The MSI MEG CORELIQUID S280 is an all-in-one liquid cooler that is a damn good option for those who want some serious bling—namely, the IPS display. If you are on an Intel-based system, you're in luck because the cooler isn't just about eye-candy since performance was also phenomenal. It bested every cooler I have tested in both the Blender and AIDA64 FPU tests at full RPM, when all coolers are noise-normalized. Keep in mind that it beat out every other cooler, not just 280 mm and 420 mm liquid coolers. Even the best 240 and 360 mm offerings fell behind. It only turns ugly if you are on an AMD system. On the Ryzen 3900X, the MSI MEG CORELIQUID S280 falls to the back of the pack among 280 mm and 420 mm liquid coolers. It even gets edged out by the smaller and much more affordable Lian Li Galahad 240. While performance on AMD isn't abysmal, it just isn't good enough to justify its extreme price tag if running an AMD system.

Speaking of performance, the 140 mm Silent Gale 4 fans performed well. There were no strange tonal noises on my test unit's Silent Gale 4 fans, and the build quality was stellar. It is the 60 mm pump fan that falls flat. While the built-in pump fan lowered VRM temperatures an average of 4°C on my test systems, it wasn't very pleasant on the ears. It is perfectly fine at lower RPMs, but the noise it makes has an obnoxious whine at higher RPMs because of pump noise, which, while barely noticeable with the pump fan at low RPM, influences the tone of the pump fan. The two of them combined make for an uncomfortable noise profile. It is also the main reason the cooler does poorly in noise testing. Our test system hit 58 dBA with the fans and pump at 100% PWM. However, lowering the pump fan as low as it would go dropped noise levels down to 53 dBA, which completely removed the whine, making it generally easy on the ears. What does this mean exactly? If you want maximum performance, the noise level will be noticeable. However, by using a custom profile, you can still get exceptional performance, lower VRM temperatures, and eliminate excessive pump fan noise.

Other than that, MSI also seems confident in the MEG CORELIQUID S280 as they offer a 5-year warranty. Installation was a breeze on AMD and Intel, while GPU and memory clearance were perfect. While the video and pictures in the review may not reflect it, the IPS display was also vibrant and bright enough to add a nice visual touch. The fact that you can customize the display, be it with text banners, live weather updates, GIFs, MP4s, etc., is great, though it is limited to 320 x 240 pixels.

Overall, the MSI MEG CORELIQUID S280 can deliver stellar performance if you are running an Intel system. It is also backed by a solid warranty and equipped with a unique feature set. Just beware of the wallet-burning price tag and that you will be giving up cooling performance in favor of fancy looks if you have an AMD rig.