MSI Core Frozr XL RGB CPU Cooler Review

Final Thoughts

Pricing

The MSI Core Frozr XL is available now for (apparently) around £80. I have found it on Amazon for £103, which is crazy money, but I strongly suggest you search a local retailer that you prefer for accurate stock and pricing information. From what I’ve seen today, I don’t think it’s worth £80, I really don’t. If you can get one for about £65, I think that would be a better reflection on the performance.

Overview

There is a lot to love about this cooler and a few things that are going to leave many on the fence when it comes to purchasing one. Firstly, it’s just too expensive for what it is. Don’t get me wrong, you’re buying a branded premium product with superb build quality and that’s great. Unfortunately for MSI, when you can buy a better performing cooler for about the same money, it’s a no-brainer what people would do.

Noisy

I found the fans a bit noisy while overclocking too, which I didn’t expect. For the noise it was making, more cooling performance would have been very nice. Of course, the simple solution there is don’t buy a single block air cooler for high-end overclocking.

Easy to Install

I like that you can height adjust the fans on this cooler, so if your memory is getting in the way, you can quickly move the fan up to make room for it. Of course, it’s also nice and easy to remove the fans for general cleaning and maintenance. In saying that, the whole cooler is easy to mount and remove, and even comes with a beautifully presented mounting kit.

RGB

The RGB lighting is a nice touch, and it gives off a good amount of light to accent the cooler design. However, it may look a little mixed up with the black and red and perhaps an all-black version would show off the lighting better. That being said, there’s a lot of black and red MSI hardware on the market, so if you’ve already got a load of it, this cooler is going to look seriously cool in your system. I think that’s MSI’s biggest selling point here, branding.

Should I Buy One?

As I said, if you can find one at the right price, and you think it’ll look great on your system, go for it! It’s not ideal for heavy overclocks, but keep things reasonable and it’ll run cool and quiet.

Pros

• Exceptional build quality
• Unique aesthetics
• Easy to move/remove fan mounts
• RGB lighting
• Would look great with other MSI hardware
• Good RAM clearance

Cons

• A little noisy when overclocking
• A bit expensive for relative performance

Neutral

• An all-black or white version could be better with the RGB lighting