s28 rgb banner Fractal Design Lumen S24 RGB Cooler Review

Fractal Design Lumen S24 RGB Cooler Review

Around late 2021, Fractal Design launched their new collection of AIO coolers called Lumen. Today, we’re bringing you our Fractal Design Lumen S24 RGB Cooler review which will focus on this specific product. 

The Lumen coolers are available in both RGB and non-RGB versions. But in this review, we will focus on the Lumen S24 RGB Cooler to give you an idea of what it’s all about. We’ll discuss everything from its design and functions, then all the way to its performance. 

But first, let’s check out its packaging and the extras Fractal Design included in their package. 

Fractal Design Lumen S24 RGB Cooler Packaging

We were excited to receive our package for this Fractal Design Lumen S24 RGB Cooler review. There’s nothing special about the packaging since it looks like every other box from Fractal Design. But despite that, we love how durable and sturdy the box is for protecting the contents inside during transit. 

The front of the box showcases a bold and strong design with a big, clear image of the AIO cooler. You’ll also see its ARGB lighting on display which gives you an idea of how it looks. 

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On the box’s rear, you’ll see all of the cooler’s key features and product dimensions. The radiator’s dimensions can be seen on the block diagram, as well as the socket compatibility details. 

In the box, you’ll find the Lumen S24 RGB Cooler, a user manual, and one brochure. The latter gives you instructions on how to reach the manufacturer in case you receive a faulty cooler. 

You’ll find an Intel backplate, AMD ring bracket, and an Intel Ring bracket which is pre-installed on the block. There are four thumb nuts, four black spacers, four Intel LGA20xx standoffs, four Intel other-socket standoffs, and five washers. 

The company even included two AMD mounting pin brackets plus Phillips 6-32 long and short screws (eight for each). Then lastly, there’s a cable for connecting the cooler block with a regular 3-pin ARGB header on the board. 

Now, let’s continue our Fractal Design Lumen S24 RGB Cooler review by looking at its build, style, and functions.

Fractal Design Lumen S24 RGB Cooler Review – Design and Functionality

We inspected the design and build of the cooler for this Fractal Design Lumen S24 RGB Cooler review. From there, we noticed how much of a strong, professional, sleek, and premium aesthetic it gives off. 

It definitely looks like an AIO that’s designed to get the job done while being very good at it too. And since it’s an AIO cooler, there are numerous key components that were included in its overall design. 

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The cooler’s radiator is, compared to other AIO coolers, quite interesting and unique. It’s made of aluminium which helps it stay nice and lightweight. It also sports an APALTEK design, so the blocks on each of the radiator’s ends aren’t rectangular, but rounded instead. 

The water pump’s main power input is found along the rear portion of the radiator. This specific placement may appear a bit odd, especially on a more practical level. However, it does make concealing the power supply’s cabling management much better. 

The hose that connects the radiator to the CPU block has a generous length. It measures approximately 50.8 to 76.2mm longer than what you’d often see on other models.

We love how the CPU block sports an exceptionally clean and neat design that matches its notably slim form. This area is where some of the ARGB action takes place. But despite that, it still appears sleek and eye-catching even when the lighting is switched off. 

As we mentioned, its CPU block isn’t huge and chunky unlike most of the designs of AIO coolers. As such, we can’t see it posing any problems or issues when it comes to system compatibility, specifically with RAM. 

To get the best from its ARGB lighting effects, you can remove and rotate the cap at a 90-degree angle. That means you can install it any way you want without hindering the product from working how it should. 

When it comes to controlling the pump’s built-in ARGB effects, you have a couple of options to choose from. That’s because it supports ASUS AURA, MSI Mystic Light, Gigabyte Fusion, Razer Chroma, and ASRock Polychrome. 

Instead of giving you some thermal compound that’s kept in a tube, Fractal Design opted to have it pre-applied. That means the cooler is ready to install right out of the box. The placement and quantity of it is enough for both AMD and Intel processors. 

If you’re inexperienced when it comes to CPU cooler installation, having the thermal paste pre-applied will be extremely helpful. 

Now about the contact plate, it’s really nice and huge. And with the exception of HEDT models like the AMD Threadripper, this should offer amazing coverage for your CPU. 

It sports a nicely polished copper design combined with quality components to make it work better. Plus, you’ll get to take advantage of notable CPU temperature results when used even under loads. 

Let’s continue with our Fractal Design Lumen S24 RGB Cooler review and now discuss its RGB fans. 

RGB Fans

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This AIO cooler is 240mm and it comes supplied with two 120mm cooling fans. The Lumen cooler features the company’s newly-released Aspect PWM fans that have daisy-chainable ARGB/power connectors. Additionally, these come pre-applied with adequate thermal paste coverage, making it an ideal product for both newbie and seasoned builders. 

Fractal Design kept the clean and sleek black aesthetic combined with off-white blades to allow the ARGBs to fully pop. And taking a closer look, you’ll notice that this is Fractal’s own design which is certainly promising. With this, you can see that the fans were specifically chosen to perfectly match the Lumen S24 RGB Cooler. 

Key Features of the Fractal Design Lumen S24 RGB Cooler 

Our Fractal Design Lumen S24 RGB Cooler review will give you a whole list of all the cooler’s key features. Here are all the aspects that make it a favourite among many. 

Colour Coordinated Water Cooling

With Lumen’s six ARGB LEDs, you can customise your CPU cooler’s lights via the motherboard or controller.

Removable Cap

You can remove the cap of the Lumen S24 RGB’s block to rotate it at 90-degree intervals. So, you can maintain the horizontal logotype regardless of your cooler’s mounting orientation.

