Cooler Master MasterAir MA624 Stealth CPU Air Cooler Review

TweakTown's Rating: 93%

The Bottom Line

The Cooler Master MasterAir MA624 Stealth is a hefty beast of a CPU cooler. It performed admirably with limited noise, but overall, the price is what will keep many from enjoying this air cooler in their systems.

Pros

• Easy to install
• Ships with three fans
• Options for RAM clearance
• Higher-end aesthetics

Cons

• Huge
• Can block RAM
• Price

Should you buy it?

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Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

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When it comes to CPU air coolers, your first inclinations may not filter down to Cooler Master, but over the years, one thing we have found to ring true is that they were never afraid to try something new. Jumping into the wayback machine, we recall things like the Maker 8, the TPC 812 and its vertical vapor chamber, the largest cooler we ever tested with the V10 and its TEC assistance, and even coolers like the many Hyper 212 versions that were one of, if not the earliest affordable yet efficient coolers. If anything, this shows just how far outside the box Cooler Master is willing to go at times to try to keep its fair share of the market.

While what we have for you today is not exactly new or groundbreaking, it is only the second time we have seen a cooler of this nature, and it is the first to come with so many fans. While Cooler Master may have been following the Corsair A500 for inspiration, we can say that Cooler Master has found a much better way of going about things with their version, and in our opinion, is the better choice of the two when it comes to searching out the cooler with the most to offer in style while fixing the things that we found a bit tedious in the Corsair A500.

However, this CPU cooler will need a lot of room, and due to the overall size, there is a lot of weight to deal with. Even so, the MasterAir MA624 Stealth is a cooler that many will choose solely based on style. With this design, there is much more on offer than styling, though, as it has attacked our charts and done very well in that respect. While this may not be the solution for every user, we feel it is worth the time to seriously consider what you are about to see, as it may be huge. Still, Cooler Master came up with something interesting that may sway you into wanting this MA624 Stealth, as it is just that impressive.

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The MasterAir MA624 Stealth can also be searched by the MAM-D6PS-314PK-R1 model number, and you will find a large cooler that is entirely black, which is half of why it sports the stealth naming. It is compatible with all Intel processors since and including socket LGA1366. Although older packaging does not include LGA1700 hardware, but the new ones do. If you get an older boxed version, you can contact Cooler Master for the hardware. AMD is supported just as well and covers any socket made after 939. We already mentioned that this CPU cooler was large, so you should not be surprised when you see the 144.9mm thickness, the 153.2mm width, and the 160mm height. Sadly, nowhere on their site or on the packaging does Cooler Master disclose the weight.

Cooler Master stacks forty-three thick aluminum fins onto a set of six 6mm diameter heat pipes in each of the two towers of this design. On top of the tower is a thick aluminum cover, which adds much of the style that users will see. However, unlike in the A500, the cover does not need to be removed for use or fan installation. The central fan comes installed on the tower out of the box, and Cooler Master came up with a way to mount the cooler without the cover being an issue.

The MA624 Stealth comes with three fans, although only two can be mounted to the CPU cooler. One of these fans is a 120mm fan that can either go on the front of the cooler for additional RAM clearance or be added to the exhaust of the chassis for added airflow. It boasts a speed of 1800 RPM, delivering 62 CFM and 2.5 mmH2O of pressure, powered with a 4-pin PWM connection. Also in the box are a pair of 140mm fans. These fans spin at 1400 RPM max, deliver 67 CFM of airflow, 2.25 mmH2O of pressure, and all fans top out at 27 dB(A). The power and current are also shown, but the astonishing bit is the 160,000-hour MTTF rating, which comes out to something near twenty years! The last bit that will interest you is that Cooler Master backs this CPU cooler with a five-year warranty against defects or failures.

To obtain this larger CPU cooler with all its goodies and aesthetic appeal, you will have to dig deeper into your pocket to get it to your house than many of the air coolers we look at regularly. Last we checked, Amazon has the MasterAir MA624 Stealth listed at $119.99, which is AIO price territory in pricing. That said, the hill may be a tough climb for Cooler Master, but at the same time, we feel that they have delivered a product that goes above and beyond anything we have seen this far.

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Packaging

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Cooler Master is still using matte black and purple packaging, where the product's image is centered on the front panel. At the top are the company name and tagline, while the bottom offers the full name of the CPU cooler and tells us that this is a dual-tower dual-fan cooler with twice the performance.

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On the next panel, all the naming is kept to the top, and four features occupy the rest of the area. Cooler Master covers the dual-tower design, the premium aluminum top cover, the inclusion of three SickelFlow fans, and their easy mounting system.

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At the back, we find eight languages readdressing the features from the right side of the box, but to the right is an exploded look at the CPU cooler. Many of the same features are covered here, but we also see they mention quiet operation this time and the six heat pipe array at the bottom.

