Swedish firm Fractal Design is finest identified for its laptop instances, like our favourite case of 2022, the Fractal North. However the firm additionally makes liquid coolers, case followers, and even energy provides.
We’re Fractal’s Celsius+ S36 Prisma right here, one of many firm’s strongest all-in-one cooler choices. The Celsius line of coolers come geared up with an built-in fan and ARGB hub, which permits customers to plug the followers immediately into the radiator for decreased cable muddle. It options two modes of operation: “Auto” mode which is optimized for silence, and PWM mode for max cooling capability.
With immediately’s CPUs elevating the bar for cooling problem, does the Celius+ S36 Prisma have what it takes to chill Intel’s i9-13900K and earn a spot on our finest coolers listing? We’ll need to put it by testing to say for positive. However first, listed here are the cooler’s specs, direct from Fractal.
Cooler Specs
| Cooler | Fractal Celsius+ S36 Prisma |
| MSRP | $199.99 USD |
| Radiator Dimensions | 123 x 30 x 403 mm |
| Radiator Materials | Aluminum |
| Pump Velocity | 800-2,800 RPM in regular use, 3,500 RPM throughout thermal safety mode that prompts if liquid temperature is over 60 levels Celsius |
| Socket Compatibility | Intel: LGA 1700, 1200, 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011, 2011-3, 2066 |
| AMD: AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, AM4, AM5, FM1, FM2, FM2+ | |
| Base | Copper |
| Max TDP (Our Testing) | ~303W |
| Guarantee | 5 years |
Packing and Included Contents
Fractal’s Celsius+ S36 Prisma is available in a reasonably large field that makes use of plastic coverings and cardboard for cover of the inside contents.
Included with the package deal are the next:
- 360 mm Radiator
- CPU block
- 3x 120 mm followers
- Mounts for all fashionable CPU sockets (together with AM5 & LGA1700)
- Data, help and set up guides
- Two Clips
- Pre-applied thermal paste
Set up
Putting in Fractal’s S36 is generally easy, however there’s one step that’s very simple to mess up: the followers. One may suppose putting in the followers to be the only a part of a cooler’s set up, however in the event you strategy the set up of the followers like another cooler and don’t comply with Fractal’s directions, you’ll find yourself with one of many cable in an uncomfortable place towards one of many different followers.
I’ve seen a number of footage of individuals (and even just a few reviewers) putting in the followers incorrectly, inflicting the issue seen above. Fractal has designed this AIO to have minimal cable muddle, and as such the set up is just a little totally different.
Whereas the video under is for the older S36 mannequin, it reveals the right way to correctly set up the followers on this cooler.
As soon as the followers have been secured, mount the radiator to the case. Then you definately’ll press the backplate to the motherboard after which slide on the standoffs to safe the backplate. Afterwards, all that’s left is to press the CPU block towards the standoffs after which safe them with the included thumbscrews.
Options of Fractal’s Celsius+ S36
Silent Profile Mode
The Celsius+ has two operational modes, Auto and PWM, which may be chosen by teisting the CPU block. Auto mode runs the followers silently always. Regardless of the silent profile of this mode, the Celsius+ S36 was nonetheless capable of cool a powerful 267W within the Auto mode. That’s extra watts cooled in silent mode than most air coolers are able to dealing with at full fan speeds!
Full Copper CPU plate
The CPU contact plate on Fractal’s Celsius+ S36 Prisma is fabricated from copper and comes with thermal paste pre-installed.
ARGB and PWM Hub for minimal cable muddle
The Celsius line of coolers come geared up with an built-in fan and ARGB hub, which helps you to plug the followers immediately into the radiator for decreased cable muddle. The hub is situated in between the tubes to the CPU block, on the facet of the radiator.
Medium thickness 360 mm radiator
The S36 Prisma contains a 360 mm radiator with 30 mm thickness. This isn’t the thickest (or thinnest) radiator we’ve seen, however it ought to be appropriate with most instances which have house for 3 120 mm followers.
3x Prisma AL-12 PWM ARGB followers
There’s extra to a cooler than simply the heatsink or radiator. The bundled followers have a major influence on cooling and noise ranges. Included with the Celsius+ S36 Prisma are 3x Prisma AL-12 PWM ARGB followers. Fractal advertises the next options with these followers:
- Aerodynamic stator struts with embedded wiring cut back noise and turbulence
- Journey Wire expertise introduces a micro-turbulent layer for enhanced blade effectivity
- Built-in vibration-damping corners produced from high-quality artificial rubber
- LLS (Lengthy Life Sleeve) bearings present silent operation with an extended lifespan
- Six individually addressable hub-mounted RGB LEDs
- Particularly designed fan blades and outer ring produce a uniform glow
| Mannequin | Prisma AL-12 PWM ARGB |
| Dimensions | 120 x 120 x 25 mm |
| Fan Velocity | 500 – 2,000 RPM |
| Air Circulation | As much as 85.71 CFM |
| Air Strain | 2.78 mm H2O |
| Bearing Sort | Lengthy Life Sleeve |
| Lighting | ARGB |
Testing Methodology
Whereas it was pretty simple with earlier generations of CPUs for coolers to maintain the flagship i9 processor properly below TJ max (the utmost temperature a CPU can maintain with out throttling) in powerful workloads, that is not realistically potential on present era CPUs (and the 13900K particularly) with out excessive cooling (or enabling energy limits).
