INTRODUCTION

     Where i live temperatures have already surpassed 40 degrees Celsius and since we're still in the beginning of June chances are that number will get a lot higher by August. So as you can certainly imagine the CPUs of all my test rigs are having a hard time keeping up with the temperature increase, at least when my ACs are not on (having all of them overclocked doesn't help either). So, with that in mind i decided to go ahead and grab a few of the largest and highest performance AIO models available in the market currently in order to test and add their results to my already very long charts. So as the title clearly states today on my test bench i have the Lumen S36 and S36 RGB CPU Water Cooling Systems by Fractal Design.

   Fractal Design is a leading designer and manufacturer of premium PC hardware including cases, cooling, power supplies and accessories. Based in Gothenburg and with offices in the US as well as Taiwan, Fractal Design has gained a global reputation for innovative design, elegant aesthetics and solid build quality. Fractal Design products are available in over 45 countries worldwide, and are still growing.

   Both the Lumen S36 and S36 RGB are once again AIO models that consist of 5 parts, triple 120mm fan aluminum radiator (27mm in thickness), high-RPM ceramic bearing pump, 400mm long low-permeability rubber tubes (nylon braided), waterblock complete with ARGB lighting (6 ARGB LEDs) and a copper plate and two Aspect 12 PWM rifle-bearing fans (RGB for the S24 RGB). Needless to say, just like in the case of the S24 and S24 RGB the S36 and S36 RGB are identical, minus the RGB Aspect 12 PWM fans used with the S36 RGB model which are compatible with all the major motherboard sync technologies like ASUS Aura Sync, GIGABYTE RGB Fusion 2.0, MSI Mystic Light Sync, ASRock Polychrome Sync and Razer Chroma RGB (as is the waterblock). Again, what Fractal Design has done which sets the entire Lumen series apart most AIO models currently in the market is the positioning of the pump which instead of being located just over the waterblock or at the end of the radiator it’s placed between the fins of the radiator. So, let’s see what the largest Fractal Lumen models currently are capable of.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Both the S36 and S36 RGB arrived in black boxes that have a large product picture at the front.

The main product features next to two drawings showcasing the size of the radiator can be seen at the base of the box.

Another product drawing is placed at the rear of the box right next to the main product features and the 5-year limited warranty logo.

Nothing new in terms of packing, both coolers are wrapped inside plastic bags and placed in thick pieces of cardboard.

Along with each AIO Fractal Design also packs three fans (Aspect 12 PWM for the S36 and Aspect 12 PWM RGB for the S36 RGB), backplate, ARGB motherboard controller cable for the pump, radiator mounting screws and all the necessary screws and mounts needed for Intel LGA 1150/1151/1155/1156/1200/1366/1700/2011/2011-3/2066 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/AM4/FM1/FM2/FM2+ motherboards.

THE LUMEN S36 & S36 RGB

Once again both the S36 and S36 RGB are identical, both use 392x120x27mm radiators (with the pump placed between their fins), 400mm long nylon braided tubes and ARGB waterblocks with copper coldplates.

Both radiators seem to be just over 27mm in thickness.

Rubber sealed fill ports are located at the rear end of each radiator.

Between these two metal plates (top/bottom) Fractal Design has placed a high-RPM (4000RPM) ceramic pump that has an MTTF (meantime to failure) of 50.000 hours.

The aluminum radiators used have an FPI count (fins per inch) of 20.

400mm long nylon braided tubes with 360mm AIO models is certainly not something new.

The top of the waterblock is made out of plastic and even though it's dark gray in color it actually lights up with RGB lighting.

Just by pulling the cover upwards you can reveal the 6 ARGB LEDs inside (removing it allows you to place the company logo properly after mounting).

Both tubes can rotate up to 90 degrees from the waterblock to further simplify installation.

Fractal Design has placed a thin round layer of thermal conductive material on the copper base of each Lumen AIO.

Both AIO models use Aspect 12 PWM fans (RGB for the S36 RGB) which can reach speeds up to 2000RPM to produce airflow levels of up to 56CFM with up to 2.34mm H2O static pressure and 33.2dBA of noise.

With these fans mounted on their radiators both the Lumen S36 and S36 RGB are now almost 52mm thick.

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Testing complete water cooling kits or individual radiators is no different than testing CPU Coolers and since we want all of you to be able to compare similar products, we created new and separate charts (you can still cross-compare results however since we are using the same test rig). So once again 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 complete water cooling kits or radiators with bundled fans are 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. Finally, much like when testing CPU Coolers, it's very important to point out that just because a water cooling kit outperforms another when tested with our test rig (when we test complete water cooling kits) 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 takes a lot more time 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 (when fans exist in the bundle) are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the radiator. 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

   Both the Fractal Design Lumen S24 and S24 RGB are very good AIO models (which is why they’ve risen in popularity ever since I reviewed them late last year) but being dual-fan 240mm models means that there’s room for cooling efficiency improvement and this is where the S36 and S36 RGB models come in. Yes, as you can see in the charts, they are not light years apart with their smaller brothers (1-2 degrees Celsius gaps) but they are clearly better while at the same time the one extra fan doesn’t raise noise levels that much. Unfortunately, even today 360mm radiators are not compatible with every PC case out there but if you want the best cooling efficiency for your CPU then this is something you’ve probably already thought of.

   At the time of this review the Fractal Design Lumen S36 and S36 RGB AIO Water Cooling Systems retail for USD165.98/USD179.14 inside the USA (Amazon.com / Amazon.com) and for 125.14Euros/139.90Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de / Amazon.de) a price tag which is balanced, at least on this side of the Atlantic. Overall there’s not much else to say about the Lumen S36 and S36 RGB by Fractal, they both deliver excellent cooling efficiency with low noise levels and for that they deserve the Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Impressive Cooling Efficiency
- Low Noise Levels
- ARGB/RGB Lighting (Pump/Fans)
- 400mm Long EPDM Nylon Braided Tubes
- Large Copper Coldplate
- Removable Waterblock Top (Company Logo Alignment)

CONS

- Compatibility / Size (360mm AIO)
- USA Pricing (For Some)