Lian Li GALAHAD II Trinity Performance 360 White Review

Table of Contents

Introduction

Lian Li launched the second generation of the GALAHAD series of liquid coolers earlier with two main editions at the time of launch followed by an LCD version launched recently. Three editions are:

GA II Trinity
GA II Trinity Performance
GA II LCD

The GA II Trinity is available in the following sizes:

240mm White and Black
360mm White and Black

The GA II Trinity Performance is a customized version of the GA II Trinity where Lian Li has emphasized the sheer raw performance of this cooler by tweaking the Pump and fans to generate more coolant flow, and airflow at high static pressure respectively. I have got my hands on the GA II Trinity Performance White 360. The Trinity Performance comes in 360mm size only which makes sense. The salient features include:

3 interchangeable pump looks that can be customized with L-Connect 3
Factory installed with daisy-chainable radiator LCP fans
Pump motor speed goes up to 4200RPM
Includes a newly designed pathway, copper plate and larger impeller for better waterflow for liquid coolant
45-degree tubing connector with tubes’ inner diameter increased to 7mm

It seems like Lian Li has learned from the reported issues in the GALAHAD first-generation liquid coolers and come up with a better design with efficient cooling in mind. They have improved the mounting hardware making it convenient to install this cooler compared to the GALAHAD first generation.

Product: GA II Trinity Performance 360 White

Price: USD 169.99 [NewEgg US price at the time of this writing]

£169.99 [Overclockers UK price at the time of this writing]

Lian Li GALAHAD II Trinity Performance 360 Specifications

The above picture shows the specifications of the GA II Trinity Performance 360 White cooler.

Packaging and Unboxing

Lian Li uses the same style and theme on the packing box as I saw on the first generation of GALAHAD cooler. This cooler comes with a 5-year Lian Li warranty and 3x high-performance non-RGB LCP fans.

There is another container inside the main packing box. All contents are placed inside this container for safe shipping. The fans come pre-installed on the radiator. We can spot three customizable top covers tucked separately in the inside container.

Accessories

Let’s see what is provided in addition to the cooler itself.

There is an installation manual provided inside the box. A link to download L-Connect3 software is printed on a separate paper. There is a transparent container that has the mounting hardware.

Lian Li has provided:

1x Intel Backplate for LGA1700
1x Intel Backplate for LGA1200/115x
2x AMD Brackets

There are:

4x Black Spacers
1x Tube of Thermal Paste
1x Spatula
1x Thermal Applicator Sheet for Honey Comb Pattern
12x Radiator Screws
1x Tube Clamp

There are:

1x 5V ARGB cable that needs to be connected to the pump block. Use it if not using L-CONNECT3.
1x ARGB and Fan Input Cable. This Cable needs to be connected to the pump block to control the ARGB device and fan using L-CONNECT3.

There are three covers that the user can use to customize the top of the block. The containers are labeled as ‘J’, ‘K’, and ‘L’ for ease of identification and reference to the user manual.

The top covers provide the following effects:

DUO- INFINITY
DAZZLE
SINK-HOLE

There are 12x fan screws. I have removed the fans to take this picture.

GALAHAD II Trinity Performance 360 Closer Look

Let’s dive into some details.

The three 12mm LCP fans come pre-installed. The LCP stands for Liquid Crystal Polymer and Noctua was the first brand that introduced this material for the construction of its famous NF-A12x25 PWM series of fans. The biggest advantage of using LCP for the fan blades is that it reduces the impeller creep phenomena. This is due to the factors like extreme tensile strength of LCP material along with its low thermal expansion coefficient, high environmental inertia, and good dimensional stability. Phanteks was the second brand that used LCP design in the T30 fans. Now, I am seeing this design in the fans provided with the Trinity Performance cooler from Lian Li. The white color on these fans speaks for itself. The overall design is well synchronized. I will cover the fans later in this section.

I have removed the fans from the radiator to take the above picture. The complete assembly on this radiator is white-color spray-coated. This radiator is made of aluminum material. The dimension of this cooler is 396x130x32mm (LxWxH). This radiator has 32mm thickness which is 5mm more than the standard 27mm thickness of the radiator. This provides more surface area on this radiator for efficient heat transfer. The overall thickness would be 61mm approximately after installing 120x28mm size fans.

