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Water cooling was once the business of only the most hardcore enthusiasts but has now fully entered the mainstream. This type ofpowerful CPU coolinghas become popular as more gamers overclock their processors, looking for any performance advantage. Accordingly, manufacturers like MSI continue to introduce new AIO liquid coolers that are simple to install and require little or no maintenance.
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The MAG CoreLiquid E360 is the latest AIO liquid cooler from MSI which is part of their value line of PC components. Even though the MAG CoreLiquid E360 isn’t the most expensive cooler on the market, it’s capable of reigning in the temperatures of any power-hungry CPU. This AIO liquid cooler benefits from an enlarged copper plate on its water block to absorb as much heat as possible from processors. Also, a pump and radiator with a split pathway design effectively dissipate hot liquid flowing from the CPU socket with the help of 3 120 mm ARGB fans. With a rotatable circular blockhead that lights up like a celestial body, the MAG CoreLiquid E360 can also enhance the look of anybarebones PC case.
The CoreLiquid E360 will be available to purchase shortly for a $139.99 MSRP, but MSI gave Game Rant an early look at the cooler with a pre-release sample. Trying to carve out a niche for itself in a crowd of liquid coolers, the CoreLiquid E360 was put through its paces to see how its innovative features translate to cooling performance.
MSI MAG Coreliquid E360 AIO Liquid Cooler
The MSI MAG CoreLiquid E360 AIO is a value-packed liquid cooler with a rotating water blockhead and three 120 mm ARGB fans. This cooling system benefits from an enlarged copper base which maximizes contact with CPUs for amplified heat exchange. The radiator also utilizes a split pathway design to distribute warm and cold liquid more effectively. Thanks to a water pump with a three-phase motor, the MAG CoreLiquid E360 can balance its cooling power with noise levels and avoid excess vibrations.
Contents of Package
The MSI MAG CoreLiquid E360 ships in a rectangular box that nicely showcases its illuminated blockhead and 3 120 mm ARGB fans.
In the packaging, buyers will find the fans, water block, and radiator hoses wrapped around the edges of the box, leading to the radiator itself stored toward the back. Also, MSI includes mounting brackets and screws for most CPU socket types, a fan splitter cable, a low-noise fan adapter, and some thermal paste. The manufacturer here makes good use of the available space and doesn’t risk damaging or separating the sealed hoses and attached components.
One increasingly common omission from packaging is a manual or quick start guide, but there is a bar code prominently displayed that will lead smartphones to online documentation. Even so, for installers who have already turned off their computer and would rather not look at a diagrams on small phone screen, some minimal paper instructions would have been appreciated.
Installation
Installing the MAG CoreLiquid E360 in a mid-tower case like the MSI MPG GUNGNIR 300R here doesn’t differ dramatically from most AIO liquid coolers. The first step is usually to snap one of the supplied mounts onto the reverse side of a motherboard near the CPU socket. Buyers receive mounting hardware for mostAMD processorsandIntel CPUs including 12th and 13th generationchips. In this case, an MSI MPG Z590 Gaming Carbon Wi-Fi was the target along with an 11th-generation Intel Core i5 11600K CPU.
As with mostair CPU coolers, the water block attaches to the front of a CPU socket with a bracket and a series of bolts and standoff screws which lock securely into the backside mount. It’s tempting at this point to apply thermal paste to the copper surface of the water block and secure it on top of the CPU. However, it’s advisable to install the 3 ARGB fans onto the radiator and then screw the radiator into a case panel. Otherwise, installers will have to deal with a large radiator dangling when positioning the water block.
The 3 provided fluid 120 mm dynamic bearing fans attach to the radiator with some long screws. Users will want to give some thought to how the cooling configuration is set up in their rigs, but most buyers will want the fans to exhaust heat from the radiator out of a case.
Although the MPG GUNGNIR 300R case has room for a 360 mm AIO liquid cooler on the front panel, installing the radiator on its top panel required no modifications to the default fan layout. Securing the MAG CoreLiquid E360 to the top of the case with some small screws is straightforward if not slightly time-consuming due to the number of screws and slots involved. Once the radiator is safely in its new home, users can apply thermal paste to the water block and finish installing the mounting hardware onto the surface of the CPU.
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The final step to adding the MAG CoreLiquid E360 to a system involves dealing with wiring. From the water block, buyers will want to attach the pump fan cable to a pump fan header on a motherboard. The 3 120 mm fans should connect to CPU fan headers, with the provided splitter cable making it possible to have one header control all the fans together. Then, the ARGB elements of both the fans and water block will need to be dealt with, preferably routing the ARGB cables to a lighting/fan controller or 3-pin motherboard headers.
