Introduction
Update 11/11/2021: This review was originally published in June 2021 close to the Intel Rocket Lake CPU launch. We are now updating it to include our 12th-gen Intel Core CPU testing aka Alder Lake with the Intel Core i9-12900K as the ROG Ryujin II 360mm is included in the ROG Z690 review package. We advise anyone reading this review to get themselves up to speed with Alder Lake as well checking our review of the Intel Core i9-12900K. For the ROG Ryujin II 360mm AIO, the rest of the review will remain untouched and will only include an addition to our conclusion regarding the 12900K as well as its own section. The original review published July 2021 follows:
The ASUS ROG Ryujin cooler was one of the first coolers to not only include to not only have a full LCD display on the waterblock but also collaborate with Noctua for their fans. Our review of the original ROG Ryujin would show it still holds up to today’s modern CPUs but as good as it was, there was a few things that original Ryujin needed correcting: its OLED screen and its unused pump/block size. That changes today as ASUS recently released the ROG Ryujin II AIO cooler. It retains much of what makes the original Ryujin a great cooler but improves the overall aesthetic with a larger LCD display as well as including some distinctive extras in the package.
This review will be pretty straightforward so let’s jump right into it!
Features & Specification
- Radiator Size: 394mm x 122 mm x 27mm
- Fan Size: 120mm x 120mm x 25mm
- Fan RPM: 450 – 2000 RPM+/-10%
- Fan Air Flow: 71.6 CFM
Closer Look
The ROG Ryujin II follows the current packaging design from ASUS with their box design. The box actually flips open revealing the contents and unlike motherboards, the content is placed sideways which allows access to everything. Inside the packaging we have the cooler, the trio or duo of Noctua iPPPC-2000 fans plus a new addition: the ROG AIO fan controller.
The body of Ryujin II, whether 360mm or 240mm, will be identical to the original Ryujin: it uses an Asetek design AIO but that changes a bit on the block side so let’s focus on the radiator first. This is something you’d see on most AIO and years of testing would have it optimized to this point for its target workload. This radiator has a fin density of 20 fins-per-inch and while the iPPC fans could probably deal with something denser, that’s not really standard so this is a safe count.
Connecting our block to the radiator is a 14″ long sleeved tubing.
Finally we see the pump/block and oh, is it a beauty and large departure from the unorthodox design of the original Ryujin. The pump itself is a 2800RPM max pump that can vary from 800-2800RPM. The housing itself of the pumpblock is what is different here with ASUS installing a 3″ LCD screen here. Unlike execution from NZXT or AORUS, ASUS went with a square screen which in itself might be commonplace but its sheer size is what really sets it apart.
Underneath that LCD screen is a fan. While some may deem the LCD to be heating up which requires this fan, its actually the for the VRM. Our previous testing for similar applications really didn’t yield much improvements in VRM temperatures especially in heavy-loading scenarios although it just made the fans more audible.
If the small VRM fans were audible, these iPPC-2000 fans are a different beast altogether and although at maximum speed, they barely make any sound except for that subtle hum. It will be rare that these fans see full duty so they will rarely spin to 100%, so feel free to tune them as you see fit in your system.
And here’s the cooler installed in our test system.
The AIO fan controller will require some smart cable management as well as the cable placement on the pump block but all of the cables meet at this box which should help keep cables organized but there is still cable mess to be managed. As of the Z590 boards, ASUS does have HydraNode on their boards which allows channel controls for certain fans even with splitters.
The LCD on the Ryujin 2 is its most stand-out feature and as you can see, this is mostly a blacked-out kit with the fans being non-RGB. If this is an issue for you, you can opt to go with ASUS’ RGB fans or any other 120mm for that matter.
https://www.facebook.com/back2gaming/videos/621115132653534/
The Ryujin II can be customized in ASUS Armoury Crate software and allows various HUD options including time display, motherboard and CPU information and time. This can be cycled in a sequence of displays along with various animations. The cool feature here is just like the older version, you can still your own photos or animated GIFs to display on the Ryujin II’s gigantic LCD screen.
ASUS has removed RGB on the main unit but the AIO fan controller features RGB headers for extra fans and what not if you don’t have them hooked-up to your motherboard.
Test Setup and Methodology
Reviewing coolers is a very divided topic so its best to always serve with as much context as possible. In our 2021 revision for our cooler testing, we will be using an open test bench to test coolers. We’ll detail this in another article as this will serve as the first test out of this revision but due to the incredible number varying cases, how they’re design and oriented as well as the stock fans that come with today’s modern chassis, there proves to be more variation in a case situation than in a test bench. That being said, much like many of our testing where we look at performance primarily, my test methodology looks at these coolers when used in the best possible scenario.
