Cooler Master MasterAir MA624 Air Cooler Review

[David_Schroth]

Introduction



On the bench today is the Cooler Master MasterAir MA624 Stealth (MAM-D6PS-314PK-R1). It is part of Cooler Master’s MasterAir series of coolers that represents the best offerings that they have. We’ll strap it to our air cooling test platform that is built around a Ryzen 7 2700X processor with a manufacturer-claimed TDP of 105W. This should provide a reasonable usage case that we are likely to see with some of today’s most demanding air-cooled CPU coolers.



Cooler Master MasterAir MA624 Stealth Overview




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Continue reading...

 

[Niner51]

Great review. That's a little large for my liking, but it works. I went with my Noctua NH-U12A over the NH15 I have because of the size difference and almost identical thermals. If I was more into overclocking I would consider this cooler.

 

[twzTechman]

This looks like a good air cooler. I just built 2 systems. One with a 5800x and an AIO cooler (Corsair 100I Elite Cappellix) and the other with a 3700x and the default AMD Wraith cooler. I really like the more straightforward installation and maintenance of the AIO. I am thinking about getting a really nice air cooler like this review unit for my 5800x , but it does idle pretty warm...

 

[Burticus]

Nice review. A little pricey for my taste, but I assume we'll see some sale prices / rebates trickle in at some point.

I'm a big Hyper 212 fanboy, so I like Cooler Master. This one looks like 2 x black hyper 212's on steroids.

 

[Brian_B]

I am thinking about getting a really nice air cooler like this review unit for my 5800x , but it does idle pretty warm...

Ryzens seem to do that no matter how good of a cooler you have. I have heard you can lower it with some undervolting and other tweaks, but my own opinion is that so long as it can keep cool under load, I'm not too concerned about what idle temps do.

 

[David_Schroth]

Nice review. A little pricey for my taste, but I assume we'll see some sale prices / rebates trickle in at some point.

I'm a big Hyper 212 fanboy, so I like Cooler Master. This one looks like 2 x black hyper 212's on steroids.

Not sure there's a ton of wiggle room in the market for a bunch of discounts on this. It's a premium cooler priced squarely alongside it's competition (ten more than the Dark Rock Pro 4 and ten under the D15 black edition).

 

[LazyGamer]

Nice review. A little pricey for my taste, but I assume we'll see some sale prices / rebates trickle in at some point.

I'm a big Hyper 212 fanboy, so I like Cooler Master. This one looks like 2 x black hyper 212's on steroids.

So, to put it somewhat in perspective: listed TDPs for CPUs are a lie beyond stock. We all know this, but it's hard to understand just how much, and how that should inform CPU cooling decisions.

One good current example is Intel's 12900k: Intel was honest, this time, and put the 'stock overclocked' power limit of 241w on the marketing. Put simply, 241w is beyond what the best single-tower single- or dual-fan coolers like the Hyper 212 are capable of handling. At best you'll be dealing with constant thermal throttling, but you'll probably also see crashes depending on what workloads you run and how your motherboard is set up.

Another example is the CPU I'm using in the new case review rig, the 10900k reviewed by @Dan_D a few years back. Under Dan's custom water loop, the CPU was able to pull up to 300w - this on a CPU with a 'stock' TDP of 95w. For my testing, under a Dark Rock Pro 4 like @David_Schroth tested earlier this year, but with a third Shadow Wings 3 fan installed, I've had to limit the 10900k to 5.0GHz to keep it stable for the broad swath of testing we do.

And that's pushing to 260w+, for ten Skylake cores at 5.0GHz, which is at the present time able to outscore Cinebench R23's Threadripper 1950X sample result by several hundred points, for comparison, while staying just below 90c.

Great review. That's a little large for my liking, but it works. I went with my Noctua NH-U12A over the NH15 I have because of the size difference and almost identical thermals. If I was more into overclocking I would consider this cooler.

Large is both an understatement and an overstatement - yes, these coolers are quite large, but usually in dimensions where that doesn't really matter. They're still shorter than necessary for most mid-tower ATX or mATX cases, for example, and most can easily overhang taller RAM sticks.

