Test / Methodology
As always, the same hardware is used for the temperature test, I stowed the 2.5″ SSD on the back to make room for the 360mm radiator. A Ryzen 5 1600X at 4.00Ghz with 1.40V has to be cooled, and 16GB of DDR4 G.Skill RipJaws 4 (2x8GB) RAM on an Asus Prime B350-Plus has to be added. The Asus RoG Strix GTX 1060 6GB only runs in zero-fan mode for image output and a BitFenix Whisper M 450W serves as power source. The whole thing is located in the well-known Thermaltake Core P3 as open benchtable.
Since I don’t have an air conditioning system, the values in the graphs are the delta between room temperature and the temperature of the CPU diode. In this way all cooling systems can be compared fairly, even if the ambient temperature is different. The heat-conducting paste enclosed with or applied to the cooler is always used. The Noctua NF-U12S chromax.black is specified as the reference value.
The temperature peak is the highest measured value of the CPU diode, which is usually only fractions of a second and is not shown in the graph. First we tested in “PWM” mode and direct connection of the fans to the mainboard, not to the hub. The pump was running at 100% with about 2680 RPM and made itself noticeable by an audible buzzing sound. Not disturbingly loud like the Corsair H150i, but audible. I couldn’t reach the 3600 RPM given in the specifications, which also seem to me to be rather a typo.
|
Aida64 stress test |
30% RPM |
60% RPM |
100% RPM |
|
Fan |
640 RPM, hardly audible |
1255 RPM, noise |
1910 RPM, loud noise |
|
Environment |
25,0 – 24,7°C |
23,9 – 24,1°C |
24,1 – 24,0°C |
|
Temperature peak |
70°C |
63°C |
63°C |
|
Prime95 Stress test |
30% RPM |
60% RPM |
100% RPM |
|
Fan |
640 RPM, hardly audible |
1255 RPM, noise |
1910 RPM, loud noise |
|
Environment |
23,1 – 23,1°C |
24,7 – 24,7°C |
24,0 – 23,9°C |
|
Temperature peak |
68°C |
62°C |
60°C |
In the “Auto” mode the RPM of the fans cannot be read out, because they are controlled internally by the temperature of the cooling liquid. The pump ran in idle at 760 RPM, in Aida64 1025 RPM were reached and in Prime95 1155 RPM. At all times the AiO was very quiet, estimated at about 50% PWM for the fans.
Conclusion / Summary
After the last tested and comparatively very loud Corsair H150i XT, the hours with the S36 Prisma were almost restful. The consistently unobtrusive noise characteristics and the overall quiet operation are clear advantages of Fractal Design’s new AiO flagship. Besides the already mentioned features like PWM/RGB hub and rotating hoses, the 5 year warranty is also remarkable. RGB fans will be delighted with the new fans, which thanks to their white/transparent fan blades distribute the light of the 6 central LEDs evenly. Besides the missing extra thermal compound, the only thing that bothered me a bit was the somewhat odd placement of the RGB connector for connecting to the mainboard.
The PWM connector for the pump goes out to the left side, but the cable for 5V aRGB has to be connected 90° further, practically “below” in top view. Having both cables on the same side would have been optically better. In conclusion, the only thing that remains to be mentioned is the rather high EIA of EUR 199. Although the price has currently settled at around 190 euros, this is still the upper end for AiO water cooling systems. But for your money you get a lot, especially a very quiet operation and technically well thought-out product.
Shortly after the release there is already the first discount campaign (Mindfactory, via the shop page), which brings the price to about 169 Euro. This is still not very cheap, but at least it is more bearable.
Fractal Design Celsius+ S36 Prisma (FD-W-2-S3602)
 | Zentrallager: verfügbar, Lieferung 3-5 WerktageFiliale Wilhelmshaven: nicht lagerndStand: 24.04.24 01:36 | 140,68 €*Stand: 24.04.24 01:37 |
 | Ab Lager lieferbar - Lieferzeit 2-4 Werktage | 140,69 €*Stand: 23.04.24 21:40 |
 | Ware lagernd - versandfertig - Lieferzeit 1-3 Werktage | 141,89 €*Stand: 23.04.24 23:53 |
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