Page 3 - Test Results
Our test configuration is as follows:
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K (OC to 3.8GHz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z87X-D3H
RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury DDR3 2x8GB
Graphics: MSI GeForce GTX 1070 Ti Titanium 8G
Chassis: Fractal Design Define S2
Power: Seasonic FOCUS Plus 850 Gold 850W
Storage: Patriot Ignite 480GB, OCZ ARC 100 240GB, Western Digital Blue EZEX 1TB
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Professional x64
Compared hardware:
- Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240P Mirage
- CRYORIG H7 Quad Lumi
- Noctua NH-U12A (Dual NF-A12x25)
- Noctua NH-U12A (Single NF-A12x25)
- Reeven E12 RGB RC-1208RGB
All tests were run in our custom-built computer to best reflect real life performance. The computer remained in the same place and room for all tests with an ambient temperature of approximately 26c. The thermal paste applied to each cooler was stock respective to their manufacturers to rate its performance, with sufficient time between testing for the paste to settle. The fans on all heatsinks were connected to the same motherboard 4-pin connector. The test computer was turned on and idling for at least one hour for the idling tests. High CPU load results were obtained using the Prime95 in place large FFTs test with four worker threads for a minimum of fifteen minutes, and recorded when the temperature was deemed stable. The liquid cooler tested was mounted to the top of the case with both fans attached in push configuration. Temperature results were measured with AIDA64, which reports the CPU's integrated digital thermal sensor for maximum accuracy. Each temperature result was calculated by taking the maximum value of the cores inside the CPU.
After letting my computer sit idle for a while, I shook my mouse to wake the computer to check the temperature. From the first graph, you can see the Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240P Mirage was already at the upper end of the pack with a result of 33c. Considering how warm of a day it was when I ran these tests, these idle numbers in general are not too surprising. Furthermore, considering this is a difference of two degrees from the coolest idle temperature, this is not much to be concerned about and is a rather uninteresting result. Idle results do not give an accurate representation of what CPU coolers can do, so we opened up Prime95 and started the tests to see what would happen.
Powering Prime95 up and running the tests, the Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240P Mirage immediately came alive with all fans spinning to keep the unit cool. After approximately half an hour to let the temperature stabilize, we finished with a maximum temperature of approximately 85 degrees Celsius. While this is also still within reason for processors running at full load, this is quite a bit warmer than other coolers, especially the superb Noctua NH-U12A, which is cooler by a signification ten-degree delta. Even compared to the closest air cooler, the CRYORIG H7 Quad Lumi provided temperatures of 82c. The numbers were definitely higher than I expected. I retested the cooler a few times to ensure accuracy of the numbers, but the results stayed the same.
On the other hand, the Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240P Mirage is quite good at staying quiet. Under full load, the two fans and pump stayed quieter than other coolers we tested, including the two fans on the Noctua NH-U12A. Despite having another mechanical part in a water pump, the rig stayed quiet. Using a scale between 0 and 10, where 0 is silent and 10 is loud, I would rate the ML240P Mirage at 2.0/10 at idle, and 3.0/10 under load. Cooler Master definitely kept their unit quiet, and while this may have negatively affected the performance, at least it was silent doing so.
One thing I will highlight is the RGB coloring. Both the water block and the two fans included illuminated brightly and they were really nice both in effects and vibrancy. The clear water pump head was also made quite brilliant with its lights dancing around the pump and the fans. If you have a motherboard with ARGB pins out, you can probably have more control through the motherboard specific software, but the included controller did provide some really neat effects. While the lighting may not be for everyone, the flashing LEDs were at least a change from my regular setup. As a note, Cooler Master does mention there is a software utility to let you enable a Mirage mode of lighting, but unfortunately we did not receive this utility prior to the review date.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware; Installation
3. Test Results
4. Conclusion
