Jani Dushman
Liquid coolers have become increasingly popular among users, showcasing remarkable technological advancements and quality control. Their allure extends beyond affordability, as they outperform traditional air coolers, winning over many PC builders. Continual innovation has elevated liquid coolers to offer more than mere cost-effectiveness and power. With features like ARGB lighting effects, users can now customize their PC builds with captivating visuals, injecting a dose of technological sophistication into their setups.
Manufacturers are responding to the increasing demand for personalized experiences by enhancing the versatility and customization options of liquid coolers. Lian Li, a key player in the field, has unveiled the GALAHAD II Series, featuring the GALAHAD II LCD AIO Liquid Cooler. This cutting-edge product represents Lian Li’s venture into liquid coolers with LCD screens, providing users with a unique platform to showcase images, videos, and real-time system data. With Asetek’s latest 8th Gen Solution and either pre-installed ARGB daisy-chainable radiator fans or UNI FAN SL-INF Fans, the Lian Li GALAHAD II LCD ensures both improved performance and aesthetics.
The GALAHAD II LCD AIO Liquid Cooler, available in 280mm and 360mm sizes and sleek black or white finishes, marks a notable advancement in aesthetics and functionality from previous models. This review centers on the 360mm white version outfitted with UNI FAN SL-INF Fans, examining its outstanding heat dissipation and overall performance prowess.
Unboxing
The outer packaging of the GALAHAD II LCD AIO Liquid Cooler prominently displays key details such as the brand, model, features, color, and appearance. A standout feature is the 2.88-inch IPD screen, emphasized on the front, distinguishing it from its predecessor, Galahad. The product name, GA II LCD – SL-INF 360, is abbreviated in the lower right corner due to the larger screen size.
Notably, the upper right corner advertises a 6-year warranty and includes three 120mm fans. The cooler’s compatibility with the latest Intel LGA1700 and AMD AM5 Platforms further underscores its modern relevance in computing setups.
The packaging of the Liquid Cooler is adorned with detailed specifications, prominently displayed on multiple sides. A QR code in the lower right corner offers easy access to the installation process for the proprietary Liquid Cooler software, L-connect 3, through scanning.
Eight key selling points are succinctly highlighted on the rear, providing consumers with a clear overview of its standout features before unboxing.
After opening the box, you can see that the three UNI FAN SL-INF fans have been pre-installed above the GALAHAD II LCD AIO Liquid Cooler. This is really very praiseworthy. The components are well-protected with a cardboard shell guarding against shocks and plastic bags enveloping the pump block, hoses, and radiator.
The package comes with an array of mounting hardware for both AMD and Intel sockets, accompanied by a concise installation guide. Additional accessories comprise cables for display and RGB lighting connections, along with fabric cable ties. Furthermore, it includes the L-Connect3 compatible ARGB Controller and associated cables.
Design
Radiator
The Galahad II LCD 360 radiator boasts a sleek and clean design, featuring a pristine white finish that highlights its superior craftsmanship and quality. Its sturdy construction instills confidence in its durability, while its 30mm thickness exceeds the standard 27mm, though slightly trailing behind the 32mm of the Galahad II Trinity PERFORMANCE VERSION. Overall, it offers both style and substance for efficient cooling performance.
With its compact dimensions of 399.5x120x30mm, this device boasts a tidy design. The meticulously arranged heat dissipation fins, featuring a 20 Fins Per Inch configuration, not only minimize airflow restriction but also complement the lower RPM capabilities of the 140mm fans, ensuring efficient heat dissipation across a larger surface area.
The Lian Li Galahad II LCD 360 water cooling system showcases a versatile design with a 45° tilted and rotatable tube, allowing for easy adaptation to various installation setups. Encased in durable nylon braiding, the 365mm water-cooling pipe ensures longevity and protection. Reinforced connections between the pipe, radiator, and CPU head enhance durability, while meticulously crafted joints enable 360° rotation, offering flexibility in cooling pipe routing. This innovative design enhances compatibility, ensuring seamless installation of the radiator for optimal cooling performance.
The radiator is presented in a side view, prominently featuring the “LIAN LI” branding on each side. Adjacent to it, intricate liquid exchange pipelines are displayed, highlighting both the functionality and design intricacies of the system.