Where the size really becomes a problem is in working around the cooler. Note in the review here of the MA624 that the removal of a fan isn't required for installation and removal and that's an important take home point. In contrast, the Dark Rock Pro 4 requires the removal of the middle fan, which further necessitates the removal of the GPU. This is a pain, and on top of having to route the three fan power leads around, marks a pretty big difference between large-tower air coolers and AIOs.

Honestly, while I like be quiet!'s products, styling, and pricing, that ease of installation puts the MA624 squarely above the Dark Rock Pro 4. I hadn't worked with larger air coolers, having preferred and still largely preferring AIOs, and the inconvenience involved in properly security the Dark Rock Pro 4 isn't something I'm likely to put myself through unduly, or recommend outside of necessity such as market availability or hard budget limits.

 

[Niner51]

Honestly, while I like be quiet!'s products, styling, and pricing, that ease of installation puts the MA624 squarely above the Dark Rock Pro 4. I hadn't worked with larger air coolers, having preferred and still largely preferring AIOs, and the inconvenience involved in properly security the Dark Rock Pro 4 isn't something I'm likely to put myself through unduly, or recommend outside of necessity such as market availability or hard budget limits.

I'm not a big fan of the larger coolers myself, and that is why my DH15 has been sitting idle lately. I have about three AIO's here including the Aorus Waterforce X360 which I feel is a real nice AIO, but it cools on par with my Noctua air cooler, and I'm all for not worrying about a pump fail right now (not that I had any fail, but I'm a worrier.)

 

[Brian_B]

I'm all for not worrying about a pump fail right

Hmm...

Seeing how large some of these air coolers are, and knowing the magical properties of water...

Just strictly out of curiosity - what happens to a modern CPU, with all it's new thermal management tricks - when you do have a pump failure and/or fan failure?

I suspect in the case of fan failure (on either a AIO or an air cooler) that, for most AIO/HSF setups, the system would continue to run but throttle considerably. In the case of a pump failure, I don't know, and it may largely depend on specific installation moreso than anything else

 

[LazyGamer]

I definitely understand that.

While I've started looking at custom loops, which would allow for pump swaps if necessary, I've been pretty put off by the overall cost, complexity, and inconvenience. This is especially so when it comes to GPU upgrades. You're lucky enough to find a GPU you can buy - and now you have to hope that someone makes a block for it? Or that it's even worth the effort, given that you generally want an AIB with higher power limits?

Just strictly out of curiosity - what happens to a modern CPU, with all it's new thermal management tricks - when you do have a pump failure and/or fan failure?

I'll give you an example of a personal stupid:

When installing the Dark Rock Pro 4 into the case test rig, which meant swapping out the Shadow Rock 3 that I've been using up to that point, I did that thing that everyone building a system does at least once - I left the plastic over the bottom of the HSF.

And then I unknowingly booted the system up and started a Cinebench R23 run.

Now, while @David_Schroth mentions that his AMD 2700X usually crashes when overheating, this 10900K did no such thing. It simply throttled itself and worked through the benchmark.

I noticed it because the benchmark was running visibly slower than usual, and when I checked the CPU stats, it had been limited to 88w.

So now we know: a Dark Rock Pro 4 with a third fan installed and the plastic cover left on can handle 88w of heat.

 

[Brian_B]

When installing the Dark Rock Pro 4 into the case test rig, which meant swapping out the Shadow Rock 3 that I've been using up to that point, I did that thing that everyone building a system does at least once - I left the plastic over the bottom of the HSF.

Well, plastic on the contact surface is a bit different case. I wouldn't consider that a lifecycle failure mode, and yeah, I would expect most CPUs to probably crash or shut down in that case, as it bars all heat transfer - it might even be worse than no heatsink installed depending on the plastic used.

Good to know about 88W though - maybe it can go back to the future?!

 

[LazyGamer]

From what I've seen with Intel CPUs, you really have to push them outside of their envelope to get them to 'crash'.

Not enough voltage can cause a hard reboot on the spot, with no warning, and can be traced back through the CPU, the motherboard hardware, BIOS settings, power supply, and even the mains. Really a frustrating issue to deal with.

