity mirror design on the front, showcasing radiant light reflections that create an infinite, vibrant, and colorful glow from every angle.

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The water cooling head connection cables include 3-pin pump power and ARGB lighting effect cable.

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As for the pump, you'll have to settle for its operating speed of 3,100 rpm. However, nothing is said about the flow rate, which is always a shame. Inside, high-density microchannel fins in the copper baseplate efficiently dissipate heat. The pump is equipped with a three-phase, six-pole motor, ensuring consistent high performance with reduced noise during operation.

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The bottom is made of copper and has a slightly convex design in the middle to ensure closer contact with the CPU.

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InWin offers three Neptune AN120 fans with the AR36. These ARGB fans feature specially designed turbine blades to generate high static pressure, making them ideal for liquid cooling radiators. With PWM control, they offer an airflow of up to 60.1 CFM and a static pressure of 2.27 mm H2O. The InWin Neptune AN120 fan has two flat cables coming out of the motor area. One is 4-pin PWM cable to regulate the speed of the fan. The other is ARGB LED cable with two connectors. One is the 3-pin female connector and the other is a 3-pin male connector. The very purpose of providing two connectors per cable per fan is that these fans are daisy chained in a series and then connected to the motherboard’s power and lighting header.

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The frame is made of the plastic material and is rigid without any flex. Looking closely, one can find the ARGB Ring on the green color PCB below the blades in the center. The bottom part side of the frame has two arrows on it. These serve as a visual aid to the user in determining the blades’ spin direction and airflow direction. On the other side, we find the InWin name present. Considering many times the wires are placed nearest the motherboard tray when the fans are installed, the exposed side to the case door will have the InWin name showing! The backside of the fan has 4-arms assembly with one of the arms having a widened surface area with clip to serve as cables pass through. The fan’s power cable and LED’s power cable are routed on this arm. The frame is curved inwards although the contact surfaces maintain the straight edges that matter in not leaking air when using these as radiator fans.

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They have a 9-bladed rotor in a highly curved manner that uses a frosted translucent material to help with the RGB lighting on offer thanks to eight individually addressable RGB LEDs located underneath the central hub cover. InWin calls these blades – of which there are nine – turbine blades, claiming they channel more concentrated airflow thanks to an angled design.

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There is a black color sticker in the center with Neptune on the top. The fan is made in China. Power rating and compliance information to various regulations are printed on this sticker.

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Each mounting corner has In-mold injection anti-vibration rubber pad to provide a hassle-free usage with protection coverage for all corners. These are gray color cut-to-size pads.

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Seen below are all three fans powered on and lit up so you get a better idea of what to expect from the LEDs on board. With 8 LEDs, there is a fair amount of illumination.

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Installation Process & Finished Looks

The installation of AR36 is simple and easy to use, whether you have an Intel or AMD processor. A comprehensive set of mounting brackets and screws for various bases is included, as well as an online guide that guides you step-by-step through the process. Users will need to first prepare the backplate. Slide the screws into the right slot on the backplate to then use the rubber o-rings to secure them. At this point, you can position the backplate on the motherboard. Next, use the standoffs to secure the backplate to the motherboard to then secure the mounting arms to the standoffs. At this point, you can apply some thermal compound in preparation for mounting the pump. Remove the protective sticker from the base of the CPU block, lower down the CPU block aligned with the mounting screw holes and tighten the screws to fix the CPU block in place. Be sure to tighten the screws evenly and progressively for optimal CPU block to CPU contact. When fitted to the motherboard you have a nice solid design that looks bold and professional. The water cooling head adopts an infinite mirror design.

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Fitting the three fans is as simple as you might expect, just grab a screwdriver and use the eight included screws to fit them in your desired configuration. We’ve opted for push configuration, but there’s no reason why you couldn’t mount them as pull. For connections, each fan plugs into a fan port. You also need to connect the waterblock to circulate the liquid inside the circuit.

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After powering on, there is an InWin Logo on the top, which can present gorgeous lighting effects and reflections through ARGB. The InWin logo particularly is a nice touch with it being nice, bold and clear without it being obtrusive.

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ARGB LEDs offer multiple colors and modes to individualize the look of the AR36. The illumination can be synced with the ARGB adjustments of the motherboard.

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Testing & Methology

For today's testing, we'll be using a new test setup, so we've also tested a few other coolers as part of it for direct comparison. We have equipped our lineup with a Ryzen 9 5950X processor, which is significantly more demanding. Perhaps the most important thing is that we are testing in a classic case, a large and very well ventilated Fractal Design Meshify 2 XL. In addition, it also allows the installation of a 480 mm heat exchanger on the ceiling. We always install the tested AiO coolers with an exchanger on the ceiling, while there are high-quality fans on the front wall of the cabinet for good air access to the cabinet. Very quiet graphics are also installed so that it does not disturb the results.

