INTRODUCTION

   AIO (all-in-one) liquid CPU coolers may be the go to solution currently for the majority of gamers, enthusiasts and professionals looking for the best possible cooling efficiency (without breaking the bank that is) but as expected CPU Air Coolers are nowhere near to be replaced by them mainly because of their extremely hard to beat price/performance ratio. Thanks to the somewhat recent "appearance" of RGB illumination AIO Liquid CPU Coolers may have further raised in popularity (pretty much due to the great looking fan/pump RGB lighting combination) but CPU Air Coolers didn't fall far behind and so there are currently quite a few models in the market also featuring RGB illumination. The H7 Quad Lumi is CRYORIG's RGB illuminated CPU Air Cooler and after quite a bit of wait it finally found its way on our test bench.

   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.

   The H7 Quad Lumi is actually an improved version of the award winning H7 CPU Air Cooler CRYORIG released a while back featuring one additional nickel-plated heatpipe (according to CRYORIG this offers a 15% cooling efficiency improvement), LED lighting and support for the LGA 2011 platform by Intel. Now for the H7 Quad Lumi CRYORIG took a different path compared to other CPU Air Cooler models so instead of using one or two RGB fans they married a QF120 white LED PWM fan (1600RPM/59CFM/25dBA/1.65mmH2O) with two RGB LED strips placed both at the top and bottom of the heatsink. Of course this was done because at the time of its release CRYORIG didn't have an RGB fan (that should change in a month or so) but as you will see later on this fan/LED strip combination (adjustable by an NZXT CAM controller built-in the cooler - CRYORIG should release their very own solution soon) looks very nice. The H7 Quad Lumi also features a TDP (thermal design power) of 160W and is a zero clearance model meaning you can use any memory module in the market regardless of height.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

The H7 Quad Lumi arrived inside a black box with a large partial product picture at the front along with the company logo and a few words about its primary features.

Printed on the left side is the main product features and at the rear we find the specifications along with a few words about the CAM software.

Once you open the box you will find a note informing you that by registering the product you can extend its warranty to 3 years.

The cooler is secured in place via several pieces of cardboard.

Along with the H7 Quad Lumi you will also receive an extra pair of fan clips, thermal paste tube, product registration card, installation manual, backplate and all the necessary bits and pieces used to install it onto Intel LGA 1150/1151/1155/1156/2011/2011-3 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/AM4/FM1/FM2/FM2+ mainboards.

THE H7 QUAD LUMI

The 713g heavy H7 Quad Lumi is a medium sized CPU Air Cooler that measures 145mm in height, 123mm in width and 98mm in length.

CRYORIG has placed their logo at the top of the cooler (top RGB LED Strip).

The QF120 white LED 120mm PWM fan used with the H7 Quad Lumi can reach speeds of up to 1600RPM (+-10%) to produce up to 59CFM of airflow with 1.65mmH2O air pressure and 25dBA noise.

Parts of all of the 40 aluminum fins are bend inwards to keep air coming from the fan from leaking on the sides.

Just like the original H7 the H7 Quad Lumi features CRYORIG's proprietary Hive Fin™ structure which basically improves airflow.

Running from the base and up through all 40 aluminum fins are four 6mm nickel-plated copper heatpipes.

The base is polished and with no visible machine marks but doesn't feature a mirror like finish.

Although the QF120 fan is powered by a 4pin cable the two RGB LED Strips are powered and controlled by a USB 2.0 mainboard header.

Here you can see the H7 Quad Lumi in all its glory.

CAM SOFTWARE

Unfortunately for now CRYORIG uses NZXT's CAM software so to download it you will need to head over to their support page.

To access the CAM software you will either need to login using your Google or Facebook credentials or register one with NZXT.

The CAM software is not just about adjusting the RGB illumination of your product since it also monitors and records your system hardware, can be used to overclock your graphics card and finally it can be used to display key temperatures and performance metrics in-game.

Of course however it can also be used to set different effects (8 presets) and colors for the top and bottom RGB LEDs.