The other variable is overclocking. We previously tested coolers on fixed-voltage and fixed-frequency setups. In today’s setup, that proves to add another variable as the large array of motherboards or even the actual applications thereof will heavily vary. That said, we take the top CPUs from both Intel and AMD and test them various loading scenarios.
Back2Gaming is proud to work with OCCT to be our partner for this test. Which allows us to set various stress loads without using mixed-load benches like AIDA64. OCCT allows granular control on the testing.
It also features monitoring and logging for troubleshooting problems and performance analysis as well. OCCT is available as a free download for all users with a paid version for power users and businesses.
Test Systems
Test System Configuration (Intel 12th-gen) | |
CPU | Intel Core i9-12900K |
Motherboard | ASUS ROG MAXIMUS Z690 HERO |
Cooling | As listed |
Graphics Card | ZOTAC GeForce RTX 3080 Ti AMP Extreme |
Storage | KLEVV CRAS 920 2TB |
Power Supply | FSP Hydro G Pro 1000W |
Case | OpenBench Table Community Edition |
Test System Configuration (Intel) | |
CPU | Intel Core i9-10900K |
Motherboard | ASUS ROG MAXIMUS XII Extreme |
Cooling | As listed |
Graphics Card | ZOTAC GeForce RTX 3080 Trinity OC |
Storage | Corsair MP600 1TB |
Power Supply | FSP Hydro G Pro 1000W |
Case | OpenBench Table Community Edition |
Test System Configuration (AMD) | |
CPU | AMD Ryzen 9 5950X |
Motherboard | ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII FORMULA |
Cooling | As listed |
Graphics Card | ZOTAC GeForce RTX 3080 Trinity OC |
Storage | Corsair MP600 1TB |
Power Supply | FSP Hydro G Pro 1000W |
Case | OpenBench Table Retail Edition |
Test Results – Intel
Test Results – AMD
Load-Temperature Behavior
In this segment we see the behavior of temperature as affected by the type of work the CPU is doing. The chart shows us the frequency the CPU is running at along with the power and temperature reading. The darker the color in the chart, the more consistent it is in that value range. The frequency is denoted by the blue line and is read according to the right vertical axis. The left vertical axis denote power and temperatures.
This test uses OCCT stress test to perform the work as detailed below:
- 5-minute pilot idle period
- a 15-minute SSE stress test (extreme mode, steady load, small data set)
- 5-min. idle
- a 15-minute AVX stress test (extreme mode, steady load, small data set)
- 5-min break
- a 30-min AVX2 stress test (normal mode, variable load, large data set)
The chart will show any throttling on the CPU indicated by lowered frequency on the blue line while also showing the operational frequency of the specific workload. We can also see how fast the cooling drop back the CPU to idle temperatures. Take note that AMD and Intel will have different thermal ranges as well as overall power usage which is affected by how the motherboard tunes the CPU to behave under specific workloads.
Testing with the Core i9-12900K
As of this moment, we’ve only tested with one other cooler for the 12900K, the NZXT Kraken X73 RGB which we use primarily for our review. To be fair with ASUS, I have updated this segment to showcase the cooling performance the Ryujin II 360 on the infamously hot 12900K. In actual use, you will never exceed what can be deemed acceptable temperatures, it is only benchmark loads like Cinebench and similar that these insane heat output of the Core i9-12900K and its hybrid cores out. To illustrate this better, see the chart below:
In our behavior chart, we can see that on light load types, we can see fairly decent results with Ryujin II 360, it is with AVX and that we see significantly large power draw and this is the reason why there is an AVX offset. With AVX instructions hammering our CPU, it is consuming upwards of 200w of power. While the 10900K is more defined at 280W in our other testing, the thermal density that the Core i9-12900K comes with a new challenge for cooling solutions and certainly a challenge for Intel’s monolith die design.
In gaming workloads, this is not an issue. With the default fan profile set in BIOS and XMP turned, our test system benchmarks logged average temperatures in our games benchmarks below:
Game | Average CPU Temp (*C) |
CSGO | 67 |
DOTA 2 | 66 |
Rainbow Six: Siege | 71 |
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 74 |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 78 |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Witcher 3 are our mainstay CPU tests for games due to their high, actual in-game CPU usage. The CPUs peaks at 78*C on average but actual maximum CPU reading would be around 80-82*C in our 28*C ambient lab environment.
ASUS includes an LGA1700 bracket for all Ryujin II stocks produced after the launch of Alder Lake but ASUS also includes LGA1200 and LGA1700 holes on all their Z690 motherboards so current cooler owners do not need to upgrade if they have an LGA1200 cooler on hand.
