Cooler Master MasterAir Pro 3 and 4 CPU Cooler Review: Living Up to a Legacy
Since it is essentially replacing the legendary Hyper 212+/EVO, the expectations for Cooler Master’s new MasterAir Pro series is quite high. Despite not being a high-end product, the Hyper 212+ dominated the market with its popularity and sat on the throne of the bang-for-buck sweet spot for a long time. The market is different now than what it was when the Hyper 212+ first launched with plenty of other brands offering a more well-rounded and component-aware clearance solution in comparison. With the new MasterAir Pro 4 and Pro 3 CPU coolers, Cooler Master intends to strengthen their position in this segment once again by delivering a balanced performance through their new MasterAir fans and an updated direct-contact cooler design.
Cooler Master used to use purple color on white for their packaging and branding but have since switched to a gray with white text and blue accents with their “master” rebranding. Inside, the MasterAir series also has some slight changes on how things are packed compared to the Hyper 212+/212 EVO days with the accessory kit now neatly stored in a box above.
The coolers come with the fans pre-installed and an open-faced black plastic housing holds them in place and buffers from shocks on all sides in place of padding. At the back, the universal backplate is latched on.
Inside the accessory box, each piece is packed inside a zip lock bag with the exception of the standoffs and fan mount screws which are in a hardshell plastic organizer.
The accessories aside from the pre-installed 120mm and 140mm fans includes:
- 1x fold out documentation for installation
- 1x thermal compound in a small tube
- 1x mini spanner (MasterAir Pro 4 only)
- 4x push-pin mounting legs
- 8x screws for push-pin mounting legs
- 4x LGA2011 stand-offs
- 4x standoffs
- 4x locking nuts
- 1x adapter tool for screwdrivers to secure locking nuts
- 4x fan mounting screws
- 2x extra fan mounting clips
- 1x vibration dampener for fan (makes four pieces)
- 1x cross-bar
- 1x universal backplate
Specifications:
| Model Number: | MasterAir Pro 3 | MasterAir Pro 4 |
| Socket: | INTEL: LGA 775 / 1150 / 1151 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / 2011-V3 AMD: AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / AM3+ / FM1 / FM2 / FM2+ |
INTEL: LGA 775 / 1150 / 1151 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / 2011-V3 AMD: AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / AM3+ / FM1 / FM2 / FM2+ |
| Overall Dimension (LxWxH): | 78 x 117 x 140 mm | 84 x 129 x 158.5 mm |
| Heatsink Dimension (LxWxH): | 61.5 x 108 x 140mm | 60 x 116 x 158.5 mm |
| Heatpipe: | Ø6mm x 3 (CDC 2.0) | Ø6mm x 4 (CDC 2.0) |
| Fan Speed: | 650 – 3,000 RPM (PWM) ± 10% | 650 – 2,000 RPM (PWM) ± 10% |
| Air Flow: | 28 CFM (Max) | 66.7 CFM (Max) |
| Static Pressure: | 2.5 mmH2O (Max) | 2.34 mmH2O (Max) |
| Noise Level: | 6~30 dBA (Max) | 6~30 dBA (Max) |
| Weight(with Fan): | 390g | 472g |
