MSI MAG CORELIQUID E360 360mm AIO Review

MSI is known for its gaming laptops and PC components, particularly motherboards and graphics cards. Like most PC component brands, MSI has expanded its product line to cater to peripherals including CPU coolers. MSI updates its AIO lineup with the release of its MAG CORELIQUID E Series CPU coolers designed for the latest Intel 13th Gen and AMD Ryzen 7000 series processors. Let’s take a look at the MSI MAG CORELIQUID E360’s performance.

MSI MAG CORELIQUID E Series

The new MAG CORELIQUID E Series’ design is inspired by the passing of time and the solar eclipse. It’s the successor to the CORELIQUID C series. Like its predecessor, the new MAG CORELIQUID E Series comes in 240mm and 360mm variations as well as black and white colorways to fit all kinds of PC build themes. The CORELIQUID E240 and E360 is priced at Php 5,150 and Php 6,300, respectively. While the white variants have a Php 400 and Php 300 price premiums.

A Closer Look

The new MAG CORELIQUID E360 comes in professional-looking packaging instead of a gamer-y theme found on previous MSI AIO coolers. The back shows a shot of the cooler being installed as well as its feature set.

Contents of the packaging are as follows

• Intel LGA 1700 & LGA 115X/1200 Backplate
• Intel LGA 1XXX Bracket
• AMD TRX40 Bracket – Exclusive to E360 AIO
• AMD AM4/5 Bracket
• 12x Fan Screws
• 12x Chassis SCrews
• 4x NUT
• MSI Thermal Paste
• 4pin to MOLEX Adapter
• 4PIN Fan Splitter
• 4PIN Noise Reducer

The included fans in the CORELIQUID E360 look similar to the CORELIQUID360R V2 but with a more sleek and subtle design. The fan is powered by a 4-pin connector with a separate aRGB cable for lighting.

The fan blades are made out of low-impurity acrylic to allow for the RGB lighting to be diffused. MSI used an FDB bearing to reduce noise and minimize vibrations. The fans are rated at 25.5 to 75.04 CFM with a noise rating of 11.2 to 32.5 dBA.

The 360mm radiator has a decent fin density and is about what you’d typically see for coolers of this price range.

The pump uses a durable three-phase motor that makes the pump generate minimal vibrations for better durability. The waterblock can be rotated up to 270 degrees so you’d get proper orientation regardless on how you install the CORELIQUID 360. Moreover, the full-copper plate has an enlarged copper base compared to the previous generation.

Installation

The MSI MAG CORELIQUID uses an Asetek-style mounting design. The brackets are secured in place via two screws. For this review, we’ll be using the AM4/5 bracket. The cooler installation experience using the AM4/5 bracket is very simple and straightforward as it requires the default mounting plate and bracket that’s preinstalled on your AM4/5 motherboard. Apart from the bracket screws, the waterblock installation is pretty much tool-less if you have an AMD CPU and motherboard.

With the fans installed, the radiator and fan thickness totals 52mm which is more than enough clearance for most cases. What you should be careful of is the radiator length as you would require at least 394mm of space not to mention a bit more extra for tubing clearance.

Here’s what it looks like installed on a top case mount. The tubes particularly the water block end are stiffer and therefore harder to manage hence the installation setup. Luckily, the water block is rotatable so it doesn’t look that bad apart from the RAM blockage.

The MAG CORELIQUID E360 is compatible with any addressable RGB software thanks to the fan and pump’s aRGB connector. If you’re using an MSI system, you can access the AIO’s lighting via the MSI Center app under the Mystic Light feature.

Benchmark Setup and Test Methodology

Gadget Pilipinas’ testing philosophy is to provide detail-oriented results as accurately as possible so that our readers can replicate our tests given that these conditions are met. Different benchmarking apps and sequences are used depending on the tested component or device.

We use CapFrameX 1.7.1 as our primary FPS capture and analysis tool for all our gaming benchmarks. The latest build version of Windows 11 Pro and WHQL-certified drivers are used for our benchmarks. Readings such as temperatures and power draws are recorded using HWINFO64, and other relevant software for cross-checking.

For more info, read our Review and Benchmark methodology article.

Test Scenarios and Environment

AMD Ryzen 7000 processors are notorious for hitting the 95°C temperature limit first before boosting its clock speeds. To stop the Ryzen 9 7950X from hitting the 95°C temp limit, we have enforced the following BIOS settings on the MSI MPG X670E CARBON WIFI motherboard.

BIOS Settings

• EXPO Enabled
• PBO Setting: Advanced
• PBO Offset: -12
• PPT Limit: 180W

We tested the MSI MAG CORELIQUID E360 in the following settings via the MSI Center App:

• Stock/Default Fan and Pump Setting
• Smart Tuning
• 100% Fan and 100% Pump Setting

BENCHMARKS

AIDA64 STRESS TEST

CINEBENCH R23 MULTICORE

Two different kinds of workloads show different results. AIDA64’s lighter stress test shows a more consistent clockspeed behavior on the Ryzen 7950X. The Cinebench R23 run has more peak ups and downs due to the nature of the multicore tests with short breaks in between runs. In this setting, the Ryzen 9 7950X was able to achieve a max recorded clock speed of 5475MHz which is very near its stock settings considering the CPU has a 180W power limit for this test.

TEMPERATURES

Moving to temperatures, we only saw a peak temperature of 81.4°C under the Aida64 stress test with the smart fan & pump setting. At a consistent heavy workload such as Cinebench R23, the Ryzen 9 7950X’s temperature becomes stable hovering at the 76 to 79°C mark barely reaching 80°C which is a good indicator. At a more relaxed setting, it does breach that 80°C mark as seen in both tests. So, if you’re on a lighter workload, expect a much cooler temperature with the MAG CORELIQUID E360.

Conclusion

Like keyboards and gaming mice, the cooler market is now flooded with various products at different price points and popular brands such as MSI entering the market is a clear indicator of market saturation. MSI just didn’t contract an OEM to slap their branding as the brand clearly set performance goals for its MAG CORELIQUID E series as seen in our benchmarks. That said, unlike other big motherboard brands, MSI doesn’t command an MSI branding tax over its AIO as the MAG CORELIQUID E360 is only priced at Php 6,300 while the 240mm variant has a Php 5,150 SRP.

Considering its price, the MSI MAG CORELIQUID E360 performs exemplary for a 360mm all-in-one cooler as most 360mm AIOs hovers over the Php 10,000 mark. That said, if you’re looking to get a beefy cooler without breaking the bank and you’re looking to complete your MSI-themed PC, then the CORELIQUID E360 is a compelling option to cool your beefy Intel Core i9 or AMD Ryzen 9 CPU thanks to its price to performance.

Grant Soriano

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Grant is a Financial Management graduate from UST. His passion for gadgets and tech crossed him over in the industry where he could apply his knowledge as an enthusiast and in-depth analytic skills as a Finance Major. His passion allows him to earn at the same time help Gadget Pilipinas' readers in making smart, value-based decisions and purchases with his reviews and guides.