Introduction
We schlepped it out to Cooler Master’s campgrounds at the Palms to take a look at their latest offerings in celebration of their 30th anniversary, which in the PC world, is a rather long time. They had an entire tour put together of all of their upcoming products, so we’ll dive into each of them, but first, let’s talk about the sharks.
In order to talk about the Sharks, we need to start with the fact that Cooler Master is entering the full system market with a set of unique designs that they will be selling as complete systems. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to get these custom cases made from collaboration with modders on their own. Once the chassis is in your hands, you should be free to upgrade it as you please as it utilizes industry standard equipment.
Cooler Master Complete Systems
Shark X
While Baby Shark may be more popular, the Shark X is certainly not a baby. It is based on the “Leviathan” Mod created by Inony for the Cooler Master Case Mod World Series. In Cooler Master’s production version, it stands over two feet tall and will come equipped with up to an Intel Core i9-12900k or an AMD Ryzen 9 5950x and of course, up to a GeForce RTX 4090 GPU.
They did not seem amused by me asking if this was the point where they jumped the shark, much like the Fonz. We’ll just leave that one here to marinate a bit.
Pricing has not yet been announced, but they are expected to be available at https://www.CMODX.com at some point in Q3 2023.
Sneaker X
Since everything needs an X after it (Ed: I thought it was the 30th Anniversary, therefore XXX?), next up we have the Sneaker X wich is based on the SNEAKER design by JMDF from the Case Mod World Series.
The Sneaker X is slated for similar hardware to the Shark X, with up to a 12900K or 5950X, but a GPU potentially only as high as the discontinued RTX 3080 Ti. We suspect that Cooler Master will update the included parts prior to its 2023 Q3 on sale date at CMODX.com.
Cooling X
In the final system being launched, we have the Cooling X. While it does not feature the show stopper style designs of the last two, the focus here is on delivering high performance in a tiny box so users can have the best of both worlds.
The Cooling X achieves its performance with a custom case and water-cooling solution that includes both a 240mm radiator and water channels along the aluminum sides of the case for improved heat dissipation. This design allows for a Ryzen 9 5950X and Radeon RX 6800 XT to be used in the tiny 10.5″ by 14″ by 6″ footprint.
Cooler Master Workstations
ORB X
First up in the series of Cooler Master workstations, we have the Orb X. This is something that everyone reading this article wants to have, but at the same time our wive’s would disapprove, we have no where to put it and we can’t take out another car loan to afford its $15k MSRP.
Irrespective of the various disapprovals involved, we took a seat in the Orb X and allowed it to close up around us. One of the first nice touches I noticed was the Qi charging pad built into the desktop which was a nice place to park my phone while I gawked at the rest.
From speaking with Cooler Master, we learned that we had a variety of monitor options, up to a trio of 27″ screens, or perhaps the 57″ CR9 Neo that was recently debuted by Samsung. After tinkering with all the buttons in the Orb X, checking out its built in audio capabilities and raising the footrest to tempt us for a nap, we quickly put it on our shortlist of things we need to acquire, regardless of the wife acceptance factor.
Dyn X
Next up, for the racing sim buffs, we strapped ourselves into the Cooler Master Dyn X, a collection of racing simulator parts that will allow you to fully immerse yourself into a game that consists of turning right about every quarter lap (Ed: I though it was left?!?).
In short, Cooler Master will offer an assortment of frames allowing you to customize your driving experience with the three 49″ monitors that you see above, as well as different driver cockpits depending on your preferences (for example, distance from pedals/wheels). We did a few laps around the course enjoyed the overall experience – except the fact we had the “close to the wheel” version of the frame and had to leave a leg hanging off the side.