Whereas previously a CPU hitting its peak temperature was trigger for concern, fans are going to need to be taught to simply accept excessive temperatures as “regular” whereas operating demanding workloads with Raptor Lake and Ryzen 7000 CPUs. Trendy AMD and Intel CPUs are designed to run pretty scorching with none issues – as much as 95 levels Celsius and for AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs, and as much as 100 C for Intel’s Core i9-13900K. Related habits has been customary in laptops for years because of cooling limitations in tight areas.
Moreover, Intel’s Core i9-13900K helps Adaptive Increase Expertise (ABT) which permits Core i9 processors to dynamically enhance to greater all-core frequencies based mostly on accessible thermal headroom and electrical circumstances. This enables multi-core hundreds to function at as much as 5.5ghz if the mandatory quantity of thermal dissipation is there. This characteristic works in a method that actively seeks excessive temperatures: If the chip sees that it’s operating beneath the 100-degree C threshold, it can improve its efficiency and energy consumption till it reaches the secure 100 C restrict, thus sustaining greater clocks (and offering higher efficiency) for longer intervals.
The elevated cooling challenges posed by Raptor Lake imply that we’ve needed to change a few of the methods we check coolers. Some coolers have been capable of move Cinebench R23 multicore testing with Intel’s twelfth Gen i9-12900K when energy limits have been eliminated (though solely the strongest fashions have been capable of move that check). Most liquid coolers and all air coolers I’ve examined “failed” that check as a result of the CPU reached TJ max on this state of affairs.
With Raptor Lake’s 13900K, not a single cooler examined has been capable of hold the CPU below TJ max on this check – as a result of as we identified, the chip is designed to dial up efficiency and energy till it richest that thermal outcome. We’ll examine efficiency as an alternative by complete benchmark scores and clock speeds maintained.
I’ll be testing Intel’s i9-13900K CPU utilizing Asus’ TUF Gaming Z690 Gaming Plus WIFI motherboard and Cooler Grasp’s HAF 700 Berserker laptop case, with case followers restricted to 35% speeds. The motherboard’s default fan curve is used for the CPU Cooler’s followers.
Along with testing Cinebench with out energy limits enforced, we’ll even be displaying outcomes when the CPU’s energy consumption is proscribed to a extra affordable 200W. We’ll additionally present outcomes at 125W for individuals who favor whisper-quiet cooling, at the price of some efficiency. For each of those outcomes, we’ll present conventional delta over ambient temperature outcomes.
We’ll present noise stage measurements recorded utilizing a PSPL25 Sound Meter for all three energy ranges examined to check how a lot noise every cooler makes in several situations. We count on most coolers to run successfully silently at 125W.
LGA1700 Socket Bending
Word there are various elements apart from the CPU cooler that may affect your cooling efficiency, together with the case you utilize and the followers put in in it. A system’s motherboard also can affect this, particularly if it suffers from bending, which leads to poor cooler contact with the CPU.
To be able to forestall bending from impacting our cooling outcomes, we’ve put in Thermalright’s LGA 1700 contact body into our testing rig. In case your motherboard is affected by bending, your thermal outcomes can be worse than these proven under. Not all motherboards are affected equally by this situation. I examined Raptor Lake CPUs in two motherboards. And whereas certainly one of them confirmed vital thermal enhancements after putting in Thermalright’s LGA1700 contact body, the opposite motherboard confirmed no distinction in temperatures in any way! Try our evaluation of the contact body for extra info.
Testing Configuration
| CPU | Intel Core i9-13900K |
| Comparability Air Coolers Examined | Cougar Forza 50 |
| DeepCool AG400 | |
| DeepCool AG620 | |
| Iceberg Thermal IceSLEET G6 Stealth | |
| SilverStone Hydrogon D120 ARGB | |
| Thermalright Murderer X 120 R SE | |
| Thermalright AXP120-X67 | |
| Comparability AIO Coolers Examined | Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360 |
| DeepCool LT720 | |
| Enermax AquaFusion ADV 360 | |
| Fractal Celsius+ S36 Prisma | |
| MSI MAG CoreLiquid P360 | |
| SilverStone VIDA 240 Slim | |
| Motherboard | Asus TUF Gaming Z690 Plus Wifi DDR5 |
| RAM | Essential DDR5-4800 |
| GPU | Intel ARC A770 LE |
| Case | Cooler Grasp HAF 700 Berserker |
| PSU | Cooler Grasp XG Plus 850 Platinum PSU |