Cooler Master Cooling X Mini PC Review: Powerful, Compact Gaming


Cooler Master's Cooling X Is A Compact, Powerful And Attractive Desktop Gaming PC That's Ideal For Those With A Specific Criteria In Mind

cooling x desk left


Cooler Master Cooling X PC: As Configured - $3,999
Cooler Master used its decades of case, cooler, and PSU design experience to create a custom, compact liquid-cooled powerhouse, with great build quality and a price tag to match.


hot flat
  • Attractive design
  • Excellent build quality
  • Strong performance
  • Compact yet powerful
  • Good thermals and acoustics
not flat
  • Top I/O trap door can spoil the clean lines
  • Lackluster WiFi
  • Minimum 80% pump speed makes some noise
  • Upgrading may be difficult
  • Some software setup issues
HotHardware Recommended Award - This Product Is Recommended

Cooler Master has leveraged its considerable expertise in PC chassis, cooling, and power supply design to create the Cooling X desktop PC that we'll be showing you here today. Cooler Master explains that it created this diminutive PC system with 'three pillars' in mind, and tailored its design choices to ensure the Cooling X would not only remain cool, but also is compact and quiet. Whether or not Cooler Master succeeded with its design goals is what we'll delve into on the pages ahead, as we evaluate the system's build quality, experience and performance, to see if the Cooling X is worthy of your consideration. Let's dive in...

Cooler Master Cooling X Packaging And First Impressions

We received the Cooler Master Cooling X in tip-top shape, thanks to the use of some innovative packaging, with multiple layers and thoughtful protections. Ahead of shipment we enquired about whether there would be any checks or maintenance necessary when we received the Cooling X, but were assured that it would be good to go straight from the box. This PC took a lengthy trip around the Horn of Africa (necessary due to the Red Sea crisis) and landed in Holland before arriving. However, the packaging and its precious contents were perfectly preserved, as far as we could see.

cooling x unboxing

Pulling the system from the box, we were immediately struck by the solid, weighty feel of the Cooling X. Getting an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 – both liquid cooled – into a 14.77 liter (3.9 gallon) chassis was an admirable feat.

As you'll see, the whole case is basically a heatsink/radiator for the high performance parts contained within. This PC is dense though, as its relatively small volume contrasts with its 17.3kg (38.1 pounds) weight. To move the PC around we were pleased that the design integrates a pair of strong handles along the top. The symmetric design also means these handles work as 'skids' or 'runners' on the underside, which elevates the base of the case above the ground, which is also good for the (filtered) airflow.

Cooling X dimensions

With the Cooling X on a desk we could enjoy the finer points of the design, and, on the flip side, some questions quickly arose. Probably the biggest surprise with the design is that Cooler Master found it necessary to position the motherboard so that the rear I/O panel faces upwards. Cooler Master explains this was a decision based upon optimizing the compactness of the system and "the placement of radiator and liquid side panels."

A side effect of the 90 degree motherboard rotation means that most of the I/O is at the top of the case and a small flip panel needs to be opened for connecting an Ethernet cable, USB-C 20Gbps, or audio I/O, for example. There are a few ports to the upper rear of the case, including those from the discrete GPU and a trio of USB ports, but most users will choose to leave the top door permanently open out of necessity or convenience. The use of a USB hub round the back might mean that the top door could be closed most of the time, but we left the system as is while evaluating it.

cooling x desk rear

Cooler Master points out that it had to use plastic for the top panel to allow the pre-connected Wi-Fi and Bluetooth antennas to function properly. It matched the color of the chassis perfectly, but was a disappointing choice given the price and the premium materials used elsewhere. However, even with a plastic top-panel, we found the built-in Wi-Fi performance to be sub-par. The included MediaTek Wi-Fi 6E MT7922 (RZ616) card has a poor reputation for reliability. Hence, we preferred using the wired 2.5G Ethernet, and also found that a spare USB Wi-Fi adaptor with 6-inch antenna performed far better.

