Msi C360 Review

[Shanta Plansinis]

Mostof the time, when someone thinks about MSI, they immediately go to the motherboards, GPUs, laptops, and even their monitors, but the company offers much more than that. Over the years, we have looked at quite a few of their peripherals, but in that same period, they have also made strides to become relevant in CPU cooling. While almost all of the major players are going this route, with someone like MSI, it makes sense that you can buy all of your components from a single maker, which keeps the build's theme slick, all under the control of a single software environment.

In all of the time we have dealt with MSI, we have seen only two of their cooling products before looking at what we have for you today. One of them was a tower cooler, but again, it came well-dressed and was unmistakably an MSI product that would look amazing on any system but looked even better when paired with MSI gear. On the other side of the coin, we looked at one other AIO to date. While we loved its visual appeal and performance, we ran into a small issue with fitment on one of our older APEX motherboards, but that was more due to the layout of that specific motherboard, as MSI stayed within spec. Still, we could not use the cooler after the review in the situation we wanted to.

What we have for you today is delivered with a more compact head unit, which negates the issue we found, and beyond that, the appeal of this newer AIO takes RGB illumination for MSI coolers to an entirely new level. What we have for you now is an in-depth look at the MSI MAG CoreLiquid C360. While it would go swimmingly with the MAG lineup of motherboards, it is also a cooler that will find itself a stunning addition to any build, no matter the chosen components.

The MSI MAG CoreLiquid C360 comes with an aluminum radiator 396mm long, 120mm wide, and 27mm thick, supporting three 120mm fans. The fans are shown to spin in a range of 500 to 2000 RPM, delivering 78.73 CFM of airflow each. The static pressure is also quite good with the 2.39 mmH2O rating, but they also come with a 34.3 dBA sound level, which is much higher than we typically see. Each of the fans uses ball bearings for the blades to spin on and are said to last up to 70,000 hours. Continuing down the chart, we are told that the cables are 500mm for RGB control, and the fan power leads are 350mm in length.

Next comes the tubing, which is said to be 400mm long and sleeved. We do not see that MSI states on the product page that these are evaporation-proof tubes constructed of three layers of netted plastic with a reinforced mesh exterior. We then jump right into the pump specifications, where it lasts 100,000 hours, spins on a ceramic bearing, and uses a 3-pin connection to power it. The last bit concerning the pump is its speed, where we are told that it will run at 4200 RPM all the time. Again, on the product page, it is said that it uses a three-phase motor and is located in the radiator. This placement not only helps to keep noise down, but also extends its life due to being removed from the heat source.

The last thing we see about the components is that the head unit is 70.5mm square and stands 52mm tall, but there is no mention of the large white diffuser on the top or that it is backed with RGB lighting. Compatibility is listed at the bottom, and as one can tell, MSI ensures all of the latest sockets are covered and even includes ThreadRipper sockets and many older ones.

While cost can make or break a product, we do not feel that is the case here. Looking around on the internet for one, we quickly located them in many locations with wide availability. Considering many CPU liquid coolers are asking closer and closer to $200 to obtain those with a full RGB display and the potential to cool just about any CPU on the planet, the price point we see will be pleasing to many bank accounts. Currently, the MSI MAG CoreLiquid C360 is found on Amazon at $141.99, which is more expensive than the ARCTIC Freezer AIOs. Still, many more affordable solutions do not offer the level of lighting, software control, or performance MSI offers in this CPU cooler.

With some of the most brilliant-looking packaging in the game, MSI puts its name and logo at the top, utilizing the center of the front panel to show off the product with all of its RGB goodness. Near the bottom, we see the Mystic Light icon and the MAG CoreLiquid C360 naming.

Lying the box on its back to see the longer side of the package, we see that the design is similar, but this time it is a play on shiny and matte black. As far as information is concerned, the only thing we get on this panel is the name of the product contained inside.

The second of the longer sides of the box tells us that if you require more information, you can visit the address provided, which is repeated in many languages. Below that is MSI company information along with a bunch of iconography below it, while to the right are codes for various things like the manual, while the product sticker is at the right, delivering all vital information like the part number and serial number.

