After ASUS already updated the ROG Ryujin and ROG Strix LC all-in-one series in the last two years, the ROG Ryuo now follows, which we have in review as the ROG Ryuo III 360 ARGB. According to ASUS, this is the first AiO to use the new eighth-generation Asetek pump, which is supposed to enable even higher flow rates and lower noise levels. Furthermore, the square cooling plate has also been enlarged. Thanks to these changes, temperatures are said to drop by 2°C per 100 W of power consumption compared to the previous generation.
In addition to a high cooling performance, the company once again wants to convince customers with an eye-catching design including ARGB and offers an AniMe matrix display in the pump lid in addition to ARGB fans. This allows the display of own content and anmiations, but also of system statistics, such as CPU temperature, CPU frequency or fan speed and is already known from notebooks or peripherals like the ROG Zephyrus Duo 16 and G14.
The ASUS ROG Ryuo III is available in black and white and with radiators with a length of 240 and 360 mm. Whether cooling performance and volume of the AiO can convince thanks to the latest Asetek pump and also the new AniMe matrix display, we clarify on the basis of the black 360 mm model in the following test.
Specifications of the ASUS ROG Ryuo III 360 ARGB
| model | ASUS ROG Ryuo III 360 ARGB | |
| Dimensions Radiator | 399.5 x 120 x 30 mm | |
| Compatible bases | Intel LGA 1700, 1200, 115x AMD AM5, AM4 |
|
| Fan | type | 3x 120 mm ROG AF 12S ARGB |
| RPM | 2200 ± 300 rpm | |
| Static pressure | max. 3.88 mmH₂O | |
| Volume flow | 70.07 CFM / 119.05 m³/h | |
| Loudness | 36.45 dB(A) | |
| Connection | 4-pin PWM, 3-pin RGB | |
| Dimensions | 272 x 122x 27 mm | |
| Pump |
type | Asetek Gen. 8 |
| RPM | 800 – 2,600 ± 300 rpm | |
| Dimensions | 89 x 89 x 68.3 mm | |
| Material (base plate) | copper | |
| Tube length | 400 mm | |
| Special features | AniMe matrix display, ARGB fan | |
| Scope of delivery | ASUS ROG Ryuo III 360 ARGB, 3x 120 mm ROG AF 12S ARGB fans, fan splitter cable, ARGB splitter cable, accessory pack with screws and brackets, ROG sticker, ROG cable organizer | |
| Warranty | 6 years | |
| Price |
€ 255.48 * | |
Scope of delivery
The ASUS ROG Ryuo III 360 ARGB comes in a black cardboard box with the full AiO including the AniMe matrix display and RGB lighting on the front. Several logos in the lower left corner also refer to the 6-year warranty, the Asetek pump, the support for Aura Sync as well as the combatibility with the current sockets. On the back, ASUS lists some highlights of the ROG Ryuo III and technical specs.
Inside the box, everything is well stowed and secured against shifting. Besides the watercooling itself, there are the three individually packed ROG AF 12S ARGB fans, the mounting material, two splitter cables for the fans and their ARGB lighting and a manual. Furthermore, a sheet with several ROG stickers is also included. The thermal paste is already applied to the base plate, additional thermal paste, for later CPU changes or rebuilds, is not included.
Design and workmanship of the ASUS ROG Ryuo III 360 ARGB
The ASUS ROG Ryuo III 360 ARGB’s pump, textile-covered hoses, radiator, and fan frames are completely and uniformly black. Visually, the round pump housing stands out the most, with a vacuum-coated lens on its top. While the top side is reflective when turned off, you can see the diverse effects and content of the AniMe matrix display underneath when in use. This is also framed with a diamond-cut bezel that includes a subtle “Republic of Gamers” lettering and the coordinates of the ASUS headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan. The sides of the pump case are also lightly textured. The bottom of the pump housing is where the tubing connections are located, as well as the power connector and the USB port for the AniMe Matrix display. Even though the pump housing can be installed rotated, we recommend this orientation as the effects already applied by ASUS cannot be rotated.
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The bottom panel of the ASUS ROG Ryuo III 360 ARGB is square and made of copper. It is larger than that of the previous generation, allowing more heat to be transferred from the processor to the cooling system. This should make the AiO more suitable for the current or generally processors with a high power consumption. The thermal paste is already applied and protected by a plastic lid. Also protected by plastic is the radiator, which at 30 mm is slightly thicker than most other models.
The three 120 mm fans are ROG AF 12S ARGB fans. These have black frames, rubberized corners and slightly transparent light gray fan blades. A lettering on the frame as well as a logo in the center also indicate that they belong to the ROG series.
Material quality and workmanship of the ASUS ROG Ryuo III 360 ARGB are convincing all around, which is also to be expected in view of the high price. We did not notice any sharp edges or minor flaws, even upon closer inspection.
Assembly
Included with the ASUS ROG Ryuo III 360 ARGB is mounting hardware for Intel sockets LGA 1700, 1200 and 115x, as well as AMD sockets AM5 and AM4. The enclosed instructions are easy to understand and the installation turns out to be very quick and uncomplicated.
First we attach the fans to the radiator and then to the case. Due to our case, the Fractal Design Torrent, the assembly deviates slightly and we also screw the front panels. The length of the hoses of 400 mm can be considered standard, but is still quite tight when installing in the front of larger cases. Afterwards, we put the backplate on the motherboard and fix it with the included screws, which prevents it from slipping or falling out. Finally, we put the heatsink on top and fasten it with the nuts.
