Sudokoo Proteus 360 AIO Review: a great first effort, with chart-topping noise-normalized performance

Sudokoo is a new cooling brand from Singapore that we first encountered at CES 2025, where it unveiled an initial lineup of AIOs, fans, and air coolers. We’re taking a look at one of those products today: the Proteus 360.

The Proteus 360 is an especially powerful AIO in our testing, as you’ll see in our benchmarks section – and it stands out from the crowd with a 3.4-inch display that can be customized to show a variety of performance metrics or a video of your choosing using the company’s MasterCraft software suite.

Will this new cooler make our list of best CPU coolers on the market? It carries a price tag of $269 USD, so the bar for what we expect from this cooler is set high. We’ll first go over the features of this cooler, then get to the benchmarks with AMD and Intel CPUs so that you can determine if this cooler is right for you.

Cooler specifications

Packing and included contents

The cooler arrives in a colorful package that shows off the design of the unit.

The contents are protected inside of the box with molded foam, more colorful cardboard, and plastic coverings. The package contains the following:

• 360mm radiator with pre-attached 120mm fans
• LCD Display
• Intel backplate
• Mounting for AMD and Intel platforms
• Cable management clips

Features of Sudokoo’s Proteus 360 AIO

▶️ 3.4-inch 480x480 LCD display

The biggest thing that stands out with the Proteus 360 AIO is the 3.4-inch LCD display, which can be customized with Sudokoo’s MasterCraft software suite. Higher-end AIOs have been shipping with screens for years now, but usually with smaller screens that are hard to see or read from inside the case. At 3.4 inches, the display here is bigger than most, but not all, of the competition.

▶️ MasterCraft software suite

To customize the Sudokoo AIO, you’ll need to download the MasterCraft software and open the “Devices” section. From there, you’ll have two options – one section for the Proteus linker allows you to control the fan and pump speeds, the other lets you customize the cooler’s LCD display.

The default configuration runs in “Office Mode,” which generally limits sound levels to less than 38.2 dBA. A “silent mode” is also available, where the fans rarely spin up. And of course, there’s a performance profile for those who want maximum cooling. Those who want full control over the fan or pump speeds can click the “Pro” button to enable detailed tuning.

The display of the AIO can show up to nine different metrics at one time. You can choose from GPU load, GPU frequency, GPU temp, CPU temp, CPU load, CPU frequency, network statistics, RAM usage, the current time, and the RPM levels of the pump or fans (shown below).

The size of each metric can also be changed. In the example above, the CPU load metric takes up four squares so that it is prominent on the display, whereas the other metrics are limited to a single square. Many of these metrics can also be displayed in graphs (shown below).

You can also upload animated images or movie files to be shown on the display, if that interests you.

▶️ Proteus Linker

Attached to the side of the AIO is Sudokoo’s Proteus Linker, a hub that controls the operation of the AIO. It also features two extra ports that can be used to control the PWM and ARGB settings of other fans not connected to the AIO.

▶️ High-quality Intel backplate

Many coolers include backplates barely strong enough to do the job, but not Sudokoo includes an overbuilt backplate that is solid and sturdy. This appears to be the same backplate used by DeepCool in its Assassin VC Elite – though with one difference: DeepCool’s implementation has a layer added to the top.

▶️ High-quality Intel backplate

Thermal paste is pre-installed on the Sudokoo AIO, saving users a few moments during the installation process.

▶️ 30mm thick fans with Zero-RPM mode

There are a few features worth mentioning about the fans included with the Proteus 360. Users who prefer silence will be happy to know these fans support zero-RPM operation – and while running the cooler in its silent mode, the fans will often remain turned off! The fans have nine blades and are thicker than normal – measuring 30mm instead of the typical 25mm. This usually means improved performance, but can also lead to compatibility issues in cramped cases. So make sure your case has room for thicker fans before buying this cooler.

Sudokoo ships the cooler with the fans pre-installed for convenience.

AM5 and 1851 installation

The installation of the cooler is fairly simple for AMD systems – but it’s somewhat of a pain on Intel systems because the backplate of the cooler must be held in place during the install process.

Before starting the install, I highly recommend connecting the cables of the Proteus Linker hub and securing the radiator to your computer to simplify things.

1. You’ll first need to apply the included backplate if you’re using an Intel CPU. AMD users, as usual, will have to remove the default mounting mechanism.

2. Next, you’ll need to install the standoffs. This is a simple task on AMD systems, but you’ll need to hold the backplate in place until the cooler is secured on Intel systems, unless you choose to add some double-sided tape to the inside of the backplate before installing.

3. Next, you’ll need to attach the appropriate mounting bars to the bottom of the CPU block.

4. Place the CPU block on top of the standoffs, and then secure it with the included screws.

5. Place the LCD display on top of the CPU block.

6. Finally, connect the PWM and USB cables to your motherboard.

Installation is now complete. Power on your computer and you’re good to go.

Real-world testing configuration on Intel LGA1700 and AMD AM5 platforms

My results may differ from other reviewers because I emphasize results that are comparable to real-world use. This means I test CPU coolers inside a closed desktop case, which increases cooling difficulty compared to other testing methods.

Many sites test CPU coolers outside of a case, on an open test bench. Open benches have lowered ambient temperatures, which in turn makes weak coolers appear stronger than they really are.

Some publications have used generic thermal plates to test cooling solutions. I reject both of these methods because they don’t accurately reflect the real-world conditions where a CPU cooler is used.

There are many factors other than the CPU cooler that can influence your cooling performance, including the case you use and the fans installed in it. A system's motherboard can also influence this, especially if it suffers from bending, which results in poor cooler contact with the CPU.

In order to prevent bending from impacting our cooling results, we’ve installed Thermalright’s LGA 1700 contact frame into our testing rig. If your motherboard is affected by bending, your thermal results will be worse than those shown below. Not all motherboards are affected equally by this issue. I tested Raptor Lake CPUs in two motherboards. And while one of them showed significant thermal improvements after installing Thermalright’s LGA1700 contact frame, the other motherboard showed no difference in temperatures whatsoever! Check out our review of the contact frame for more information.

We’ve recently added testing of AMD’s new flagship sixteen-core Ryzen 9 9950X3D. This impressive CPU provides the best gaming and multithreaded performance on the market, and it can prove quite challenging thermally, particularly when PBO is enabled for overclocking.