INTRODUCTION

    Cooling efficiency, installation ease and looks, these are the three primary reasons behind the rise of AIO liquid coolers and well, I don't see that changing at least not anytime soon. On top of these add the fact that there countless AIO models in the market currently and well unless you're on a very tight budget this is clearly the way to go. Late last year MSI released the MAG CORELIQUID I series of AIO Liquid CPU Coolers and today with me I have the tri-fan I360 model.

    MSI is a world leader in AI PC, gaming, content creation, business & productivity and AIoT solutions. Bolstered by its cutting-edge R&D capabilities and customer-driven innovation, MSI has a wide-ranging global presence spanning over 120 countries. Its comprehensive lineup of laptops, graphics cards, monitors, motherboards, desktops, peripherals, servers, IPCs, robotic appliances, vehicle infotainment and telematics systems, and EV charger are globally acclaimed. Committed to advancing user experiences through the finest product quality, intuitive user interface and design aesthetics, MSI is a leading brand that shapes the future of technology.

    The latest MAG CORELIQUID I AIO line by MSI is available in both black and white colors and in 240/360mm sizes. The MAG CORELIQUID I360 consists by an 394mm long, 120mm wide and 27mm thick aluminum radiator, three 120mm ARGB Gen2 fans (2350RPM / 70.7CFM / 3.61mmH2O / 32.8dBA), 400mm long nylon braided EPDM tubes, high-speed 3400RPM pump with a dual sided infinity mirror (complete with ARGB LEDs) on top and a copper coldplate. Typically, the ARGB LEDs located on both the pump top and the three 120 fans are compatible with all the leading motherboard sync technologies (ASUS Aura Sync, GIGABYTE RGB Fusion, MSI Mystic Light and ASRock Polychrome Sync) and as for warranty MSI covers the entire CORELIQUID I series with a somewhat basic 3-year limited one. So, time to see what you can expect from the MAG CORELIQUID I360 by MSI.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

MSI uses a grey and black box the front of which is taken by a large product picture and their logo.

The specifications are printed on the right side of the box.

At the base we find a quick ask by MSI to visit their website for more product information in 18 languages.

5 drawings of the CORELIQUID I360 are located at the rear of the box and used to showcase the product size and main features.

The entire bundle is placed inside a formed piece of cardboard and under a piece of foam.

Along with the MAG CORELIQUID I360 (fans come pre-installed) inside the box you'll also find a plastic fan cable cover, EU regulatory notes paper and a small case in which MSI has placed a thermal paste tube, backplate and all the necessary parts to install the AIO onto Intel LGA 1150/1151/1155/1156/1200/1700/1851 and AMD AM4/AM5 motherboards.

THE MAG CORELIQUID I360

AIO liquid CPU coolers look identical for the most part so in terms of looks the CORELIQUID I360 doesn't really stand out (at least not when not installed).

With the 120mm fans installed the CORELIQUID I360 is roughly 52mm thick while the aluminum radiator on its own measures just over 27mm.

All 3 high-speed 120mm fans (2350RPM / 70.7CFM / 3.61mmH2O / 32.8dBA) feature rubber pads on all 4 corners.

The aluminum radiator MSI has used this time over has an FPI (fins per inch) count of 20.

Using 400mm long nylon braided EPDM tubes means that the CORELIQUID I360 should be compatible with almost every PC case out there.

The almost 63mm tall pump and waterblock combo has the MSI logo on top right over a dual infinity mirror panel.

As expected, the tubes can rotate from the base of the waterblock for around 70 degrees (due to the pre-installed mount).

The round copper base is large enough for all current consumer CPUs.

The MSI Mystic Light software is not available unless you own an MSI motherboard (since it wasn't available in the MSI center) but at least one can still use the system diagnostics software.

The CORELIQUID I360 is compatible with ASRock’s Polychrome Sync so you can use that if you own such a motherboard like I do.

INSTALLATION

Typically, I start installing the AIO by mounting the radiator on top of the open air test rig.

Next step is to mount the backplate and attach the 4 standoffs.

