Final words and conclusion
Final words and conclusion
The new Lumen S28 RGB turned out to be a little more difficult to review than I had anticipated. First and foremost, I'd like to state unequivocally that the performance is downright excellent. The high RPM fans, on the other hand, do not sit well with me because they can quickly boost acoustics to moderate levels, so some manual adjustment will be required to get the best out of them. The only way to solve this problem is to lower the fan speed; with a fan speed of 400-700 RPM, the product will become silent. Lowering the RPM, on the other hand, comes at the expense of cooling performance. You'll still be able to keep your temps under control with a 280mm radiator and close to 350 Watts of cooling capacity even at low RPM, as cooling capacity is not an issue. Unfortunately, the pump can be heard slightly at all times, it's pandora's box, as patents make ODM's try the strangest thing. With the radiator mounted towards a steel chassis, it can only become louder. You'll hear it slightly, but granted it's not at all annoying. Another negative I deem to be that for this money no RGB controller is included. Speaking in fair terms though, most new motherboards have an RGB port. However, performance is what matters most, and the cooler did not fail in this regard, passes Kraken's level of performance without the need for a software suite. A large amount of reserve and capacity are provided by this 280mm type. We did not even reach 80 degrees C with the CPU overclocked and the voltage at 1.40v under load.
Acoustics
The acoustics are acceptable by default, but not silent; if the processor is overclocked, the fans become audible. It's true that they are high static pressure fans that can spin and ramp-up to speeds of up to 2000 RPM, but that's simply too fast for anything that, in my opinion, needs to be silent. The solution is straightforward: lower fan RPM, establish a fan profile in your motherboard BIOS, or have your fans fixed at an RPM level that meets your needs and expectations. You'll have a lot of room to experiment with the cooling performance you get. We were can hear the pump softly.
Aesthetics
Overall, the design is distinctive in my opinion; the black color scheme enhances the appearance of the radiator, fans, and water block. Everything appears to be well-balanced; the RGB effects, in general, give the cooler a more subtle appearance, but they also require extra wire to deal with. You can connect it to an aRGB 5V header on your motherboard and use it to sync everything together. The fans are all aRGB lighted, which is a lovely touch; nevertheless, the sheer quantity of wires to tuck away is mind-boggling to say the least. Unfortunate is the RGB wire leading out of the CPU block.
Installation
Overall it is straightforward to install with the mounting system, prefilled... it's one of the easier and comfortable kits on the market to use and install. We find the kit to have a bit too many screws and whistles and bells though, which after unpacking can be a little overwhelming. For example; the backplate bracket needs four screws and four washers before you can even insert it. Then on the CPU side, you secure it with two screws but not before you mounted two brackets to the CPU block. It's all no biggy, but we do wonder if that process cannot be simplified. We do dislike all the cabling needed for aRGB though.
Pricing
This is an AiO series radiator that is available in three different sizes: 240, 280, and 360 mm. All variants are available with an optional illuminated pump cover, and the user can pick between plain black Aspect fans and the ARGB version of the Aspect fans, which are both available in different colors. In terms of pricing, the AiOs begin at 99.99 € for the Lumen S24, with a fee of 10 € for each additional model up to and including the Lumen S48. Because an additional €10 fee is required for RGB, the Lumen S36 RGB is the most expensive variant, costing €129.99.
Final words
The Lumen S28 RGB receives high marks in the test because of its excellent performance, construction, and stylish matte black style. The RGB lighting is something we like. AiO's cooling performance is excellent; the thing that may be improved is the noise level, which is especially noticeable when the pump is operating as well as the relatively poor acoustic performance from the fans. We would want to see an adjustable pump in the future, particularly for a prospective successor to the Lumen AiOs. We would have liked to have seen Fractal go the extra mile by concealing the CPU block's RGB cable and including a spare tube of thermal paste in the box. More aggressive competition and pricing being the order of the day, current discounts to the existing Celsius+ put Lumen in a tight spot, putting them in a difficult position. Other than that the new Lumen is a well-designed and capable performer, and it is yet another alternative in a growing industry that is worth investigating further if the price is appropriate. The pump could be a notch quieter as well as the fans. Fractal Design offers a five-year warranty.
Handy related downloads:
- Sign up to receive a notification when we publish a new article
- Or go back to Guru3D's front page.
