One of the most innovative changes in the gaming industry ever is liquid coolers. With better cooling power and higher performance, who wouldn’t want to get one of these? In our Fractal Design Celsius S36 Prisma review, we’ll discuss why this cooler combines both.
If you’re reading this, that means you’re interested in something new. Fractal Design is a computer hardware manufacturer that’s based all the way from Sweden. Their focus is on efficiency and consistency.
With that, let’s jump right into it.
Fractal Design Celsius S36 Prisma Packaging
Before we discuss the product itself, we have to tell you what comes with it when purchasing the item. Let’s start with the packaging.
The packaging is a rectangular box that is coated in black. You will find the image of the product in the front as well as the logo and the company’s name.
At the sides, there are several codes and descriptions about the product and its market details. Some of the details refer to the specifications of the product.
You will also find the dimensions of the product. There, you can see the blueprints of the items and how it works.
When looking at the back, you will notice the pump’s diagram and its descriptions regarding its features. All of these features will be discussed in the review.
Alright, let’s now open the package. To open it up, there is a latch to the left side, which can be unfolded.
Upon opening the package, you will find most of the contents inside a cardboard mould. This mould shelters the product from any unwanted substances that may enter the packaging during shipment.
When you slide the mould out, you will see that the parts of the cooler are all fitted comfortably inside. There the radiator, pump, fans, tubes, instruction manual and insulating hardware are all kept.
The instruction manual is at the top. This acts as a guide to help the user install the cooler to their system. It features the dimensions and the parts well.
All the products are wrapped in plastic except the fans and the radiator, which are covered in another layer of cardboard.
With that in mind, Fractal Design takes into considerations the safety of their products.
Fractal Design Celsius S36 Prisma Review – Design and Functionality
Let’s now talk about the design and its functions in our Fractal Design Celsius S36 Prisma review. The Fractal Design Celsius S36 Prisma is made up of many parts. Let’s start with the radiator.
The radiator is 403mm by 123mm and 30mm. It scores a black finish around it. Its role is to keep the liquid cool. This helps the circulation of the liquid internally.
Prisma ARGB PWM is the type of fan that comes together with the product. They deliver extensive airflow together with magnificent lighting effects.
Its fan blades are specially designed to cut through the air neatly creating a smooth and efficient distribution. With that, the emphasis can be focused solely on static pressure.
Due to its Trip Wire technology, turbulence in the blades is halved. This makes it the most optimal fan choice for the radiator. What’s more, is that you get three when buying this product.
You’ll get not only efficiency and performance but also silence. With the Long Life Sleeve in its fan bearings, we can expect quiet operations with long life expectancy.
Tubes help in the distribution of the liquid around the unit. With the low-permeable rubber surrounding it, it prevents the liquid from easily evaporating.
Its nylon-braided sleeves help for rotating the device around the case in tight spaces. This leaves more room for other computer parts.
One thing to note with the Fractal Design Celsius S36 Prisma is the auto mode, which dynamically adjusts the fan and pump’s speed. With that, you can pre-set your configurations for more optimised performances.
The PWM mode grants the user full user control regarding the functions and features of the pump. This allows full customisations for the user’s benefit.
The heatsink itself is made out of copper. It is used to lower the temperature of processors significantly during run times. Together with the pre-applied thermal paste, it can run more consistently and effectively.
Several items that go together with the Fractal Design Celsius S36 Prisma are the insulating hardware which is used for mounting. These parts work well with both Intel and AMD processors.
With all these parts, we know for a fact that Fractal Design is talented in coming up with such complex designs that fit the needs of any PC system.
Now let’s take a look at its key features.
Key Features of the Fractal Design Celsius S36 Prisma
Other than its design, we now head on to see what features this product has in our Fractal Design Celsius S36 Prisma review.
Performance and Cooling
It is imperative for a cooler to provide both consistent performance and proper cooling. With these in mind, it may be hard for one to look for a good cooler. Well, with the Fractal Design Celsius S36 Prisma, it combines both.
Thanks to the Prisma ARGB PWM fans, they reduce heat levels, which in turn boosts performances in the processor. With the heat gone, the processor can run to its full potential, boosting performance rates.
