Conclusion
It is a fact that the “hot spot” of Intel’s Core Ultra 200S desktop CPUs (Arrow Lake) has shifted, now with a more northward position, it is no longer centered on the CPU. It is also the fact that AIOs and coolers compatible with socket LGA 1700 are compatible with socket LGA 1851. It is also true that the positioning may not be 100% optimal, due to this shifting of where the cores sit under the IHS. This will not cause a problem, your cooler will work fine. However, this testing today shows that there is indeed room for slight improvement, in the right conditions.
MSI’s claim with the LGA 1851 Offset Kit Enhancer – I it provided is up to a 3 degree, or 3% improvement in temperatures. MSI claimed this would be more pronounced at the higher Wattage levels, like hitting maximum PL1/PL2 or even higher up to 300W, for example. Our testing in demanding applications that fully loaded all the cores on the CPU, and ran for 20 minutes, heat soaking the AIO, did show a positive result using the Offset Kit Enhancer.
Our outlier was Cinebench, which showed a 4-degree difference, or 4%. However, the average was between 1-3 degree reduction in temperature, for very heavy, demanding applications, running for a long period of time. It appears MSI’s claims are true, according to our testing, you can see up to a 3-degree reduction, in heavy workloads, at high continuous Wattage.
While gaming, the temperature difference is not as pronounced, and this makes sense. When gaming, the CPU is not pulling as much Wattage, and the workload is much lighter. In this condition, we saw a 1-degree difference, which will not change anything like frequency consistency while gaming. This is not going to change gaming performance. Therefore, in other light workload tasks, such as single-threaded workloads, like office-type work, the Offset Enhancer will have no real advantage in a real-world scenario.
Final Points
For enthusiasts who like to tweak, and are chasing the most overclocking potential out of your CPU, the LGA 1851 Offset Kit Enhancer – I (and offset brackets in general from other manufacturers) will be worth it on Arrow Lake CPUs. It will ensure you are getting the most optimal cooling you can get. It could also be beneficial for small form factor builds, who need the best cooling with smaller, and less powerful cooling in small cases. But for most people, especially if gaming is a priority, and you have a decent cooler, the LGA 1851 Offset Kit Enhancer – I does not provide any real-world advantage.
This does show, however, that there is room for cooler manufacturers to improve the positioning of coolers on Arrow Lake CPUs with Socket LGA 1851. Perhaps new coolers, designed with LGA 1851 and Arrow Lake in mind, released as new products, will in fact provide better cooling out of the box, in future products. If you want to grab one of these LGA 1851 Offset Kit Enhancer – I for your MSI MAG CORELIQUID I SERIES, or plan to buy one of these AIOs and want one of these enhancers for free, check out MSI’s webpage on how to get that. Also, make sure to check out our Intel Core Ultra 200S desktop series CPUs review.