This radiator has 12 channels for the coolant flow. But Lian Li has introduced a double stack concept where we have two fins rows in a single column, unlike single fin rows in a single column. Each column has 19 FPI but by combining two fins rows we would get a 38mm FPI count. This is one way of looking at this concept. This in addition to the 32mm thickness provides an enormous cooling surface area on this radiator. We would need high static pressure fans on this radiator to ensure the same airflow throughout the radiator at a given speed. Lian Li has covered that aspect using LCP fans. Lian Li refers to this fin stacking as a Double Wave.

I am showing the side view of the unit. There is a Lian Li branding over the side frame of the radiator. You can see the thickness of this unit from the picture. We can also see that there is almost no gap between the side frame of the radiator housing and the fin stack. Lian Li is not cutting any space when it comes to providing excellent performance. This unit has rubber tubes that run to 385mm in length. These tubes have nylon braided white color mesh sleeves over them. The tube has an ID of 7mm. Lian Li has increased the inner diameter providing more room for effective coolant flow.

I am showing the tube connection side on the radiator. Lian Li has introduced another concept with this generation of coolers wherein the tubes can be rotated from the radiator side as well. This feature is not yet present in any other cooler. This innovative 45° tubing connector gives the tubes the freedom of 360° rotation, allowing the Galahad ll Trinity series to be installed in many different ways inside the PC Case. We can spot a serial number sticker on this end as well.

I am showing the block of this cooler which is different than what I saw on the first generation of GALAHAD coolers. That block has been my personal favorite in terms of look and feel. The silver and white color looks so dope and that aluminum magnetic cover to conceal the Lian Li branding was highly appreciated. This time around we have a different design altogether.

The housing is mainly made of ABS material. The size of the block is 74x74x79mm. Lian Li forgot to mention the length, width, and height in the specifications. We still get a silver color border frame over the top cover with Lian Li branding in the center. This top cover is rotatable as well as removable.

I have taken the top cover off. We can count 20 ARGB LEDs and the PCB in the picture. There are 4x L-shaped cutouts in the PCB. This is where the lockers on the provided top covers and the stock cover make connections for installation. There is a green color PCB under this LED PCB. Take a look at two grooves in the main housing. This is where the top covers rotate.

I have installed the first top cover that provides a Dazzle effect. The complete cover illuminates dynamic and vivid lighting effects and this is my personal favorite effect on this cooler.

The above picture shows the Dazzle effect in work.

I installed a Sink-Hole designed top cover this time. The outer frame lights up in vivid RGB lighting effects whereas the center gives the impression of a sinkhole.

The above picture shows the Sinkhole effect in work.

Next, was the turn for the Duo-Infinity design involving an aluminum housing cap with duo infinity mirror rings and a Lian Li logo at the center (90° Rotatable).

The above picture shows the Duo-Infinity effect in the work.

There is no branding on any side of the main housing. The lower chamber is extended or protruded compared to the upper chamber. The Intel mounting bracket is pre-installed.

There are two ports on the other side of the main housing labeled as I and inverted Y. The user can connect either of two bundled cables to these ports as per the requirement.

There is a 6-pin header/port to which the 5V ARGB cable can be connected. This cable is then connected to the ARGB header on the motherboard and allows the user to control the lighting using the motherboard’s software.

There is an 8-pin header/port to which the bundled Y cable can be connected. This cable allows the users to connect the ARGB cable and Fan cable to the block. Since the pump has an integrated controller, this would allow the users to control the speed of all elements and their lighting effects right from the L-CONNECT 3 software.

Looking at the backside, we can see two tube connections at a 90° angle. These are using rotary fittings. You can see white color flat cables coming out from this end.

The block is powered by a SATA connector.

There are two more connectors. One is the 4-pin PWM connector for the motor of the pump and the other is a 9-pin USB connector that needs to be connected to the motherboard USB header for L-CONNECT 3 software control.

The above picture is taken from the Lian Li website. We can see that the pump on Trinity Performance can be tweaked to run at 4200 RPM (Only possible through L-CONNECT 3 software). If you don’t use L-CONNECT 3 software then this pump runs to the 2800 RPM mark. The pump has a 36mm diameter impeller for stronger coolant flow. The path for the coolant flow inside the block is straightened to reduce the resistance to the flow. Lian Li has revised the cold plate design and has used more thickness in the fin stack with enlarged height to ensure the effective and uniform spread of coolant over the entire cold plate/copper area.

