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Thermal results with noise normalized to 38.2 dBA
Finding the right balance between fan noise levels and cooling performance is important. While running fans at full speed can improve cooling capacity to some extent, the benefits are limited and many users prefer a quiet system.
Those who prefer low noise levels will be pleased to know that Cooler Master’s MasterLiquid Core 360L performs especially well in this scenario, tying with MSI’s S360 for the best noise-normalized result.
Thermal results with no power limits
Without power limits enforced on Intel’s i7-13700K, the CPU will hit its peak temperature and thermally throttle with even the strongest of air coolers. We would normally measure the total watts cooled in this scenario. However, all three of the liquid coolers we’ tested for this review are capable of keeping Intel’s i7-13700K under its peak temperature – so we’ll compare the actual temperature of the CPU instead.
At 66 degrees Celsius over a 23 C ambient temperature, Cooler Master’s Core 360L narrowly beats both DeepCool’s and MSI’s competing AIOs. This is an extremely good result, but this victory comes at the cost of noise levels. With total system noise measured at 50.2 dBA, the 360L runs a bit louder than the competition.
175W Cinebench Results
Most coolers on the market are able to keep Intel’s i7-13700K under it’s peak temperature if the power consumption is limited, so for this test we’ll be looking at the CPU’s actual temperature.
With this slightly restricted workload, Cooler Master’s MasterLiquid 360L Core again achieves a narrow 1 degree victory over DeepCool’s & MSI’s competing AIOs. I would consider this good, but again this cooler runs much louder than the competition in this scenario, nearly 6 dBA louder than DeepCool’s LT720.
125W Cinebench Results
The lowest power limit I test with Raptor Lake CPUs is 125 watts. This is a high enough limit to allow the CPU to maintain its base clock speeds even in the most intensive tests, and most coolers should be able of keeping the CPU below Tjmax – even low-end coolers.
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Cooler Master maintains its trend of narrowly defeating the competition in thermal performance in this low-TDP test. As with the previous results, it still runs louder than the competition here – but the gap is much smaller than the 175W loads. The results are relatively similar, with 41.4 dBA for Cooler Master’s AIO vs 40.3 dBA for the competing DeepCool and MSI products.
Conclusion
Cooler Master’s Master Liquid 360L Core provides excellent top-tier cooling performance at a budget price of only $119. And our noise-normalized results show that it’s capable of maintaining that performance while running quietly. This is a great pairing for any modern Intel or AMD CPU. Our only complaint is that, out of the box, the cooler runs noisier than it needs to be – you’ll want to implement a custom fan curve if you prioritize quiet operation.
MORE: How to Buy the Right CPU Cooler
MORE: How to Check CPU Temperature
MORE: All CPU Cooling Content
Albert Thomas is a contributor for Tom’s Hardware, primarily covering CPU cooling reviews.
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RichardtST These liquid coolers are so completely overpowered it is utterly ridiculous. There is far more than enough headroom to replace WATER with MINERAL OIL so that those of us who are paranoid about mixing water and electricity don't have to... Where is my OIL cooler? I don't want water leaks in my computer! I want an OIL cooler!Reply -
Albert.Thomas ReplyZforgetaboutit said:"CPU: i7-13900K" in the testing config?
Multiple "CPUs" are mentioned.
OOPS!
This review was tested with Intel's i7-13700K -
freedomqn from Vietnam country reseller selling only 89 usd including ship ,this cooler really masterReply
best p/p ,only one problem mounting socket 1700 like a very weak joke, flimsy plastic, after attaching the base screws, it feels like the mount is running back and forth -
phxrider Funny, it's loud vs the competition, but I bought the 280mm version of this from Amazon a while back without reading any reviews because I needed one quick and it was cheap... One thing I was really happy about was how quiet it is.Reply
(The cooling is great too, at least on the old Haswell system I first had it on, and the 9900K it's on now - the temps were ~20C lower than the previous Corsair H100 that died and this replaced on the Haswell, and it could actually stress test without throttling for the first time.) -
phxrider Reply
I bought the 360mm one for my new system and except when beating it up, it's also very quiet, and keeps the 7800x3d in the 50s while gaming.phxrider said:Funny, it's loud vs the competition, but I bought the 280mm version of this from Amazon a while back without reading any reviews because I needed one quick and it was cheap... One thing I was really happy about was how quiet it is.
(The cooling is great too, at least on the old Haswell system I first had it on, and the 9900K it's on now - the temps were ~20C lower than the previous Corsair H100 that died and this replaced on the Haswell, and it could actually stress test without throttling for the first time.)