The available online instructions show the entire installation process with diagrams. Buyers who haven’t worked with liquid coolers before may wish there was more text in the quick start guide. Regardless, nearly any relativelyrecent PC caseand motherboard combination are friendly to the space and connections needed to get the MAG CoreLiquid E360 running properly.
Design and Features
The MAG CoreLiquid E360 is an attractive liquid cooling system that can enhance the overall look of any rig. For gamers with white cases, MSI is also making available a version of this cooler to match that increasingly popular color scheme. Before connecting it, buyers may think that the water block has a full LCD display like with theMSI MEG CoreLiquid S360or theASUS ROG Ryujin II 360 RGBbut that’s a bit of a stretch at this price point. Even so, in a design style paying tribute to a solar eclipse, the block sports an attractive ring of light that outlines an illuminated MSI logo.
The 3 120 mm ARGB fans are capable of becoming exceedingly bright and showcase a wide range of colors and effects. If installers have connected the ARGB cables from both the water block and fans to an ARGB header or controller box, they can coordinate the lighting of the MAG CoreLiquid E360 with MSI Center or similar software. There remains no ideal solution to hiding the evaporation-proof radiator hoses, but they are long enough to route in several different directions. The water blockhead also rotates up to 270 degrees, so the logo can remain in the correct orientation regardless of where the radiator is located.
Looking at the water block more closely, it’s obvious how MSI has tried to maximize the surface area of the copper plate to exchange as much heat with a CPU as possible. The plate is also thick enough to house an increased number of microchannels that increase cooling efficiency. Despite this, the unit looks rather compact when sitting on a motherboard and leaves plenty of cooling area forlarge graphics cards, RAM, VRMs, and M.2 SSDs.
MSI also didn’t skimp on the size and quality of the radiator which measures 27 mm thick without any fans. In a proven split pathway configuration, the radiator contains 12 channels with 6 each devoted to the intake and outtake of hot and cold coolant.
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The 120 mm fans rely on FDB bearings to keep noise levels under control even when at full blast. Low-impurity acrylic is the material of choice for the fan blades, which allows the ARGB lighting to shine without sacrificing thickness or cooling performance.
The water pump keeping the coolant flowing in the tubes is quiet yet powerful, capable of a maximum pump speed of 3000 RPM. A 3-phase motor is placed as close to the core of the water block as possible to avoid excess vibration in a case.
Performance and Cooling
Deciding on which AIO liquid cooler is right for a rig is always a tricky proposition. When spending $300 more on a high-end option, a buyer might expect it to blow away less expensive coolers in all scenarios. In reality, the performance increase gained when spending more money is usually marginal, which is why manufacturers tout their other features like LCD displays and enhanced software integration.
For these tests, the Core i5 11600K CPU was overclocked to 5 GHz with AIDA64 Extreme stress tests as the primary benchmarking software used in the process. There are numerous ways to control CPU and Pump Fan speeds, whether through software or BIOS settings. Overclockers can set up custom curves to adjust fan speeds based on rising CPU temperatures. Since the MPG Z590 Gaming Carbon Wi-Fi in this test integrates with MSI Center, the software was used to change fan speed settings from 3 scenarios including Extreme Performance, Balanced, and Silent. Extreme Performance is designed for maximum cooling of overclocked CPUs while Balanced offers a compromise between fan noise and cooling. Silent not surprisingly minimizes fan usage which is best for quiet PC builds or systems that aren’t stressed the majority of the time.
First, AIDA64 system stability tests were run for 30 minutes including a combination of Stress CPU, Stress FPU, and Stress Cache tests. The MAG CoreLiquid E360 managed to keep average CPU temps at 82 degrees Celsius in Silent Fan Mode, 74 in Balanced mode, and 72 with Extreme Performance settings. All of these temperatures were well within acceptable limits for the Core i5 11600K.
To further push the limits of this AIO liquid cooler, the Stress FPU test run alone is notorious for sending CPU temps spiking. After 30 minutes on Silent Fan Mode which of course was not silent, the Core i5 11600K saw an average temperature reading of 95 which is closer to thresholds but not concerning for an overclocked chip. With Extreme Performance mode, the fans and water pump got a nice workout but were able to keep average temperatures just under 90 degrees.
