Cryorig C1

[testman78]

Introduction

Despite the fact that newer processors require less power to operate, thermal concerns are still an issue to consider because a smaller area can have more current flowing at a given time compared to older and larger fabrication designs. This is especially true when overclocking the latest Intel Haswell processors which are more difficult to tame thermally compared to Intel Ivy Bridge processors with the same voltage applied. Coupled with the fact that user demands are shifting towards smaller and more compact system builds with the rise of Steam box popularity, cooling solutions that do not take up too much space are most welcome.Cryorig has a new cooler named C1.It is a low-profile cooler for he the compact PCs, particularly those based on the motherboard form factor Mini-ITX.The C1 is CRYORIG's first product for the growing ITX PC ecosystem with a total height of only 7,4 centimeters.



This new cooler has 144,5 x 140 x 74 mm dimensions and 628-g weight with fan, C1 is capable more than 140 watts of heating power. And this cooler support the following platform, Intel LGA2011, 1366, 1150, 1155, 1156, 775 and AMD FM1, AM2 and AM3.




Packaging,Contents & Fan


The box is pretty compact and overall the box is nicely designed with plenty of images of the cooler.



The top displaying the CRYORIG logo,with the words "research idea gear" underneath of it.



The left side features the C1 logo in metallic letters.



The right side details a few of the features.



The back details the heatsink's and fan's specifications and comes with a list of supported sockets.



Lifting up the top cover, Cryorig gives us another angle of the C1 Universal cooler.



The flap informs us that registering the product extends the warranty to 3 years of protection.



The heatsink and accessories partitioned in separate compartments.



I find an organized tray.



In the box you'll find all the fixtures and fittings you need to get it installed. A pair of fan clips,alcohol pad,Phillips head screwdriver,thermal paste,backplate, screws, bolts, spacers and the AMD / Intel mounting brackets.



The CRYORIG XT140 is a high performance 13 mm thick 140 mm diameter PWM heatsink and system fan.The XF140 utilizes CRYORIG's built in Acoustic Vibration Absorbers, as well as featuring our own HPLN (High Precision Low Noise) bearing to bring optimal noise to performance ratio.



The XT140's Slim Vortex blades offers performance near identical to that of 25 mm thick fans, offering performance and compatibility in a slim package.



The Acoustic Vibration Absorbers are removable and swappable.




A Closer Look

The cooler is beautifully finished, nice and shiny too so it should look great in virtually any system build.



The C1 features CRYORIG proprietary Jet Fin Acceleration System.Utilizing two stacks of fins with different gap distances, this causes hot exhaust air to move faster out of the heatsink.



The 56 fins are quite thick and tough, and there are plenty of them too so this thing should be capable of handling quite a bit of heat.



There are lots of little bumps and ridges to the blades that should help with airflow, but you'll also notice that the fins don't run the full width of the cooler, they're actually half length and over lap a little in the middle, likely to help spread out the head load from the heat pipes so the centre doesn't get too hot.



Featuring patented DirectCompress Soldering, each heatpipe has 10% more contact surface than traditional manufacturing methods.Increased contact surface means more heat transferred and a cooler CPU.



U-Type heatpipes spreads heat in two Directions simultaneously increasing heat carrying capacity.



Six 6mm heatpipes arrangement and distribute to a tight fin array arrangement surface.The base assembly is made up of two pieces sandwiching the heatpipes with the top part widening away.



The CPU block is sat fairly close behind the radiator, and you'll notice there is a large block that's used to clamp the heatpipes in place.The copper base is nickel plated and polished.



Aside from being practical, the fan also looks gorgeous and adds some great flair to the overall design thanks to its rich grey and pure black colour scheme.




Installation Process

Featuring CRYORIG's patented MultiSeg quick mount system and AMD quick mount kit, installations are fast easy and ready to go within minutes.



Adjust the four bolts on the MultiSeg backplate,mark A for LGA1366 and mark B for LGA115x platforms.



Pass the four bolts of the MultiSeg Backplate through the mounting holes on your mainboard.



