Introduction
CRYORIG was established in 2013 and they have for sure come a long way in terms of providing some cool cooling solutions in the PC market. Their specialty is in the cooling solutions for more than anything else hence we can see their main product lines carrying the air coolers, liquid coolers, fans, and related accessories.
The CRYORIG showcased their new single tower cooler and new RGB fans back in 2018 during the CES. They have finally released the cooler along with the new fans Crona RGB! Crona back in 2018 would not have been a picky name but it does in 2020! Anyhow, I digress. In this content, we shall be taking a look at their new RGB/ARGB fans CRONA. They have released two variants namely Crona S and Crona X. the main objective behind the design of these fans is unobstructed light emission i.e 360° lighting effect. The rX vesion has a white color ring with white color blades whereas the S version has sublime lighting effect as it is all black with a small ring lining inside the circular frame. CRYORIG has bundled a plethora of accessories including a dedicated controller. These fans can’t be connected directly to the lighting headers of the motherboard rather one would need to connect these fans to the controller and then the controller is connected to the lighting headers on the motherboard. There is another striking feature. These fans through their controller can have RGB (12V) as well as ARGB lighting effect (5V) which is something I have not yet seen in other fans. If your motherboard has only 12V lighting header, you can still use these fans, if your motherboard has a 5V lighting header as well then you can enjoy digital lighting on the same fans. In case your motherboard does not have a lighting header, you can still use these fans with lighting effects coming from the controller. How good is that!
Product: CRONA X/S
Manufacturer: CRYORIG
Price: MSRP USD 75 for three fans pack at the time of the review
Specifications
Packing and Unboxing
CRYORIG has sent us both variants (3 fans pack) for testing. The fans are shipped inside a cardboard box packing with effect presentation as the top placed fan can be seen without opening the box.
Looking at the top of the packing box, we can see the fan. The center portion has a cutout with a transparent insert into it. The fans are placed under this transparent insert. The model of the fan is printed at the bottom. The symbols on the bottom right are showing that the box has 3x fans and a control hub.
The specification and the contents of the box are printed. CRYORIG has provided enough information which is handy to make a buying decision. Both variants are using the same packing box. Which variant it is in the box? The marking at the bottom will help besides the top view of the packing box giving away the fans included.
Crona is printed here.
Opening the box will show the stacked fans nicely packed inside the box.
There is a black color box style container inside the packing box. It has the accessories inside.
Contents
The following are included:
- 3x Crona RGB Fans
- 12x Sleeves
- 12x Small Size Screws
- 12x Large Size Screws
- 1x Intel Backplate
- 1x 12V RGB Cable
- 1x 5V RGB Cable
- 1x SATA Power Adapter
- 1x Controller
- 1x Remote Control
Closer Look
The new crona RGB fans feature the multi-hole back frame instead of having the traditional square frame. The result is a true 360° lighting halo effect from the front and sides. Yes, we are focused on the lighting aspect so far in the design element. How about the performance without the square frame? Will it have any impact on the airflow? Well, I should be focused on static pressure than the airflow in my personal opinion. CRYORIG is marketing these fans are the PC Chassis fans with a nice airflow rating and a better static pressure rating. We will see the actual airflow number and thermal performance of these fans in our testing section. Yes, I put these fans on the 240mm radiator though they are not advertised for it.
CRONA X
The crona X has a dimension of 120x120x25.4mm (LxWxH). Each fan weighs 157.1gm. The rating goes as under:
| Speed | 400 ~ 1700 ±10% RPM |
| Air flow | 60.6 CFM |
| Air Pressure | 2.65 mmH₂O |
| Noise Level | 16.5 ~ 29.7 dB(A) |
| Current | 0.15 A |
The crona X features an all-white design. We have a thick RGB ring circulating the 9 blades design. As can be seen in the picture, there is no square frame on these fans rather the blade assembly is suspending on the flat low-key multi-hole black back frame which CRYORIG has mentioned to be having an effect of air exhaust acceleration.
The blades are not translucent but have a solid white color. In that sense, they are not contributing to the overall AURA of RGB lighting. The light show is coming from the RGB ring itself. The center of the fan assembly has a CRYORIG sticker pasted on it.
There are two flat cables per fan. One is the 4-pin PWM connector cable and the other is an RGB lighting cable with a proprietary connector.
Taking a look at the backside of the crona X fan, we can spot the multi-hole back frame in its entirety. A certain portion of the RGB ring is exposed from this angle. This will enable the user to view the RGB lighting effect even from the backside. Each mounting hole on the corner has an anti-vibration rubber pad pre-applied to help with the vibration noise. One fan has this pad missing.
We have a 4-arms assembly on the back. One arm has an inset and a wider body so that RGB ad power cables can be routed through. There is a black color sticker pasted on the back with a CRYORIG brand logo. There is a clock sticker pasted on top showing the manufacturing date of the fan.
There are no arrow symbols on the frame itself. These symbols help the user identifying the direction of airflow and blades’ spin. The thicker design of the RGB ring is visible. Half of the circular frame is in solid black color.
