Page 2 - Physical Look - Hardware; Installation
Fortunately, even though the Cooler Master MasterLiquid Pro 140 is a cooler designed for 140 mm fans, you are still able to mount 120 mm fans if you so please. The entirety of the cooler is a deep black color. Black is a nice choice, because it is fairly neutral in nature, and will most likely fit into any build's color scheme. As with many water coolers, it is a fairly simple design. The water block looks a little different with a transparent piece looking into the top of the water block. The Cooler Master logo is imprinted on it as well. This area also lights up blue creating a nice effect, however the light cannot be turned off.
As opposed to a traditional fin layout, the Cooler Master MasterLiquid Pro 140 has a square fin design, which, according to Cooler Master, allows for greater airflow through the radiator, and the surface area that touches the liquid piping is larger. We will have to see how much truth this statement holds when we get to the testing. As for the tubing, it is FEP tubing, which has less absorption than rubber and lasts longer as well. Cooler Master also ensures the tubes are properly sealed to ensure there are no leaks. The tubing should be sufficiently long to be mounted anywhere in a mid-tower case. In a case as large as the one I am using, the SilverStone Primera PM01, it cannot be mounted to the front, and works only at the back. The tubing is flexible enough for it to be easily bent.
The Cooler Master MasterLiquid Pro 140 does not have a small radiator, and with two included fans attached, it gets rather big. For dimensions, the radiator comes in at 171 mm in length, 138 mm in width, and 27 mm in depth. The radiator is also constructed out of aluminum to keep it lightweight, while ensuring strong heat transfer capabilities. Aluminum is usually used in both air and water coolers because it strikes a good balance between weight and heat transfer performance. The fan's dimensions are 140 mm in length, 140 mm in width, and 25 mm in depth. When both fans are installed, the entire product comes in at 77 mm in depth, which when mounted in my case gets in the way of the water block. However, I will talk more about installation later in the review.
In most cases, the water block is a square design, and only some companies have some water cooling models with a circular design. The Cooler Master MasterLiquid Pro 140 has a square piece sticking out of the bottom to make better contact with the processor; however, I do not think if the bottom was left circular, there will be any issues with contact anyway. Cooler Master does not clarify why the bottom requires the square piece, but it probably has to do with their design of how the water flows through and the chamber technology of the water block. This design of Cooler Master MasterLiquid Pro 140 ensures the cold coolant to enter the top chamber, which then moves downward into the lower chamber making contact with the copper and carrying the heat away to the radiator. Cooler Master claims this design allows for 657% increase in surface area. Also in this area, the copper is sprayed, reducing issues of slow flow. We will see how much all of this effects the performance of the cooler on the next page.
As previously mentioned, the stock fan is the excellent Cooler Master MasterFan Pro 140 Air Balance. As its name suggests, it is a 140 mm fan with standard dimensions. The fan has five large blades to push air through the radiator. The Air Balance fan is aptly named, for it finds the balance between static pressure and air flow. The rated airflow maxes out at 64.21 CFM, while the static pressure maxes out at 3.15 mmH20. The fan connects to your motherboard via a 4-pin connector, and maxes out at 2000 RPM with a rated noise level of 6 to 30 dbA. On the manufacturer's website, there are several comparisons of everyday locations with their rated noise levels to give some indication of what it is like. The fans also have rubber surrounding the mounting points, and there are rubber outlines included to help reduce even more noise.
This is the look with the backplate already installed. Just like with most cooler installations, you have four screws sticking up to mount the water block. The installation actually ended up being fairly challenging. The manual itself was very confusing; using only images for direction. I had to check the manual multiple times, because the installation was not intuitive at all. I had high hopes when I saw the nicely organized packaging of the screws and thermal paste. Unfortunately, I was only able to install the radiator at the rear exhaust of my SilverStone Primera PM01, which, according to my case specifications, can take a 140 mm fan. However, the radiator is too big, and pushes on the motherboard I/O connectors. After installation, there is a visible bump along the back of my computer by the motherboard I/O blocks closest to the radiator. When I managed to install two fans on the radiator, my side panels are not able to close. The long screws that are given have thick heads, and interfere with the side panels. Depending on the case you own, you may not run into these problems, but be sure to check beforehand.
The backplate was interesting. One side is for Intel, while the other for AMD. This also is the first time in all the coolers I have used that I had to ask someone else to help me with the installation. I needed an extra hand to hold the backplate in place while I screwed on the water block. Overall, installation was neither a pleasant experience nor an intuitive process. It was challenging for something that should be really simple.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware; Installation
3. Test Results
4. Conclusion
