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The A13 series AIOs are the latest budget liquid cooling offerings from MSI, a Taiwanese hardware mainstay. These coolers don’t offer flashy features other than some RGB, but that means they’re very affordable, at just $99 for the 360 model and $79 for the 240 option. Would one of them do? Our list of the best CPU coolers? We’ll have to run the usual Standards Sure, but first we’ll take a look at its specifications and features.
Coolant specifications
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| Cooler | A13 360mm | A13 240mm |
|---|---|---|
| Management systems renewal project | $99.99 | $79.99 |
| Radiator material | Aluminum | Aluminum |
| Pump speed | 3800rpm±300rpm | 3800rpm±300rpm |
| lighting | ARGB on fans and CPU block | ARGB on fans and CPU block |
| a guarantee | 3 years | 3 years |
| Socket compatibility | Intel LGA 1851/1700 AMD AM5/AM4 socket | Intel LGA 1851/1700 AMD AM5/AM4 socket |
| Unit dimensions (including fans) | 394(L) x 119.6(W) x 52mm(D) | 277(L) x 119.6(W) x 52mm(D) |
| a base | copper | copper |
| Maximum TDP (our test) | > 259W with Intel i7-14700K processor | > 246W with Intel i7-14700K processor |
Packaging and contents included
The packaging of the 360mm All-in-One is similar to many other machines, with molded cardboard for the initial packaging and cardboard and plastic covers for the individual parts. The upper part is protected by a layer of foam.
There’s not a lot of extras with this AIO. Nothing like extra cable ties or whatnot, just the basics you’ll need to install a liquid cooler.
- 120mm fans, pre-installed
- Heatsink and CPU block
- PWM splitter cable
- Thermal paste
- Installation for modern Intel and AMD platforms
Features of MSI A13 AIOs
Subtle ARGB lighting
The CPU block has a slightly diffused ARGB lighting bar, which gives it some good flair.
Thermal paste
MSI includes a very small tube of thermal paste with the cooler – good for one or two installations, but not more.
Radiator 27mm
The A13 AIOs include a 27mm thick radiator, which is standard for most liquid coolers.
Rotatable tubes
The tubes of MSI’s A13 AIOs are fully rotatable, which helps facilitate installation.
CycloBlade 7 120mm propellers, pre-installed
There’s more to a cooler than just a heatsink or radiator. The assembled fans greatly affect cooling and noise levels, as well as the shape of the cooler in your case. The fans included here are MSI’s CycloBlade 7 fans, which are pre-installed on both the 360mm and 240mm A13 devices – saving users a few moments of installation time. This should be standard for most AIO devices.
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| Dimensions | 120 x 120 x 25 mm |
| Fan speed | Up to 2000 rpm |
| air flow | Up to 62.6 cubic feet per minute |
| Air pressure | Up to 2.36 mm H2O |
| Bearing type | Gun bearings |
| lighting | ARGB |
Test configuration – Intel LGA1700 and LGA1851 platform
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| CPU | Intel Core i7-14700K |
| GPU | Asrock Steel Legend Radeon 7900 GRE |
| Motherboard | MSI Z790 Zero Project |
| issue | MSI Pano 100L PZ Black |
| System fans | Silent Iceberg Thermal IceGale |
There are many factors other than the CPU cooler that can affect your cooling performance, including the case you’re using and the fans installed in it. The system’s motherboard can also affect this, especially if it is He suffers from stoopingWhich results in poor connection of the cooler to the CPU.
In order to prevent arcing from affecting our cooling results, we installed Thermalright LGA 1700 communication frame In our test device. If your motherboard is affected by bending, the thermal results will be worse than those shown below. Not all motherboards are affected equally by this issue. I tested Raptor Lake CPUs in two motherboards. While one showed significant thermal improvements after installing Thermalright’s LGA1700 connection framework, the other showed no temperature difference at all! Payment Our review of the communication framework For more information.
I also tested this cooler using Intel’s latest platform, Arrow Lake and LGA 1851.
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| CPU | Intel Core Ultra 9 285K |
| GPU | MSI Ventus 3X RTX 4070Ti Super |
| Motherboard | MSI Z890 Carbon WiFi |
| issue | MSI MPG Junior 300R |
| System fans | Pre-installed case fans |
LGA 1700 and 1851 installation
For most users, I recommend connecting the radiator and fans to your case before the steps below.
1. You will first need to place the backplate on the back of the motherboard. It features mounting tape, so you won’t need anything else to install it.
2. Apply the included thermal paste to your CPU. If you have any questions about how to do this correctly, please refer to our helpful guide on How to apply thermal paste.
3. Next, simply take the CPU block and place it on top of the CPU, using a screwdriver to connect the four corners to the back panel of the motherboard.
4. Connect the ARGB and PWM connections to the motherboard, and the installation is complete!
