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Noise-normalized testing
Most testing is performed with the cooler tied to the default fan curve of our MSI x870E Carbon motherboard. But some of y’all prefer to see tests when the noise levels of coolers are equalized. This is especially important to those of you who prefer silent computers.
We’ll start with the “easiest” of these tests, which runs Cinebench R23 with a “stock” power limit. On my motherboard, this means the CPU will consume ~200W. The results here aren’t quite as impressive as we hoped, falling behind other 360mm AIOs.
The next test is a bit harder, with PBO enabled to allow the CPU to use as much power as can be handled – where it handled 237W, on average.
For our last test, we’ve added the heat of a GPU to the mix, which contributes 295W of added thermals into the PC case. This result is similar to our other noise-normalized tests, and isn’t very impressive. However, when tied to a typical fan curve, this AIO performs much better – as you’ll see in the last section.
Noise levels
We’ve measured noise levels at two points to give you an idea of how the cooler operates when tied to a motherboard’s default fan curve. Our first measurement is when the fans are allowed to run at full speeds, the loudest noise levels possible.
In terms of maximum volume, Thermalright’s AIO reaches 47.2 dBA. This is louder than I would prefer, but seems to be about “middle of the road” in comparison to other high-performance liquid cooling systems these days.
Our next acoustic measurement is the cooler’s volume when the CPU consumes 150W. This might be similar to your “worst case” gaming scenarios, especially if PBO is enabled. Noise levels are very good here, reaching only 38.9 dBA. This means the cooler runs quietly in most common use cases, and will only become noisy in high-intensity workloads.
PBO Performance – full fan speeds
While some of you prefer to run coolers at low noise levels, I know many just want to see maximum performance. This test lets the fans run at their full speeds, show the full potential of the AIO’s cooling potential. Turning on PBO allows AMD’s Ryzen 9 9950X to stretch its legs and guzzle power, pushing the limits of any CPU cooler on the market.
The Wonder Vision 360 UB cooled 255W in this test, only 3W behind the best results we’ve had from a 360mm AIO thus far.
200W thermal benchmarks and noise levels
For the next thermal test, I leave motherboard settings at their defaults, which results in a power limit of 200W when running Cinebench R23. CPU temperatures here averaged 74.7C, which is rather impressive when you consider that our best result – with Arctic’s Liquid Freezer III Pro 420 – was only 1.1C cooler!
150W thermal benchmarks and noise levels
For the next thermal test, I’ve set the power limit to 150W.
In this lower-intensity scenario, the Wonder Vision 360 UB showed off, delivering the best temperatures we’ve seen on this AMD Ryzen 9 9950X system, reaching an average of only 59.1 degrees Celsius.
100W thermal results
Our next test is the least-difficult featured in our cooling reviews, with a workload consuming only 100W. In this lower-intensity scenario, Thermalright’s Wonder Vision 360 UB again had the best results of the 360mm AIOs we’ve tested on this system, with a temperature averaging a ‘chilly’ 47.6 degrees C.
Conclusion
With the Wonder Vision 360 UB ARGB Black, Thermalright has shown that the company isn’t just an effective competitor for budget cooling – it’s also fully capable of producing high-end, premium products.
This AIO’s price of $205.90 might seem steep at first, until you consider that curved-screen competitors from Tryx and others often have prices closer to $300 or more. The included 6.7-inch ultrawide display is gorgeous, and features hundreds of visual theme options, courteously of Thermalright’s TRCC software. And the ability to use the screen independently of the cooler might appeal to those wanting to customize their PC cases in unique ways.