For cooling, the fans help radiate the liquid internally, which helps maintain the processors to a significant temperature level. Not only that, but it helps circulate airflow, therefore maintaining a consistent proper cooling management.
With these in play, one doesn’t have to worry about these issues for a long time.
Brilliance of Prisma
As we have talked before, the design of the Prisma ARGB PWM fans is no joke. They deliver outstanding performances in power, silence and style.
With its specially designed fan blades that can run up to 2000 rotations per minute, it is sure to keep your system cooled and clear. It also acts as an exhaust fan which removes trapped heat.
Its geometry balances the air currents, which helps circulate the airflow. With that and its silent bearings, you can enjoy your gaming sessions without being disrupted by noise.
If we take a look at the outer rings, you will find LED lights which produce a glow that uniformly fits together with the radiator. This parallel feature amplifies one’s personality.
Self-Balancing
What does this mean? Self-balancing indicates that the device will automatically do its work without the user having to do any action. What does this say for the product?
This states that the product will automatically adjust the fans’ speed and the pumps to whatever the user presets the device to.
With its intelligent design, the auto mode feature dynamically reconfigures the system to make the necessary changes when a condition is met. If the processor reaches high temperatures, then the pump will act on its own and self-balance the temperatures.
This is convenient for all users. With these features, you won’t need to manually make adjustments in the settings or inside the PC system itself. The pump can do the job for you.
Neat and Clean
Fractal Design has considerably put into attention cable management into their product. ARGB PWM hub puts all the fan connections directly on the radiator. This removes the clutter one would usually have.
This can also be seen with the braided nylon sleeves which hold both the fan control cables and ARGB wires connected to the pump.
Other than that, the fittings connecting the tubes to the pump are articulated to a 90-degree angle. This helps in rearranging the cables inside the PC case.
One thing to look at is the pre-application of the thermal paste on the coldplate. With this, you won’t need to apply it yourself. This alleviates the stress of making a mess when installing.
With that in mind, Fractal Design removes the hassle of having to move the cables again and again. They aim for a comfortable installation process.
Parallel Colour Coordination
We’ve talked about the design features and its efficiency, but we are yet to talk about its style. Fractal Design wants to bring your personality into play. This can be done with the colour-coordination effect in the system.
Fractal Design has current certifications with Gigabyte Fusion, Razer Chroma, Asus AURA, MSI Mystic Light and ASRock Polychrome support. This means that the colour patterns you have for certain devices can also be applied to the Fractal Design Celsius S36 Prisma.
These are just a few current partners working with Fractal Design in terms of colour synchronisation. With updates in the future, you can expect more partners for more designs.
Overall, Fractal Design is both an innovator and key player in creating products that both target the customer’s needs and wants.
Specifications
Our Fractal Design Celsius S36 Prisma review can’t be complete without checking all the product’s complex parts. The Fractal Design Celsius S36 Prisma has many important parts.
General Specifications
The Fractal Design Celsius S36 Prisma supports both Intel and AMD processors. With its adaptability and insulating hardware, it allows the cooler to work in any case.
For Intel, the models would be 1200, 1366, 1150, 2011, 1151, 2011-3, 1155, 1156 and 2066. For AMD, it would be FM2+, FM2, FM1, AM3+, AM3, AM2+, AM2, AM4, TR4.
On the CPU block, you will find the coldplate material to be made out of copper. This material is common in most coolers due to its high compatibility to temperatures.
You will also find the thermal paste, which should always be pre-applied on the processor’s back. This makes it easier to cool down the heat levels of the processor during play.
Tube length connecting the product would be around 400 millimetres. Its material is made out of a low-permeable rubber with a braided nylon sleeve.
Fittings of the block side, which are used to hold the tubes together can articulate themselves to a 90-degree angle. This makes it easier for maneuvering around the case.
Fan Specifications
Prisma AL-12 PWM ARGB is the series of fans provided together with the product. With rotational speeds of 500 to 2000 per minute, you can be assured of quality and efficiency.
Maximum airflow for this type of fan would be 85.71 cubic feet per minute. It means that the airflow distribution would be effective inside the case.