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The remaining side of the box is where Cooler Master delivers the specifications, which are no different than what we covered earlier in the review. At the bottom of this panel, we see a sticker with the serial number, and to the right are the EAN and UPCs, along with the product name and the fact that this cooler is made in China.

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Inside the box, we find the cooler surrounded with a dense layer of foam to keep this weighty cooler from any damage on the trip to your door. The hardware is located in the box at the top, compartmentalized for easier access, and a handy place to store the bits you don't use. With our sample, no damage or oddities are found, and it is ready to be shown off and tested, as one would expect when spending this kind of money on a CPU cooler.

Cooler Master MasterAir MA624 Stealth CPU Cooler

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With six pipes coming out of the base, spread wide to be spaced evenly across the array of fins, we initially see that the lower seven fins are cut to allow RAM clearance. All the fins are thicker than we typically see, all the way to the top of the tower. We also noticed the long rod used to mount the CPU cooler running through the array, but that angled aluminum cover is a beefy addition to the top of the tower.

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From the side, we can see this cooler's symmetrical shape. As we mentioned earlier, the center fan is pre-installed and is a 140mm SickelFlow fan. The sides of the fins are supported, which keeps even spacing and captures airflow, and we also find the fins cut shorter at the back for RAM clearance on HEDT systems.

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The view from the back of the tower is identical to what we saw at the front, and the fan's airflow and the top cover plate are the only things that designate the front and the back. They are otherwise identical in appearance.

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Just like with the front and the back, the sides are also identical in appearance. You may also notice that there are not the typical wire fan clip grooves on the side of the fins. At the front and back, the side of the fins are wider, allowing plastic brackets to grab onto them when you install the SickelFlow fan of choice.

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Fin shaping is kept simple, with wide areas on either side to support the fan's frame, while the central area is lower, allowing for a buildup from the fans before the air enters the towers.

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The portion of the cooler you will see most of the time is made of thick aluminum, brushed on the surface, and black in color. In the center of it is the Cooler Master logo, and to either side are the heads of the mounting screws that run through the tower down to the base.

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Under the towers, we find six pipes with the fins press fit onto them, and the pipes get a black treatment similar to the rest of the cooler. We can also see the mounting screws we mentioned in the last image, which makes removing the cover plate unnecessary.

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The heat pipes get their heat from the slightly convex base of the cooler, which is machined, leaving circular marks, then nickel plated. The top of the base is kept low-profile, allowing room for the central 140mm fan to be housed.

Accessories and Documentation

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This is what we get with the version we received, being the older packaging. On the left are the AMD brackets, in the middle is the universal backplate for both AMD and Intel use, and to the right are the Intel brackets.

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On the left are the AMD clips for the backplate, followed by the set for Intel. Standoffs and knurled nuts are in the center of this image, where we also find studs for the backplate to the right. Since Cooler Master includes a third fan that cannot be installed on the cooler, they supply a set of chassis fan screws so that the extra fan does not go to waste.

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We also found some extra goodies in the hardware box. Cooler Master supplies a Phillips screwdriver for mounting the MA624 Stealth. They also delivered a Y-splitter cable for the fans attached to the cooler, and there is a small tube of Mastergel Pro to use when installing it.

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On the left is a SickelFlow 120mm fan that can use the clips from the 140mm version on the right to allow it to go onto the front of the tower. However, we will be testing the cooler as delivered, with the 140mm fan at the right installed on the front. The fans have rubber isolation pads, but when adding the clips to either of them, you see a set of foam pads to keep the fans from rattling against the fins.

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The manual is straightforward with its information. After a parts list, there are various sections for the different types of socket installations with easy-to-follow images and even a wiring guide. The warranty insert explains what Cooler Master will cover with their cooler within five years from the purchase date.

Installation and Finished Product

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We were told to remove all of the factory mounting bits, and after we assembled the backplate, we put it under the motherboard. We then took the universal standoffs and secured them to the studs in the backplate. Once that is done, we set the brackets over the standoffs and used the knurled nuts to attach them to the motherboard.

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Next, we applied the thermal paste to the CPU and set the MA624 Stealth on top of it. We then take the provided screwdriver and screw the long screws to the brackets.

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Once we were done with the cooler mounting, we snapped the 140mm fan to the front of the tower, and as you can see, the fan sits proud of the tower, increasing the specified height by nearly 10mm. Even with a set of naked sticks, you will still need to compensate for the real height of the tower inside of whatever chassis you plan to use. Ensure you have at least 170mm for this CPU cooler.

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We would typically show the tower from the top edge of the motherboard, but in truth, the cooler blocks access to everything, which is plainly obvious in this image. Not only will it block the RAM with the fan installed on the front of the tower, but even without the fan, you may have issues removing RAM closer to the cooler. We would also advise you to connect the 8-pin EPS cable to the motherboard first, as accessing it At this point, when inside a chassis, will take a small hand and a lot of patience.

