[SOLVED] Is there a big difference between these two CPU coolers?

[haydenr34]

https://www.pccasegear.com/products/41540/cooler-master-masterliquid-ml240r-argb-aio-cooler

Buy NZXT Kraken X53 240mm AIO Liquid CPU Cooler [RL-KRX53-01] | PC Case Gear Australia

NZXT Kraken X53 240mm AIO Liquid CPU Cooler available to buy online from PC Case Gear – Australia’s Premier Online PC Store.

www.pccasegear.com

In case links don't work, talking about the following two products:

Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240R ARGB AIO Cooler ($159 AUD)
NZXT Kraken X53 240mm AIO Liquid CPU Cooler ($220 AUD)

Is the price difference justified or will the Cooler Master be just as good as the NZXT one?

 

[Phaaze88]

Hmm... both have their tradeoffs and upsides - the most notable probably being:
ML240R
+Doesn't require you to run 3rd party software with it, of which your experience would vary; you'll love it or hate it.
-Round frame fans aren't as effective as moving air through a radiator as opposed to square frame.

Kraken X53
+Uses square frame fans
-Use of the 3rd party CAM software is a must to run the thing. Again, you'll either fall in love with it, or you'll hate it.

I can't comment on aesthetics, so that one's on you.

Looking at the specs, the Kraken should have a small edge over the Masterliquid, but that only applies at 100% speeds, and hardly anyone runs fans like that.
Whether a couple - few extra degrees is worth a 38% higher price is up to you... plus, you have the 'privilege' to run CAM for that higher price.

 

[haydenr34]

Hmm... both have their tradeoffs and upsides - the most notable probably being:
ML240R
+Doesn't require you to run 3rd party software with it, of which your experience would vary; you'll love it or hate it.
-Round frame fans aren't as effective as moving air through a radiator as opposed to square frame.

Kraken X53
+Uses square frame fans
-Use of the 3rd party CAM software is a must to run the thing. Again, you'll either fall in love with it, or you'll hate it.

I can't comment on aesthetics, so that one's on you.

Looking at the specs, the Kraken should have a small edge over the Masterliquid, but that only applies at 100% speeds, and hardly anyone runs fans like that.
Whether a couple - few extra degrees is worth a 38% higher price is up to you... plus, you have the 'privilege' to run CAM for that higher price.

The Cooler Master doesn't have the LCD screen like the NZXT does it either? I love that feature.

 

[Adam0ne]

Stats in support of Phaaze statement:

At 100%

NZXT pump speed -rpm 2800 range
Cooler master pump speed - rpm 2500 range

NZXT CFM - 73 range
Coolermaster CFM - 68 range

 

[haydenr34]

Will be for an i9 10900k if that makes a difference.

 

[Phaaze88]

The Cooler Master doesn't have the LCD screen like the NZXT does it either? I love that feature.

You're talking about the temperature thing? That's on the Z model, not the X one, which has the NZXT mirror head.

Will be for an i9 10900k if that makes a difference.

Uhh... That makes a big difference.
A big difference in that I wouldn't suggest either cooler. 280mm or larger.

 

[haydenr34]

You're talking about the temperature thing? That's on the Z model, not the X one, which has the NZXT mirror head.


Uhh... That makes a big difference.
A big difference in that I wouldn't suggest either cooler. 280mm or larger.

Oh wow, okay. I'm looking at 2 different prebuilds atm and each one has either one of these CPU coolers.

 

[Phaaze88]

Oh wow, okay. I'm looking at 2 different prebuilds atm and each one has either one of these CPU coolers.

Ah. Darn prebuilds... mmk.
With a 10600K, sure.
With a 10700K/10900K, you're pushing it. See here.

It(240mm hybrid) CAN work, but inevitably doesn't, because:
1)The Intel defined power limits are a double-edged sword. Comet Lake(LGA 1200) has been a really 'cool' performer thanks to those power limits, as you'll see in the video I linked above.
At the same time, users can't get the most out of those cpus because of that. It's not like these cpus are slow with the Intel profile - far from it... that's where point 2 comes in.

2)People get drawn in and poisoned(mind) by benchmarks, Youtube videos, and what have you, with crap like 'performing below expectations', when their hardware is actually performing normally.
It then leads to users trying to push hardware when they have insufficient cooling to do so.

