Overview
After we get everything, and we mean everything, removed from the molded cardboard we find the cooler, fans, remote, manual, warranty, and a couple of bags of hardware. It looks like Cooler Master isn’t messing around when it comes to the RGB effects on this AiO.
The remote itself is a smallish device made of high impact plastic. It has four buttons on top running in either direction away from the centered Cooler Master logo. All around the side of the remote you will find ports of various types. The left side features four, two pin ports serving specific functions, Mirage Effect, Case IO Panel Reset, and Motherboard Reset. The four pin RGB port is for fans connected with a splitter and isn’t addressable. The right hand side has your four addressable RGB channels. The bottom has motherboard ports for both addressable and non-addressable RGBs as well as a micro USB port for software control. Finally we come to the top of the controller where we find a single SATA power port.
The final mechanical feature of the controller is a magnet in the base for easy attachment to the back panel tray of your motherboard. We found that the relatively (or thankfully perhaps) weak magnet did a fair job holding the controller in place so long as it doesn’t have to resist any pressure on the cables connected to it. The lighting can be changed either through the downloadable software or manually with the buttons on the remote.
On to the fans. We have three fans included in the kit they are all MasterFan 120 Air Balance parts. They are of course ARGB with black frames and clear blades. The ends of the frames all feature rubber damping pads and are powered via 4 pin PWM connectors. The ARGBs are then further connected with female end capped wires of their own. As for specs the name kind of gives it away, these fans are meant to be a blend between pressure and flow. The result is 66.7 CFMs with 2.34mmH2O at the top end of 650-2000 rpm all while generating between 6 and 30 dBA of noise. Between the pump and the fans we should be receiving somewhere around 45 dBA max. These are really nice looking fans even before we get into the testing.
Ah the cooler itself. With a very similar feel to last years model the ML360R RGB really grabs your attention with that huge new radiator. While adding 120mm may not seem like much, a 360 rad really starts to get into the cumbersome range, especially when, unlike custom watercooling, you are handling the pump and tubing at the same time.
Aesthetically the radiator features a white painted Cooler Master logo right in the center of both sides. The entirety of the rest of the radiator is painted a semi gloss black. The fin pack is still tight at 20 FPI similar to other AiOs due to the thickness of only 27.2mm. Unfortunately our unit arrived with a few slightly crushed fins. Nothing major but it does make you wonder about the way the unit was handled.
Connecting the radiator and pump is a bit of not so generous in length sleeved FEP tubing. FEP is known for its longevity but not flexibility or aesthetics. Cooler Master would have nailed the aesthetic downfall if not for a terrible sleeving job. Either they didn’t measure twice and cut once or the FEP just doesn’t take to the sleeving. The end result is rather like a snake in a sock connecting the rad and pump.
At the other end of the sock puppet is of course the pump. Very similar in design to the previous model, the dual chamber pump is further improved with the inclusion of RGB LEDs in the top. The result was a swap of the matte black shroud for a high gloss/clear plastic one. You also have the cooler master logo beneath which sits a diffuser that evenly spreads the lighting around.
