MSI is one of the most recognized brands in the PC market, producing a strong lineup of laptops, desktops, GPUs and motherboards. We also manufacture various components and peripherals such as keyboards and CPU coolers.
MSI has three lines of AIO coolers that reflect their motherboard sub-brands MPG, MEG and MAG series. The MAG series is MSI’s budget-friendly offering, featuring a pump integrated into the radiator. Today we are looking at the largest unit in the lineup, the MAG CoreLiquid P360.
With today’s CPUs raising the bar for cooling difficulty, MSI’s MAG CoreLiquid P360 cools Intel’s Core i9-13900K and our best aio cooler list? To say for sure, we need to do some testing. But first, here are the specs for the cooler, straight from MSI.
cooler specs
| cooler | MSI Core Liquid P360 |
| Manufacturer’s suggested retail price | $119.99 USD |
| Radiator dimensions | 396×120×27mm |
| Radiator material | aluminum |
| pump speed | 4,200 rpm |
| pump life | 100,000 hours |
| Socket compatibility | Intel: LGA 1700, 1200, 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011, 2011-3, 2066 |
| AMD: AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, AM4, AM5, FM1, FM2, FM2+ | |
| base | copper |
| Maximum TDP (our test) | ~287W |
| guarantee | 3 years |
Packing and inclusions
MSI’s CoreLiquid P360 comes in a fairly large box that uses plastic, foam, and cardboard to protect the contents.
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Package includes:
- 360mm radiator + CPU block
- Three 120 mm fans
- Mount for all modern CPU sockets (including AM5 and LGA1700)
- fan splitter
- PSU Molex 4 pin to 4 pin (2 pin wired) cable
- noise reduction adapter
- thermal paste
install
Installing P360 was very easy. First, press the backplate onto the motherboard and screw in the standoffs to secure it. Next, you need to secure the fan to the radiator and mount the radiator to your computer case. Apply the supplied thermal paste from the syringe onto the CPU. All that remains is to press the CPU block onto the standoffs and secure with the included thumbscrews.
Many coolers come pre-applied with thermal paste. This isn’t much of an issue for experienced builders (the paste you use may be different anyway), but these days it’s rare to see an AIO without thermal paste pre-applied .
Features of MSI’s MAG CoreLiquid P360
radiator pump design
Most liquid coolers today are based on the Asetek design, which includes the pump in the CPU block. However, MSI’s MAG CoreLiquid P360 has a pump driven by a three-phase motor integrated inside the radiator. MSI claims he has two advantages with this design. The pump is removed from the direct heat of the CPU, resulting in longer life and lower noise levels.
There is a refill port next to the pump, below the radiator tube. This allows the user to service and restock the AIO without having to send the AIO to the manufacturer for repair (or just purchase a new cooler).
Full copper CPU plate
MSI’s CoreLiquid P360 CPU contact plate is made of pure copper.
Medium thickness 360mm radiator
MSI’s CoreLiquid P360 features a 360mm radiator with a thickness of 27mm. It’s not the thickest (or thinnest) radiator we’ve seen so far, but it should be compatible with most cases with room for three 120mm fans.
3x 120mm fans
Coolers are more than just heatsinks and radiators. Bundled fans have a big impact on cooling and noise levels. MSI CoreLiquid P360 includes three 120mm fans, but cannot be purchased separately.
| Size | 120×120×25mm |
| fan rotation speed | 500-2,000RPM |
| air flow | Up to 78.73 CFM |
| air pressure | 2.39mmH2O |
| Bearing type | 2 ball bearings |
| lighting | none |
test method
With previous generation CPUs for coolers, it was fairly easy to keep flagship i9 processors well below TJ max (the maximum temperature a CPU can sustain without throttling) under demanding workloads, but this is the current generation is not practical for high end CPUs (especially 13900K) without extreme cooling (or enabling power capping).
Peak CPU temperatures have been a source of concern in the past, but enthusiasts should learn to accept high temperatures as ‘normal’ while running demanding workloads on Raptor Lake and Ryzen 7000 CPUs. there is. The latest AMD and Intel CPUs are designed to run fairly hot without problems, up to 95 degrees Celsius for AMD Ryzen 7000 CPUs and up to 100 degrees Celsius for Intel’s Core i9-13900K. Similar behavior has been the norm in laptops for years due to cooling limitations in tight spaces.
Additionally, Intel’s i9-13900K supports Adaptive Boost Technology (ABT), which allows Core i9 processors to dynamically boost to higher all-core frequencies based on available thermal headroom and electrical conditions. increase. This allows multi-core loads to run up to 5.5 GHz with the required amount of heat dissipation. This feature works in a way that actively seeks high temperatures. When the chip detects that it is operating below the 100 C threshold, it increases performance and power consumption until it hits safe limits, sustaining higher clocks for longer (and providing better performance ).
The increased cooling challenges with Raptor Lake meant that we had to change some of the ways we test coolers. Some coolers were able to pass the Cinebench R23 multi-core test with Intel’s 12th Gen i9-12900K when the power cap was lifted (although only the most powerful models were able to pass that test ).with most liquid coolers all The air cooler I tested “failed” that test because the CPU hit TJ max in this scenario.
On Raptor Lake’s 13900K, not a single cooler has been able to keep the CPU below its max TJ in this test. Instead, look at total benchmark scores and sustained clock speeds to compare performance.
Asus’ TUF Gaming Z690 Gaming Plus WIFI motherboard is used to test Intel’s i9-13900K CPU. Cooler Master’s HAF 700 Berserker Case fans are limited to 35% speed. The motherboard’s default fan curve is used for the CPU cooler fan.
In addition to testing Cinebench with no power cap applied, we also show the results of capping the CPU power consumption to a more reasonable 200W. We also show the results at 125W for those who prefer very quiet cooling at the expense of some performance. For both of these results, we show the traditional delta result versus ambient temperature.
Sound level measurements recorded using a PSPL25 sound meter are provided for all three power levels tested to compare the noise produced by each cooler in different scenarios.Most coolers are effective at 125W expected to run quietly.
LGA1700 socket bend
Besides the CPU cooler, there are many other factors that affect cooling performance, such as the case you use and the fan attached to it. Your system’s motherboard can also affect this. suffer from bendingThe result is poor cooler contact with the CPU.
To prevent bending from affecting cooling results, Thermalright LGA 1700 contact frame to our test equipment. If the motherboard is subject to bending, the thermal results will be worse than those shown below. Not all motherboards are affected by this issue. We tested the Raptor Lake CPUs on two motherboards.One of them showed significant thermal improvement after installing Thermalright’s LGA1700 contact frame, while the other motherboard had no difference in temperature at all! Checkout Review of this contact frame for more information.
test configuration
| CPU | Intel i9-13900K |
| Tested comparison air cooler | cougar forza 50 |
| Deep Cool AG400 | |
| Deep Cool AG620 | |
| Iceberg Thermal IceSLEET G6 Stealth | |
| SilverStone Hydrogon D120 ARGB | |
| Thermal Light Assassin X 120 R SE | |
| Thermal light AXP120-X67 | |
| Compare tested AIO coolers | Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360 |
| Deep Cool LT720 | |
| Fractal Celsius + S36 Prisma | |
| SilverStone VIDA 240 Slim | |
| motherboard | Asus TUF Gaming Z690 Plus Wi-Fi DDR5 |
| sheep | Important DDR5-4800 |
| GPUs | Intel Arc A770 LE |
| case | Cooler Master HAF 700 Berserker |
| PSUs | Cooler Master XG Plus 850 Platinum PSU |
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