MSI MAG CoreLiquid I360 AIO CPU Cooler Review

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

With fans running at maximum speed the MSI MAG CoreLiquid I360 is one of the quieter 360mm AIO that we have tested. 47dBA max noise output at 2200RPM is quite impressive.

Thermal Performance

With fans running at max RPM the performance of the CoreLiquid I360 is up there with some of the top performers that we have tested previously on the 7950X. 64°C over ambient is a very respectable score, so at max fan speed the cooler has great performance.

Pulling the fan speed back to comply with our 40dBA noise limit test the performance of the CoreLiquid I360 is even better in comparison with others. The low noise output means that the fan speed only needs to be turned down a little so there's still plenty of airflow and great cooling.

Again in the PBO test, the MSI MAG CoreLiquid I360 is a very strong contender, only marginally beaten to the top spot in our chart by the DeepCool Mystique 360. The CoreLiquid I360 manages to beat some more expensive competition, so it's very impressive overall.

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