Galahad II Trinity Performance pump is larger than the regular one so that it accommodates upgraded components to efficiently cool the CPU. Salient highlights are:

Copper Plate Fin Spacing is 11% larger To prevent substance buildup over time.
Pump Impeller is 15% bigger To deliver water efficiently
Motor Speed is 31% faster To gain stronger water flow

There is a copper base measuring 54x54mm. There is a transparent protective cover over the base cautioning the user to peel it off during the installation.

Like UNIFAN P28, the Trinity Performance editions come with 28mm thick LCP fans but they are not RGB editions. Each fan has 7x blades. There are stylish anti-vibration pads on the mounting corners. Seems like, Lian Li uses metal metal-reinforced brass structure for the motor bearing. The center has a large diameter. Despite using LCP material, the tip clearance from the border is larger compared to the Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM fans. As you can see there is no cable attached to the fan. I will come to it shortly.

I am showing the side of the fan. The complete frame is white. The side frame can be removed by pulling it gently.

I have removed the cover and we can see the actual frame of the fan under the hood.

This is the action area of the fans. I have removed the side cover from the other side of the fan. And we can see two 6-pin ports that are inter-connected to a cut-to-size flat cable running end-to-end.

The fans are daisy-chained using these proprietary connectors and interconnect cables. All this connectivity is well concealed using side covers. There are ARGB versions of side covers also available that the user can buy separately. This way, we are dealing with a single cable to control all fans. This reduces the cable clutter from 6 to 1 effectively.

Looking at the backside of the fan, we can see 4x arms. Each arm has a curved layout that directs the airflow towards the center. One arm has a flat layout and it carries the wires coming from the center, going towards the frame. The two speeds of the fans are listed here. Each fan draws 0.45A maximum at 12VDC.

There is an integrated controller for these fans. It has two functions mentioned H for High Performance and L for Low Noise. Each level has different values for the performance data:

Maximum Static Pressure

H – 6.99 mmH2O
L – 4.15 mmH2O

Maximum Airflow

H – 109.6 CFM
L – 81.9 CFM

Speed

H – 200~3000 RPM
L – 200~2300 RPM

There is a single flat cable coming out of the daisy-chained fans. It has a 4-pin PWM connector.

The salient specifications include:

Dimension	120x120x28mm
Speed Range	200 – 3000 RPM at H 200 – 2300 RPM at L
Noise Level	29 dB(A) at L 38.1 dB(A) at H
Air Flow	81.9 CFM at H 109.6 CFM at L
Static Pressure	4.15 mmH₂O at L 6.99 mmH₂O at H
Bearing	Fluid Dynamic Bearings

Installation

We are not covering the details of installation. Installation is convenient and you will be up in no time. Lian Li has addressed the cable clutter that was with the first generation of GALAHAD coolers. This time around we have a reduced set of cables to work with which makes life easy.

RGB Lighting

The user has the option to control the lighting using either the motherboard software or the Lian Li L-CONNECT 3 software. I have mentioned above about the cables that would be needed for each requirement. Since this cooler uses standard connectors, it makes it compatible with RGB Sync technology of motherboard manufacturers including Asus, MSI, GIGABYTE, and ASRock. I have tested this cooler on a GIGABYTE Z690 AERO G D5 motherboard using the RGB Fusion 2.0 app. Here are a few pictures:

L-CONNECT 3

This cooler relies on Lian Li L-CONNECT 3 software to unlock the full potential of the pump. Let’s walk through the main interface of this software.

The System Info page shows the summary of the system resources and system specs. I believe it is reading the sensor data from the motherboard for this reporting.

System Specs list the salient specifications of the build.

Next is the Fan/Pump Profile. Here we can see that the pump is working at 2514 RPM speed which is far away from the 4200 RPM speed mentioned in the specifications. The software has accurately picked the correct model of the cooler listed as Trinity (P) where P stands for Performance. You can set the pump to rotate by choosing either of 4 options at the bottom.

We are now tweaking the fan to rotate at its full 4200 RPM speed.

Quick/Sync Lighting interface provides options to customize the digital RGB lighting effects on the cooler.

The above interface provides more customization options for the lighting effects.

There we go. The pump is now operating at 4204 RPM mark.

The fans were not connected to the block for a single control using L CONNECT 3 software. Hence the software is reporting 0 RPM for the fans. It shows that the Dual-Infinity style is in place and Rainbow RGB mode is on. The pump is at rated full speed.

The settings page lists more options to customize the behavior of the software as well as check for firmware updates.