Conclusion
To be 100% honest, the original Ryujin from ASUS never really need improvement. By itself, its a great and functional cooler but as an aesthetic piece, it was severely lacking and many owners wished for a more stunning centerpiece for their builds. With the Ryuo’s circular faceplate an honest better choice, ASUS decided to merge the large LCD screen with the large block area of the Ryujin and create the Ryujin II. Other than that not much has changed and at this point in time, the Ryujin II is a visual upgrade rather than a performance one so if you don’t feel you’re losing out, then a Ryujin II isn’t a recommendation for you.
For those that do like the visual upgrade that the Ryujin II brings, then it can be noted that this is arguably the largest screen right now on any AIO cooler. The issue lies therein, if you’re after aesthetic, you’re most likely rocking a lot of RGB, something that the Ryujin II doesn’t have. This is the crux of having a Ryujin so is the performance worth it? To answer, we have to establish first that Noctua’s iPPC-2000 fans are high-performance first, quiet second but being Noctua fans they are very quiet at max speed. Comparing it to the likes of the Corsair SP Elite RGB fans which have 1.46 mm/H2O of static, the Noctua iPPC-2000 is rated for a respectably, very high 3.94 mm/H2O. This is why I mentioned earlier that ASUS could’ve gotten away in asking Asetek to build a denser fin stack on the radiator. Price-wise, most high-end RGB fans would be priced close to the iPPC-2000 but Noctua has the iPPC-3000 as well as my personal favorite, the A12x25 fans.
ASUS does sweeten the deal and assures this cooler for 6 years. That is a very long time to have this cooler and an incredibly long time to keep the pump running but if you do have any breakdown, it leaves you with the peace of mind that ASUS will provide service to you given the premium cost of this cooler.
Update: Intel Core i9-12900K
My ASUS rep was adamant in testing the Ryujin II with Intel’s newer CPU and I gladly obliged. I personally chose the NZXT Kraken X73 RGB for CPU testing as it was my previous cooler of choice for the 11900K and 5950X test so it would be quite hard to revise my CPU review afterwards when ASUS’ Alder Lake media kit arrived. That being said, given the findings that everyone has about Alder Lake, particularly the Core i9-12900K, I do feel that a lot of user may feel alarmed if their top-end cooler will satisfy or not.
For those already running or are interested in the Ryujin II for their 12th-gen Intel builds, first and foremost, ASUS will supply you LGA1700 brackets on newer releases. If you do choose to get an ASUS Z690 motherboard, you will be able to use the older LGA1200 mounting mechanism as the mounting holes on ASUS boards support both. Talking about performance, we did see fairly high numbers in AVX testing but so did everyone else logging 102*C on AI OC. In regular usage or light overclocks with a large AVX offset, most users will be able to get very good numbers especially in gaming use as we’ve noted in an earlier segment. Here’s the chart again for your reference:
Game | Average CPU Temp (*C) |
CSGO | 67 |
DOTA 2 | 66 |
Rainbow Six: Siege | 71 |
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | 74 |
Shadow of the Tomb Raider | 78 |
In actual gaming use, the temperatures are quite acceptable and in this hot Philippine weather, will mostly see variations in the +/- 2*C.
All things considered, for an average street price of Php14,000 for the Ryujin II 240 and Php17,000 for the Ryujin II 360, these actually fall closer to the standardized cost of most RGB+LCD AIO CPU coolers right now so the decision will ultimately be down to preference. Sure, there will be AIOs that don’t LCDs that will be cheaper but you specifically checked this out because that LCD is very gravitating to look at. If you feel its a gimmick and you just want performance, getting any other Asetek AIO and a separate trio of iPPC-2000 fans will ultimately arrive at a lower cost.
As with anything ROG, it comes with a bit of an ROG tax but this tax is now made fair by the fact that NZXT, MSI and AORUS all have similar LCD-equipped AIO whose screens are fairly smaller but are priced reasonably close. ASUS does make the deal sweeter by adding in a separate fan controller hub with RGB to expand your AURA SYNC array if you do end up buying more fans as well as a VRM cooler embedded in the pump/block. This is all topped off with a very good-looking LCD screen and paired with Noctua iPPC-2000 fans, its easily a dream DIY project come to life.
If you’re looking for an AIO solution that combines high-performance, an informative or decorative LCD screen and no RGB to for your Intel or AMD build, then the ASUS ROG RYUJIN II is a top choice for even the latest generation Intel 12th-gen Alder Lake CPUs.
ASUS backs the ROG Ryujin II with a 6-year warranty. I give it my B2G Gold Award!
1 Comment
I’m so glad a Ryujin fan got their hands on one of these! I’m definitely sharing that GIF around. Thank you for not letting the best-named product’s potential go to waste <3