ASUS ROG RYUO IV SLC 360 ARGB CPU Cooler Review
Thermal Testing – Gaming
OC3D CPU Cooler Gaming Test
With this new CPU testing rig, we wanted to experiment with analysing the “gaming” performance of CPU coolers. After all, all-core stress tests are not a common workload for most PC users. Games do not usually put huge levels of stress on all cores of your processor, especially if your CPU has a high core count. We also wanted to see if your choice of CPU cooler impacts GPU thermals under a GPU-focused stress test. After all, your CPU cooler can have a huge impact on the overall airflow pattern of your PC.
This testing procedure uncovered something. What we found was that AIO CPU liquid cooling solutions gave us lower GPU thermals. This makes sense, as these solutions pump hot air directly out of our test system and act as an exhaust. That said, the impact on GPU thermals was minimal. We only saw drops of 2-3 degrees during this test. Given this lack of difference, we will now focus exclusively on CPU thermals with this test.
For our CPU game test, we used Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker’s benchmarking tool for our gaming test. This test can run for a long time and moves between CPU and GPU-limited parts of the game. This test was used at a resolution of 1080p at maximum settings.
1,000 RPM Fan Speed Test
In our gaming charts, ASUS’ new Ryuo IV CPU cooler performs well. At all RPM levels, it sits towards the bottom of our charts, signalling ample cooling performance in gaming workloads.
At higher RPMs, we can see our gaming delta temperatures drop. This makes the Ryuo IV stand amongst some of the best coolers that we have tested.
With fan speeds of 2750 RPM, the Ryou IV becomes the coolest-running AIO in our gaming tests. This makes sense given the fact that this AIO features the fastest fans on our charts. That said, with these speeds come increase noise levels.
