Overclock.net banner

COOLER MASTER USA MasterLiquid Pro 240

481 views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  Overclock Reviews 
#1 ·
COOLER MASTER USA MasterLiquid Pro 240

Description:
High performance AIO liquid cooler
 

Attachments

See less See more
1
#2 ·
CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Pro 240

review by jedson3614



CoolerMaster has rethought the fundamentals of liquid cooling with its MasterLiquid series of AIO coolers. They continue to surprise consumers with their innovative designs and improvements to their current products. Liquid cooling is more important than ever with the amount of heat that computers can generate. Custom liquid cooling loops will always reign supreme, but they are expensive and complicated. AIO coolers have saturated the market with their ease of installation and performance per dollar. I will be reviewing the MasterLiquid Pro 240 and see if it can cool down the heat of competition with the massive amount of AIO coolers on the market. Their slogan for the MasterLiquid is "Enjoy the wonders of liquid cooling".

The specifications are as follows:



Shipping



The packaging was very nice for this product. In fact its some of the best I've seen. The back showcases each of the Pro 240s major features that make this AIO fantastic. The Pro 240s main selling point is FlowOp technology which is showcased on the front packaging.



The accessories are packed really well. This is some of the best packaging I have seen for an AIO liquid cooler. Everything is individually labeled and laid out in an organized way.

The accessories include:
  • Organized and labeled screw set with clips / Thermal Paste
  • Pro 240 AIO liquid cooler
  • Mounting plate for AMD and Intel
  • 2x CoolerMaster master pro fans
  • Rubberized vibration mounting sleeve for radiator and fans
  • Install Manual and warranty info
  • Mounting clips for AMD and Intel


I think the unit is well designed and has some awesome features. The actual 4 pin PWM CPU fan plug is sleeved, but the individual tubes running from the pump to the radiator should have taken note from the sleeved pump cable, and also the fan cables are sleeved as well. I continue to take note from Corsairs AIO coolers which have sleeved pump cables, and this is a small but noticeable feature that is well desired.

Design



CoolerMaster has rethought the fundamentals of liquid cooling with FlowOp technology.



MasterLiquid Pro technology features:
  • Maximizing absorption-The water block, customized and packed densely with micro-fine plates, absorbs more heat from the CPU than traditional designs
  • Zoning in on heat-Liquid is funneled directly at the hottest part of the CPU and carried away quickly through technology normally used in high-end DIY models
  • Preserving parts-Liquid heated by the CPU is isolated from sensitive components using two chambers in the pump
  • Recycling the cool -Heated liquid is pushed out and more efficiently cooled through a completely unique radiator fin design
  • Getting it out -Heat in the radiator fins is expelled far out of the case by new MasterFanPro Air Balance fans
  • Keeping it quiet-Silent drivers in the pump and MasterFanPros reduce decibel levels to nearly a whisper
  • Installation made simple?Tool-free assembly makes installation hassle-free
The MasterLiquid Pro series is for enthusiasts who want to push their system. The harder you push your CPU, the more cooling you will need.



The MasterLiquid was designed for:
  • Gaming
  • Modding
  • Software Development
  • Graphic/Industrial Design
  • Film and Entertainment Media
  • Overclocking


The MasterLiquidPro rethinks the fundamentals of liquid cooling via FlowOptechnology. A holistic approach to controlling the flow of heat, FlowOp begins with an exclusive pump and dual chamber design with ultra fine microchannels, FEB tubing, square fin radiator design and MasterFan Air Balance fans. And when all these features are combined, you get a comprehensive cooling machine that lasts longer, performs better, and requires virtually no maintenance.



Most AIO coolers try to "carry away" the heated liquid by the CPU. When the coolant runs through these areas it slows down. It's like putting a hot coal in a boiling pot of water to cool it down.



CoolerMaster uses an exclusive dual-chamber design that is engineered so that cold stuff can get in, but the hot stuff can't go back up. The cooler upper chamber is where CoolerMaster stores all of the vital components. This process is called Spraying the CPU.



Spraying the CPU is the process of technology that was taken from top-end DIY liquid cooling kits to create a powerful pump that sprays liquid directly at the center of the water block, solving the issues of slow flow. This also created a more even mount for the copper base, creating more surface area for the coolant to take heat away. This will result in a much larger lifespan of your AIO cooler.



Getting the heat out from the CPU is just half the battle. Once it is carried out and channeled past the radiator fins, they become the deciding factor in whether it leaves your case. Fins are normally folded in dense triangles, with only the tips touching the hot water channel. The small gaps also make it difficult to jettison the heat far out of the case with the radiator fans. The MasterLiquid?s unique square fin design creates a greater surface area for absorption of the heat and allows for spacious airflow. The increased space means CoolerMaster can use a quieter fan that pushes air farther out of the case for a silent cooling option.



The spacious square fins gave us leverage to use all-new MasterFanPro Air Balance fans. The blades push air farther out of the case and are quieter than high static pressure fans. Plus they?ll last just as long as your liquid cooler.



Adding to that effort towards silence, CoolerMaster encased the pump needed to drive the concentrated spray at the CPU with a silent driver. The custom driver rotates way more smoothly than any other technology out there, reducing noisy clicks and vibration. It?s like you?re using a V8 engine and can?t even notice. My number were a bit higher as I have some more background noise, but I will get into that later in the testing portion of the review. Overall this AIO cooler has some interesting features that stand out among the competition, let's see how easy it is to install.

