Cooler Master MasterLiquid Maker 92 Review: Palm-Sized Liquid Cooling
A Closer Look at the Cooler Master MasterLiquid Maker 92
The Cooler Master MasterLiquid Maker 92 is a lot more compact than a typical all-in-one CPU cooler considering it is comparable in size to a slim tower air-cooler. Like an air cooler, the radiator is directly on top of the CPU block but unlike other AIO units, the pump is located on the radiator. Oriented vertically, it stands 167.4mm tall and is only 81.6mm wide. Oriented horizontally parallel to the mainboard, the Maker 92 measures a compact 118.8mm tall and 141.9mm wide.
The radiator body is mounted to the block via a swiveling bracket that allows for up to a 90 degree rotation. This enables the Maker 92 to function in both vertical and horizontal modes. Since the radiator is mounted on the block, this greatly improves case compatibility since it does not require additional mounting other than the CPU block.
A pair of 92mm Cooler Master fans with product number FA09025L12LPB are pre-installed. Unlike the 92mm fan used on the MasterAir Pro 3, there are only five fan blades designed for high-static pressure on the FA09025L12LPB and the mounting frame is designed specifically for the MasterLiquid Maker 92. The five impeller blades are much wider as it goes further from the 35.5mm hub. The curve is also quite steep from the center but relaxes as it reaches the outer area.
Both 92mm fans ramps up to 2600 RPM and are PWM connected to the pump-hub. This hub then connects to the supplied SATA+4-pin fan header cable which supplies power and controls the fan PWM function. The SATA connector fully powers the fans and the pump while the 4-pin fan header only uses the PWM and tach functions of the 4-pin PWM header in order to delegate fan speed when necessary.
The Cooler Master logo and a pump power indicator with white LED lights up when powered on.
The radiator is aluminum and the coolant inside is formulated so that the self-contained unit can function within its designated lifetime (with 5-years of warranty compared to the typical 1-year AIO warranty) without reacting negatively with the copper coldplate. Distributing the coolant from the block to the pump and radiator and back again are two 10mm diameter FEP flexible tubes connected on both sides of the pump at the top. For a more premium look, Cooler Master has also sleeved these tubes.
The connectors for the hose can be rotated to accommodate the swiveling movement of the radiator unit. Because of the bracket built into the pump block, the MasterLiquid Maker 92 freely stands on its own unlike other compact AIO units such as Corsair’s H5. If users want more clearance horizontally, the top fan can be removed but it is recommended that this “push” fan moved to the other side and have it blowing through the radiator for better cooling rather than pulling air from the radiator.
Underneath, the contact surface is exposed copper with a raised surface providing further clearance for the pump and the motherboard’s components. The actual contact square measures 40.10 x 40.20mm which is more than enough for all current desktop CPUs since Intel’s LGA2011 has a 38x38mm IHS surface area. There are faint rounded machining marks on this surface. The raised square area at the center is 2.6mm in height.
Only Intel sockets are supported currently although modding the MasterLiquid Maker 92 to fit AMD motherboards is actually easy considering the Intel bracket pre-installed is held in place by screws. The pump block itself including the raised copper cold plate and the swivel radiator mounting plate measures a slim 17.25mm. This mounting plate can be removed completely as it is also held by screws, so modders who wish to replace it with a lower profile solution or a taller mount, can do so fairly easily. The actual swivel screws used to connect this mount to the radiator are small TA screws, similar to the one used to hold the copper cold plate on the block.
The 92mm radiator itself is 27.25 thick and is 120mm long (not including the pump on top). The body is made of aluminum and it has two kinds of fin array sets. Two are larger spaced ~19 FPI set that is 8.75mm between each channel. These two are on the second to last set, while the two outermost and nine innermost set is denser at ~25 FPI with 6mm space between each channel.
