Cryorig R1 Ultimate CPU Cooler Review
Cryorig R1 Ultimate CPU Cooler – Conclusion
When I think of Cryorig as a new manufacturer, the thing that stands out most is that they immediately hit the market with not just a quality product, but quite frankly, the best product in its class. The Cryorig R1 Ultimate is a classy, beautifully designed heatsink that looks better than anything else out there, though that is a subjective opinion and your views may differ. The design and thought that went into the R1 Ultimate is clear, as the unit has no apparent flaws, beyond its limiting size. The mounting system is very well designed, easy to use and simple. When Cryorig touted a five minute installation time with their MultiSeg mounting system, they weren’t joking, though our experience was certainly aided by the fact that we install heatsinks on a test bed outside of a case.
The PWM-controlled XF140 fans that Cryorig included with the R1 Ultimate are a major plus. I really like these fans and appreciate their amazing airflow to noise ratio. When considering the overall cost of the R1 Ultimate, you must consider the two XF140 fans as part of the overall price, as these fans are priced at $17 each at Newegg, which isn’t an unfair price in the least given their quality. These fans really suit the R1 Ultimate well, as they look classy, have high quality anti-vibration corners and most importantly of all, they move a ton of air while not being noisy in the least. The Cryorig R1 Ultimate is a well-designed, high quality heatsink and that quality extends all the way through to the fans.]
I wanted to use the R1 Ultimate in my personal system, but it would not work with the Corsair Dominator RAM that I have installed, unfortunately. Thankfully, the R1 Univeral is essentially the same unit as the R1 Ultimate, but with a small profile XT140 140mm fan that runs about 2db louder and offers 65CFM vs the 76 CFM provided by the XF140. The R1 Universal offers a lot of appeal, as it will work with high profile memory on a large number of motherboards, whereas the R1 Ultimate has this limitation. The R1 Ultimate offers slightly better overall performance than the R1 Universal while being offered at the same price point, so the end user is presented with two units and won’t be penalized for the selecting the one that suits them best, so kudos to Cryorig on that.
Currently available for $89.00 on Amazon or $89.99 on Newegg, We do think that the Cryorig R1 Ultimate may struggle to find a large user base due to what will be perceived by average consumers as a relatively high price for an air cooler, but for the select group of PC enthusiasts who do invest in the R1 Ultimate, they will be getting amazing, low noise performance that is on par with AIO coolers that cost twenty to thirty dollars more. Unfortunately, there are air coolers that perform just a few degrees worse than the CryoRig R1 Ultimate that are available for a fraction of the price, as we saw in the results for the Scythe Ninja 4 and Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo, which would be acceptable heatsinks for many users. The Cryorig R1 Ultimate is not a low cost unit by any means, but we feel the cost is totally in-line given performance and the overall package provided by Cryorig, especially the amazing XF140 fans. Cryorig has truly done well in the short time they’ve been on the market, producing some nicely designed products that meet the high standards of PC enthusiasts. The aesthetic appeal, build quality and low-noise performance of the Cryorig R1 Ultimate are tough to match and for that reason, we are awarding it with our coveted Editors Choice Award.
Legit Bottom Line: A cleverly designed beauty that provides amazing cooling performance while remaining near-silent, the Cryorig R1 Ultimate is one of the best air cooled heatsinks on the market.