2016-03-13



Raijintek, a name that's still new in Malaysia's CPU cooler market but it quickly grabbed the attention of many who seeks for a back for the buck AIO liquid cooler. The Raijintek Triton 240 is among the popular choices of AIO liquid cooler due to its impressive price over performance ratio.

Today at Tech Critter's lab, we'll be taking a closer look at the Raijintek Triton 280, another AIO liquid cooler the same Triton lineup but with a larger 280MM radiator. The Triton 240 itself is already a very outstanding cooler based on our past review, but just how much difference can the Triton 280 pull off this time?

*Special thanks to Cudo Technologies and Raijintek for making this review possible*

Specifications



Packaging



The packaging was supposed to looks very similar to the Triton 240 that comes with its specifications, lineup of the Triton 280, but we somehow teared the cover by accident.

Accessories

The accessories that comes together with the Triton 280 includes the coloring dyes, user's manual, mounting screws, mounting plate, a pack thermal paste and a pair of 140MM PWM fans.

The Raijintek Triton 280

At first glance, the Raijintek Trion 280 looks pretty much identical to the Triton 240 model. The only difference here is the fan mount on the radiator that supports both 140MM and 120MM fans.

Much like the Triton 240, the radiator of the Triton 280 comes with the same thickness of 32mm. We can expect better cooling performance from it as compared to most OEM liquid coolers that uses a thinner 280MM radiator with 27mm thickness.

The fpi count measured is 22, which is an extra 2 fins compared to most AIO you'll find on the market. Everything looks pretty positive at this point and we have high hope on it!

The pump block is identical to the one we've seen on the Triton 240 which is clearly made up of the reservoir, pump and CPU block.

The very same expandability and maintainability as there, allowing users to change the type of liquid used, the loop itself and more as long as its within alignment with Raijintek's T&C.

Compression fittings is used on the Triton 280 as well, which it will hold the end of the tube in a much more secure way compared to the conventional barb fittings that is more vulnerable to pulling.

The mirror-polished nickel plated copper base is much to be expected as it's pretty much the same pump block used on the Triton 240. Just remember to remove the plastic cover before you install it onto a CPU.

Installation

If you're upgrading from a stock CPU cooler, there's nothing much to worry abouty as the installation is pretty easy to begin with. After unpacking all the necessary parts, we start off with aligning the backplate that has a foam on the other side to the mounting holes on your motherboard, followed by inserting the screws through the holes.

Flip the board over to the front and place the spacers through the protruded screws we've installed from the bottom. The purpose of these spacers is to create an insulating layer that prevents any metal parts of the cooler to come in direct contact with the motherboard.

Once the spacers are in place, secured the screws with these metal spacers to keep things in place, as well as a preparation for the top metal frame mount.

Align the metal frame with the metal spacers and secure the metal frame mount with the screws provided - we're almost there!

Before mounting the pump block, remember to peel off that plastic cover that's stuck to the base of the cooler. Apply a suitable amount of thermal paste on the CPU, we recommend the pea size or rice grain amount that will do just right. And finally, secure the pump block to the metal frame mount but do remember not to overtighten it. The coloring is pretty much optional and we'd love to stick to the clear water color for it.

Performance Test

Test Bench Configuration

CPU Cooler

Raijintek Triton

CPU

Intel Core i7 4790k

Graphics Card

ASUS R9 280X DirectCU II OC

Memory

Corsair Vengeance Pro 4GB x 2

Primary Hard Drive

Intel 520 Series 240GB

Power Supply

be quiet! Straight Power 10 600W

Chassis

Vector Bench Case

We fired up a CPU stress test with Prime95 with the option 'In-place large FFTs' for maximum heat output, under room temperature of about 28ºC. We've also included results of some CPU liquid  coolers that we've tested with the same configuration as a comparison for the Raijintek Triton 280.

While our Intel i7 4790K CPU is running at stock speed, the Raijintek Triton 280 owned the competition with a jaw dropping result of 42°C, beating our current best liquid cooler on the list by 3°C different.

As we ramp up the CPU clock to 4.6GHz, our Intel i7 4790k heated up a lot and we really meant it when it comes to this a lot. An Intel stock CPU cooler won't stand a chance when it comes to this amount of heat produced. While the liqiud coolers we have here seems to be able to manage that amount of heat, both Raijintek Triton performs beautifully with the Raijintek Triton 280 leading the race with a maximum temperature reading of 71°C.

Our Verdict

The Raijintek Triton 240 we've tested previous got our mind blown for its impressive cooler performance and things goes pretty much the same on the Raijintek Triton 280 - it's also the best AIO we've tested to date, after the Triton 240.

Installation was pretty easy and if you're really willing to go a little further to the extend of voiding its warranty by taking it apart, you can expect for its expand-ability and maintainability that goes far better than most AIO liquid cooler - we don't really recommend in doing so unless you're ready for this and really know what you're doing with tit.

The Raijintek Triton 280 is definitely a bang for the buck liquid CPU cooler, after the Raijintek Triton 240 that topped the list of our liquid CPU cooler database. At the price of RM459, the Raijintek Triton 280 outbeats a huge bunch of liquid CPU coolers that falls at the same price and it wouldn't hurt to pay for that extra RM60 if you're looking for that extra performance for few ºC lower than what the Triton 240 can achieve.

Pros

Outstanding performance

Reasonably good value for money

Coolant / liquid can be replaced timely

Easy to install

Offers expandability (will void warranty if its not aligned with the T&C)

Comes with a reasonable 2 year warranty

Cons

The tubing is very soft and kinks easily if it's overbended

The coolant evaporates overtime

Not all PC chassis supports a 280mm radiator

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