CRONA S
The dimension of crona S is the same as is of the X variant i.e 120x120x25.4mm (LxWxH). Each fan has 157.1gm weight. The rating of the S variant is the same as is of the X variant.
| Speed | 400 ~ 1700 ±10% RPM |
| Airflow | 60.6 CFM |
| Air Pressure | 2.65 mmH₂O |
| Noise Level | 16.5 ~ 29.7 dB(A) |
| Current | 0.15 A |
The crona S variant is an all-black design. The fan blades are in the black color (matte and glazed). The circular frame is also in the black color. It has an RGB ring inside the black frame. We have subtle and sublime lighting on the S variant as compared to the X variant. Both variants of fans target different markets from the lighting perspective. S is for those who would want a little lighting effect with neutral/stealth look.
The crona S has 9 blades. The center of the fan has a sticker with CRYORIG branding on it. The crona S also features the same multi-hole black back frame as is on the X variant. The black frame and the black assembly on the crona S makes it quite an offer for the stealth builds.
There are two flat cables per crona S fan. One is the 4-pin PWM connector cable and the other is an RGB lighting cable with a proprietary connector.
The backside of the crona S fan has an identical layout as is on the X variant. The backside of the blades is glazed as well. Unlike the X variant, the RGB ring is not exposed on the backside so there will not be any spillover of the lighting on the backside.
We have the same 4-arms assembly with one arm carrying the power and RGB cables.
The Crona 120 ARGB fans feature CRYORIG’s HPLN (High Precision Low Noise) bearing system, offering stable and precision rotation eliminating excess vibration and noise.
RGB Lighting Accessories
CRYORIG has provided RGB accessories with their fans. If you buy one fan pack or 3 fans pack, you will get these accessories regardless. Let’s take a look at these accessories.
There is a 6-port RGB control hub included in the accessories. The users can connect up to 6x crona X/S fans to this control hub. The top side of the hub has clear marking making it easier for the user to identify each port and its related cable. There are LEDs inside the housing of the control hub which indicate the source of the light control.
There are 3 ports on both (main) sides of the control hub. Each port has a 6-pin header. This is where the RGB lighting cable of the crona X/S fan will be connected. Each port is labeled as FAN 1, FAN 2, and so on.
RGB is printed on the top housing of the control hub. This indicates that the bundled RGB cables are to be connected to these two ports. The white header will house the 5V RGB connector cable whereas the other header will have the 12V RGB cable.
The SATA cable is connected to the 5-pin header here to power the control hub. The two-pin header is optional. The user can connect the Chassis Reset cable to this header so that RGB lighting can be controlled using the Reset button on the chassis.
The backside of the control hub has two-sided 3M adhesive tape. The user can stick the control hub to the chassis.
Three cables are provided in the accessories. These are from top to bottom:
- SATA Power Cable
- 5V RGB Cable
- 12V RGB Cable
CRYORIG has provided a remote control for easy navigation. Please note that this remote control only works when the control hub has a light source. The power button will turn on/off the lighting on the fans. The top right-most button will switch the light source among the control hub, 5V RGB header on the motherboard and 12V RGB header on the motherboard. There are buttons for serial effect, chromatic effect, cycling the colors, brightness control, and speed control on the remote control.
The black color accessory box has informative text printed on the inner side.
The above picture is showing the 12V and 5V RGB cables connected to the control hub.
The above picture is showing the SATA cable connected to the control hub.
Here are some pictures of the crona RGB fans:
Testing Methodology
The Testbed configuration is:
- Asus Rampage V Edition 10
- Intel i7 6850k
- DeepCool Castle 240EX White
- XPG Spectrix D41 4x8GB @ 2666MHz
- Colorful iGame GeForce GTX 1050Ti 4G
- Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD
- Cooler Master MWe 650W PSU
- Custom open air test bench
The following software were used for testing and monitoring.
- ASUS Realbench v 2.56
- RealTemp GT v 3.70
Here is the settings table for testing:
| OC Voltage (V) | 1.210 | |
| OC Clock (MHz) | 4000 | |
| Turbo Boost | Disabled | |
| C-States | Disabled | |
| Speed Step | Disabled | |
| Thermal Paste | Noctua NT-H1 | |
| Test Run Time | 60 minutes | |
| Idling Time | 15 minutes | |
| Fan Speed | Manually set to run at 100% speed.
Auto PWM |
|
| Pump Speed | Manually set to run at 100% speed. | |
We are using Noctua NT-H1 on our test bench for all the coolers testing. This will ensure the standardization and mitigating any performance benefit that may come using the supplied thermal paste. Delta temperatures are reported on the graphs (Delta Temp = Average of all cores’ max temps – ambient temp). The testing is done on an open-air bench system. Once inside the chassis, the temperatures are expected to rise and would largely depend upon the optimal airflow inside the chassis.
Not every run of the stress test may yield the same result. This could well be due to many factors like mounting pressure, thermal paste application, varying ambient temperature. Not to mention the silicon differences even among the same category of the chips. Hence, it is pertinent to mention the testing methodology along with the specifics.
Before we could test these fans, we needed to establish a reference data against which the results could be compared. For this purpose, the stock fan provided with the DeepCool Castle 240EX White were used. Here is the comparison sheet for both fans:
| DeepCool Fans | Crona RGB Fans | |
| Rated Speed (RPM) | 500 ~ 1800 | 400 ~ 1700 ±10% |
| Rated Air Flow (CFM) | 64.4 | 60.6 |
| Rated Air Pressure | 2.33mmAq | 2.65mmH₂O |
| Bearing | Hydro | HPLN |
| Rated Current (A) | 0.15 | 0.15 |
| Noise Level dB(A) | ≤32.1 | 16.5 ~ 29.7 |
Results
At 100% PWM cycle the thermal performance is within 1°C margin making roughly all three fans performing similar under the given conditions.
On Auto PWM settings, the Crona S/X fans were operating in 1200 RPM range with a maximum speed of 1225 RPM and lowest 1068 RPM. The TF120 White fans from DeepCool have tight PWM regulation which has given them an advantage of over 2°C as compared to the Crona S/X fans in thermal performance with Auto PWM settings. This is still not a bad performance from the Crona S/X fans given that the manufacturer is not marketing these fans for radiator use.
The speed range graph shows that both variants are well within the 400 ~ 1700 ± 10% RPM specification.
The airflow was measured in an un-obstructive mode. The anemometer was placed roughly 1 inch away from the fan.
Noise
The sound meter was showing the noise level of the fans to be 50 dB(A) with an ambient sound level of 34 dB(A).
Conclusion
CRYORIG has finally released their new ARGB fans named Crona. Good luck with the naming convention in 2020, CRYORIG! Pun Intended. There are two variants of these fans; S and X. The dimension of these fans is 120x120x25.4mm (LxWxH). The striking feature of these fans is a multi-hole black color back frame on which the ring is suspended. These fans don’t have a square frame. The main objective behind this execution is to have a 3-dimensional AURA of lighting effect. In simple wording, one can have an almost 360° lighting without any obstruction. So one can view the lighting from the front as well as the sides. This is now not a new design innovation as many brands have already provided this design in their offering like AZZA has Hurricane II fans, darkFlash Arurao DR12, Aigo Twilight, Jackbaggio to name a few such designs but all these fans have square or a similar frame which the Crona S/X does not have. The Crona RGB fans are available in a single fan pack and 3 fans pack. The accessories for both are the same.
In terms of performance, these fans are rated for a speed of up to 1700±10% RPM at 12VDC using 0.15A. Their air pressure rating is 2.65 mmH₂O and noise level rating is between 16.5~29.7 dBA. The airflow is rated for 60.6 CFM. These fans are using CRYORIG’s HPLN (High Precision Low Noise) bearing system, offering stable and precision rotation eliminating excess vibration and noise.
Cryorig has bundled a plethora of accessories with these fans. They have provided long screws as well as short screws for installation. There are covers for the long screws to maintain the stealth look with regard to the black frame. Don’t use the long screws to install these fans on the radiator as these screws have thicker threading and will not pass through the mounting holes on the radiator. You can use the radiator’s long screws with these fans like I have used the DeepCool Castle 240EX White’s long screws with these fans.
The Crona X is all about un-obstructive three-dimensional lighting AURA whereas the Crona S is for those who would love a little light touch yet with the same subtle and sublime touch. The Crona S is all-black version with a single RGB ring running inside the main housed ring whereas the Crona X has a thicker RGB ring on top of the housing for vivid lighting show. The RGB show is quite pleasant and both fans serve their purpose quite well.
These fans come with a control hub and remote control. The user can connect these fans to the 12V and/or 5V headers on the motherboard as these fans support both types using the control hub. One can’t connect these fans directly to the motherboard lighting headers which is let down particularly if the control hub malfunctions, say goodbye to the lighting. CRYORIG is providing two years warranty with their Crona RGB fans. Up to 6 fans can be connected to the hub. The user can control the lighting through the control hub or switching the control to the motherboard using the remote control and then using the motherboard’s light control software. With the included Crona Controller and Remote, the Crona supports on the fly switching between up to 14 speed/color adjustable lighting effects. The Crona Controller supports both 12v and 5v Addressable inputs, making it compatible with almost all RGB enabled mainboards as well as a stand-alone RGB controller.
The MSRP of the CRYORIG Crona S/X 1 fan pack is USD 29.99 and USD 79.99 for 3 fans pack at the time of the review. These fans carry CRYORIG’s 2 year warranty. The Crona S and X fans feature an AURA of pleasant RGB lighting with nice performance out of the box. The possibility of connecting these fan to 12V and 5V lighting headers is appreciated. With plethora of accessories, splendid light show, and decent thermal performance, the Crona S and X come recommended by us. Make sure to check out which variant would you need as both serve to different genres.
We are thankful to CRYORIG for giving us the opportunity to review their Crona 120 RGB fans.