Test System Setup, Thermal Tests, and Noise Results

Chad's CPU Cooler Test System Specifications

• Motherboard: ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII HERO [Wi-Fi] (AMD X570) - Buy from Amazon
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600X - Buy from Amazon
• Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 4000MHz 4X8GB
• Graphics Card: ASUS GeForce RTX 2060 6GB OC - Buy from Amazon
• Storage: Galax HOF Pro M.2 1TB SSD
• Case: Hydra Bench Standard
• Power Supply: ASUS ROG Thor 850W - Buy from Amazon
• OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit - Buy from Amazon
• Software: AMD Ryzen Master, AIDA64 Engineer 6.25.5400, and CPU-z 1.92.0 x64

To see our testing methodology and to find out what goes into making our charts, please refer to our 2020 CPU Cooler Testing and Methodology article for more information.

Thermal Results

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Starting things off with a 57.9°C result is a great way to kick things off, leaving the MA624 Stealth in third place of all the air coolers in the chart. We must mention that the 207 Advanced and the AK620 are almost half the price, but neither looks as nice as what Cooler Master offers.

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When overclocked, the CPU got to 65.4°C, and we see that the 225-XT Black has gotten ahead of Cooler Master, but a fourth-place finish overall is still quite good for the MA624 Stealth. Had Cooler Master added another set of fan brackets, this cooler could have taken top honors.

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The PWN fan curve is set well with the MasterAir MA624 Stealth, leaving just 3.1°C on the table. Keep in mind we have yet to look at the noise levels, and most would not opt to run it here based on the jump[ in noise that comes with this result.

Noise Level Results

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Using the 140mm fans to cool the tower, both spun with RPMs similar to each other. In the stock run, the fans were spinning at a max of 956 RPM, which delivers 27 dB of noise into the room.

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As we tested the cooler with the overclock applied, the noise level did increase into the audible range for most people. Inside a chassis, this 35 dB is less loud than when in the open, but we have no issues with it, nor the results it provided thermally. Checking the RPM in the software, we were topping the fans out at 1087 RPM.

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While it may not appear bad, 47 dB is quite loud in the office environment, and that is why we mentioned that many would not choose to disable PWM in favor of running them at full speed. The specifications showed these 1240mm fans to top put at 1500 RPM, but ours never got past 1418 RPM, but are still within the ±10% that comes along with RPM ratings.

Final Thoughts

Starting with all of the brilliant parts that make us enjoy using the Cooler Master MasterAir MA624 Stealth, we have much to discuss. There is a high-end feel to all components of this cooling solution. It is hefty, like a Noctua, and the fins are thicker than what we find on a typical cooler. The mounting hardware is done so that you can enjoy the cooler more than time stressed when securing it to the motherboard.

The top cover is sleek in appearance and is heavier than the cover we found on the Corsair A500. The black-on-black look is something many will enjoy, and the number of goodies in the hardware box is robust and leaves you wanting nothing, at least to run the cooler as directed. In all visual aspects and how it functions, we have no issues with what Cooler Master delivered.

We cannot complain about the performance either. While a couple of $65 solutions outpace the MA624, neither is this visually appealing nor do they come with an extra fan. The issue for us in that last comment is that for what the MA624 Stealth costs, we would much rather get a second set of fan clips versus fan screws for the chassis. We feel that if Cooler Master allowed us to run the 120mm along with the pair of 140mm fans, the MA624 Stealth could have easily been the best air cooler in our charts. While it is a missed opportunity for Cooler Master, we still feel that by thermals, acoustics, and aesthetics, this is a hard act to follow.

As a side note, we also wish the weight was published, as we do not own a scale that goes that high without being for people. Accuracy is key with something like this, and all we can say is that it has to weigh in at over 1000 grams, easy. Much of that weight is carried in the thick top cover, but to ease your minds, we saw no flexing or issues from the weight of the cooler, as the mounting hardware keeps it locked into place and distributes the weight correctly.

There is a lot to take in with a design like this, but the hardest bit for many to absorb comes down to the cost. With a couple of $65 solutions pulling ahead of Cooler Master, it is tough just to say suck it up and buy one. You really have to like all other aspects of what Cooler Master delivered here to take the plunge into AIO territory with pricing, as that $119.99 price tag is the only thing about this CPU cooler that may stop customers.

In our minds, there is some value here, but if you are hunting for the most affordable and best-performing dual-tower CPU air cooler, this is not it. On the flip side, you do have to pay to get extras in the CPU cooling game. The question is, how much are you willing to pay for what you get with the Cooler Master MasterAir MA624 Stealth?