ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO Review: A premium cooler with excellent cooling

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ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO Review: A premium cooler with excellent cooling performance



Having used the ROG Ryujin II 360 for my primary build with an Intel Core i9-12900K, and RTX 2080 Super, I can safely say that this AIO offers excellent cooling performance. I was able to get through even the most demanding workloads without any issues and the operating temperatures were well under acceptable limits. The CPU was idling at around 25°C and was comfortably sitting under 80°C, even under heavy load.

In addition to the reliable cooling performance, the Ryujin II 360 also offers plenty of other exciting features that are worth checking out. As you can see, the 3.5-inch display on top of the CPU water block can be configured to show custom animations, useful CPU metrics, and more. Notably, you also get three high-quality Noctua fans for quiet operation. These fans help keep the overall noise output to a bare minimum, although the cooler tends to be a little loud when the CPU is pushed to its limits.

Add an RGB controller to the mix along with a 6-years warranty, you’re looking at a highly reliable AIO that delivers impressive performance and good customization. If all that sounds good to you then I highly recommend you continue reading to know more about the Ryujin II 360 AIO’s performance and features in detail. But long story short, I think the ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 would be a great choice to cool a high-performance CPU inside a high-end enthusiast PC.

• ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO
  
  

• [ame][URL="https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ROG-II-360-compatible/dp/B09KT5WKPZ/?tag=xdadev04-20"][/ame]

• The ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 is an excellent AIO that offers impressive cooling performance and plenty of good features. It's a little on the expensive side, so we think it's more suited for high-end enthusiast builds.

• • Features:
    
    

• • Pros:
    
    
  • Cons:
    
    

• [ame]https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ROG-II-360-compatible/dp/B09KT5WKPZ/?tag=xdadev04-20[/ame]

Navigate this review:

• ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO: Pricing & Availability
• ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO: Specifications
• ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO: Design & build quality
• ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO: Cooling Performance
• ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO: Should you buy this?

ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO: Pricing & Availability

• The ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 is available to purchase now for around $310.

The ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 was launched alongside the first batch of the unlocked Alder Lake desktop parts. This particular AIO is readily available on the market right now for around $310. You can follow our buying link to find the best price for it online right now. ASUS also has a smaller 240mm version of this AIO called the Ryujin II 240. That’s more suitable for slightly less powerful chips, but the smaller form-factor will fit inside more PC cases. Not to mention, the smaller cooler will also cost you slightly less. The Ryujin II 240 would be our pick if we were to use some other Alder Lake chips like, say, the 12600K, the 12700, or more.

ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO: Specifications

Before we take a detailed look at the cooler itself and all the features it has to offer, let’s quick glance over the specifications:

Specification ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO CPU Socket

• Intel: LGA 1700, 1200, 115x, 2011, 2011-3, 2066
• AMD: AM4, TR4

LCD Display 3.5″ Full-Color LCD Radiator 360mm Radiator Dimensions 121 x 394 x 27 mm Water block Dimension 78.15 x 87.5 x 81 mm Fan

• Noctua NF-F12 InductrialPPC 2000 PWM Fan
• 3 x Fan Slots (120mm)
• 120 x 120 x 25 mm
• 450 – 2000 RPM +/- 10%
• 3.94 mmH2O
• 71.6 CFM / 121.8 m3h
• 29.7 dB(A)
• PWM/ DC

Warranty 6 Years
Looking at the specifications, I think it’s safe to say that the bundled Noctua fan kit sets this cooler apart from the competition. The fully customizable 3.5-inch LCD panel is also a great addition. We’ll talk a bit more about both of those things a bit later in this review. Another thing to note about this particular AIO is that it’s compatible with the new LGA1700 CPU socket for 12th gen Intel Alder Lake CPUs. Notably, you also get a 6-years manufacturer warranty, sot that’s awesome too.

ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO: Design & build quality

• Comes with a fully customizable 3.5-inch LCD.
• Supports LGA1700 CPU socket with included mounting kit.
• Comes with a pre-applied thermal paste (our review unit was used sample, so it didn’t have it).

When it comes to the design, I think the CPU water block makes it look really unique in the AIO space. The fact that it has a 3.5-inch LCD makes it better than a lot of other AIO coolers out there. The Gigabyte Waterforce X360 cooler that we reviewed not too long ago, also had a fully customizable display. That one, however, was quite small in comparison. This display is bigger, letting you glance over a lot more info and allowing you to customize it with images and GIFs of your choice.

You can use the ASUS Armory Crate software to easily customize this panel. I was able to get the cooler to show this neat little GIF image with almost little to no effort whatsoever. You can also choose to select a bunch of preset images or display some important metrics including the CPU temperature. But one thing I wanted to highlight about the cooler is that it’s got a massive water block. It’s definitely way larger than a lot of other Asetek 7 AIOs that are out there. While I didn’t have any clearance issues, you may have some trouble while installing it on your motherboard. I recommend removing the RAM modules to create some space temporarily before trying to install the cooler.