On the other hand, too much voltage will likely cause a blue screen - and not necessarily one that's helpful. Operating systems use the CPU to run their hardware drivers, so they can't really know if it's the CPU failing or something else. Could be the CPU failing the GPU driver, could look like it's storage related, and so on. This also usually happens before any readout software can show you that the voltage really is being set too high, or that this is causing a heat spike that the CPU believes it cannot handle by thermally throttling.

Outside of voltage tuning issues though, I've mostly seen Intel CPUs just slow down. My personal 9900K, for example, running on a Z390 Taichi Ultimate, will happily chew through benchmarks at 109c. The ASRock board allows this temperature to be set to 110c, whereas on most boards it is limited to 100c.

It's for this reason that I switched from a more restrictive Fractal Design R5 and aging 280mm Corsair AIO to a Lian Li O11 Dynamic XL and a 360mm AIO with six fans in push-pull - 85c is about the most you want to run a CPU at continuously, at running over 100c just isn't good for a CPUs lifespan.

I'll also point out that while the 360mm AIO most certainly can handle the best that my 9900k will do, this is still a CPU that is just stubbornly hard to cool without delidding. It seems that nothing short of a chilled loop or other sub-ambient solution would get it stable above 5.0GHz, so I've kept to undervolting it at 5.0, where it happily sits with no AVX offset, running 30c at idle in a 22c room and staying below 85c under intense loads.

 

[David_Schroth]

Now, while @David_Schroth mentions that his AMD 2700X usually crashes when overheating

The main reason for the crash is that I disable all ability for the chip to throttle for my testing. If it was able to throttle then I suspect we would see lower temps and performance as a result...

 

[Dan_D]

So, to put it somewhat in perspective: listed TDPs for CPUs are a lie beyond stock. We all know this, but it's hard to understand just how much, and how that should inform CPU cooling decisions.

One good current example is Intel's 12900k: Intel was honest, this time, and put the 'stock overclocked' power limit of 241w on the marketing. Put simply, 241w is beyond what the best single-tower single- or dual-fan coolers like the Hyper 212 are capable of handling. At best you'll be dealing with constant thermal throttling, but you'll probably also see crashes depending on what workloads you run and how your motherboard is set up.

Another example is the CPU I'm using in the new case review rig, the 10900k reviewed by @Dan_D a few years back. Under Dan's custom water loop, the CPU was able to pull up to 300w - this on a CPU with a 'stock' TDP of 95w. For my testing, under a Dark Rock Pro 4 like @David_Schroth tested earlier this year, but with a third Shadow Wings 3 fan installed, I've had to limit the 10900k to 5.0GHz to keep it stable for the broad swath of testing we do.

And that's pushing to 260w+, for ten Skylake cores at 5.0GHz, which is at the present time able to outscore Cinebench R23's Threadripper 1950X sample result by several hundred points, for comparison, while staying just below 90c.


Large is both an understatement and an overstatement - yes, these coolers are quite large, but usually in dimensions where that doesn't really matter. They're still shorter than necessary for most mid-tower ATX or mATX cases, for example, and most can easily overhang taller RAM sticks.

Where the size really becomes a problem is in working around the cooler. Note in the review here of the MA624 that the removal of a fan isn't required for installation and removal and that's an important take home point. In contrast, the Dark Rock Pro 4 requires the removal of the middle fan, which further necessitates the removal of the GPU. This is a pain, and on top of having to route the three fan power leads around, marks a pretty big difference between large-tower air coolers and AIOs.

Honestly, while I like be quiet!'s products, styling, and pricing, that ease of installation puts the MA624 squarely above the Dark Rock Pro 4. I hadn't worked with larger air coolers, having preferred and still largely preferring AIOs, and the inconvenience involved in properly security the Dark Rock Pro 4 isn't something I'm likely to put myself through unduly, or recommend outside of necessity such as market availability or hard budget limits.

Don't forget about the Core i9 10980XE that pulls over 500w when overclocked.

 

[LazyGamer]

Don't forget about the Core i9 10980XE that pulls over 500w when overclocked.

