Raijintek’s Triton is one of the most distinctive coolers on test. The chunky pump and waterblock unit has clear Perspex walls, so you can watch the coolant bubbling inside. What’s more, bottles of red, green and blue coolant dye are included.
You remove a plug at the top of the pump to add the dye, and standard watercooling fittings are used throughout, so you can add other parts to it.
It’s a great start, but installation gave us numerous hassles. The two 120mm fans are joined together with one cable, so they need to be attached at the same time tricky when you’re working alone, and you’ll also need to replace both of them if one malfunctions.
The fan and pump cables are both Molex-powered too, which isn’t as neat as connecting to a standard fan header, and there’s no PWM control.
A universal backplate is included, but it doesn’t make setup any easier once screws are passed through the motherboard, they need to be fitted with washers and nuts, and then the mounting plate needs to be attached with four more screws. It’s unnecessarily fiddly, and it even remains complicated on LGA2011, where the backplate isn’t required.
The Triton also includes a variable speed dial for its fans, but it’s attached to the unit and dangles inside the chassis thanks to a short cable. The tight budget is clear elsewhere too, with no use of rubber or anti-noise material, and only a small sachet of thermal paste is included, rather than a larger tube.
Once it’s fitted, though, there’s no denying the Triton’s cooling prowess. In our LGA1150 rig, its maximum speed delta T of 45°C was the best result on test by a margin of 2°C. It even excelled at minimum fan speed, with its delta T of 55°C sitting in a mid-table spot.
The Triton’s cooling bettered most of the competition in our LGA2011 rig too. With its fans running at top speed, its delta T of 47°C was good enough to secure second place. However, the limits of the minimum speed mode are clear on an LGA2011 system, where the delta T rose to 63°C.
The Triton also makes more noise than any other cooler when it first boots, but the racket soon dampens afterwards. It was barely audible in its minimum speed mode, and the variable fan controller allows for precise adjustment, which is just as well, as the fans make a loud noise at maximum speed.
Conclusion
The Triton might have an irritating installation procedure, but it excels once it’s fitted. Its variable fan controller allows more control over speeds than most other coolers on test, and its dyed coolant and Perspex pump make for a distinctive-looking addition to any PC.
It’s almost like having a custom loop for a fraction of the price. The cooling performance is exceptional too, especially on LGA1150. It’s a decent LGA2011 cooler too, if your budget can’t quite run to the Corsair H105, or if you’re after a more distinctive-looking cooler.
VERDICT
Incredible cooling and flexibility makes up for an irritating installation procedure. A great cooler for a surprisingly low price.