CPU Block and PUMP with LCD Screen
The Lian Li Galahad II LCD stands out with its CPU water block featuring a 2.88-inch IPS screen boasting a resolution of 480×480, reaching up to 500 nit brightness and 24-bit Full Color depth. This innovative design surpasses traditional circular displays by offering a comprehensive showcase of system information including CPU and GPU temperatures, system loads, and coolant temperature.
Moreover, users can leverage the L-Connect3 software to capture and share images, GIFs, videos, and text. Enhancing the aesthetics, linear light strips on the cold head sides support ARGB divine light synchronization, elevating the overall ambiance of the setup.
The water block boasts a sleek aluminum panel outer frame adorned with ARGB light bars flanking each side. Measuring 72.15 × 73.05 × 61.98 mm, its compact dimensions ensure efficient cooling. Unlike some counterparts, the unit is firmly assembled, with its shell featuring a refined frosted anode surface—a hallmark of LIAN LI’s renowned integrated water cooling systems, as exemplified by the Galahad AIO predecessors.
The CPU water block features Asetek’s cutting-edge eighth-generation water pump, boasting a three-phase motor for enhanced flow and quieter operation at 3600 RPM. It outperforms its predecessor, delivering a notable 2°C/100W performance boost. Its high-speed capabilities not only elevate water flow and lift but also ensure a remarkable balance between quietness and efficiency.
The water pump block features two distinct cable interfaces for seamless functionality. A USB Type-C interface facilitates connection to the motherboard’s 9-pin USB header, enabling support for the L-Connect 3 function. Adjacent to the AIO pipe, a 12-pin interface serves to link the fan and SATA power connector efficiently. Additionally, a 4-pin PWM cable, extending from the base of the water pump block, enables precise RPM control, ensuring optimal performance.
The GA II LCD 360 block boasts a 55mm×55mm square copper base at its bottom, enhancing its heat conduction efficiency. Notably, it comes pre-coated with thermal paste, ensuring hassle-free installation once the protective cover is removed. Moreover, users benefit from an extra syringe containing around 0.5g of silicone grease, easing future reinstallation processes.
UNI FAN SL-INF Fans (Pre-Installed)
The Lian Li GALAHAD II LCD AIO Cooler (Review) comes equipped with pre-installed UNI FAN SL-INF Fans, each sized at 120 x 120 x 25mm and featuring FDB dynamic hydraulic bearings. These fans boast a maximum air volume of 61.3CFM, ensuring highly efficient cooling, complemented by a static air pressure of 2.66. With a flexible fan speed range spanning from 200 to 2100rpm, they offer adaptability to cater to diverse cooling requirements. Noteworthy is their remarkably low wind noise level of 29 dBA, ensuring whisper-quiet operation, making it a perfect fit for environments prioritizing noise reduction.
In the center of the back is the aluminum Lian li LOGO, surrounded by an ARGB aperture. The infinity mirrors on the top and bottom sides are surrounded by an aluminum frame. Based on the geometric shape of the infinity mirror, it presents a 3D infinity mirror effect under the illumination of the front ARGB light bar.
The appearance of the UNI FAN SL-INF fans continues the light effect design of the SL series. There is a slim LED light bar on the inner edges of both sides of the fan frame. More gorgeous RGB light effects are added to the sides of the frame and the center of the fan, with 0.5mm layering. The effect is that it can present a 3D deep infinity mirror effect from any angle.
The fan boasts a traditional block fan splicing design, effortlessly accommodating up to four fans and simplifying cable management. With a redesigned 7-pin power module cable, its interface cover can be easily removed, enabling flexible repositioning of the cable to the center or opposite side. This pioneering feature resolves installation complexities related to wire direction, guaranteeing a tidy setup when installing the radiator.
The included standard PWM and ARGB power cables can be used to control the fan through the motherboard or can be directly connected to the AIO water pump block that needs to be synchronized through the L-Connect 3 software.
Cables
The white AIO Liquid Cooler comes with a set of essential wires, including a USB 2.0 to USB Type-C cable for motherboard and water block connectivity, facilitating customizable display effects on the Galahad II LCD 360’s small screen. It also features a fan adapter cable compatible with PWM 4-Pin and SM types for easy connection to motherboards or LIAN LI controllers.
