The H5 Universal by CRYORIG is certainly an interesting design as it has 90% of the surface area of the R1 Universal, but comes with a single 140 mm x 13 mm fan. This combination of its surface area and a slim fan has, surprisingly, paid off in dividends. The Universal H5's performance is solid and on par with that of the R1 Universal at stock CPU speeds. Overclock the CPU and it will only end up 3°C behind its top-tiered sibling. That said, performance isn't all the H5 has to offer either as noise levels were kept in check with a maximum of 43 dBA because of its choice fan with a maximum 1300 RPM. Take a look at the design and the build quality and CRYORIG again proves themselves as you won't find bent fins or a crooked mounting system. Not only that: The cooler is also very easy to install. CRYORIG even added an extra set of fan clips for a dual-fan configuration or the ability to use a thicker fan for more performance. Taking a look at everything they offer with the H5 Universal, including good packaging and an exceptional six-year-long warranty, it becomes nearly impossible not to recommend.

A few issues do come to mind, however, and those do knock the H5 Universal down a few pegs. Memory clearance, while fantastic on mainstream sockets, may be an issue on LGA2011 due to the heatsink's offset nature. The fan's performance surprises given it is only 13 mm thick as compared to the traditional 25 mm thick fan, but its PWM range could be improved. Curbing its minimum RPM down to 400-500 RPM instead of the 700 RPM it sits at right now would result in an ultra-quiet computing experience with low loads. The only big issue is one many heatsinks with 140 mm fans run into—the fact that the H5 Universal blocks off the first expansion slot on our test system's MSI Z87 GD65 Gaming motherboard. It may not be a huge issue, but it does mean that the Universal H5 will clash with certain boards based on slot arrangement and what the user stuffed into their system.

Overall, the CRYORIG H5 Universal is a solid offering, but I can't help but feel as though it could be even better if it only offered perfect memory clearance on all sockets, not just those of the mainstream. However, such would impact performance due to the reduction to its surface area. Still, as things stand, CRYORIG has struck a fine balance between compatibility and performance, and it really shows.

Bold, quiet, feature-packed and ready to rock, the CRYORIG H5 Universal is a damn good mid-range cooler that should prove capable in nearly any system.