Just yesterday news broke that Intel was working on new thermo-electric cooling (TEC) solutions to increase performance of its high-TDP chips, with the first contender to bring a product to market being EKWB with its EK-QuantumX Delta TEC. Now, Cooler Master is also joining the fray with a slightly more modest TEC-solution, calling it the MasterLiquid ML360 Sub-Zero.
The MasterLiquid ML360 Sub-Zero comes in the form of an all-in-one liquid cooler, and the CPU block uses the same thermo-electric technology to generate a temperature difference on two sides of its TEC unit, essentially pumping heat into the fluid using Intel Cryo Technology.
The benefit of this is that the cold plate can reach sub-ambient temperatures, and thus you can run the CPU at higher clocks and get more performance out of it. If you don't want to go the rather impractical LN2 route, this kind of product offers a more real-world application.
But, when you go sub-zero, condensation forms, which is why Cooler Master's unit also uses Intel's combination of software and hardware to manage the condensation problem: the cooler itself has a condensation barrier to ensure the little condensation that does form doesn't leave the CPU socket area, and software ensures that the TEC-unit only cools the chip down to a certain temperature. This means that when your system is idling, it will consume less power, cool less, and ensure the chip doesn't get so cold that condensation becomes a problem. Humidity sensors are also present to manage this issue further.
Of course, the TEC unit does consume quite a bit of power. Whereas EKWB's thermo-electric waterblock is rated to consume up to 200W, Cooler Master's MasterLiquid ML360 Sub-Zero has the same rated power for the entire device, which takes into account the fan and pump power consumption too. Of course, all that heat has to be dissipated too, so you can expect the three fans on the 360mm radiator to have to work hard to get the job done -- this isn't a cooling solution for those seeking peaceful silence.
The Coolermaster MasterLiquid ML360 Sub-Zero AIO is only set to be compatible with Intel 10th-Gen and 11th-Gen Rocket Lake CPUs (Alas, Alder lake following later will have a different socket shape). AMD's chips aren't supported, but then again, AMD chips don't run hot enough to warrant this kind of cooling solution.
Expect pricing around the $350 mark with availability from November -- but if you intend on buying this, also factor in the effect on your power bill: the peak 200W consumption of the cooler, paired with Intel's chips that already happily churn through 250W before overclocking is bound to put a dent in your power bill.