The CPU block synchronization cable, powered by SATA, enables synchronization of fan speed and lighting effects through the L-Connect 3 software. Completing the set is an SM type to 5V 3-Pin ARGB male connector, ensuring seamless synchronization of lighting effects across various devices.
Mounting Bracket
The Mounting Bracket set marks a significant advancement in Asetek’s 8th-generation water pump solution, designed to streamline the bracketing process effectively. Addressing past challenges of excessive brackets and reinforced back plates accommodating various foot positions, this iteration simplifies installation by categorizing brackets into two types, specifically tailored for Intel and AMD platforms.
The Lian Li GA II LCD 360 introduces a significant refinement by eliminating the need to replace the buckle on the CPU block. Instead, users only need to install or replace the base and reinforced backplane on the motherboard side. This streamlines the installation process, offering enhanced user convenience and compatibility across various processor configurations. Compatible with mainstream mid-to-high-end platforms including Intel’s LGA1700/1200/115X and AMD’s AM4/AM5, the GA II LCD 360 ensures versatility and ease of use in the market.
RGB Controller
The control box is an exclusive component bundled with the purchase of a 3-pack. Featuring four sets of 7-pin connection ports, it efficiently manages up to 16 fans. Additionally, it includes two 3-pin SM TYPE PORTs, each supporting a maximum output of 5W. Compatible with Galahad AIO Liquid Coolers and ARGB cables from the first two generations of UNI FAN SL, it enhances lighting effects but demands an increased power supply, necessitating two SATA lines. Players must take careful note of this requirement for optimal performance.
Installation
After finalizing the design phase, I’ll furnish you with detailed insights into the installation process. Following LIAN LI’s recommendations for optimal heat dissipation, we’ve opted to install the water cooling pipe downward, ensuring efficiency.
Notably, pre-installed fans on the radiator streamline the process, eliminating previous challenges of aligning fans and managing wires. The simplified procedure involves affixing the radiator onto the chassis and CPU Block, reducing complexities. The anticipated completion time for installation is around 10-20 minutes, highlighting its efficiency and user-friendliness.
L-Connect3 Software
L-Connect 3 software seamlessly integrates with the Lian li GA II LCD, offering comprehensive support. Within the information system options, users gain access to vital system status updates and recommended actions. Additionally, the software facilitates precise control over fan and water pump speeds, along with managing the cold head screen display, all conveniently accessible through the speed setting page.
After powering on, the default screen will be Lian Li’s white background and black mark LOGO. The screen can be set specifically in the options of the GA II LCD. Users can access custom themes and apply these themes on the LCD screen.
There are currently 14 special effects available, categorized into background effects, center effects, clock effects, and image video/background color effects. While the Flying Word effect and the clock effect are non-adjustable, the others can be toggled between fixed and dynamic modes. In fixed mode, the speed and intensity of the effects are predetermined by the user’s settings, whereas in dynamic mode, they are controlled by system hardware readings. For instance, the “Twist into the Abyss” effect will accelerate with higher CPU usage.
In addition to choosing to use the above effects, users can also display their own pictures (JPG, PNG), screenshots, GIF files, videos (MP4), and screen recordings (480×480 pixels).
Using the Screen Capture/Screen Recording feature summons a user-friendly widget displaying a green rectangular frame. By dragging the crosshair within this frame, you can precisely select the area for your screenshot. Once satisfied, simply click the “✔” icon located at the bottom of the screen to confirm and import the image. This “what you see is what you get” approach proves highly convenient for effortless screen captures.
Customize your system hardware information display by selecting options from the text drop-down menu on the right. Tailor your picture or video with details like CPU temperature, GPU temperature, CPU load, GPU load, water pump speed, and coolant temperature. To accommodate screen size limitations, utilize carousel mode if too many options are checked. Simply set the carousel time interval in the loop option, with the minimum time setting unit being 3 seconds.
Users can enhance their projects by adding an additional layer of images or video through the watermark drop-down menu. This layer can overlay both text and visual effects layers, providing versatility in design. To ensure visibility of underlying elements, it’s essential to adjust the opacity slider appropriately, preventing the watermark from fully obscuring lower layers.
