INTRODUCTION

   Low-profile CPU Coolers seem to be favored by manufacturers lately a lot more compared to the past most probably because of the somewhat recent explosion of mITX/mATX mainboards and systems in the market. I happen to be much more fond of full tower housed systems (XL-ATX/HPTX) with plenty of interior space and large components (old school i guess) but i do realize that the future lies in tiny low-power eco-friendly systems and although i don't really like the idea i think that in the end we'll all benefit from it. That being said it's not often that we get to test a much promising low-profile CPU Cooler model manufactured by someone other than the usual "suspects" in the market (like Noctua, Thermalright and be quiet!) but todays review is exactly that. So today installed on our LGA2011 test rig is the latest C1 Top-Down CPU Cooler by our friends over at CRYORIG.

   CRYORIG was officially founded in 2013, but took several years in the making. We began our journey right at the start of the first decade of the 2000’s. During what was the most prosperous age of PC DIY and Overclocking. Members of our team have either worked directly or indirectly with brands such as Thermalright, Prolimatech, Phanteks and many more. We ourselves are overclockers and PC modding enthusiasts, with a passion and drive to strive for improvement. With direct knowledge of manufacturing and design as well as holding multiple patents under our collective belt, we decided to make a name for ourselves, and that name is CRYORIG. So what is CRYORIG exactly? CRYORIG is about making the coolest rig possible. Unsatisfied with what was available on the market at the time, we decided to start a something new something bigger. At CRYORIG, we don’t make products that are just good enough to fulfill a purpose, we go all out. We start on a journey to design the best performing, highest quality and coolest looking product that we can. Something that we ourselves want, and something that we are confident in delivering to our supporters. When buying a CRYORIG product feel assured that you are getting the best of all worlds.

   The C1 follows the same larger is better ideology like its taller brother the R1 so it's roughly twice as large when compared to other low-profile CPU Coolers like the AXP-200 by Thermalright or the Gabriel by DEEPCOOL. As a matter of fact the only CPU coolers i can think of right now that can match the size of the C1 by CRYORIG are the NH-C14 by Noctua and the TopFlow SR1 by be quiet! and that's really a good thing since i think we need more such solutions in the market aimed at people who haven't chosen to house such systems inside the smallest possible mITX/mATX cases. Thanks to its size the C1 features an XT140 140mm low-noise fan at the top which should produce plenty of airflow between the fins of the cooler and if by any chance it's not enough to cover your needs and you have room to spare at the top you can even replace it for an normal sized 140mm fan of your choosing. But enough with the introductions, let's move forward with this review and see what the C1 Top-Down CPU Cooler is really capable of.