Cooler Master Introduces MasterAir MA824 Stealth 250W Dual-Tower CPU Cooler

Cooler Master has strengthened the brand's already prolific CPU air cooler portfolio with the latest addition in the form of the MasterAir MA824 Stealth. There's also a 30th-anniversary edition of the new cooler with an ARGB fan. The MasterAir series is already home to some of the more prominent high-performance CPU coolers; therefore, the MasterAir MA824 Stealth will fit right in.

The MasterAir MA824 Stealth features a dual-tower design like many popular CPU air coolers, such as the Cooler Master's previously-released MasterAir MA624 Stealth or the Noctua NH-D15. Aesthetically-conscious consumers will value the MasterAir MA824 Stealth's all-black exterior since it helps the CPU cooler blend into most PC builds. The top cover is a nice touch that adds some flair to the design. Checking in with the dimensions of 6.4 x 5.9 x 6.5 inches (162.2 x 150.6 x 165.6 mm), the MasterAir MA824 Stealth is significantly larger than the MasterAir MA624 Stealth (5.7 x 6 x 6.3 inches) but falls in the same ballpark as the Noctua NH-D15 (6.3 x 5.9 x 6.5 inches).

Featuring a nickel-plated copper base that makes direct contact with the processor, the MasterAir MA824 Stealth transfers heat to the dual-tower heatsinks through eight composite copper heat pipes. The cooler has two more heat pipes than the prior MasterAir MA624 Stealth and the Noctua NH-D15. Cooler Master revised the fin stack design and thickness on the MasterAir MA824 Stealth compared to the MasterAir MA624 Stealth to improve thermal performance. Cooler Master had displayed the MasterAir MA824 Stealth at Computex 2023, where the cooler featured a coating that reacts to the temperature. Basically, the heat pipes and heatsink would turn red when heat dissipation is in action. It's a shame that the cool feature didn't make it to the retail product.

Despite the large heatsinks, the MasterAir MA824 is compatible with tall memory modules. With its default configuration, there are 1.7 inches of clearance space and up to 2.6 inches in a single-fan setup. The MasterAir MA824 is more generous than the Noctua NH-D15, which provides 1.3 and 2.5 inches of clearance in default and single-fan mode, respectively. The MasterAir MA824 Stealth is compatible with many recent and old sockets. It supports LGA1700, LGA1200, and LGA115x from Intel and the AM4 and AM5 sockets.

Cooler Master equips the MasterAir MA824 Stealth with two Mobius cooling fans with loop dynamic bearings. The vendor placed the pair of PWM cooling fans in a staggered design to maximize push-pull performance. Consumers can add a third fan of their choice. The middle fan is a Mobius 135 (135mm) that delivers up to 1.92 mmH₂O of static pressure with a maximum noise level of 24.6 dB(A), whereas the other is the Mobiius 120 (120mm), which is rated for 2.69mmH₂O at 22.6 dB(A). On the MasterAir MA824 Stealth 30th Anniversary Edition, the 120mm fan has vibrant ARGB lighting. On paper, Cooler Master's Mobius fans seemingly perform better than Noctua's NF-A15 PWM 140mm fans that cool the NH-D15. The NF-A15 PWM fans have a static pressure of 1.51 mmH₂O at 19.2 dB(A). While NF-A15 PWM lacks the performance of the Cooler Master fans, it is substantially more silent during operation. Cooler Master rates the MasterAir MA824 Stealth's cooling capacity up to 250 watts with the dual-fan layout.

The MasterAir MA824 Stealth comes with a five-year warranty. Cooler Master didn't reveal the U.S. pricing or availability for the MasterAir MA824 Stealth or MasterAir MA824 Stealth 30th Anniversary Edition. The cooler is already available in the U.K. with a £99.99 (~$125) MSRP.