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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.
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.
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