The Cooling X PC system has a modest amount of RGB lighting. The power button and two lighting strips flank the front panel and make up the system's single RGB lighting zone. Cooler Master's software allows for various rainbow and color cycling effects. It also allows users to configure the lighting to change color in response to audio or system thermals. As the system was supplied, changing the RGB colors and effects (or turning it off entirely) were the only functionality offered by the Cooler Master Center v1.0.1.0 software provided.

Cooling X Software Experience

As mentioned above, the provided Cooler Master branded configuration software was basic, only allowing RGB lighting adjustments. However, on setting up the system, we encountered a couple of issues with Wi-Fi connectivity. Relocating this hefty PC and plugging in an Ethernet cable, we got the latest drivers from the motherboard vendor (MSI) to try and get the Wi-Fi card to connect. MSI's up-to-date drivers did the job, and while we were at, got the latest chipset drivers, BIOS, and so on.

When all the updates were done, however, Cooler Master's software didn't work anymore, but MSI's more advanced MSI Center more than made up for it with performance profiles, fan curves, monitoring, and more – as well as the same RGB control the previous software offered. After discussions with Cooler Master support, we found out that MSI co-created the Cooler Master software, but this MSI branded software and firmware was a little newer, so we stuck with it for the testing period.

cooling x opening top

Inside The Cooler Master Cooling X

Cooler Master says that the Cooling X isn't designed to be user-upgraded. Nevertheless, we were interested to get inside the case, see how it was put together, and look at the components. Opening the left and right case doors requires a handful of screws to be removed, top and bottom, before the doors hinge outwards.

cooling x opening front

Even with the case open, it seemed very sturdy and rigid. Behind the left side door you can see the Cooler Master pump is attached to the door panel. You also get a view of the cooling block attached to the CPU, the RAM sticks, the MSI motherboard heatsinks/fan, the rear-mounted pair of fans and 240mm liquid cooling radiator, and a modular Cooler Master SFX PSU with only the necessary cables connected (no spare cables were provided).

Cooling X inside

Behind the right-side door the most significant component in view is the graphics card which is largely covered by a black metal cooling block, which is attached via black tubing to the pump and right-side door/radiator. Inside the Cooling X everything seems very neat, and appears to be thoughtfully designed, just like the rest of this PC in general.

Cooling X inside CPU

Cooler Master Cooling X Specifications

Cooler Master has included some premium components in the build configuration we tested. It was equipped one of AMD's best gaming-oriented CPUs with 3D V-Cache (the Ryzen 9 7950X3D), 64GB of DDR5-5600 RAM, and 2 x 2TB M.2 SSDs. For graphics, the system was configured with a GeForce RTX 4080. Some of you may question the use of the GeForce RTX 4080 in a system like this, which commands a significant price premium. When we asked about this choice, Cooler Master asserted that the decision to fit the RTX 4080 instead of a RTX 4090 came down to one of its three pillars – compactness. Using the RTX 4090 would have required a larger case to accommodate a full-size PSU. Still, a GeForce RTX 4080 desktop graphics card with 16GB is a very potent board for the professionals, creators, and gamers Cooler Master is targeting with this premium liquid cooled build.

Cooler Master Cooling X specifications

When the Cooling X was first announced, many of us were taken aback by the initial $6,999 list price. The company justified this price tag by highlighting the custom case design and how everything was tightly integrated to deliver a reliable balance of cool, compact, and quiet performance. The good news is that the current price for the system has been significantly slashed. The configuration we tested is now $3,999. 

We asked our contact at Cooler Master how the price had come down so sharply, and were told that certain big ticket component prices had come down since the Cooling X was first announced. Moreover, there have been design optimizations, production has ramped considerably, and more shared Cooler Master components from the firm's OEM division are also being used. In addition, more manufacturing has been brought in-house to Cooler Master's Guishan factory in Taiwan.

Now that we've covered what the Cooling X is all about, it is about time we did some performance testing. Benchmarks are up next...


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