Screw Pillars onto the four bolts on the MultiSeg Backplate.



Place the Intel Mounting Bars onto the Screw Pillars,then cap the Screw Pillars with the Thumb Screws Caps.



Make sure that the numbered side of the Intel Mounting Bar is facing up and the bars are protruding towards the CPU.Adjust the Mounting Bars for the desired heatsink orientation.



Place the C1 on the CPU and the screwdriver through the cutout holes.When screwing the Spring Screws please alternate between both sides evenly.



Align and screw on the XT140 to the C1 with the four supplied Fan Screws.Use the Short Fan Screw for the XT140, use the additional Long Fan Screws if you intend to install optional 25.4mm thick fans.



Connect the PWM cable to the CPU fan socket on the mainboard.



On a horizontal desktop, HTPC or SFF system, the Cryorig C1 can be installed in either available orientation.




Installed - Memory Clearance

On a mini-ITX Intel mainboard, the orientation affects several component clearance. For full video card/PCI-E clearance, installing the C1 with the heatpipe curves facing the left side provides sufficient space even for video cards with backplates.



Installing the C1 in this orientation however blocks the top of the mini-ITX DIMM slots with the tip of the heatpipes and aluminum fin arrays, limiting RAM height installation to standard height and low-profile height modules.



For full RAM height module clearance on a mini-ITX mainboard, it is recommended that the C1 be installed with the heatpipe curve facing the right side.




Test System & Methology

Test System:

Processor: Intel Core i7 3770k
Motherboard:Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H
Memory: 16GB Mushkin
Graphics Card: Sapphire HD 6970
Power Supply: Antec HCG 750W
Chassis: Cooler Master Silencio 650 Pure
Boot Drive: Ocz Vector
Storage Drive: 3TB Seagate Barracuda



Software:

CPUID HW Monitor 1.23
CPUID CPU-Z 1.65
Prime95 v27.1

I am testing the performance as follows:

Ambient temperatures are kept at 23C throughout my tests.
The CPU Fan is set to 100% to eliminate inconsistencies as a result of PWM control.
Idle temperatures are obtained after booting the PC and idling on the desktop for 30 minutes.
Load temperatures are obtained after running Prime95′s Small FTTs test for 15 minutes.
To measure noise levels i disable the two front in-take fans, rear exhaust and GPU fan.
On the following pages you'll have the opportunity to read what C1 is capable of.


Results -Temperature

As normal i am comparing this low profile cooler with some mainstream alternatives.The Cryorig C1 is doing very well.It also compete's well against the Thermalright's AXP-200.That continues at load where the Cryorig's model is 15c cooler than the stock cooler.




Results - Noise Level

The Cryorig XT140 fan impressed me with its extremely low level of noise. No crackling or rustling of any kind, of course, just the airflow blown by 13 large blades.




Conclusion

The build quality of the Cryorig C1 is excellent with the cooler showing no defects on the external surfaces and feeling solid.I particularly liked that the majority of the assembly required for this cooler is performed at the factory with only the final few steps taking place on our system and it was also useful to have the components separated into individual, marked bags.The end result is a cooler which is incredibly quick and simple to install and this mixed with the ability to remove/change fan and vary noise levels makes for a very flexible product.Cryorig has equipped this cooler with one great fan to push the airflow needed to keep the thermals in check. The XT140 fan come with a wealth of innovative technologies that deliver increased static pressure without increasing the noise signature of the design. Speaking of noise levels, the C1 is an incredibly quiet cooler.At Low RPM it is barely noticeable and will be one of the quietest components in any system.



It outperforms other similarly priced coolers in terms of temperature level.The variety of mounting methods means this cooler is going to be accessible to a huge audience.Owners of the CRYORIG C1 are granted the extended warranty of max 6 years, after they have register their product online on the CRYORIG website.I am very impressed with this cooler, the quailty is unquestionable and the cooling performance is stunning. Another masterpiece from the Taiwanese cooling company who are consistently redefining the term ‘high quality cooling’.Pricing for the Cryorig C1 has yet to be confirmed, with the company planning to release stock to UK retailers in June.