Easy Cable Management

The Lumen S24 RGBuses low-permeability rubber tubes and braided nylon sleeves. Also, the cooler has articulating elbow fittings for easier tube routing and reduced tension on the cold plate housing.

Pre-applied Thermal Paste

Applying thermal paste can be a challenge since using too little or too much can damage your components. But since Fractal Design pre-applied thermal paste for the Lumen S24 RGB, you won’t have to deal with this. 

With that, installing your cooler will be easier and pain-free.

Comes with Two Mounting Brackets

The Lumen S24 RGB Cooler from Fractal Design comes with Intel and AMD brackets. It’s a great and convenient move from the company so you won’t have to worry about compatibility issues etc.

Powerful Aspect Fans

Fractal Design packed the Lumen S24 RGB with Aspect 12 RGB PWM fans that feature low turbulence and chaining support.

5-year Warranty for the Fractal Design Lumen S24 RGB Cooler

The Lumen S24 RGB comes with a 5-year warranty which is great for a premium-grade cooling solution. This also shows the manufacturer’s trust in their products.

Specifications

To know more about the product, our Fractal Design Lumen S24 RGB Cooler review will discuss the cooler’s specifications. 

It supports both Intel and AMD sockets, but to be specific, let’s enumerate what these are. For Intel, it works with the LGA 1150, 1156,1155, 1200, and LGA 1366, 2011-3, 2011, and 2066. For the AMD sockets, the cooler supports AM4, FM2, FM2+, FM1, AM3, AM3+, AM2, and AM2+. 

Fractal utilised copper for the cold plate, while its 400mm tube is made from low-permeability rubber and braided nylon sleeves. When it comes to the block, it measures 43mm tall. 

Block measurements with the fittings is 79 x 67mm while the block diameter, specifically the main block body, is 67mm. 

Fan Specifications of the Fractal Design Lumen S24 RGB Cooler

The fan used is the Aspect 12 RGB PWM that has a rotational speed of 500 to 2,000 RPM. It comes with fan rifle bearings with an acoustical noise of 10–33.2 dBA.

The Lumen S24 RGB Cooler’s fans’ have a total airflow of 13 – 56 CFM. Then, its total static pressure is 0.230 – 2.34mm H2O. 

The fan’s input voltage is 12V, the maximum input current is 0.37A, and its MTTF is 90,000 hours. 

Pump and Radiator Specifications

The Lumen S24 RGB Cooler’s pump has a rotational speed of 4,000 ± 10% RPM. And, it sports a ceramic bearing. Acoustic noise at full speed is 22 dBA, maximum pressure is 17.6 kPa, and MTTF is 50,000 hours. 

When you look at its input voltage, the pump uses 12V DC while the input current without fans is 0.34 A. 

Then for the radiator, it measures 272 x 120 x 27mm. And, its housing is made of aluminium which gives off a nice and premium look. 

Hands-on with the Fractal Design Lumen S24 RGB Cooler

We used the cooler for almost a week for this Fractal Design Lumen S24 RGB Cooler review. It’s the best way to observe how well it performed which we’ll share with you this time. 

If you keep track of the latest offerings in the market, you’ll definitely know about the trends and new releases. And surely, you know that Fractal Design doesn’t flood with tons of new releases. But when they do offer something new, they never fail to impress us every time. 

CPU Temp at Idle: 25 degrees C

CPU Temp Under Load: 59 degrees C

With the Lumen S24 RGB Cooler, there’s also no exception here. At stock levels the cooler gave us impressively low CPU temperatures. Then under the twin-fan AIO standards, it offered us silent levels of acoustic output. 

The real highlight of its performance is undoubtedly exhibited in our overclocked tests. While it still offered low noise levels, the Lumen S24 RGB Cooler simultaneously gave us great overclocking temperature results. 

When it comes to its performance and build quality, this product is basically faultless. We didn’t experience any issues with it, nor did it have any hiccups throughout our tests. Plus, with all the positive results we received, it’s obvious that Fractal put a lot of thought into the product. 

Basically, it gave us low CPU temperatures just like we’ve mentioned earlier. And other than that, it offered excellent CPU temperature management, making it a great solution for moderate overclocking levels. 

Although its acoustic performance wasn’t really whisper-quiet, it wasn’t noisy nor loud either. We were able to use the cooler under loads for long periods without getting bothered by its sounds. That’s something we greatly appreciate. 

The Lumen S24 RGB is an excellent cooler especially if you’re an enthusiast-level user. It offers adequate cooling especially if you like tweaking your BIOS and overclocking your processor.

Fractal Design Lumen S24 RGB Cooler Review Summary

There are a lot of AIO cooling solutions to choose from on the market today. From the budget-friendly to high-end models, each cooler has its unique features. 

There are fancy yet affordable RGB coolers, but you usually get what you pay for when it comes to performance. And for AIO cooling solutions, keeping your CPU’s temperatures as low as possible must be your top priority. But if you want aesthetics and performance in a single package, the Lumen S24 RGB can give you that.

This cooler from Fractal Design is a great AIO solution that delivers excellent performance without issues. In fact, it’s better than most premium-level 240mm AIO liquid cooling solutions since it has a competitive price tag.

Overall, we highly recommend the Lumen S24 RGB. It’s a high-spec cooler from one of the most respected brands, making it a trusted product. Since it’s a well-designed cooler with premium build quality and excellent performance, it’s one of the best you can get.

The Lumen S24 is available in various shops around the world. If you’re planning to upgrade your PC but want more info about the cooler, you’re all set. Check out Fractal Design’s official product page for more details about the Lumen S24 RGB Cooler .