Conclusion
Today we looked at the performance of the MSI MAG CORELIQUID I360 Cooler and stacked it up against various competitors that we’ve previously reviewed to see how it would perform with a metric truck ton of Raptor Lake heat dumped into it. We’ll recap the performance below and see how the MSI MAG CORELIQUID I360 stood up to the heat in our kitchen!
Summary of Temperatures
From a stock 200w temperature performance perspective, when the fans were at or above 1000 RPM, the MSI MAG CORELIQUID I360’s temperature performance either led the pack, tied for the lead, or barely trailed across the compared units. At the higher overclocked temperature testing, the MSI MAG CORELIQUID I360 was in the center of the pack against its competition, doing a reasonable job at all tested fan speed levels.
As the fan speeds drop on the MSI MAG CORELIQUID I360, it becomes a bit less effective at its job but still commands respect at the 1000 RPM level. For maximum cooling, you’ll want to set your fan curves a bit more aggressively, but luckily based on the sound levels of the fans, it shouldn’t make much of a difference to your gaming bunker.
Summary of Sound Levels
The MSI MAG CORELIQUID I360 is quite the quiet cooler (say that three times fast!). At the maximum fan speed of 2350 RPM, the 47.4 dB(A) was not an unpleasant rendition of that sound level. Dropping down to 1500 RPM, we simply couldn’t hear it anymore.
Overall, your ears won’t notice if you’re running the MSI MAG CORELIQUID I360 at 1500 RPM which gives it a great intersection between performance and sound levels.
Final Points
Based on our testing results, the MSI MAG CORELIQUID I360‘s sweet spot is in the 1000-1500 RPM range and is very quiet at that level. At its $139.99 MSRP, It performs on par with its peers that are priced in that ballpark. From an acoustic perspective, it performed very well by sinking to below 40 dB(A) at 1500 RPM, which is fairly uncommon for a 360mm AIO cooler from what we’ve seen over the years.
If you’re in the market for a ballpark $140 360mm cooler, the MSI MAG CORELIQUID I360 is an excellent choice for your shortlist.