Testing

We have used following configurations for testing:

Intel core i7 12700k
GIGABYTE Z690 AERO G D5
XPG Lancer RGB 32GB @ 6000MHz DDR5 kit
GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3060 VISION OC
Sabrent Rocket Q 500GB NVMe SSD [For OS]
Be quiet! Straight Power 11 850W Platinum PSU
Thermaltake Core P6 TG Snow Edition in an open frame layout

Test table for Intel core i7 12700k is:

Clocks	P-Cores 4.8GHz E-Core 3.8GHz
Voltage	1.20V
C-States	Disabled
Speed Step	Disabled
Rest of settings	Stock, Auto
XMP	XMP Loaded where available
Thermal Paste	Noctua NT-H1
Thermal Paste Application	X lines method
Headers	CPU_FAN, CPU_OPT, and PUMP Headers
Stress Software	CINEBENCH R23.2
Stress Run Time	30 minutes
PC Idle Time	5 minutes
Monitoring Software	HWInfo64
OC Tool	Intel XTU

The ambient temperature was in the range of 25°C to 25.5°C. Since the variation in the ambient temperature is within 1°C, we are reporting absolute temperatures in the graph. 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.

Disclaimer: Every silicon is different hence no two same SKUs are likely to take same voltage to yield same performance at same thermals per se but margin would be close. Not every stress test run may yield the same result which could be due to various reasons like thermal paste application, ambient temperature variation, mounting pressure of the cooler, etc. This is why we have listed our variables and their settings. Let’s take a look at the results.

Result

Let me clarify the four entries of the same cooler in the graphs. The controller has two functions (High-Performance and Low-Noise) with each having different parameters for the performance of the fans. That is why I have mentioned High and Low in the graph showing the set parameters for the fans. Similarly, I tested the cooler without using the L-CONNECT 3 software and then retested the cooler with the pump set to run at the 4200 RPM mark using L-CONNECT 3 software. Each time, fans were set to High-Performance and Low-Noise modes. That is why we have a total of 4x entries.

The Lian Li GA II Trinity Performance 360 White has a comparable performance with the other mainstream coolers in the graph when tested without the L-CONNECT 3 software. This is because the pump was not running at its full speed. But this quickly turned around when I set the pump to run at its full speed and finally, we have a contender that catches the performance level of EKWB EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 Lux D-RGB 360. The current pricing of EKWB’s cooler is highly competitive but with sheer performance that is unrivaled.

Noise

Our sound meter shows this unit making a sound output of 62 dB(A) at an ambient of 32 dB(A) with fans running at full speed. Seems like Lian Li is targeting the performance level of Noctua iPPC-3000 PWM fans including the noise output.

Conclusion

Lian Li is back in the game with the second generation of GALAHAD liquid coolers with many distinctive features and performance levels. There are three variants of this generation:

GA II Trinity
GA II Trinity Performance
GA II LCD

The GA II Trinity is the main cooler that comes with superb ARGB backlit UNIFAN P28 fans. The Trinity Performance is an enhanced or tweaked version aimed at enthusiasts/gamers/overclockers and they come with non-RGB LCP fans. The Trinity Performance coolers are available in 360mm size only which makes sense.

I have tested a GA II Trinity Performance 360 White cooler this time. Last time, I reviewed the GALAHAD 240 Silver/White AIO and I have been using the 360mm version as well but was plagued with pump issues. Lian Li has good customer support I experienced two times replacement of a defective 360mm version. This is what I have been saying for some time Customer Service is what makes or breaks the brand, not its products.

Anyhow, coming back to the main topic, this cooler is compatible with Intel LGA115x/1200/1700 sockets. This cooler is not compatible with the Intel LGA20xx socket. It is also compatible with AMD AM4 and AM5 sockets. The three 120mm (120x28mm) size fans come pre-installed over the radiator. Speaking of the radiator, it is a game changer for the Lian Li. They have increased the thickness of the radiator to 32mm from a standard of 27mm. They have also divided the fin into two named Double Wave wherein there are two fins per row in a single column unlike a single fin per row. Each sub-column has an FPI count of 19. This provides more surface area for efficient cooling on the paper. The radiator has a dimension of 396x130x32mm. It is made of aluminum material. Lian Li has also reduced the gap between the fin stack and the side frame. They clearly mean business.