What’s most noteworthy about these benchmarks is how close they are to the top AIO liquid coolers on the market, including the MSI MEG CoreLiquid S360 whichGameRant recently reviewed. Other CPUs and clock settings could change the picture, but MSI’s latest liquid cooler should be more than adequate for most overclocking scenarios. While the test system was idle, on Balanced Mode, CPU temps remained within 30–35 degrees, so even when not gaming, buyers can expect the cooler to prolong the life of a CPU.
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Although not measured in this review, water pump and fan noise were acceptable in Balanced Mode during most gaming action, though the stress tests increased noise levels considerably. The included low-noise fan adapter reduced noise levels noticeably and did not significantly impact CPU temps. Still, how loud a rig becomes depends largely on the number and type ofcase fans in a buildand how well-insulated a case is. Unlike other liquid coolers, there was no discernable high-pitched whine originating from the pump fan.
Throughout the evaluation period, the MAG CoreLiquid E360 was a reliable and stable performer. Even its ARGB lighting on the water block and fans responded quickly to changes and stayed in sync with the other case fans in the rig.
Conclusion
The MAG CoreLiquid E360 is yet another excellent AIO liquid cooler from MSI that can effectively cool the most powerful CPUs on the planet. It would have been preferable to have a printed quick start guide, but MSI includes all the components one would for novices to experience liquid cooling for the first time.
Aspects of the MAG CoreLiquid E360 like the enlarged copper plate on its water block help to give it an edge over the cheapest liquid coolers. A trio of fans and a potent water pump resist the urge to cause a ruckus even during intensive gaming. In combination with a radiator relying on a less original but efficient split pathway design, the E360 holds its own against any high-end cooling solution.
The MAG CoreLiquid E360 finds itself in a bit of an odd position as a part ofMSI’s value line of components. There are somewhat less expensive coolers with 3 120 mm fans providing similar performance, so the E360 needs to find a way to distinguish itself. With performance gaps minimal between many AIO liquid coolers, buying decisions can often come down to appearances. While opinions may vary, the illuminated water block with a celestial look and the 3 120 mm ARGB fans make a statement in any case. The MAG CoreLiquid E360 offers enough for buyers to pass up more plain-looking budget coolers and more expensive options with extravagant but non-essential LCD displays.
In an increasingly expansive collection of liquid AIO coolers, the MAG CoreLiquid E360 boasts enough innovation and style for it to rise to the top of budget and mid-range contenders.
Related Products
If a gamer doesn’t need the massive airflow that a 360 mm AIO liquid cooler outputs, then theID-Cooling Frostflow X 240is hard to resist at its ultra-budget price point. As an excellent entry-level liquid cooler, the Frostflow X 240 makes things as simple as possible for new system builders with extra-long radiator hoses. Also, this cooler is compatible with the most powerful processors in the world, including the AMD Ryzen Threadripper. Unfortunately, the most overlocked CPUs with TDPs of 250-300W may push the Frostflow X 240 past its performance limits.
Among similarly priced liquid AIO coolers, one obvious alternative to the MSI MAG CoreLiquid E360 is theARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 360 A-RGB. This 3 120 mm fan cooling system is highly rated for its excellent balance of cooling performance and noise levels. The proprietary pump and heavily shielded hoses are built from the highest quality components and backed by a 6-year limited warranty. However, the Liquid Freezer II 360 has a slightly awkwardly shaped water block that lacks the ARGB lighting of the MAG CoreLiquid E360.
Finally, if money is not an obstacle, theMSI MEG CoreLiquid S360features a powerful 60 mm VRM fan in its water block and a 2.4" LCD screen. This display is a highlight of the MEG CoreLiquid S360 since its graphics are customizable, and it shows a constant flow of critical system information. Its powerful 7th-generation Asetek water pump can move hot and cold liquid around as quickly as any liquid cooling system. On the other hand, the 3 120 mm fans lack any sort of lighting at all which is a surprising omission from a high-end cooler.
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FAQ
Q: Is it worth it to buy a liquid cooler?
Liquid cooling is best suited for CPUs that are significantly overclocked. These cooling systems use water as an alternative to air since liquid is a much better conductor of heat. The majority of PC builders will find lower-priced and easier-to-install air CPU coolers a more practical solution.
Q: Do liquid CPU coolers need to be refilled?
Most consumer-grade AIO liquid coolers utilize a sealed closed-loop system that is designed to never need maintenance or refilling. There have been cases of these cooling systems or water pumps failing, but most last at least until a buyer upgrades their PC.