Definitely - though that CPU really does occupy an awkward place. Definitely looking forward to where Intel goes with HEDT Alder Lake!

(and... optimistically pricing out an appropriate custom loop...)

 

[Dan_D]

Definitely - though that CPU really does occupy an awkward place. Definitely looking forward to where Intel goes with HEDT Alder Lake!

(and... optimistically pricing out an appropriate custom loop...)

I can tell you right now that a full custom loop can easily cost you between $1,000 or more.

Here's my current loop:
EKWB Coolstream PE 360 Radiator(s) x2 - $230
EKWB Quantum Velocity RGB CPU Block - $115
EKWB LGA 1700 Adapter - $20 (Free, but does cost shipping.)
Bitspower G1/4 16mm OD fittings x16 - $144 ($9ea.)
Bitspower G1/4 extension fitting - $8
Corsair 90 degree G1/4 fittings, Black (x3 2-packs) - $78 (OEM'ed by Bitspower, but with no logo)
EKWB G1/4 valve (for draining the loop) - $19
Bykski RTX 3090 FE Waterblock - $160 (New version includes active backplate and is more expensive.)
Bykski Lian-Li O11-Dynamic XL Distro Plate - $250
Lian Li UNI Fan SL120 3 Pack Black - with Controller (ARGB 120mm LED x2 - $170
Lian Li UNI Fan SL120 Single Pack Black Without Controller (ARGB 120mm LED x1 - $28
Bitspower None Chamfer PETG Link Tube, 16mm OD, 1000mm, Clear, 4-Pack - $50
Total Cost = $1,272 before taxes and shipping

Now, I listed everything I can think of. That's where water cooling really gets you. It nickels and dimes you to death with small costs. A fitting there, a 90 degree adapter there, etc.

 

[LazyGamer]

Now, I listed everything I can think of. That's where water cooling really gets you. It nickels and dimes you to death with small costs. A fitting there, a 90 degree adapter there, etc.

That's one of the main reasons I've held back - cost versus benefit hasn't really been there versus a decent AIO.

Real gains would be in acoustics and aesthetics. Though I'd probably be best off delidding this 9900k. It just heats up so fast and seems to run hotter than necessary, so I think much of the potential benefit would be lost.

Also, not having a GPU worth putting under water - and not really being prepared to budget for current asking prices also bites!

 

[Brian_B]

Now, I listed everything I can think of. That's where water cooling really gets you. It nickels and dimes you to death with small costs. A fitting there, a 90 degree adapter there, etc.

Yeah. It is possible to go with less money; maybe around half what Dan lists here - he has all high end matching parts. But don’t ever go in thinking it will be competitive (price-wise) with any AIO or air cooler.

$500 — and up — if you are starting with nothing and want to do it right. $250 — and up — if you are willing to Home Depot and MacGyver your loop (and deal with the potential consequences).

 

[Dan_D]

That's one of the main reasons I've held back - cost versus benefit hasn't really been there versus a decent AIO.

Real gains would be in acoustics and aesthetics. Though I'd probably be best off delidding this 9900k. It just heats up so fast and seems to run hotter than necessary, so I think much of the potential benefit would be lost.

Also, not having a GPU worth putting under water - and not really being prepared to budget for current asking prices also bites!

There is also the benefit of longevity. You can simply change a CPU block or its mounting hardware for newer configurations. It's more maintenance intensive than an AIO, but a well maintained loop can last for more than a decade. I've still got functioning Exos 2.5 units that are 15 years old.

 

[Dogsofjune]

There is also the benefit of longevity. You can simply change a CPU block or its mounting hardware for newer configurations. It's more maintenance intensive than an AIO, but a well maintained loop can last for more than a decade. I've still got functioning Exos 2.5 units that are 15 years old.

That was the thought I was going to post. Initial investment is steep, but it's easy to carry it over to a new box with minimal expenditure.

Do the proper maintenance and swap blocks, radiators, fans, pumps as needed.

I have three boxes with water, in the last 15 years, I have replaced water blocks for CPU upgrades several times, a couple of radiators, and a couple of pumps. One did get new tubing. It was the first and last times I ran clear tube.