This cooler uses rubber tubes that have nylon braided mesh sleeves in white color. This time around, Lian Li has increased the ID of these tubes to provide more space/area for effective coolant flow. Lian Li has introduced 45ᵒ rotary fittings on the radiator that make life easy when it comes to installing this cooler in the PC Case regardless of the orientation.

This time around, they have changed the outlook of the block as well. They have introduced three different styles on the block using different style covers provided with the cooler. There are 20 ARGB LEDs under the hood providing vivid lighting effects. The three ARGB effects are:

Duo-Infinity
Dazzle
Sink-Hole

The Dazzle mode is by far my favorite on this cooler. It is easy to change the top cover. The top cover is also rotatable. The main housing has a dimension of 74x74x79mm. It is still a combination of white and silver that looks dope. However, we have a dual chamber design this time with the upper chamber having a slim outlook compared to the main housing.

Lian Li has integrated a controller directly with the pump in the block. They have wisely utilized this idea allowing the user to control the lighting effects and speed of fans and pump altogether using L CONNECT 3 software. However, this is optional. The user can still control the fans using the 4-pin PWM header of the motherboard as well as using the integrated controller. There is an option to connect the ARGB 5V cable to the block and control the lighting using the motherboard’s software. The unit is powered using a SATA connector and the pump is PWM regulated. The pump has a maximum speed of 4200 RPM which can only be unlocked using L CONNECT 3 software. The copper base measures 54x54mm. Lian Li has revised the internal structure of the fin stack and cold plate to maximize the efficient coolant flow without obstruction.

Some key takeaways are:

Copper Plate Fin Spacing is 11% larger To prevent substance buildup over time.
Pump Impeller is 15% bigger To deliver water efficiently
Motor Speed is 31% faster To gain stronger water flow

The white color non-RGB fans use LCP material that was used first time by Noctua on NF-A12x25 PWM fans and later by the Phanteks. These fans are internally daisy-chained using cut-to-size cables and proprietary 6-pin connectors. The side covers are used to conceal the sides of the frame for a unibody look. There is a single cable coming out of the daisy-chained fans and it has a 4-pin PWM connector that can either be connected to the motherboard or to the block. There is also a controller integrated to control the fans’ speed using High-Performance and Low-Noise modes. These fans can rotate a maximum of 3000 RPM generating high airflow of 109.6 CFM at a static pressure rating of 6.99mmH₂O at 12VDC generating a noise output of 38.1 dB(A). However, these fans make a loud noise at full speed and I think they can easily compete against the Noctua iPPC fans in comparison. These fans are using Fluid Dynamic Bearing and they have a dimension of 120x120x28mm. The bearing shaft is metal-reinforced.

The ARGB lighting effects are right on the money as have been on the first generation as well. You can control the lighting effects either using the motherboard or using the L CONNECT 3 software. This software has a simple interface that is user-friendly and the user can easily control the cooler in no time. Since these fans use proprietary connectors, you are relying on Lian Li for help in case of any issues. This is where a standard-issue fan makes life easy. However, this design has allowed Lian Li to reduce the cable clutter from 3 cables to 1 which is impressive.

The installation of this cooler is convenient and users can set this cooler up in no time. I did not experience any issues during the installation of the Intel LGA1700 socket using the GIGABYTE Z690 AERO G motherboard. Since the Intel mounting bracket comes pre-installed on the block, we only need 5 items to install this cooler which is another key highlight. The ARGB lighting was working flawlessly using the GIGABYTE RGB Fusion 2.0 app as well as L-CONNECT 3 software.

The Lian Li GA II Trinity Performance 360 White is listed at USD 169.99 and £169.99 at the time of this writing. This is a competitive pricing. The GA II Trinity has a high price tag due to UNIFAN P28 fans. The GA II Trinity Performance 360 White is the only cooler in my testing that has come up at the performance level of the EK-Nucleus AIO CR360 Lux D-RGB liquid cooler. To obtain this level of performance, the pump has to run at 4200 RPM speed for which L-CONNECT 3 is a must and then the fans must be running at 3000 RPM making loud overall noise output. This is where the EKWB cooler rises and shines despite running at full speed and with no software support. Lian Li is offering a 5-year warranty on this cooler which is another plus. At the time of this writing, both coolers are approximately at the same price point since the EKWB cooler is on heavy discount. Its original price of USD 204 makes it unattractive against the compelling Lian Li GA II Trinity Performance 360 white cooler.

Pros: