➤ Cryorig H5 Universal Review 🎮

Smaller is better: the Cryorig H5 Universal heatsink is being tested and its strengths are almost total size and compatibility

Cryorig it was appreciated by the overclocking public especially for its R1 Ultimate, a heatsink in some ways innovative that has been able to scratch the granite leadership of Noctua and its DH15.

With the launch of H5 Universal the Taiwanese company has tried to introduce some of the innovations introduced with the top-of-the-range R50 heatsinks and the design details of the entry level H1 model also in the intermediate segment of the market that revolves around the price tag of 7 euros.

The Cryorig H5 Universal is a single-tower heatsink with compact dimensions which at the same time, however, offers a large dissipative capacity, equal to 90% of that of the much larger R1 ultimate. Equipped with 4 heatpipes of 6mm in diameter each, the peculiarity of this model, as the name indicates, is the ability to adapt to almost all the sockets in circulation and to any type of low or high profile memory, thanks to a fan with a thickness of just 13mm and a rather marked offset of the radiating body.

As always, the packaging of the product is very accurate, which reflects that of the top of the range model. Inside the external box on which specifications and product images are printed, there are two other cardboard boxes: one containing the accessories, the other the actual heat sink. The heatsink is then further protected by a sealed plastic bag. Despite the fact that everything seems to be inserted to the millimeter, it is still well protected thanks to the structure of the cardboard box that leaves the sides empty to cushion any blows.

Package contents and accessories

The contents of the box are "weight" as well as the list of accessories. In fact, the second box contains:

4x screw covers
4x LGA2011 mounts
4x screws for the supports
4x Vibration absorbers Acoustic vibration absorbers
2x Manual
2x Additional clips for XT140 fan clips
2x XF140 Series Fan Clips
2x brackets for Intel processors
1x AMD processor bracket
1x AMD backplate
1x Intel backplate
1x 140 x 140 x 13mm fan
1x Cryorig H9 thermal paste
1x Cryorig service registration card
1x Phillips screwdriver

The heatsink design is certainly impressive thanks to the use of technologies that, as we said, were introduced with the R1 Ultimate, starting from Jet Fin Air Acceleration technology and Hive fin design. As for Jet Fin Air Acceleration technology, this consists of a tower structure composed of two different sections with different density of the dissipation fins: in greater number and therefore with a greater density in the front part (or rather the one that "receives" air from the fan) and wider at the outlet to speed up heat dissipation. In this way the air channeled by the fans, meeting narrower fins, increases in speed, absorbs the heat from the towers and is then released with greater speed.

As for the Hive design, it is instead a particular honeycomb structure, very beautiful also aesthetically, which according to the studies carried out would seem to improve heat dissipation. The fins have a thickness of 0,4 mm and are spaced approximately 2.8 mm from each other.

In order to improve compatibility with higher memory, the dissipation tower is shifted slightly to the left to allow more space for the fan on the right side where most dual channel motherboards have DIMM slots.

In the upper part Cryorig has not renounced the customization already seen with the R1 series. The heatsink is in fact equipped with a white plastic cover on which the Cryorig logo is printed (also available in other colors) which almost entirely covers the upper part. The plastic cover has two holes in which you can insert the supplied screwdriver to fix the heatsink to the socket, making installation much easier.

The base of the heatsink is in mirrored nickel-plated copper which makes it possible to use the so-called liquid metal thermal paste. The two fixing screws are already fixed to the base and, thanks to a spring, it is possible to be a little more relaxed about the force applied to the socket during installation.

As for the fan, Cryorig has chosen to use the XT140, a sleeve bearing fan with good but not exceptional performance, able to operate with a range that goes from 700 to 1300 RPM and with a CFM at the maximum speed of 65. The main feature of the XT140 is the limited thickness which limits the overall dimensions of the heatsink in projection. It is a well-built fan also equipped with rubber supports to dampen the vibrations, however almost absent.

Installation

The installation, thanks to the devices we have mentioned, that is the fixing screws and springs, the presence of the two holes in the upper part of the cover and the accessories that include everything necessary for a clean installation, including the screwdriver along the right , it is very simple and within the reach of anyone, even the most inexperienced.

Unlike the R1 Ultimate which forced us to disassemble the fan during installation due to a non-perfect alignment of the holes in which to slide the screwdriver, with the H5 the installation went smoothly and in less than 10 minutes we had our heatsink ready for testing.

SONY DSC

Machine test and specifications

Performance and noise

The graphs below are somewhat illustrative: in its price range the Cryorig H5 Universal is probably one of the most efficient heatsinks around. From the point of view of dissipation performance it is even superior to a well-known AIO liquid cooler such as Enermax's Liqmax 120, resulting in comparison to this also far more silent. It is also more efficient in terms of heat dissipation capacity in any situation than the more expensive BeQuiet! Dark Rock 3, which has only a very slight difference in terms of noise. However, we must not forget that the fan used by Cryorig for its H5 Universal is a slim fan and therefore slightly noisier than the one used by the BeQuiet!

Final comment

The Cryorig H5 Universal is undoubtedly one of the best coolers around in its price range. In addition to excellent heat dissipation capabilities and a design that would not disfigure even in a "visible" configuration, it has incredible versatility as it is compatible with almost all motherboards in circulation, even those with dimm sockets very close to the processor and especially even with high-profile memories such as the Corsair Dominator or the HyperX Predator. The dissipation surface only slightly lower than that of the R1 Ultimate and a price that is around 50 euros, make it one of our first choices among the air coolers and certainly our favorite in the catalog of the German manufacturer Cryorig.