INTRODUCTION

   AIO (All-in-one) liquid CPU coolers have brought to the market what many gamers and overclockers have pretty much always wished for, improved cooling efficiency even in cases with low or even no airflow levels without the two drawbacks of custom watercooling loops, potential leaks and liquid replenishing (not to mention price). Unfortunately AIO liquid CPU coolers always had but a slight drawback, they don't offer any cooling for the mainboard components surrounding the CPU area something which regular tower air coolers and especially top-down ones have no problems with. Well it seems the solution to that problem has always been staring us right in the eye and so after giving it some though our friends over at CRYORIG released their AIO hybrid liquid cooling systems a couple of months ago. Today once again we're going to be one of the very first media around the world to take a look at their high-end A80 model.

   Officially founded in 2013, CRYORIG is a fresh new comer to the PC peripherals and Cooling market with a core team of seasoned veterans. The team’s resumes include experiences with renowned brands such as Thermalright, Prolimatech and Phanteks. The members are overclockers and PC modding enthusiasts, with a passion to strive for nothing but the best. With the long experience and drive for innovation and improvement, CRYORIG is about applying RESEARCH and innovative IDEAS making the coolest GEAR possible.

   The A80 AIO Hybrid Liquid CPU Cooler follows the typical design as most similar AIO models do so as usual we see a radiator connected to a pump/waterblock combo via two long and flexible PA (Polyamide) tubes. Of course the A80 is not your typical AIO liquid CPU cooler because of two very "distinct" differences. First it features a 280mm long radiator which CRYORIG has paired with two high-RPM 140mm PWM fans and as many of you are aware although there are quite a few AIO models currently in the market with 360mm long radiators the same can't be said about 280mm ones. The 2nd difference is perhaps also the most important one since it defines the "hybrid nature" of the A80 and it's no other than a third 70mm high-RPM fan mounted ontop of the pump/waterblock combo which is used to cool the surrounding area of the CPU socket (and of course the pump). Now i don't expect this small 70mm fan to help improve overclocking and system stability just by cooling some of the mainboard components located around the CPU socket but as i always say less temperatures is never a bad thing in electronics so kudos to CRYORIG for thinking of that it in the first place.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

CRYORIG has placed a large product picture at the front of the box (partial product picture really), their logo and the main product features.

The complete product specifications and the compatible mainboard sockets are all placed at the rear of the box.

On the left side CRYORIG "demonstrates" how the 70mm fan can help dissipate heat around the CPU area.

Packaging is quite standard for such a product so no surprises here.

Along with the main body of the A80 the box also contains two QF140 140mm PWM fans, 70mm fan, 8 fan mounting screws, product registration card, Intel/AMD installation guides, Intel/AMD backplates and all the necessary bits and pieces to install the unit onto Intel LGA1150/1151/1155/1156/1366/2011/2011-v3 and AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/AM3+/FM1/FM2/FM2+ mainboards.

THE A80

You can easily tell just by looking at the A80 that it's quite larger compared to most AIO models (especially the pump/waterblock combo).

The 311mm long and 140mm wide radiator is just 27.5mm thick and yes i was hoping it'd be thicker.

As you can see fin quality is top notch (the A80 features a FPI of 20).

Both PA (Polyamide) tubes are 10mm in diameter and 350mm long.

With a diameter of 88mm the base is the largest one we've seen with a AIO model (notice the two pins at the top used to power the 70mm fan and the long gap where it is mounted in).

CRYORIG has placed their logo around the base and although it does look nice i was hoping for a blue LED beneath it.

The small 70mm fan can spin up to 3000RPM to produce up to 25CFM of airflow with up to 27dBA of noise.

As you can see CRYORIG has made it so you can position the fan either to push air towards the mainboard components or away from them (handy if you have a rear fan pushing air in the case).

Since the pump is not alone this time over you will need to use a SATA power connector as well as the 4pin PWM mainboard connector.

The all-copper waterblock comes with a pre-applied layer of thermal conductive material.

The two QF140 performance 140mm PWM fans can hit 1850RPM to produce airflow levels of up to 128CFM with 38dBA of noise.

These fans feature rubber pads/mounts on all 4 corners so you don't have to worry about vibrations making it to the radiator.

Well we're good to go so let’s see what CRYORIG has been working with Asetek lately.

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 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 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

   When I first heard about CRYORIG working on a “Hybrid” AIO liquid CPU cooler I thought it would be something like the ones Swiftech has been making for a couple of years (I know many of you have asked for reviews of those so you should know that we haven’t given up yet) which allow for expansion of the loop like the EX-Predator series by EK. CRYORIG however had different plans so aside the fact that their A80 is a dual 140mm radiator (increased fin surface) and thus not something we see a lot it also has a very powerful pump and a 70mm fan which actually does cool the components around the CPU area. Now I can’t say for certain that it performs exactly like CRYORIG showcases with their thermal monitor since we don’t have one but by using a laser thermometer we did record noticeable drop in temperatures especially under heavy load. Again I don’t know if this will help you reach new heights in overclocking but it’s still better than not have it at all. As for performance I think our charts speak for themselves and so thanks to the extra radiator surface (and new generation pump) the A80 not only outperforms 240mm models with easy but it also competes head on with 360mm ones (also the extra 70mm fan doesn’t increase noise levels at all).

   It seems that CRYORIG has given some thought when it comes to pricing as well since currently consumers can purchase the A80 Hybrid Liquid Cooling System for just USD124.50 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 113.83Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). True you can find many 240mm and even some 360mm models at around the same price range but we think that it unless you want the best of both worlds (meaning the ability to expand the loop like with the Swiftech and EKWB solutions) the A80 is a great choice currently and that’s why it gets our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Top Of The Charts Performance
- Thin Radiator (27.5mm)
- Up To 4 140mm Fans In Push & Pull
- Extra 70mm Radiator (CPU Socket Area Cooling)
- Easy Installation
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- No Control Software
- Wide Radiator (May Not Fit In Cases With 240mm Radiator Mounts)