Installing the AIO, otherwise, is a fairly simple task. I didn’t face any issues while getting this up and running on the ASUS TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WiFi D4 motherboard. The tubes are also flexible enough to be adjusted according to the orientation of the water block. The length of the tubes is also adequate for most PC cases. Just make sure your PC case of choice has space to mount a 360mm radiator, preferably on the top. I DO NOT recommend buying this AIO if you’re working with a small-sized mini-ITX case. ASUS also makes a 240mm version of this cooler, which I think might be a better fit for SFF cases.

The ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO, as I mentioned earlier, is bundled with three high-quality Noctua NF-F12 InductrialPPC 2000 PWM fans. These 120mm fans are responsible to move the air through the radiator to regulate the temperatures. It’s worth pointing out that these aren’t RGB-enabled fans, so you’ll have to find other sources of RGB lights for your PC case. ASUS is also bundling its ROG Fan Controller to make it easier for you to install all the fans. Noctua, in case you don’t know, is known for its cooling solutions that deliver impressive results while keeping the overall noise output low. These fans definitely live up to the expectations and were generally very quiet throughout my usage. I’d say they were quieter than the fans that were bundled with the Aorus Waterforce X360 AIO.



ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO: Cooling Performance

• Offers great cooling performance overall.
• A good option to consider for high-end rigs with, say, a Core i9-12900K.

In order to test the ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO, I paired it with an Intel Core i9-12900K. I also tested it with the Intel Core i7-12700, although I’ll only be adding the benchmark numbers recorded with the 12900K in this review in order to be able to draw a comparison with one of our previous tests. I used HWInfo64 to track the real-time core temperature readings, CPU speed, and a couple of readings to see how the CPU performed at any given point in time.

The ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 managed to keep the 12900K cool at times. I was able to record an idle temperature of around 25°C, which is just about what you’d expect from a high-end cooler. Even under heavy load, the Ryujin II 360 managed to keep the 12900K under 85°C. I logged the CPU temperature both while gaming as well as while running some benchmarking applications. While gaming, for instance, the avg temperature of the CPU was about 45°C to 50°C.

Here’s a quick look at a CPU temperature graph while I was running some stress tests:



Even under overclocked conditions, the Core i9-12900K peaked at 56°C while gaming, so it’s safe to say that the Ryujin II 360 was able to keep up the thermal output of the high-end Alder Lake part. Here’s a quick look at the temperature readings to give you a better understanding of the kind of performance you can expect from this AIO:

Test Recorded Peak Core Temperature
(ROG Ryujin II 360) Recorded Peak Core Temperature
(Gigabyte Aorus Waterforce X360) Idle 25°C 23°C Gaming 46°C 43°C Gaming (Overclocked) 56°C 54°C Stress 86°C 79°C
ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO: Is it worth buying?

If you are in the market to buy an AIO cooler for your new high-end gaming PC build, then you’re very likely to stumble upon the ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO. If you are planning to use this AIO to cool some high-performance chips like the Core i9-12900K or the AMD Ryzen 5950X, then you won’t be disappointed. The Ryujin II 360 is a stellar AIO that can tame the thermal output of these high-end chips with ease.

Who should buy the ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO?

• Those who are looking for a reliable cooler for high-end CPUs
• Those who want to customize the CPU water block with images, GIFs, etc.

Who should not buy the ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO?

• Don’t buy it if you are working with a small PC case with not enough space for a 360mm radiator.
• Don’t buy this AIO for a mid-range CPU. Consider buying the smaller 240mm version of this AIO instead.

Well, that wraps up my review of the ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO. If you are looking for alternatives, then you can also consider buying the Gigabyte Aorus Waterforce X360 AIO that’s slightly more affordable. You can check out our Aorus Waterforce X360 review to learn more about the other cooler and see how it compares against the Ryujin II 360 when it comes to the feature set. There’s no shortage of AIO coolers on the market and you can find a lot more options in our collection of the best liquid coolers out there.

• ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO
  
  

• [ame][URL="https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ROG-II-360-compatible/dp/B09KT5WKPZ/?tag=xdadev04-20"][/ame]

• The ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 is an excellent AIO that offers impressive cooling performance and plenty of good features. It's a little on the expensive side, so we think it's more suited for high-end enthusiast builds.

• • Features:
    
    

• • Pros:
    
    
  • Cons:
    
    

• [ame]https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-ROG-II-360-compatible/dp/B09KT5WKPZ/?tag=xdadev04-20[/ame]

The post ASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 AIO Review: A premium cooler with excellent cooling performance appeared first on xda-developers.



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