Test System & Temperature Results

Test System

Testing Procedure

All testing is done at a room temperature of 23°C (73°F), with a 1°C margin of error. The coolers are tested with Turbo, EIST, and C1E enabled, which will allow the CPU to clock down to a low 1.6 GHz while idle, or clock up to proper speeds under stock and overclocked conditions. The retail Intel Core i7-4770K I use for testing at stock is set to load-optimized defaults with the CPU's voltage at a static 1.15 V. Overclocked, the processor is running at 4.2 GHz on the CPU and 3.9 GHz on cache, with respective voltages set to 1.20 V and 1.15 V. During all these tests, fans are set to run at 100% in the BIOS, with temperatures being recorded by AIDA64.

The idle test will consist of the CPU sitting idle at the desktop for 15 minutes. This will allow for a stable temperature reading that will be recorded at the end of those 15 minutes.

Wprime's and AIDA64's CPU test represent typical multi-threaded loads. Both offer consistent results, with one being a benchmarking application and the other a stability test. Both are run for 15 minutes before the peak reading during the test is recorded and taken as the result. This test lets enthusiasts know what temperatures they can expect to see with games and applications. Wprime is set to eight threads while AIDA64 is configured to stress the CPU, FPU, cache, and system memory.

AIDA64 offers maximum heat generation when set to stress just the FPU in the stability test, which will really push the CPU. This test represents extreme loads much like LinX, Prime95, and other extreme stress tests many users are familiar with.

Idle Temperatures

At idle, The H5 performs well, tying for second place in both tests with a respective 28°C and 30°C.

Typical Load Temperatures

In Wprime, the H5 Universal manages to perform nearly as well as CRYORIG's R1 Universal by placing just 1°C behind the flagship cooler in both tests; it also beats out the Dark Rock Pro 3 or ties it. Considering its size and single fan, its performance is solid.


Firing up Aida64's CPU benchmark, CRYORIG's H5 Universal falls behind the R1 Universal by 2°C in both tests and loses to the Dark Rock Pro 3 by 1°C. Again, performance also looks solid in these tests.

Max Load Temperatures

During the AIDA64 FPU test, CRYORIG's H5 does well for a cooler with a slim fan and a single tower. Not only does it perform well at stock, it does surprisingly well when the CPU is overclocked as well and even manages to tie the Dark Rock Pro 3 and R1 Universal at stock speeds. However, once the CPU is overclocked and temperatures begin to rise, the H5 finally falls behind the heavy-weight coolers in our graphs. Still, considering it is a single tower with a slim fan, performance is impressive. If you are looking for a good performer that won't break the bank, the H5 would certainly do the trick.