Testing coolers in practice

What else do you need to know about our testing? We test all coolers without manual adjustment and regulation. We leave everything to automatic regulation, that is exactly how the vast majority of users will use them. Of course, all coolers (and their fans) usually have the possibility of manual regulation, which affects performance and noise. The cabinet used definitely also plays a big role, and above all the temperature in the room. In our case, the temperature during testing is always around 20, maximum 21°C.

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AMD Ryzen 9 5950X processor cooling

As for the Ryzen 9 5950X processor, it also plays a big role when comparing coolers. The maximum safe operating temperature of this model is up to 95°C according to AMD. It is only at this point that the processor starts to limit clocks and therefore performance. The processor is actually made up of three separate chips under the heatspreader, so it is not a monolith (one chip). There are two 7nm 8-core/16-thread ZEN 3 and one low-end 12nm I/O pieces of silicon. The two small 7nm chips generate the most heat. In general, a larger chip area is more advantageous for cooling, as heat is dissipated more easily across the surface. However, with the current AMD ZEN chips, which are very small (only around 80mm2), the heat is extremely concentrated (as well as the transistors in the chip themselves) on a very small area. The area through which the chip transmits heat to the heatspreader is very small, which is why there are significant temperature fluctuations. A processor such as the Ryzen 9 5950X shows significant and rapid temperature changes, depending on the load. This processor can show high temperatures, but that doesn't mean it's heating up, so to speak. It makes a big difference if you have a small 70mm2 chip with a temperature of 80°C or a 200mm2 large chip with the same temperature. The Ryzen 9 5950X is actually extremely efficient with a low base TDP of only around 105W. However, even with powerful cooling, temperature fluctuations between 65 - 85°C in various types of load and 30 - 40°C in idle states are common. In our case, we are testing a typical longer-term load in CineBench R23, and all coolers are left in their own auto-regulation mode, so the fan speed and noise are different. And so here are the main differences.


Performance

In the Default test, the AR36 performs admirably, decreasing temperatures by a good 2 degrees compared to the Arctic Liquid Freezer III 420, the first of the AIO coolers in the test.

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Even on PBO/OC the situation is very similar, we always have a difference of about 2 degrees with the first AIO.

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InWin certainly knows how to make quiet cooling systems. I am impressed with the noise output of this cooler as we saw an impressive 44 dBA reading.

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Final Thoughts

Before we end our InWin AR36 review, we will provide you with our conclusion of the product. This is the part where we let you know if the product is worth it. The InWin AR36 is an impressive cooler that has brought a lot of great features to the table. The AR36 CPU block is the centerpiece of this new AIO cooler. It boasts an ARGB design, featuring a mesmerizing infinity mirror effect. This visual effect creates a bright and colorful glow that seems endless, captivating users with its dynamic lighting. Moreover, it’s RGB illumination in addition to that of the Neptune fans is compatible with Asus’ Aura Sync, ASRock’s Polychrome Sync, Gigabyte’s RGB Fusion, and MSI’s Mystic Light Sync for a system-wide effect. The build quality is competitive, with a good quality radiator, durable tubing, and black braided cables where appropriate. Thanks to robust mounting kits and a tool-free CPU block design, installation is a breeze. The AR36 supports the latest AMD and Intel CPU sockets, including AM5 and LGA1851. It is clear that this is a heatsink suitable for CPUs that are certainly difficult to dissipate, such as Ryzen 9000 or Intel 14th and 15th generation. Speaking exclusively of the InWin AR36, the latter highlights a balance between attractive design and remarkable thermal performance. It may not have some overly fancy software control or some ARGB fan hub but certainly proved itself to be a highly-competent cooler in both our stock and overclocked testing. While the temperature results are excellent, the real key trade in them being notably better is undoubtedly seen in the fact that despite having three fans, the AR36 is exceptionally quiet!

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Although the AR36 AIO liquid cooler isn't as innovative as the cases developed by InWin, it's still a touch above your typical AIO liquid cooler. In conclusion, a product that certainly convinces and that we therefore recommend. For more information on the new InWin AR36 AIO CPU liquid cooler with Neptune AN120 fans, please visit the InWin website at:
https://estore.in-win.com/products/ar36.
The AIOs are available on the brand's shop for €134.99 in black or €139.99 in white.

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