3)Comet Lake i9s have the exclusive TVB(Thermal Velocity Boost), which works much like Ryzen 3000-5000 and Nvidia's Gpu Boost(10 series and up).
It will self overclock itself, provided that the cooling is adequate. Unlike Ryzen and Gpu Boost, the feature is only active up to 70C, after which it'll disable itself and run the Intel profile.

4)240mm hybrids don't really offer anything over the top air coolers other than their looks, and that's subjective. 280mm and larger, because air can't really hang with those in most situations.
If the chassis doesn't support something like a NH-D15 or Assassin 3, then a 240mm is more practical.
Sorry, I'm a performance 1st guy. I don't really get the whole aesthetics thing.

 

[rubix_1011]

As someone who has run 360mm AIOs on 10-core, 5.0ghz on the 10850k, I've seen temps get really high under load, so if all core overclocking and high loads are on the menu, I'm going to recommend the largest cooler you can effectively fit.

If this 10900k is is going to be left to be single core boost and run as normal desktop loads, probably be OK with a 240. But don't be surprised if you load test with something like Prime95 that you see some incredibly hot temps.

Its up to you on whether you are trying to shoot for load benchmark temps or normal/stock operation and use, so purchase accordingly.

 

[Phaaze88]

rubix_1011 pretty much nailed it; simpler than the wall I posted.

 

[rubix_1011]

I just know that the first thing everyone does is install the cooler of choice and immediately run Prime95 or other load tests and then immediately complain. Prime95 is far and away not correct of any real system usage unless you do a lot of high-end rendering or AVX solutions.

If you are playing games, using Photoshop or other normal daily tasks, you'll never get anywhere near the temps seen by synthetic load software. However, by testing with Prime95 (or other software), you represent the absolute worst possible load scenario your system will see.

It is quite common to see CPU temps being obliterated with smaller coolers using Prime95 but then see perfectly acceptable temps under normal tasks and usage.

 

[haydenr34]

I just know that the first thing everyone does is install the cooler of choice and immediately run Prime95 or other load tests and then immediately complain. Prime95 is far and away not correct of any real system usage unless you do a lot of high-end rendering or AVX solutions.

If you are playing games, using Photoshop or other normal daily tasks, you'll never get anywhere near the temps seen by synthetic load software. However, by testing with Prime95 (or other software), you represent the absolute worst possible load scenario your system will see.

It is quite common to see CPU temps being obliterated with smaller coolers using Prime95 but then see perfectly acceptable temps under normal tasks and usage.

Thanks for your response. It's mostly going to be for gaming, nothing more. I also spoke to the shop as I explained I've been told 240mm probably isn't enough and this was their reply:

"That is quite unusual, as we find from testing that although a 120mm or 140mm radiator isn't sufficient, a 240mm cooler is more than enough for it. Our team also thoroughly tests all systems that we assemble prior to packing them and making them ready for purchase. "

 

[haydenr34]

Ah. Darn prebuilds... mmk.
With a 10600K, sure.
With a 10700K/10900K, you're pushing it. See here.

It(240mm hybrid) CAN work, but inevitably doesn't, because:
1)The Intel defined power limits are a double-edged sword. Comet Lake(LGA 1200) has been a really 'cool' performer thanks to those power limits, as you'll see in the video I linked above.
At the same time, users can't get the most out of those cpus because of that. It's not like these cpus are slow with the Intel profile - far from it... that's where point 2 comes in.

2)People get drawn in and poisoned(mind) by benchmarks, Youtube videos, and what have you, with crap like 'performing below expectations', when their hardware is actually performing normally.
It then leads to users trying to push hardware when they have insufficient cooling to do so.

3)Comet Lake i9s have the exclusive TVB(Thermal Velocity Boost), which works much like Ryzen 3000-5000 and Nvidia's Gpu Boost(10 series and up).
It will self overclock itself, provided that the cooling is adequate. Unlike Ryzen and Gpu Boost, the feature is only active up to 70C, after which it'll disable itself and run the Intel profile.

4)240mm hybrids don't really offer anything over the top air coolers other than their looks, and that's subjective. 280mm and larger, because air can't really hang with those in most situations.
If the chassis doesn't support something like a NH-D15 or Assassin 3, then a 240mm is more practical.
Sorry, I'm a performance 1st guy. I don't really get the whole aesthetics thing.

Thank you for the load of information, going to watch that video now.