With its full speed, you’ll find out that the acoustic noise only reaches to 32.7 dBA. This is lower than most fans make, therefore alleviating unwanted noise during play.
Mean time between failures is the average time between the system breakdowns. With this fan provided, the average time would be 100,000 hours total.
Pump Specifications
The pump can generate 800 to 2800 rotations per minute under normal conditions. With the thermal protection applied, it can go up to 3500 rotations per minute.
This not only increases the speed of the pump but also lowers the temperature of the processor. Its temperature, with this in mind, would be less than 63°C.
Due to its ceramic bearing and shaft, it can increase the speed, which boosts the pump’s efficiency overall.
Its acoustic noise is only 20 dBA at full speed. This is less than the fans which are already at an optimal low for noise levels.
With its PWM control that features an auto mode for self-balancing the temperatures, it is likely to be used by gamers that spend hours into their game sessions.
Block height of the pump is about 45 millimetres. Together with its fittings, it can go about 86 by 75 millimetres. If we look at the main body, it would be 62 millimetres.
Radiator
Its dimensions would be 123 by 30 and 403 millimetres. Housing material for the radiator is aluminium, which is a common material for most radiators.
The fans aren’t pre-installed, so one would have to install them. It won’t take too much time to install the fans.
One shouldn’t be scared about all the technical details of the product. With these, it can prove to be useful when installing. It can be learned with the manual provided. If you are not sure, always check the official website.
Hands-on with the Fractal Design Celsius S36 Prisma
After discussing the product’s technical aspects, we now check to see whether the product is worth the money in our Fractal Design Celsius S36 Prisma review.
In any case, it is essential to know the quality of the product through testing. Whether they live up to what they advertise or not, we’ll find out.
Installation
Upon the package’s arrival, it looked a bit intimidating at first, but as we slowly started setting it up, we found it to be quite simple. Thanks to the manual provided and the website, we were able to install it in under 10 minutes.
Due to the lightweight of the product, it was easy enough to carry around and adjust. Its braided sleeves together with the 90-degree fittings made it easier to maneuver around the PC case. With that done, let’s head over to the tests.
Testing
When planning the tests, we wanted to know several things. We wanted to see the noise levels, whether they reach higher than expected. Then, we also want to find out whether temperatures will stay in place.
To our amazement, the fans and the pump’s noise levels were significantly lower than what we would have expected. We enjoyed our time unhinged from the noise.
Regarding the temperatures, thanks to the pre-applied thermal paste and the proper cooling management, temperature levels were at an optimal low.
CPU Temp at Idle: 27 degrees C
CPU Temp Under Load: 57 degrees C
The coolers auto mode provided an incredibly simple way to keep temperatures under control. We didn’t even need to make any manual or physical adjustments towards the system as the auto mode equalised the temperatures for us. This made things way easier for us as we didn’t need to worry about the processor overheating.
Lastly, we also tried out the colour options which matched perfectly with our Razer Chroma keyboard. It was easy enough to synchronise the patterns since Fractal Design is certified with Razer. This made it a whole lot more fun to use.
All in all, Fractal Design has us leaving with our mouths wide open. With performance and cooling automatically adjusted by the device and system itself, we didn’t need to pay much attention to it. This lets us maximise our time playing the games on our PC.
Fractal Design comes up with brilliant innovations, thanks to the amount of attention they put towards gameplay and comfort.
Fractal Design Celsius S36 Prisma Review Summary
Before we end our Fractal Design Celsius S36 Prisma review, we will give our final verdict regarding this product.
The Fractal Design Celsius S36 Prisma is a one-of-a-kind product that removes stress entirely. With the auto mode, which features a self-balancing cooling system, you won’t have to be anxious anymore.
Its high-performance rates and cooling management combine both for a fantastic display of modern innovations that we had hoped to see. Other than that, it’s quiet operations leave us with a speechless atmosphere that allows us to immerse ourselves in our gameplay. With these in play, it truly is a sight to behold.
At the end of the day, we were rendered speechless with Fractal Design’s latest cooler. It was fun testing this product out, and we truly recommend this product for you. With that, we end our Fractal Design Celsius S36 Prisma review.
If you want to head on over to their website to purchase this product, then click here.
