Conclusion
We tested the ASUS ROG Ryujin 240 using our AIO test platform that sports an Intel 10980XE processor. When we started our adventure, we wanted to push this cooler to its absolute limits and our test bench certainly delivered that when its 18 cores were clocked to 4.7GHz. We’ll recap the performance below and see how the Ryujin 240 stood up to the heat in our kitchen!
Summary of Temperatures
The ASUS ROG Ryujin 240 was able to operate at its quietest configuration and maintain a temperature of 84 degrees Celsius with our test bench running at stock clocks. As we increased the overclock, we had to increase fan speed to prevent the CPU from thermally throttling. Ultimately, we were mostly able to keep our Intel 10980XE in check at 4.3GHz down to 1000 RPM and 100% Pump. Beyond that, the Ryujin 240 let the CPU hit the magic number of 98 degrees Celsius. As with other 240mm coolers, the Max OC test, where our Intel 10980XE is clocking 4.7GHz, the Ryujin 240 was just not able to handle the heat that was being thrown at it. This is, obviously, not the most desired outcome. However, we have only seen two coolers, to date, that has even begun to be able to handle our Max OC testing and they are both bigger coolers than this one today.
Summary of Sound Levels
At its slowest and quietest settings, the ASUS ROG Ryujin 240 blended in with the ambient room sound levels and we could not hear a thing. Moving up to 1000 RPM did not change that much at all. Moving up to 1500 RPM it became a bit more audible, but not obnoxious, as the fans made a bit of a droning sound. At its maximum fan speed, 2000 RPM, it made a defined contribution to our testing environment while doing its job. There is one more variable here today and that is the fan that is on the water block. We kept that locked at 30% during testing. If you let it run full bore it lets you know it is running full bore. Overall, this is one of the quietest coolers we have tested to date.
Final Points
We first adjusted our cooling testing methodology to test the claim of the Enermax LIQTECH II 360 since it said it could dissipate 500W+ of heat; a bold claim for sure. Afterward, we thought for a moment and realized why not make this our threshold for testing all of our cooling solutions? We would have a good standard that is going to let us have as close to an apples to apples comparison as we were going to be able to get while not going “easy” on even the beefiest of coolers.
So, here we are today with another entrant; the ASUS ROG Ryujin 240. This is a good bit less beefy of a cooler than the 360mm models we have seen as it is just a 240mm cooler. 240mm coolers, generally speaking, are not going to perform on the cooling front as well as larger AIOs but they seem to do better on the noise front. So, we enter with not the highest performance expectations but definitely a curiosity about how the noise will be.
That said, after putting the Ryujin 240 through our gauntlet, we see that it trades blows on the raw performance front with the other 240mm coolers we have reviewed. In fact, when all was said and done, the Ryujin 240 landed in the middle of the pack among 240mm models we have seen. If you are restricted on space, and can not fit a big 360mm cooler in your system, then you may well find a place for the Ryujin 240 in your system.
Flipping over to the noise side of things, we see a different tale. Here, the Ryujin 240 ended up with a noise profile during testing that made it just about the quietest we have seen overall to date. Thus, this unit is best thought of as a quiet option rather than a performance option.
The ASUS ROG Ryujin 240 is available for $234.99 in e-tail. Which is a lot compared to other 240mm units that we have reviewed. However, the ASUS ROG Ryujin 240 brings us some unique, and premium, features with the inclusion of the water block fan and the custom OLED display on the water block that justify a price premium over other options. So, if you are in the market for a 240mm AIO solution that will handle stock clocks and your mild overclocking needs, while the noise levels are a concern, the ASUS ROG Ryujin 240 is definitely an option. If you need the absolute most capable AIO on the market, then you need to step up to a 360mm AIO (and there happens to be a 360mm version of the Ryujin available) and tweak some things to get what you want. But, that is almost always the case when looking 240mm vs. 360mm and not specific to the ASUS ROG Ryujin 240.