Wiring the individual components is also done quickly. We connect the pump to the AiO header and all three fans together to the CPU header with the included splitter cable. Furthermore, a free USB port is needed for the AniMe matrix display and a 3-pin ARGB header for the ARGB lighting of the fans. A splitter cable is included for this as well.
Cooling performance and volume of the ASUS ROG Ryuo III 360 ARGB
When testing cooling performance, we compared the ASUS ROG Ryuo III 360 ARGB to the ASUS ROG Strix LC II 280 ARGB, the latter relying on the previous seventh-generation Asetek pump. Both coolers were tested in the same system, and the radiators of the AiOs were also both installed in the front.
We determine the temperatures under load with Cinebench R23. We record the temperatures over a period of 30 minutes and consider the maximum values. To avoid readout errors, we also look at the exact course. For better and easier comparability, at different room temperatures, we show the difference between CPU and room temperature, i.e. the heating of the CPU compared to the environment. Lower values are thus always better, for the actual CPU temperature the difference given here must be added to the room temperature.
Test system
- ASUS ROG Strix B560-F Gaming WiFi Motherboard
- Intel Core i5-11400F processor
- 32GB G.Skill RipJaws V 3200 RAM
- INNO3D GeForce RTX 3060 Twin X2 graphics card
- Kingston KC3000 1TB SSD
- Crucial P5 2TB SSD
- Crucial MX500 4TB SSD
- Seasonic Focus GX-550 power supply
- Fractal Design Torrent Black TG Dark Tint
High cooling performance, even at low speeds
With future testing in mind, we tested cooling performance at speeds of 50 and 100% for the fans and speeds of 70 and 100% for the pump, as most AiOs should easily cover this range. Fortunately, the included ROG AF 12S ARGB fans start up at 600 rpm and the pump at a very low 800 rpm.
| Cooler | speed | Difference CPU to room temperature | ||
| Fan | Pump | CPU | CPU cores (ø) | |
| ASUS ROG Ryuo III 360 ARGB | 50% | 70% | 33.65 K | 30.65 K |
| 50% | 100% | 32.55 K | 30.22 K | |
| 100% | 70% | 30.45 K | 29.12 K | |
| 100% | 100% | 29.40 K | 27.90 K | |
| ASUS ROG Strix LC II 280 ARGB | 50% | 70% | 36.00 K | 32.67 K |
| 50% | 100% | 35.00 K | 32.33 K | |
| 100% | 70% | 33.00 K | 30.67 K | |
| 100% | 100% | 32.00 K | 30.00 K | |
The ASUS ROG Ryuo III 360 ARGB, thanks to its large radiator surface area, powerful pump, and also large base plate, consistently provides very high cooling performance and easily beats the slightly smaller ASUS ROG Strix LC II 280 ARGB, with seventh-generation Asetek pump. In the very bright Fractal Design Torrent, the fans were quiet but clearly audible at 50% speed, and at 100% speed they are very loud and drown out the pump in all cases. At a speed of 70%, the pump whirrs quietly and is minimally audible with the fans regulated to 50%; at 100%, the whirring of the pump becomes very noticeable. If we reduce the pump’s speed to 60%, it falls silent completely and independently of the other components. Due to the high cooling capacity, the fan and pump can be controlled well depending on the temperature, which means that the AiO offers a very good compromise between low temperatures and low noise at all times.
AniMe matrix display and ARGB lighting
Controlling the AniMe matrix display and ARGB lighting of the ROG AF 12S ARGB fans is done via the ASUS Armoury Crate app. The sub-item Aura Sync is used to access the ARGB effects of the components connected via the 3-pin ARGB header, in our case the AiO and case fans. Different effects can be selected for these, and the colors, speed and brightness can be adjusted. Multiple effects can also be combined into one scene via the Aura Creator.
The ROG Ryuo III or the AniMe matrix display can be selected via the Devices submenu. If you select ROG Ryuo III, then you get to the effects already created by ASUS. These include various animations, but also hardware information, e.g. CPU frequency or temperature can be displayed on the screen. If this is not enough, you can let your creativity run free under AniMe Matrix Display. Here the already existing animations can be adapted or also own texts from the editor, own pictures or date and time can be displayed. Again, several effects can be combined into one scene.
ASUS ROG Ryuo III 360 ARGB review: conclusion
All in all, the ASUS ROG Ryuo III 360 ARGB proves to be a very successful overall product in the test. The AiO offers a very high cooling performance, even at low noise levels. This is due to the large radiator and the three fans as well as the Asetek pump, which is also convincing in the eighth generation. Furthermore, the AiO is especially visually a highlight and offers a consistent black design, ARGB lighting and an AniMe matrix display, which allows many animations, the display of hardware information but also own customization options. In addition, there is a very good material and build quality as well as a warranty period of 6 years, which is to be expected for the price.
This also brings us to the only point of criticism: with a price of almost 370€ (as of 01/19/2023), the AiO is very expensive. Other premium AiOs, such as the ASUS ROG Strix LC II 360, which does not have a display, are available for just over half the price. AiOs with a display, such as Corsair’s iCUE H170i ELITE LCD, are available with a 360mm radiator for ~€300. In the long run, the ROG Ryuo III 360 ARGB should settle there as well. However, if you are willing to pay the high price, you will get an excellent AiO in terms of cooling performance, pump, looks and also workmanship.
ASUS ROG Ryuo III 360 ARGB
Design
Workmanship
Mounting
Cooling
Noise level
Value for money
93/100
In terms of cooling capacity, pump, optics and workmanship excellent AiO, which is accordingly but also a bit more expensive.
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