AIO Head To Head With Corsair and Cooler Master

Test System Specifications:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
• Motherboard: Gigabyte X670 Aorus Elite AX
• Memory: 32GB Kingston Fury FK560C36BBEAK2-32 DDR5-6000
• Graphics card: MSI Radeon RX 6600 XT Gaming X
• Storage: 500GB Corsair MP600 PCIe Gen4 NVME M.2 SSD
• Power Supply: Seasonic Prime TX-1000
• Chassis: Open Test Bench
• Thermal Compound: Arctic MX-6
• O/S: Windows 11 Version 22H2

Testing Methodology:

We are primarily focussing on the performance of each cooler at 100% fan speed and also when locked to 40dBA noise output. We will focus on cooling performance using a manual overclock with all-core frequency and VCORE locked to 5.2GHz/1.3v and Precision Boost Overdrive performance.

• The test data is logged using HWINFO and the final 10 minutes of the data is calculated to find the average CPU temperature and CPU clock multiplier (PBO Test) and then plotted in the charts.
• For testing, we use a 30-minute looped run of Cinebench R23 and record the steady-state CPU temperature at the end of the test. This ensures that the CPU has had ample time to warm up and reach a steady state under all of the coolers.
• The ambient is maintained at 19-21 degrees Celsius. Where there is variation beyond this temperature range, we add extra repeated tests to ensure consistency. However, this is well controlled now with A/C.
• We also test each cooler with at least two fresh installs (typically three) to mitigate the likelihood of poor mounting spoiling results.
• Ambient temperature and humidity are controlled via a mini split air conditioning system inside the test room. Ambient temperature is maintained between 19-21C, Temperature delta figures are shown in the charts (ambient temperature is deducted from the measured component temperature).

Test Results:

Acoustics

In terms of the noise output the Cooler Master MasterLiquid 360 ION does well here, especially considering the 2300RPM fan speed which is high compared to others with similar noise levels. The Corsair Titan RX is quite loud with fans running at maximum speed.

Thermal Performance

With fan speed maxed out and the CPU frequency/voltage locked both the Cooler Master MasterLiquid 360 ION and the Corsair iCUE Link Titan 360 RX RGB show great thermal performance, trading blows with the top coolers.

Reducing fan speed to 40dBA shows that both the Corsair and Cooler Master coolers have outstanding thermal performance when noise output is on a level playing field. This is a tough test on a cooler's ability and both hold up exceptionally well.

In the PBO test we see excellent thermal performance and clock multiplier from the Corsair iCUE Link Titan RX and the Cooler Master MasterLiquid 360 ION. The higher clock multiplier will yield better CPU performance so these coolers are a great choice for running an AMD CPU with PBO enabled.

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