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Thermal Results with noise normalized to 38.2 dBA
Finding the right balance between fan noise levels and cooling performance is important. While running fans at full speed can improve cooling capacity to some extent, the benefits are limited and many users prefer a quiet system. With this noise-normalized test, I’ve set noise levels to 38.2 dba. This level of noise is a low – but slightly audible – volume level.
Lian Li’s results here are simply fantastic, roughly on par with MSI and DeepCool’s recent 360mm AIOs.
No Power Limits Thermal Results
Without power limits enforced on Intel’s i7-13700K, the CPU will hit its peak temperature (TJmax) and thermally throttle with even the strongest of air coolers. For most coolers, we’ll measure the CPU package power to determine the maximum wattage cooled.
That is what I would do for most coolers. But Lian Li’s GA II Trinity Peformance achieves a level of cooling that many 360mm AIOs are unable to hit – it kept the CPU under its peak temperature in this workload. As such, I’ve compared the actual temperature of the CPU in this benchmark against the only six coolers I’ve tested capable of this level of cooling capacity.
With a result of 68 degrees C over ambient, Lian Li’s Galahad II Trinity 240 is just barely behind DeepCool’s LT720 and MSI’s S360 360mm AIOs here. This is an insanely strong result for a 240mm AIO, better than any 240mm AIO I have previously tested.
The cooler does run a bit loudly at 48.2 dBA – but that’s quieter than all but one of the AIOs shown above!
175W Cinebench Results
Most coolers on the market are able to keep Intel’s i7-13700K under it’s peak temperature if the power consumption is limited. So for this test, we’ll be looking at the CPU’s actual temperature. As with the previous results, the Galahad II Trinity Performance 240 continues to impress with the second-strongest result we’ve ever recorded in this workload – beating the results of 360mm AIOs from Cooler Master, DeepCool, and MSI.
But how about noise levels? Well, those are good too. At 41.9 dBA, noise levels are moderate but quieter than most of the AIOs tested here – only DeepCool and MSI’s 360mm run more silently.
125W Cinebench Results
The lowest power limit I test with Raptor Lake CPUs is 125W. This is a high enough limit to allow the CPU to maintain it’s base clock speeds even in the most intensive tests. And most coolers should be able oto keep the CPU below Tjmax here – even low-end coolers.
Really, thermals do not matter in this scenario. Even Intel’s basic stock cooler can handle a load like this with ease. Noise levels are the most important factor here. That said, with a thermal result of 37 C over ambient, the 240mm Galahad II Trinity ties for the second-strongest result we have recorded in this workload.
But again, how about those noise levels? The 240mm GA II Trinity does well here too, with a reading of just 38.9 dBA when tied to the default fan curve of MSI’s Z690 A Pro motherboard. For those who prefer quieter operation, the noise-normalized results shown previously demonstrate that this cooler still retains significant cooling power even when set to run quietly.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a strong 240mm AIO, you can’t go wrong with Lian Li’s Galahad II Trinity 240mm. It’s the strongest AIO of its size on the market, and it has a very reasonable price of only $119.99.
I never imagined that a 240mm AIO would have this level of cooling domination. Lian Li’s Galahad Trinity II Performance 240mm managed to sidle up to or outperform 360mm AIOs I had previously considered among the best on the market.
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