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Test Results, And Final Analysis
We retain the hardware configuration from previous big cooler reviews to maintain result consistency. It includes a Core i7-5930K at a very small overclock using a very moderate voltage level inside a very well ventilated Corsair 760T case. The motherboard is set to a 115°C throttle point, and temperatures in the chart are above ambient (the thermal reading, minus the room temperature).
With the same height and width as Cryorig’s R1 Ultimate, the Dark Rock Pro 3 from be quiet! is its closest competitor. Keeping in mind that many of our readers overclock to save money, Cooler Master’s MasterAir Pro 4 and DeepCool’s Gammaxx 400 stand in as low-cost alternatives.
The Cryorig R1 Ultimate lives up to its name in cooling, producing lower temperatures than the Dark Rock Pro 3. The far cheaper Gammaxx 400 appears to be lurking for a value score, however.
The R1 Ultimate runs at far lower fans speeds than the Dark Rock Pro 3. Might Cryorig be quieter than be quiet!?
With 11 highly curved fins, the R1 Ultimate’s fans are designed for greater pressure than the faster model from be quiet! They also make more noise.
Even though the R1 Ultimate cools better, its higher noise level gives it a lower cooling-to-noise ratio compared to the Dark Rock Pro 3. This is the ultimate test of overall performance, since we’ve seen undersized coolers use fans up to twice as fast to produce marginal cooling numbers.
The R1 Ultimate costs about as much as the Dark Rock Pro 3, and thus scores a little lower in value because of its lower cooling-to-noise ratio. Its top cooling deserves some kind of award, in spite of the fact that it can’t even touch a good $40 cooler in value. Some users really need that extra cooling, and we approve the Cryorig R1 Ultimate for that purpose.
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