Tom's Hardware Verdict
Cooler Master’s new MasterLiquid ML360R RGB provides best-in-class performance with RGB flourish.
Pros
- +
Excellent cooling ability
- +
Sleek design and aesthetics
- +
Lower price than other 360 AIOs
Cons
- -
Cable / controller management could be better
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Features & Specifications
Change is good. Change is constant. Change is inevitable. But at times, months or years can go by before a new product arrives to dethrone the previous incumbent juggernaut atop our component rankings. Many challenge, few succeed.
The Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML360R RGB is one of those few. When it comes to keeping overclocked CPU load temperatures in check, it’s the new chilling champ. As the 360 variant of our previously reviewed MasterLiquid ML240R RGB, the newly available MasterLiquid ML360R adds 33 percent more radiator surface area for even more cooling prowess. The result? It cools even better than the mighty NZXT Kraken X72.
Supporting most consumer (including high-end desktops) Intel and AMD processor sockets (sorry, no Threadripper / TR4), Cooler Master ships the MasterLiquid ML360R RGB with a dizzying accompaniment of accessories and mounting hardware. In addition to the usual backplates, threaded offsets and bolts, the packaging includes a syringe of Cooler Master thermal compound, an RGB lighting control module and USB connectivity cabling to allow desktop control of your RGB lighting within the UI suite.
Specifications
| Thickness | 1.1 inches / 25.1mm (2.3 inches / 57.9mm w/fans) |
| Width | 4.8 inches / 120.7mm |
| Depth | 15.5 inches / 393.7mm |
| Pump Height | 2.1 inches / 52.9mm |
| Speed Controller | BIOS |
| Cooling Fans | 2x 120 x 25mm |
| Connectors | 1x 3-Pin3x 4-Pin PWM4x 4-pin RGB |
| Weight | 90.5oz / 2567g |
| Intel Sockets | 2066, 2011x, 1366, 115x, 775 |
| AMD Sockets | AM2(+), AM3(+) AM4, FM1, FM2(+) |
| Warranty | Two years |
Speaking of the RGB lighting module, be prepared to route and configure the plethora of included cables required for full integration of the ML360R RGB. The rectangular control module has a magnetic base, which should let you avoid the double-sided tape needed for most steel-based chassis. USB handles the connectivity and control of the module--either via adapter to a 9-pin USB motherboard header, or a standard Type-A port.
The sleek, rounded Cooler Master pump housing provides an almost-discreet level of RGB lighting by today’s standards, with the chosen lighting pattern illuminated through the Cooler Master hexagonal logo and around the edges of the rounded cover dome. The cover is removable and can be oriented to match your specific installation--no one wants an upside-down Cooler Master logo. Rubber tubing is sleeved beneath nylon braid, which is terminated with heat-shrink tubing at right-angle rotational fittings on the pump.
The ML360R RGB uses a large, single-piece copper baseplate with fine, linear grain milling to mate with the surface of the CPU's integrated heat spreader. The included adapter brackets secure to the housing tabs with four small screws from the accessory contents.
The aluminum 360 radiator of the ML360R RGB offers a good balance of fin density and airflow for the MF120R aRGB (addressable RGB) pulse-width modulation (PWM) fans. Thumbscrew-type fan bolts allow for speedy, tool-free installation of the trio of fans to the radiator housing, but you can also tighten them a bit more with a Philips-head screwdriver.
Turning down the lights provides a bright, consistent glow from the aRGB fans and pump housing. You can choose any shade of color on any component you wish.
As with most 360 AIO coolers, mounting the radiator serves as the biggest hurdle. However, if your case supports a 360 (3 x 120mm) cooler, installation troubles should be minimal. We made good use of the 90-degree rotational fittings on the pump unit in order to get everything into place inside our accommodating Corsair Graphite 760T chassis, although a bit more length in the tubing department really would do wonders.
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