Installing the Cryorig R1 Ultimate

Before we inspect each member of our new CPU cooler collection, let’s establish that our tests consist of methods we have determined to be the best for our one singular purpose. Our methodology isn’t written in stone, and could very likely be changed or modified as we receive justification (and feedback from the community). Our scope is limited to stand-alone products only, meaning those products which can be installed and operated without additional critical components needed or kit construction. This is the reason for this first test, in which the mounting system for each cooler is tested. Since this is not an apple to apples comparison, but rather a subjective description of each of the kits available without any form of quantitative data, it does not affect the numerical scores we give for each product. The purpose of this test is to inform our readers on how the mounting system of each processor cooler can affect the buying experience.

As usual, we will mount the cooler in one of our Intel test platforms. This time, we will be using an XFX MB-N780-ISH9 LGA 775 motherboard to test the mounting system included with the Cryorig R1 Ultimate, which Cryorig lists as one of the supported sockets.

Installing the Cryorig R1 Ultimate starts with locating the four silver screws and the back-plate, and the LGA 775 spacer to prevent the back-plate to make contact with the contacts located behind the motherboard’s socket. Cryorig clearly labels each bag as to avoid confusion between each mounting component. For AMD sockets you will have to remove the original fan bracket included with all AMD motherboards.

With the back-plate in place it is just a matter of seconds to get the two mounting brackets on place. The four thumb nuts that wrap around the screws of the back-plate have silicon washers to prevent damage or scratching to the motherboard. Once the back-plate is held snug it is time to decide which way to install the Cryorig R1 Ultimate in order to install the two brackets. Unfortunately the Cryorig R1 Ultimate will most likely have clearance issues if installed in a vertical way, so we decided to mount it horizontally with the fans blowing from right to left.

So far the Cryorig R1 Ultimate has been an easy installation process, but like any other bulky heatsinks it has a major flaw. Because the screws are located right underneath the heatsink and are not easily accessible nor visible from the top, it is almost impossible to mount this cooler inside a case. It actually took me less time to remove the motherboard to install this cooler for each of our performance tests, than to install the cooler with the motherboard installed inside the case. The way the fans are mounted in the Cryorig R1 Ultimate actually make it simpler if you remove the middle fan to gain visibility to the middle screw, but that can be a tough task with the motherboard installed. With the motherboard outside from the case it is just a matter of aligning your screwdriver and the head of screw.