Cooler Master MasterLiquid Non-Pro 240MM AIO Liquid Cooler Review

Cooler Master has definitely fed the PC Master Race, but can their “Master-lined”, MasterLiquid 240mm win the race and reign above all? Cooler Master has just been killing it recently with their latest lineup of AIO Liquid Coolers soon after launching the MasterLiquid Pro 240 and 120, it’s time for them to show off what the non-pros get, or is it? Let’s find out!

Contents

01| Unboxing & Design

Cooler Master has definitely shook a bit from their Pro 240mm box design here. Other than that, you can have a glace at the cooler design. Cooler Master has gone beans here when it comes to designing their boxes by implementing the trendy material-like color scheme on their packaging.

One the right-side of the box, Cooler Master has listed all of the specifications of the AIO cooler. For text reference, here’s everything you’re getting on paper.

CPU SocketIntel® LGA 2011-v3 / 2011 / 1366 / 1151 / 1150 / 1156 / 1155 / 775 socket

AMD® AM4 / AM3+ / AM3 / AM2+ / AM2 / FM2+ / FM2 / FM1 socket

Radiator MaterialAluminum
Radiator Dimension277 x 119.6 x 27 mm
(10.9 x 4.71 x 1.06″)
FanDimension120 x 120 x 25 mm (4.7 x 4.7 x 1″)
Speed650 ~ 2000 RPM (PWM) ± 10%
Airflow66.7 CFM (Max)
Air Pressure2.34 mmH2O ± 10% (Max)
Noise Level6 – 30 dBA
MTTF160,000 hours
L-10 Life22,800 hours
Rated Voltage12 VDC
Number of fan2
PumpDimension85.6 x 70 x 49 mm
(3.37 x 2.76 x 1.93″)
Noise Level15 dBA (max)
MTTF70,000 hours
L-10 Life20,000 hours
Rated Voltage12 VDC
Warranty2 Years

Cracking open the box reveals a protective foam to protect the stuff inside from any damage. Inside the box, you’ll find all the necessary screws and backplates required for the installation of the AIO. User Manuals, thermal paste and a fan header y-splitter are always nice to have, especially when installing an AIO.

The tubing used on the MasterLiquid 240 AIO are thick and well braided for a cleaner look. The pump itself, while large, will easily fit into most cases, however, we would highly recommend users to mouse the AIO at the front of your case as intake to eliminate any clearance issues, unless you’re sure about the clearance that’s available on the top of your case.

Cooler Master included two of their Air Balance 120mm fans with the AIO cooler that focused to be hybrids between airflow and pressure optimized fans. The fans are very neutral when it comes to the color scheme so that it doesn’t wreck a color-themed PC build. Both fans have dampeners to keep them silent and resist to vibrations.

The included radiator is okay, it’s not the thickest, but it works very well. The fins layout is pretty dense as well. However, the twist and change here is Cooler Master opting for plane points for each of the points to make contact to the radiator rather than just sharp points. Overall, the AIO fits perfectly in our Phanteks P400S case and looks pretty good thanks to the neutral color scheme. However, users going for SFF cases might have issues due to the thick tubing that the MasterLiquid 240 comes with.

02| Test System & Performance Results

The performance on the MasterLiquid 240 actually brought down temperatures considerably compared to our ID-Cooling ICEKIMO 240mm. While we haven’t fully tested our ICEKIMO yet, here’s the temps for the MasterLiquid 240mm.

Our Test System

  • Intel Core i7-7700K OC’ed to 4.9Ghz @ 1.3v
  • Asus Maximus IX Formula
  • Asus Strix GTX 1070
  • Kingston HyperX DDR4 8GB @ 2400MHz
  • Phanteks P400S
  • Windows 10 Pro

Testing Methodology

All tests were done on the above system with only the Cooler Master MasterLiquid 240mm fans used on the radiator set to full speed in the BIOS. Temperatures were obtained with Core Temp. Temperatures mentioned are average temperatures rather than instantaneous readings.

The Cooler Master stood up pretty well with our i7-7700k OC’ed to 4.9GHz @ 1.3v. While we do not have many numbers to compare other AIOs with, here’s the performance numbers for the MasterLiquid 240mm.

[infogram id=”cpu_cooler_temps” prefix=”E3s”]

While the temperatures have definitely gotten a bit cooler compared to our ICEKIMO 240, I think the improvement has come due to the pump design and the thick FEP tubing Cooler Master has used over here. We’ll be sure to review the ID-Cooling ICEKIMO 240mm, the results should appear here as well, once that review goes live.

Setting the fan speed to max didn’t sound like it’s about to take off, instead, we were really happy with the noise levels on this AIO since it was audible only when you’re close to it thanks to the Cooler Master AB fans. Setting the fans speeds to auto allowed the system to sound pretty inaudible.

03|Conclusion

Cooler Master has brought the Cooler Master MasterLiquid 240 in an interesting place. While we do have the non-pro model of the MasterLiquid 240, the AIO performs excellently in most situations and is no slouch when it comes to overclocking your CPU. While the AIO is not revolutionary, the innovation, ideas and implementations applied for the MasterLiquid 240 really make it a compelling choice. For overclockers, we would highly recommend this AIO over ID-Cooling’s ICEKIMO 240 that’s retailing for about RM299 (US $79) compared to the MasterLiquid 240 that will be retailing for RM399 (US$89) in Malaysia. While it is a bit higher, we really think that it’s worth it. And with the Cooler being all-black with a white CM logo, this AIO should definitely make a good AIO without clashing with color-themed PC builds. If that’s not your taste, there’s a ton more options out there.

On a side note, I would really love to see Cooler Master to make the installation process a bit easier for users. Moreover, users with small form-factor cases may have issues with fitting the AIO in their case, especially with bending the tubes.

Overall, an excellent AIO for intermediate overclockers.

We would like to award this product our Silver Award! An excellent product, indeed!

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