Introduction
The English word “Gelid” comes from the Latin word “gelid us” (very cold, icy). As the name indicates, the GELID Solutions are primarily focused on the thermal solutions as they design and manufacture CPU and VGA coolers, chassis fans, thermal compounds, accessories and other equipment for computers and electronic devices. The company also supplies a range of products for international OEM and ODM clients. They are based in Hong Kong and has multiple manufacturing facilities in Mainland China and Taiwan. The company believes in Quality, Reliability, and Efficiency as the main driving force behind the product ideas and execution.
GELID Solution has launched an RGB accessory called Lumen which is a dual solution for your RAM. Lumen is a RGB Cooling Kit for your PC RAM, compatible with DDR2/DDR3/DDR4 kits in standard as well as low profile configurations. The idea is simple yet the execution is brilliant with one caveat. You can’t control the RGB lighting on these cooling kits. The Lumen is available in two colors black and red meaning the heatsink or side covers color is either black or red. Each box comes with two kits.
Product: Lumen
Manufacturer: GELID Solutions
Price: 9.99 USD / 8.99 EUR [MSRP]
Specifications
Packing and Unboxing
The cooler is shipped inside a paperboard box with colorful theme all around.
Lumen is a RGB cooling kit for RAM/Memory. The picture on the box highlights the color illumination on the kit.
GELID Solution has mentioned that the RGB kit uses standard 3-pin connector. This connector is not a standard connector for RGB cable rather it is like a 3-pin power connector for a fan.
The features and specifications are printed. The covers are made of aluminum material. The RGB is taking 12V.
There are two black color containers included in the packing box. Each has a single kit inside.
There is a single page guide on how to assemble the kit with a RAM stick. Somehow, I found the illustration not comprehensive. They have uploaded specimen pictures on their website which would come handy. In case you get confuse, just visit their site and take a look at those pics. At the end, assembling is an easier task than said.
Contents
Following is provided with a single kit. Please, note that each box has two kits.
- 1x RGB Heatsink
- 1x Allen key
- 2x Plastic Supports for Low Profile RAM
- 2x Dual Sided White color Thermal Pads
- 1x Black color Strip
Closer Look
Let’s start with what GELID Solution is saying about the Lumen, “Lumen offers an easy way of adding RGB into your PC. It features the double-side vest heatsink to enhance DRAM cooling and the RGB module with a standard 3-Pin Fan connector that can be attached to any motherboard. The RGB functions are fully automatic and don’t require external hardware or software to set lighting modes. Made of high-grade components, Lumen supports all types and form-factors of DDR2/DDR3/DDR4 RAM modules designed for desktops. It ensures fast installation and perfectly fits high-performance DRAM to boost overclocking capabilities and energize your gaming rig with spectacular RGB lighting.”
The dimension of each kit is 139×8.1x45mm where 8.1mm is the thickness of the kit. The heatsink is made of Aluminum material and weighs 50gm. The kit is compatible with DDR2/DDR3/DDR4 RAM kits. Each packing box comes with two kits. There is a GELID branding on the side of the heatsink. The heatsink itself is cut-to design with 5 vents on the top section. The thick diffuser can be seen under these cutouts. The top of the kit has a thick frosted diffuser running on the entire length of the heatsink. We have two screws on the sides. These screws are holding the kit together. GELID has provided Allen key to operate these two screws.
The other side of the kit has a similar aluminum cover without any GELID branding. Both covers are identical in layout.
Each kit has a power cable for the RGB lighting. We have a 3-pin fan connector for this purpose which can be connected to any 3-pin/4-pin header on the motherboard. We can’t control the lighting as they will diffuse the colors per factory settings/modes.
There is also a 2-pin socket connector on the same cable. The idea is to connect both kits and then use a single fan header on the motherboard.
The diffuser is made of the white acrylic and it is frosted. The top of the diffuser has crystal finish which looks good under lighting.
The above picture is showing the diffuser after installing the kit on the motherboard. The idea is to show the crystalline effect on the diffuser.
Each kit has two white color thermal pads which are cut-to-size. The pads are flexible and care should be taken when handling them when applying.
There is a black color strip in the box as well (two strips in total). The strip has same dimension as the thermal pad. We will shortly look at its use.
GELID Solution has provided two white color plastic supports along with the Allen key. The Allen key is to assemble/disassemble a kit. The supports are required when using a low profile RAM.
Assembling
Let’s take a look at the assembling process. We have used G.SKill Aegis 1x8GB DDR4 stick for this purpose. Aegis is a cost effective RAM kit solution from the G.Skill. It does not have heat sinks or RGB lighting. There are only two sticker covers pasted on the sides. We peeled the covers to use the stick.
Remove the side cover by unscrewing two hex screws using the Allen key. We get to see what is between both covers. There is a diffuser on the top with RGB LED strip placed on a top removable part. Notice the two cutouts on the removable part. This is where the plastic supports need to be attached when using a low profile RAM.
Start by applying a white color thermal pad on the aluminum heat sink below the diffusers. The pad should be in the center unlike what the picture is showing. It was corrected.
If the RAM stick is not dual sided i.e the memory chips are installed on one side only then place the black color strip on the white thermal pad which was installed in the previous step. If RAM is dual sided populated then don’t use the black strip.
GELID Solution has recommended to paste the second thermal pad on the top aluminum cover. Make sure to align it well so that the memory chips on the RAM make direct and full contact with the thermal pad. Alternatively, you can place the thermal pad directly on the RAM as well which I did.
Place the top aluminum cover on the assembly and secure it using the hex screws and Allen key.
The above picture shows the backside of the assembled kit.
The above picture shows the kit with RAM installed on the DIMM slot of the motherboard. Please, keep in mind that this kit will increase the height of the RAM.
The above picture is for the illustration purpose on how to place the standard and Low profile RAM on the kit when assembling.
The above pictures show the assembled and installed kit on the motherboard.
RGB Lighting
As mentioned above, there is no user control over the RGB lighting hence no software or hardware is needed for that matter. The RGB lighting is not overly done and there is no brightness control as well. There is no way to color coordinate the build with these kits. Here are some pictures:
Conclusion
Lumen is an RGB Cooling Kit for the PC memory/RAM from GELID Solution. It is an easy and effective way of adding a cooling feature to the RAM along with the fixed RGB lighting. The Lumen kits come in two colors; black and red. The dimension of a kit is 139×8.1x45mm with a weight of 50gm. Each comprises of two aluminum made covers or heat sinks put together with a frosted diffuser on the top, forming a RAM shaped cooling kit.
GELID Solution has provided two kits in a single pack along with the mounting hardware. There are two thermal pads which sit between the RAM and the aluminum heat sink. There is a strip cover as well for the singled sided RAM. There are two plastic made support frames for the Low Profile RAM. An Allen key is provided for the screws. The user would not need any tool to assemble the kit.
These kits are compatible with the DDR2/DDR3/DDR4 type RAMs. These kits feature RGB LEDs under the top diffuser drawing 12V. To power these LEDs each kit has 3-pin fan connector and 2-pin socket connector. The socket connector allows both kits to be daisy chained and use only one fan header for both kits. There is no user control over the lighting and kits will illuminate on factory made automatic modes. Assembling is relatively easier. There are illustrative pictures on their website which are helpful in understanding. Once you figured it out, it is walk in a park. A colorful guide would have been better in my opinion.
The GELID Solution Lumen is a nice way of adding RGB lighting and cooling provision to your RAM. Lumen is listed at USD 9.99 and there are two RGB cooling kits in a single pack offering better value to the user.
We are thankful to GELID Solutions for giving us the opportunity to review their SIROCCO CPU Air Cooler.
