Cooler Master Master Liquid 240L Core ARGB Review

Performance

The Cooler Master 240L Core is up against some strong competition here, as we’re starting on our new i9-12900K test bench, which is a hard CPU to cool to begin with. Plus, we’ve tested the Kraken, Noctua D15S, and the RYUO III, easily three of the best CPU coolers on the market today. However, with all that in mind, the 240L clearly has no trouble delivering competitive results and actually ran cooler than the Kraken 360mm at stock settings.

Stock Temperatures

Stock Acoustics

The same with the acoustics, with it clocking in at just 41 dBa, but hardly surprising given it has fewer fans than the other AIOs here.

Overclocked Temperatures

Pushin the temperatures up it… wait, what? That’s right, it actually outperformed the big boys again! 56c over ambient, which is 80c max temperature on the CPU, and that’s after a brutal run through Cinebench R23.

Overclocked Acoustics

Now this is interesting, the noise levels did creep up, but not by as much as I thought given the more budget-focused design of the 240L. It’s clearly a fantastic cooler. The only point I would make is that the sound profile of the pump and fans sound a little choppy and higher pitched than the others, but it is running at a higher RPM to keep up with the 360mm radiators, which have a lower pitch fan noise. Still, not too shabby given the performance here.