You can also access some extra settings for the CAM software (like temperature scales and the hysteresis feature for the fan) via the top bar as seen above.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   We always take things quite seriously when it comes to work so just like with the previous LGA1366 database we will not be testing each CPU Cooler on its own and with different ambient temperature levels and thus we can actually have yet another valid CPU Cooler database. Testing a CPU Cooler automatically means that you need to know where it stands against the immediate competition and to accomplish that we have spent both money and time through the years, something that we plan to continue to do so in order to get the most accurate results for the end consumers who read these lines. Every CPU cooler in this database is tested with the bundled 140mm/120mm/92mm/80mm fans while working at both idle speed and 100% of their speeds for all the temperature tests. CPU Coolers that do not come bundled with a fan/s are measured using a Noctua fan (size dependent on the model) to test for the temperature tests but due to the lack of a stock fan dBA level tests are obviously skipped. Single (120/140mm) watercooling solutions are tested with the radiator mounted at the rear of our test rig while dual/triple/quad (240/260/280/360/420/480/560mm) solutions with the radiator mounted at the top. For the dBA tests every cooler in the database was measured both while on idle mode or with the fan controller in the minimum setting and while on extreme load or with the fan controller all the way to the highest possible setting (PWM fans do that on their own without our intervention). Every single test takes place in a temperature controlled room of 23 degrees Celsius Ambient Temp with the help of two AC units placed diagonally inside the room. The Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste is used with every CPU Cooler in our latest LGA2011 database (although initially this was not the plan we had to change things to get the most accurate results). Finally it's very important to point out that just because a CPU Cooler is better than another when tested with our test rig that does not necessarily mean that the same performance differences will apply 100% for other CPU models and in other situations (such as different ambient temps and system configurations).

     To successfully record the load temperatures we use the latest OCCT application for around 6-10 minutes to push the processor to its limits and after that is done and the temperatures are recorded we wait for about 10-20 minutes for the CPU to cool down and record the idle temperatures. This is done to allow time for the thermal conductive material to achieve the optimal performance level. Same procedure is then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results are wrong. This procedure is more time consuming than the usual peltier/thermometer tests but this way not only can we deliver real world results to our readers based on real CPUs but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using both the latest versions of AIDA64 and RealTemp while the noise level tests are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the CPU Cooler. Still although the same testing procedure applies to all units do take into consideration that unlike the official numbers which are measured in special noise isolated labs with just the fans here we also have both the rest of the cooler and the rest of the system (although all system fans are turned off when recording noise levels).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

   It’s been a while since we last had anything by CRYORIG on our test bench and although the H7 Quad Lumi is not exactly their latest model it’s probably their best looking one to date so we really wanted to check it out. Also since unlike the original H7 the H7 Quad Lumi is compatible with our primary test rig this time we used that for our tests and as you can all see our results are better than expected (we didn’t expect the H7 Quad Lumi to surpass the Be Quiet Dark Rock 4). Of course it’s also clear that its performance comes at the cost of noise but we suspect that many consumers will probably ignore that not only because of its cooling efficiency but also its looks. Now as mentioned earlier CRYORIG used a white LED fan with two RGB LED strips and at although that did strike us as a bit odd at first the end result is very good (still an RGB fan would look far better so we do hope CRYORIG will update the H7 Quad Lumi with one of their upcoming RGB fans).

   After roughly 15 months in the market the H7 Quad Lumi CPU Cooler by CRYORIG currently retails for USD59.95 inside the USA (Newegg.com) and for 57.58Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) a price tag which is one more of its strong selling points. Of course if high cooling efficiency is at your top of your list or if you’re just looking for a whisper quiet CPU cooler the H7 Quad Lumi may not be the best candidate but if you’re looking for a model that looks great, performs very well and doesn’t cost much then this might just be it and that’s why it gets our Golden Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Very Good Cooling Efficiency
- Design (Two RGB LED Strips)
- Zero Clearance Issues
- Can Add a Second Fan (Clips Included)
- CAM Software
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Noise Levels
- Single LED Color Fan