The LED light strips and fan LED light labels flanking the screen offer over ten fully customizable lighting effects. Users have the flexibility to synchronize the fan LED lights with the LED lights encircling the LCD screen or craft their own distinctive lighting combinations, enabling personalized illumination experiences.
The L-Connect 3 software offers a convenient solution for users employing third-party fans with varying LED light counts. Within the Fan LED tab on the GA II LCD page, users can easily adjust the LED light quantity to achieve optimal lighting effects, ensuring seamless integration and customization of their lighting setup.
ARGB Lighting Effect
The installation of the Lian Li GALAHAD II LCD AIO Cooler showcases stunning visual outcomes, especially appealing to enthusiasts who adore vibrant RGB lighting effects. Its dynamic fan lighting further elevates its charm, crafting an aesthetically mesmerizing encounter. Moreover, the CPU Block of the Lian Li GA II LCD 360 boasts dual RGB light strips adjacent to the screen, not only enhancing cooling performance but also adding a visually striking allure.
Testing and Performance
The Galahad II LCD 360 AIO Liquid Cooler underwent rigorous testing on a high-performance setup, boasting an Intel Core i7-13700K processor and MSI MPG Z690 FORCE WIFI DDR5 motherboard. In standard idle conditions, with a room temperature of approximately 28°C, the processor maintained a cool 47°C. Through extensive benchmarking utilizing tools like AIDA64, CPU-Z, and demanding AAA games, we stressed the system to its limits, pushing both the Galahad II LCD PUMP and fan to maximum speeds to accurately assess temperature performance under extreme conditions.
| Test Setup | |
|---|---|
| Motherboard | MSI MPG Z690 FORCE WIFI DDR5 |
| Processor | Intel® Core™ i7-13700K |
| RAM Memory | Predator Hermes RGB DDR5 – 6800MHz |
| Storage | Silicon Power US70 1TB NVMe SSD |
| Graphic Card | ASUS ROG Strix GeForce RTX 3080 OC Edition (10GB) |
| CPU Cooler | Lian Li GALAHAD II LCD AIO |
| Casing | Lian Li O11 Dynamic EVO XL Full Tower Case |
| Fan | 6x Lian Li UNI FAN SL-INF 120 RGB Fans |
During a CPU-Z stress test, the processor exhibits robust performance with a power consumption of around 220W and maintains a temperature of approximately 75℃, showcasing excellent heat dissipation. Under ideal conditions, the CPU operates at a lower power consumption of 50W, maintaining a cooler temperature of 47°C, while the fan spins at 420 rpm, resulting in a noise level of 30 dBA. . It can be said to be completely silent, even There was no noise at all late at night.
During the AIDA64 single FPU test, the processor demonstrates robust performance with a power consumption of approximately 250W, boasting a large core frequency of 5.5GHz and a small core frequency of 4.3GHz. Despite reaching a temperature of around 87°C, the heat dissipation remains commendable. This is largely attributed to the exceptional heat dissipation capacity of the Galahad II LCD 360 AIO Liquid Cooler, which effectively manages thermal loads, ensuring optimal performance.
The Galahad II LCD 360 AIO Liquid Cooler demonstrates impressive performance in real gaming sessions. Even in demanding titles like “Red Dead Redemption 2,” where CPU usage exceeds 80%, the temperature remains a cool 65°C. In games like “The Last of Us: Part I” and “Resident Evil 4: Remake,” the CPU temperature hovers around 61-67 degrees. With such efficient cooling, attention shifts to the graphics card, as the CPU maintains consistently low temperatures.
The graphics card’s core temperature sits at around 61°C, showcasing the cooler’s ability to handle heavy gaming loads with ease. Overall, it offers commendable performance, significantly reducing temperatures during intense gaming sessions.
Conclusion
Read Also
- Lian Li Uni Fan SL-Infinity 120 ARGB Fans Review
- TEAMGROUP T-Force Siren GA360 ARGB AIO Liquid Cooler Review
- Yeston Zeaginal ZC-ZEUS XT360 CPU Liquid Cooler Review
I'm Jani, a dedicated Tech Writer and Reviewer at Xiaomitoday. With a passion for exploring and dissecting the latest in technology, my mission is to bring you insightful and comprehensive reviews that empower your decision-making in the fast-evolving world of gadgets and tech.