Cooler Master Streamer Gear
Cooler Master is also jumping head first into the stream accessories market in a big way by offering a complete set of equipment for streamers to deck out their battlestations. The collection includes the following:
- MK Mechanical Keyboard
- Stream Lux – Panel Light
- Stream Lucid – Microphone
- Stream Origins – Capture Card
- SH711 Headset
- MH731 Headset
New Cooler Master Cooling Products
As cooling is part of Cooler Master’s brand, they did the logical thing and wheeled out a few new cooling products to go along with the rest of the offerings. That officially makes this a “Cool Story Bro”.
MasterLiquid Atmos
First up, we have the MasterLiquid Atmos which is a new generation AIO that upgrades the Sickleflow fans to the latest and greatest version as well as steps Cooler Master to greater ESG responsibility by utilizing a customizable recycled plastic pump cover. It sports compatibility with LGA 1700/12/115x and AM4/AM5 sockets. Notably Socket 2066 has been dropped from the compatibility list for some cost savings.
MasterLiquid Sub Zero EVO
Building on its first TEC based AIO, Cooler Master is introducing its MasterLiquid Sub Zero EVO, bringing compatibility to the LGA 1700 socket that its first gen could not handle. Unfortunately, the product will not be available for the AMD team chips. This is a limited run cooler that uses a TEC to drop the chip temperatures below the ambient temperature.
MasterAir 824 Stealth
Building on the success of the MasterAir 624 that we dutifully reviewed about a year ago, Cooler Master brings us the MasterAir 824 (MA824) for our cooling pleasure. It is very similar to the MA624, but it brings us two more heat pipes for 8 in total along with upgraded Mobius fans to push more heat out. It will be compatible with the LGA 1700/1200/115x and AM5/AM4 sockets.
From handling the unit, the MA824 is certainly a little bit bigger than the MA624 to the extent we would be concerned with a nearby GPU getting in the way, however, Cooler Master didn’t seem too worried that it would bother most users.
Hyper 212 Halo
The Hyper 212 lives on with a new edition, still sporting 4 heat pipes and a single 120mm fan. The fans are being upgraded to the newest Mobius fans which also add a bit more RGB bling. The new Hyper 212 will be available in both a black and white motif, but quite frankly, you need to be using sub 100w TDP chips with these (like their predecessors).
Hyper 622 Halo
The Hyper 622 is a dual tower, 6 heat pipe unit that sports a pair of 120mm Cooler Master Halo fans. This unit should provide additional cooling capabilities beyond the Hyper 212 at an affordable price point (Ed: Why is this a stock photo? Did you forget to take a picture of this?).
New Cooler Master Fans
Cooler Master also introduced up and coming updates to their fan line. They first showed off their new Halo2 fans, which are similar to their Halo fans, except they have added the number 2 to the product name (Ed: doesn’t that make them better?). They have also refreshed their Mobius fan line with new 120mm and 140mm revisions in both black and white. Last but not least, they have trotted out a Mobius 120 OC fan that is complete with a lifetime warranty, a unique feature for fans.
New Cooler Master Power Supplies
V1100 SFX Power Supply
Cooler Master spent a bit of time bragging on their 1100w SFX unit in the form of the V1100, which is 1000w more than the SilverStone SX1000 that we looked at about a year and a half ago. Of note, the difference here is that Cooler Master sticks to the diminutive SFX format, as opposed to the SFX-L format utilized by the SilverStone unit. Hopefully we’ll get a sample to throw on Paul’s test bench in the near future.
GX III Power Supplies
This year’s refresh to Cooler Master’s basic line of power supplies primarily adds the 12VHPWR connector compatibility and makes the fan side of the units appear to be tool less by moving the screws holding the mesh off the side of the unit. The GX III series supplies will come in 550w, 650w, 750w, 850w, 1050w and 1250w flavors.
Conclusion
Cooler Master brought a lot of new toys to CES 2023, and we wrote about a lot of new toys above. While some of them are expected iterations on current designs (power supplies, Hyper 212), there’s some true innovation going on with the ORB X, Shark X and Sneaker X that’s worth keeping an eye on.