Amongst CPU air coolers, the Hyper 212 is legendary… so when Cooler Master announce a new product based on that very cooler, then it’s time to sit up and take notice.
Today we have put that very product through it’s paces, and I introduce to you the MasterAir MA620P.
Closer Look
The MA620P features a twin tower design for better heat dissipation, with two 120mm fans fitted as standard by way of black nickel plated brackets.
Sitting atop each of the twin fin stacks is a plastic top cover to improve the aesthetic of the overall unit when fitted. Each cover features an embossed Cooler Master logo, and gives the cooler a real stealthy look.
Each cooling tower is stacked with tightly packed fins, to give the most surface area possible for heat dissipation under load.
Heat transfer from the CPU is handled by what Cooler Master call Continuous Direct Contact 2.0, which features 6 copper heat pipes for maximum performance. This gives a 45% increase in surface area over the original Hyper 212 design.
As mentioned earlier, two 120mm fans come as standard, and they are the MasterFan Air Balance RGB variant from Cooler Master. These PWM fans have a speed range of 600 to 1800 rpm.
Specifications
Thermal Performance
Since our previous cooling reviews prior to November 2016, we have decided to update the method accordingly for better and consistent results. It isn’t ideal running Prime95 for a prolonged period of time and if you get called away to do something, it could be left running for much longer than needed. Our new methodology involves running a very stressful multi-threaded performance benchmark called ROG RealBench.
It should also be noted that the reason we omit acoustic/noise testing is due to an inaccuracy within the readings and method. To provide truly accurate readings, you need a lab setting with the same ambient noise on an hour by hour, day by day and week by week basis. As ambient noise can increase at different times of the day, we believe that it’s pointless providing noise testing if we can’t measure consistent and accurate data due to our office being a busy setting.
Test Setup
- CPU – Intel Core i7 6700k– (4.2GHz at 1.25v & 4.5GHz at 1.38v)
- Motherboard – Asus ROG Maximus VIII Hero Alpha
- GPU – ZOTAC GTX 1060 AMP! Edition
- RAM – Crucial Ballistix Elite 16GB DDR4 3000MHz
- PSU – be quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 1000w
- SSD – Crucial MX300 525GB SSD
- Case – Cooler Master Test Bench V2
- Monitor – Philips P-Line 241P6 4K Ultra HD
In addition to keeping our test setup consistent for all CPU cooling tests, we also always use the same thermal paste rather than any that comes supplied or pre-applied. Our thermal paste of choice is NT-H1 from Noctua.
Fitting the MA620P for the most part is straight forward, and is an improvement on the mounting kits found on previous Cooler Master air coolers, that featured the scissor action cross brace. However when it came to tightening the bolts down, it was a little tricky. A small spanner is included, but depending upon your model of motherboard, it can be difficult to access the bolts easily.
Once in operation, the MA620P certainly looks the part, with the RGB LED’s flooding the test bench with light.
Idle Testing Methodology
To test each cooler at idle, the minimum temperature is taken after leaving the PC with only start-up programs on Windows 10 being allowed to run for 5 minutes. After this, the minimum temperature with the core temperature being offset against the room temperature; thus achieving delta.
Load Testing Methodology
To load test, we run RealBench while selecting the heavy multitasking benchmark only. We run this a maximum of 3 times concurrently and the maximum temperature recorded is taken. This temperature is deducted from the current room temperature and our final delta temperature is provided.
Results
Cooler Master MasterAir MA620P CPU Cooler Review: Our Verdict
What’s Hot:
- Excellent performance for an air cooler
- Good looking design with twin tower fin stacks
- RGB fans with support for all major motherboard software
- Wired RGB controller included if your motherboard doesn’t contain RGB headers
What’s Not:
- Fiddly to affix to the motherboard
- Expensive pricing at launch
The new Cooler Master MA620P certainly performed well in our tests, and traded top spot blows with our previous favourite air cooler, the Cryorig H7. Whilst Cooler Master claim that this air cooler is ideal for overclocking, it failed to match a fair amount of previous AIO water coolers that we have tested.
The recommended retail price at launch is £74.99 in the UK, and $79.99 in the US, which places it at the very top of pricing for an air cooler. Whilst you do get a highly engineered product for that cost, that has looks to die for, it does mean that for the same money (or less), you could purchase an all in one water cooler with a 240mm radiator.
If it must be an air cooler for your needs though, and you want something that looks the part, whilst providing good performance, then the new MA620P from Cooler Master comes recommended.
Huge thanks to Cooler Master for sending the MasterAir MA620P in for review