Installation



Installation for the 240 Pro is extremely easy. The instructions are well laid out, and everything is labeled nicely. The first thing you should do is peel off the protective layer on the copper block before installation.



The instruction guides you to mount the fans to the radiator first. Make sure you use the rubber sleeve for the radiator as this will reduce any vibrations and noise made by the fans. The Pro fans also have rubber corners on top of the sleeve further reducing noise. This is a fantastic design feature I want to see used on more units in the future. The next step would be o mount the radiator to your case but since I'm using a test bench I will skip this step, you can use the provided screws per the instructions for mounting. Please refer to your case for the best position for the radiator.



Next, we will attach the backplate to the motherboard. This is easily done and each side is labeled. I will be installing for Intel socket 1151.



Mounting the back plate was really easy, and I absolutely love the clips CoolerMaster includes for the mounting screws. This is a small but extremely useful design feature. There are specific holes for the 115x socket that the screws line up with, and these clips help hold that screw in place. Once you have the screws set they just go through the holes on the motherboard for mounting.



Next make sure you have the mounting screws set, and apply a pea sized amount of thermal compound for your CPU.



Before you can mount the CPU cooler to the CPU you need to attach the Intel clips to the cooler. The Intel clips are labeled and not flat. You will need to use the provided screws to attach them. Once both clips are attached, you are ready to mount the Cooler to your CPU and motherboard.



Make sure you tighten each screw around the 4 corners to fully mount the cooler. Once installed don't forget to plug in your CPU fan header for the pump. It's also important to note that you should for best performance set the CPU fan header you used to 100% for full speed. This will ensure proper flow of your pump and provide the best cooling.

That is it for installation. It was dead simple, and probably one of the easiest to set up I have ever done. This all has to do with organization and the instructions. Thank you CoolerMaster for such an organized and streamlined setup process.

Testing



To test the performance of the Pro 240 I will be testing cooling and noise. I will be running Aida64 Extreme for load performance. The load performance will consist of max RPM of the fans.

The test bench is as follows:
  • Motherboard- AsRock z170 Gaming k6+
  • CPU: Intel Core I7 6700K
  • Network Card- netgear AC 1200 USB
  • Cooler- CoolerMaster Pro 240
  • Memory- Anarchy X 16GB DDR4 2800MHz
  • Video Card: Nvidia GTX 1060
  • Storage- PNY CS2210 480GB / Samsung 950 pro m.2 512GB
  • Power Supply- bequiet! Dark Power Pro 11 1000W
  • OS: Windows 10 x64 Pro
  • Headphones- Creative H7


The CPU was overclocked to 4.5 GHz for benchmark purposes. CoolerMaster does not provide any software for controlling the pump or the fans. You have to control the fan curves, and PWM features through the bios or motherboard software. If your motherboard is new enough yo should have easy software to control the curves and speeds. The pump is PWM and should adjust per voltage for performance needs. I normally just make sure the bios sets the CPU fan header to 100% so the pump is at full speeds all the time. Some AIO coolers require this, like the H100i GTX V2 to even have the pump perform correctly.Some people might want it quieter, though, and the bios would be the best place to set fan curves. If your bios don't support this feature then see if the motherboard software suit does.



For noise testing, I used a high gain microphone. I want to explain a few things about noise testing, and this unit in particular.

First: Testing noise levels can be difficult. First, don't expect the same levels even with similar hardware. There are too many differences and variables that go into sound testing. You have to account for background noise and other sounds in the environment.

Second: I am one reviewer, and am not a professional sound studio. I am not testing these items in perfect conditions. I do not have an anechoic sound chamber in my test studio.



I tested the above using an average background level. I would take my lowest and highest dB reading and take the average of that. You will have minimal dB differences due to various background noise, and other system devices and fans. I measured the noise level using a high gain microphone a few meters away. 50dB is equivalent to a noise level of a normal conversation. You can see and hear the noise from the fans in the video below.

As you can hear the rubber sleeve has no vibration and the audible noise level is extremely effective and quiet.



At 100 Percent load, and fan speeds (rpm) at max you can see the temp differences above. I added the stock CPU speed labeled as the reference clock. This is the non-overclocked temp at 100% load. I still have a bit of headroom to overclock further if my other parts can handle it. This liquid cooler is extremely cool and effective. I could probably go further but 4.5 is my comfort level for testing parts.

Conclusion



The highs of this unit greatly outweigh the few problems that I found. There is a lot to love about the Pro 240 and all of its features.

The few negatives are:
  • Needs more sleeving
  • No software


The Pro 240 is absolutely fantastic for the price. This AIO cooler really shines with performance numbers to prove, and ease of installation. Its PWM functions well for the fans and provides a nice even flow of air to cool the radiator. My favorite feature of this cooler is its FlowOp technology. This makes cooling your machine virtually better and has been engineered to expel heat at an extreme rate. You will get high volume airflow for the best stability while overclocking. The Pro 240 can be bought on Newegg for $120.00. I highly recommend this cooler for anyone looking for extreme performance and overclocking.

ProsCons
High performance cooling/ PriceSleeving/ No software

Ratings
Overall4
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top