On the second smaller panel around the sides of the packaging, we find the product's specifications. What is contained here is very similar to what we covered on the previous page of this review and should leave potential customers with little to question.

The naming tops the panel on the back of the box, but there are three images to look at. On the left, we see the MAG CoreLiquid C360 in all its powered glory. In the middle is an image showing the high thermal dissipation due to the split pathway, where at the right is an expanded view of the pump, and it also shows where the pump is located.

Under a layer of dense foam, we find all components kept separated inside the compartmentalized inner packaging. To aid in keeping the surfaces scratch-free and to try to keep the dust levels down, each component is wrapped in plastic, and the radiator gets an additional layer of cardboard to help protect the fin array. You will not find instructions in the box, as MSI is trying to eliminate waste, and you will find the code outside the box to obtain a downloaded version of the manual.

In keeping with all of the angles we saw on the packaging, the head unit is topped with a diffuser that mimics those angles. Deep channels are cut into the top for style, and the black and exposed metal portion with the MSI logo is also a nice touch. We also like the octagonal shape around the sides versus their squarer options.

The cable from the head unit is 500mm long and is a 3-pin A5V ARGB cable with a pair of connectors at the end. The daisy-chain setup allows for the cable to plug into the motherboard while allowing other ARGB connections to use that same port to light up the fans.

The base of the head unit is made of copper and is what removes the heat from the CPU. We did not find any pre-applied paste, so we do not have to worry about dust and debris, nor do we have to worry about possible contact disrupting the application.

The radiator is roughly sixteen inches from the head unit, connected via the evaporation-less tubing covered in a black braided sleeve. We can also see the fill port, which is permanently closed off and not refillable, but more importantly, we can also see a wire emanating from the side of the radiator.

At the end of the radiator nearest the tubing, on the opposite side, we find the pump. As the rendering on the box shows, the outside edges of the radiator bring in the heated coolant, while the center is the cooler bit, allowing the pump to return the cooled coolant to the head unit. The cable attached to it fits in a groove in the side of the radiator so as not to cause fitment issues, and is 500mm long, ensuring it can connect to just about any motherboard fan header.

Stepping back to take it all into view, we can see the radiator is built to support three 120mm fans, and the height of the pump will not conflict with the installation of the fan. However, it does eat up some of the cooling real estate. Picking a random spot to count fins, we found this radiator has a 23 FPI setup, and we all know it takes some serious fans to cool these properly.

The last thing we wanted to show is found on the end of the radiator. Not only can we get perspective on the 27mm thickness of it, but we also see the sticker with the model and serial number, which helps users down the line should an RMA be needed once the box has been binned.

Starting off the hardware components, we have the LGA1700 backplate with bits of tape on either side to help hold it in place. On either side of the backplate are standoffs which the manual notes as parts L and N, but are both shown to be sued with LGA2066/2011 sockets.

The kit ships with three brackets that slide into a groove on the head unit. On the left is the Intel bracket, and in the middle is the ThreadRipper bracket, whereas the one on the right is used for the rest of the supported AMD sockets.

Here we have the Intel studs that lock into the middle backplate. To secure the head unit to any hardware, you will need the spring-loaded nuts above the AMD latches. We then see plastic washers and spacers used in various applications. To the right of the backplate, we see yet another set of standoffs clearly marked LGA2011 and yet another set marked TR4.

The bag at the top contains the twelve long and short screw sets to mount the fans and the radiator to a chassis with a small tube of thermal paste to the right of it. We then run into the cables, which consist of a 3-way 4-pin PWM fan splitter cable, a Molex to 4-pin adapter to power the fans at full speed, and a noise reducer that lowers the voltage via resistance.

Lastly are the trio of RGB fans that ship in the box. These 120mm fans sport the APA1225M12 part number, and the blades and hubs are white like most RGB diffusers, allowing the hubs lighting to spread across the entire fan. Each fan comes with a 4-pin power cable and a 3-pin 5V ARGB cable with a pigtail to allow in-series connections. These fans also come with rubber pads on the corners of the black frames to ensure vibration is of no concern.

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