Well, that's it, just mount the waterblock and pump combo after that and secure it in place with the 4 thumbscrews found in the bundle (having the tubes on the side slightly increased performance for me so do keep that in mind).

In terms of looks the CORELIQUID I360 certainly stands out, although models with LCD screens seem to be rising in popularity (short video is available both on YouTube and TikTok).

TEST BED

TESTING METHODOLOGY

   Testing complete water cooling kits or individual radiators is no different than testing CPU Coolers and since we want all of you to be able to compare similar products, we created new and separate charts (you can still cross-compare results however since we are using the same test rig). So once again single (120/140mm) watercooling solutions are tested with the radiator mounted at the rear of our test rig while dual/triple/quad (240/260/280/360/420/480/560mm) solutions with the radiator mounted at the top. For the dBA tests complete water cooling kits or radiators with bundled fans are measured both while on idle mode or with the fan controller in the minimum setting and while on extreme load or with the fan controller all the way to the highest possible setting (PWM fans do that on their own without our intervention). Every single test takes place in a temperature controlled room of 23 degrees Celsius Ambient Temp with the help of two AC units placed diagonally inside the room and as for thermal paste I’m using the NT-H2 by Noctua. Finally, much like when testing CPU Coolers, it's very important to point out that just because a water cooling kit (or a AIO) outperforms another when tested with our test rig (when we test complete water cooling kits) that does not necessarily mean that the same performance differences will apply 100% for other CPU models and in other situations (such as different ambient temps and system configurations).

     To successfully record the load temperatures, we use the latest OCCT application for around 6-10 minutes to push the processor to its limits and after that is done and the temperatures are recorded, we wait for about 10-20 minutes for the CPU to cool down and record idle temperatures. This is done to allow time for the thermal conductive material to achieve the optimal performance level. Same procedure is then repeated with the Passmark BurnIn Test as a failsafe just in case the OCCT results are wrong. This procedure takes a lot more time than the usual peltier/thermometer tests, but this way not only can we deliver real world results to our readers based on real CPUs, but we can also triple check the results using a variety of programs. Last but not least the temperatures were recorded using the latest version of AIDA64 while noise level tests (when fans exist in the bundle) are performed using a high precision ExTech HD600 Decibel Meter placed about 10-15cm above the radiator. Still although the same testing procedure applies to all units do take into consideration that unlike the official numbers which are measured in special noise isolated labs with just the fans here, we also have both the rest of the cooler and the rest of the system (although all system fans are turned off when recording noise levels).

* Since some manufacturers have ceased support for the Intel LGA 2011-3 platform, for such coolers, I’ll be using the Ryzen 7900X / ASRock X670E test rig.
** After high demand since September 2024 I’ll be including average temperatures in my AMD Ryzen 9 7900Χ/Χ670Ε charts (under light load such as Internet browsing and Office use).
*** Since November 2024 I swapped test systems with the Intel Core Ultra 285K (same methodology as with the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X).

TEST RESULTS

CONCLUSION

    The MSI MAG CORELIQUID I360 may not be neither the best or most silent AIO in my charts but it actually sits right in the middle and well, that’s not a bad result. Still, it does look nice (dual infinity mirror, ARGB lighting), yes, it’s easier to install compared to most AIO’s out there (just mount the backplate) but for people looking for the best AIO out there, this isn’t quite it. This of course was somewhat expected since we’re talking about the MAG line of products by MSI and not their higher-end MPG or MEG ones (so they obviously need to balance performance between these lines).

    What about cost, however? Well at the time of this review the MAG CORELIQUID I360 AIO retails for USD136.03 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 132.23Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) and so things here could be slightly better. Overall, the MAG CORELIQUID I360 by MSI offers good performance with even better looks and yes, it may not be the best AIO out there, but I strongly recommend checking it out if you’re out in the market for one.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Good Cooling Efficiency
- Motherboard Compatibility
- Large Coldplate
- ARGB Dual Infinity Mirror & Fans (Compatible With RGB Sync Technologies)
- Available In Black & White
- Up to Six 120mm Fans in Push & Pull

CONS

- Price (For Some)