Hardware

Published on July 16th, 2023 | by Scott De Lacy

CoolerMaster MasterAir MA824 Stealth Review (AMD)

If you want to do some serious air cooling, you want a serious CPU cooler. CoolerMaster need no introduction – after all it is in the name.

The latest big cooler from CoolerMaster is the MasterAir MA824 Stealth, and it is one serious cooler.

Specifications

Source: CoolerMaster.com / Product Sheet

Unboxing and First impressions

The sheer weight of this cooler is the first thing that is noticed when holding the box. A striking presentation from the design with a large clear graphic of the contents and the promise of a cooler CPU.

Opening the box we see a perfectly compartmentalised box with the inclusions and the main cooler.

This box was sealed with the original seal, but for some reason the cooler was covered in a lot of dust.

Enough dust to write a lopsided question mark!

Caked on? Or a speckling?

The copper pad contained a factory applied solder paste, shame it was a bit dry and scummy looking, likely due to the cover being compromised. It’s a terrible cover, easily crushed, not sealed and for what? Dry paste that you shouldn’t trust? Why bother. Needless to say it is disappointing CoolerMaster didn’t include at least a tiny syringe of thermal paste, instead of pre-applying.

The cooler is very imposing, and cool to the touch out of the box. But the size and weight of it sends a chill through the bones, because the sheer volume it would take within a case is quite considerable.

Top: Cracked cover with thermal paste applied Directly underneath the large internal fan.

It looks cool when it spins.

The internal fan appears to be of high quality as does the additional 120mm Mobius fan, which includes rubber pads to prevent vibration.

Included is a manual and the mounting components for Intel and AMD CPU’s.

Intel and AMD screws are very different. AMD has double ended screws, designated as H.

Bag of AMD screws and fan splitter cable adapter

Big L-Wrench screwdriver. This felt really rock solid. The 4 screws shown are used for both Intel and AMD installation.

The clips for the Fan felt like good quality clips. Not cheap flimsy things that would easily bend out of shape just by looking at them.

All the bits on first open.

AM4 installation page.

Testing

An attempt to install this cooler as directed for an AMD AM4 mount was unsuccessful.

In CoolerMaster’s infinite wisdom, they no longer include an AM4 / AM5 mounting backplate as they did with previous models of the MasterAir, such as the MA624 Stealth.

The bracket for the MA624 Stealth.

Source: nexthardware.com

The instructions don’t actually specify the need for the motherboards OEM backplate but it is assumed – and obvious by the pictures. This was later confirmed by CoolerMaster by E-Mail.

With the OEM backplate installed and the CoolerMaster supplied brackets, the entire apparatus is loose with a vertical and lateral movement of ~5mm. Chuck Norris and perhaps the CoolerMaster product executives may be able to install this, but no average human can.

The intended installation method and design offered by CoolerMaster cannot possibly clamp the mounting brackets and backplane to the board. Conclusion: The MA824 is not compatible with any AMD socket, out of the box. If one had a compatible bracket from the previous MA624, they would likely have success, but then that is hardly meeting the product specifications.

The instructions require the AM4/AM5 mounting screws (H) to be screwed directly into the OEM back plate. Nothing is capable of clamping this to the motherboard, so naturally it will move.

To make sure that nothing was amiss, a conceited effort to get help from CoolerMaster was made through our contacts and we researched online reviews for an installation of the MA824 on AM4 socket. We received very little in response from CoolerMaster, which was not a surprise given the circumstances.

3^rd Party installations of MasterAir MA824 Stealth for AM4 socket

(Intentionally left blank – None exist at time of writing)

Final Thoughts

CoolerMaster has shit the bed with the MasterAir MA824 Stealth.

If a purchaser bought this cooler for AMD, they should be entitled to a full refund as the product is not fit for purpose and/or the advertising is misleading.

The presentation of a dusty cooler is not what we would expect from a reputable brand with such a great catalogue of trusted products. But the thermal paste pre-applied with a broken plastic cover that arrives cracked and loose, appears to be a misguided cost cutting exercise. The first thing any installer will do is wipe it clean and use thermal paste that they are certain they can trust.

Would you trust this thermal paste? Some of it being on the plastic?

There is no doubt that this cooler works fine with the supported Intel sockets, and publicly available reviews and installation videos for Intel have shown success and some favourable reports for cooling. Some have suggested that the cooler is loud, whilst most don’t make much comment either way.

There would be little doubt that you can get some serious cooling with two active fans and a huge weight of copper. Always check your case clearance first and consider if you have enough room to move sufficient air through the case.

AMD builders, don’t touch the MA824 Stealth with a 10-foot pole, unless CoolerMaster fix this problem.

About the Author

Scott De Lacy Scott has a professional IT background spanning over 18 years, is an hobbyist electronics designer, talented musician, holds qualifications as a trainer and experience in emergency and community services sectors. He reviews Movies, PC and XBOX One games, and hardware.

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