Cooler Master is no stranger in the PC hardware market, that’s for sure. The company has been around since the early 90s and has played a huge part in delivering their best to PC enthusiasts.
During a recent conversation with the folks over at Cooler Master, we asked if we could review Cooler Master’s new range of liquid coolers. Today, we have Cooler Master’s new MasterLiquid ML240L RGB Liquid Cooler for review that we put to the test with our new Ryzen 2700x build.
The Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L RGB one of the latest range of coolers Cooler Master is offering to PC enthusiasts today, sitting right in between its 120mm and 360mm brothers. As the name suggests, the Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L RGB features a 240mm radiator with some extra RGB flair to go along with it in 2019. Furthermore, in typical Cooler Master fashion, the radiator supports mounting of up to four fans, two on either side for folks planning for a push/pull configuration.
| Cooler Master ML240L RGB | |
|---|---|
| RADIATOR MATERIAL | Aluminum |
| DIMENSIONS (L X W X H) | 277 x 119.6 x 27mm / 10.9 x 4.7 x 1.1 inch |
| FAN SPEED | 650-2000 RPM (PWM) ± 10% |
| FAN AIR PRESSURE | 2.34 mmH2O (Max) |
| FAN MTTF | 160,000 Hours |
| PUMP DIMENSIONS | 80.3 x 76 x 42.2 mm / 3.2 x 3.0 x 1.7" |
| PUMP MTTF | 70,000 Hours |
With the specifications out of the way, let’s talk about RGB. Now there are two zones where you could play with RGB on the ML240L; the CPU cooler itself and the fans.
Cooler Master includes an RGB Controller for the RGB to remain in sync as well as a Y-splitter for folks who are all out of fan headers.
Regarding the overall build quality of the ML240L RGB, you would be happy to hear that the ML240L is just about as fine as any other RGB cooler in its price segment. However, that’s just about it. The radiator, including the water block, doesn’t give you the most assuring of confidence but to reflect the price tag well enough to let it by.
Coming over to the installation process, I was happy to see the heap of tools and screws Cooler Master has offered with the MasterLiquid ML240L RGB. However, the flip side of the installation process came when I found out the horrid number of cables that connect to the MasterLiquid ML240L RGB at various sections of the cooler. I mean, we’re looking at two cables coming out of each of the two fans as well as two more cables that made their way out of the pump, tallying in a total of six wires. However, it didn’t end there. The RGB controller that Cooler Master bundles with the watercooler also come with their fair share of extra cables.
Building a neat PC in with the Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L RGB required a ton of planning to keep the cable management clean, even though the case of choice here was the Phanteks P400S, a case well-known for its above-average cable management capabilities.
Regarding temperatures, we decided to put up the only cooler we had to compare it to, the AMD Wraith Prism Cooler that comes bundled with the 2700x.
| CPU Coolers (Overclocked @ 3.8GHz) | 100% Fan Speed | Idle | Load |
| AMD Wraith Prism | 42 | 81 |
| Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L RGB | 36 | 69 |
The Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L RGB performed incredibly well in our tests. While it may not be the best when it comes to build quality, it sure kicks some major ass amidst all the competition.
While the Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L RGB may not be the best cooler out there, it’s certainly up there. While that may be the case, what’s definitely the case is the fact that the ML240L RGB is an incredible upgrade over the stock AMD Wraith Prism cooler that comes bundled inside of the box. And for less than RM300 bundled with the incredible RGB flair Cooler Master has packed the cooler with, you wouldn’t be disappointed to pickup this watercooler, that’s for sure!