Testing:

To better test the CPU cooler, it was first connected directly to the PSU. The fan does move air some where in the area of 40 CFM. However, it doesn't do it at below 20 dBA. The cooler's noise rating actually is actually just about 22 dBA at full speed. Inside a case, it'll drop by at least 5 dBA which means it'll still be much quieter than a stock cooler by far.

Straight View

Angle View

As I suspected, the light emitted by the cooler isn't very intrusive at all. The camera had to be set to its most light sensitive settings to take visible snap shots. It can look pretty good from the side, but is barely noticeable from the top. The LED also projects light more like a UV LED rather than standard. So, this also helps control the lighting a little better.

Pre-Assembled Mounting Clips

Otherwise, the cooler installs like most others on the Intel system. Removal of the motherboard is standard these days, especially with coolers this size. After applying some fresh thermal paste, the back plate just has to be centered on to the four holes in the motherboard and the cooler set on top of the CPU.

The nice thing about the Lion Square is that the brackets come pretty much assembled where the tension springs and screws are concerned. These get screwed on to the cooler's base via two screws on each side. With a little pressure and a couple turns alternating corner to corner tightens the cooler securely. It's pretty simple as far as any method goes.

Plenty of Clearance

Smaller Mounting Kit

The four indentions machined in to the cooler fins allows you to get a long Philips screw driver in to tighten the four tension screws on the clips. It would appear that the fins shape is not only cut for looks, but for easier and better functionality for installation since it made it possible to keep the mounting hardware as small and discrete as possible.

Mounted

Looks Awesome

After a good day of allowing the cooler to settle, the system was left to idle for 2 hours. Afterwards, the system was put through the standard Orthos and Prime95 torture tests to see how the cooler does handling more than one core at full load.

Idle

Load

And just for good measure, the system was overclocked from 2.4 GHz to 3.4 GHz. Now, this is always where a cooler's mettle really does meet the heat. There's only so much you can expect from air coolers when you push a processor past its spec by 1 GHz. Mainly, the CPU voltage causes the spike in heat per each core topping out at 54 C, but averaging 52 C more often. Still, the temps are easily within operating specs which means a perfectly good, long life span for the processor.

The Lion Square cooler can obviously handle any Core 2 Duo. Several of the latest Penryns clock in at 3 GHz and higher which must be cooled efficiently. So, it's no surprise to see the cooler handle these frequencies and the extra voltage which can heat up a processor more than any stock processor.

Blue LED Reflection Added for Effect

If your CPU temp is reaching past the 70+ C level, you really do start risking the life of the processor since heat is the number killer of any electronic circuit. This is especially for micro circuits which you'll find in any processor, video card, and memory kit. Down with heat!

Conclusion:

Most the time, there are washers, individual screws, or some odd thumb bolt that has to be assembled to install after market CPU coolers. All methods considered, this is a refreshing change of pace in regards to installing the ASUS Lion Square. This earns the cooler extra points in this department.

Fits nicely in the DangerDen Torture Rack

The whole appeal and theme adds a little something extra to the cooler. It goes against the common square cooler, but uses many of the similar features to do the same job. It's definitely one of the most well fabricated coolers around with obvious attention given to the quality of every piece. If one detail could be improved, perhaps it would be a little better lapping given to the base just to see if it would cool the processor a couple more degrees.

ASUS has had many similar designs come and go. The last revision that came to mind was the Artic Square which was actually more round than square. The names don't really coincide with the shapes of these coolers, but then people don't buy them for their names. We buy them for their performance. While this isn't the first cylindrical CPU cooler released by ASUS, it has made a bigger difference in the battle against heat and does its job very well.

Current pricing for the Lion Square is a little odd at the moment. After a bit of searching, prices fell between the $54 to $68 range with Newegg being the highest. Thus, my comment for pricing being a little odd. At $54 from eWiz, the cooler is nicely priced and worth the cost. At the lower price, the ASUS Lion Square CPU Cooler is easily approved and recommended for any type of user, especially the ones looking to add a little character to their extreme system. We'd like to thank ASUS for the bit of inspiration!

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