Fractal Design Lumen S36 AIO

Fractal Design also sent us their Lumen S36 to use in the case. It ships in a full-color package with an image of the unit on front and specifications on the back. Just like most AIOs these days, a cardboard shell holds all the parts and accessories in place securely.


You get all the usual bits to install the Lumen on modern motherboards. There is also a single cable for the RGB elements of the base of the cooler. The three 120 mm fans are retail units from the Fractal Design Aspect line, more specifically the Aspect 12 PWM. This means you can keep things consistent in your build by buying more of these units. Last but not least, there is a detailed manual to help you during the assembly process.


Out of the box, the Fractal Design Lumen S36 AIO itself is pretty traditional with a slim radiator. Its tubing is certainly long enough for placement on any of the possible locations within a case of any size without giving up CPU socket access.


The tubing is protected by braided sleeves, and you will find a fill port next to it should you ever want to top up your unit. Even so, there should really be no need, and Fractal Design offers a 5-year warranty as well. The pump is embedded into the radiator, with a 3-pin fan header cable to power it. Fractal Design also placed a subtle black logo on the side of the unit.


The CPU base has six embedded ARGB LEDs with a cover that may be installed so that the Fractal Design logo is always upright. Both thermal paste and the Intel mounting bracket have been pre-applied. You simply need to screw it onto the board when using components from the blue team.


The three 120 mm Aspect series fans come with black blades and framing and lack any RGB elements. You may opt for the Lumen S36 RGB if you want such lighting in addition to what is already present in the CPU base. Each fan comes with black wiring and a pass-through PWM connector configuration. This means you can daisy-chain these fans and use that single CPU fan header on your motherboard to control all three.


The frames of the fans don't have too much to look at, either. There is a tiny Fractal Design logo and small mention of the direction of airflow on the corners of the black frames.