Cooler Master’s latest flagship 360 AIO, the MasterLiquid PL360 Flux, expands on the brand’s already formidable liquid cooling line. With an incredibly attractive front panel and brushed metal surface, the PL360 Flux has an elegant design to match its relatively standard cooling potential. While it doesn’t offer advanced thermals, it certainly doesn’t disappoint.
For the vast majority of system builders, the Flux strives to deliver performance that meets everyday gaming and desktop needs. That makes it a solid choice for a cooling system with the ability to add some style and personality to no-nonsense desktop builds.
Specifications:
| Thickness | 1.125″ / 28.6mm (2.25″ / 57.15mm with fans) |
| Width | 4.75″ / 120mm |
| Depth | 15.5″ / 394mm |
| Pump height: | 1.5″ / 38.1mm |
| Speed controller: | BIOS |
| fans | (3) 120 x 25mm |
| Connectors | (3) 4-pin PWM |
| (3) 3-pin aRGB | |
| (1) 3-pin tachometer | |
| (1) SATA | |
| (1) 9 pin USB | |
| Weight | 59.4oz/1685g |
| Intel sockets | 115x, 1200, 1700, 2011x, 2066 |
| AMD sockets | AM2(+), AM3(+) AM4, FM1, FM2(+), TR4, STRX4 |
| Guarantee | 5 years |
| web price | $190 |
Cooler Master supplies the MasterLiquid PL360 Flux with a relatively robust set of mounting hardware, so it’s ready to support most current and previous generation AMD and Intel mainstream and enthusiast desktop CPUs, while also supporting high-end desktop (HEDT). also chips. Included in the bundle is a Cooler Master aRGB controller to manage aRGB lighting with an integrated 9-pin USB header, but the package does not provide a PWM fan or pump speed control.
Thermal paste is intended for builders to install the PL360 Flux immediately, and is supplied as a small tube of Master Gel Pro for the application of their choice.
Cooler Master covers the PL360 Flux with a 5 year warranty.
The heart and soul of the PL360 Flux features a newly designed dual chamber pump with ceramic bearings, touted to provide better flow through the cooling system, while an enlarged copper cold plate and revised cooling fins are intended. to remove heat from the cooling system. CPU IHS and more efficiently dissipate in the coolant stream. A pair of 90 degree swivel fittings are fed into sleeved tubing, offering a high degree of flexibility for tricky installations.
Pump power and management are provided via a dedicated 4 pin PWM connector, lighting is managed via a standard 3 pin 5v aRGB plug and the pump itself has an expected average life of over 210,000 hours.
The base of the PL360 Flux shows a rather defined and slightly enlarged machined copper cold plate that allows the cooler to also support the huge Threadripper IHS – although, as we’ll see later, it doesn’t come close to completely covering the huge AMD high-end desktop (HEDT) parts.
Included with the Cooler Master PL360 Flux is an integrated aRGB (5v) lighting management module that uses a 9-pin USB header to connect to your internal motherboard connector. While the cooler comes standard with three (3) 120mm aRGB PL-Flux fans, the lighting module does not provide additional dedicated connections for other compatible accessories unless aRGB splitters are purchased separately to allow for shared lighting control.
Relatively standard for large AIOs, the 360mm aluminum radiator features a set of glossy on matte letters that read ‘Designed By Cooler Master’ along the side of the heat exchanger. The trio of 120mm PL-Flux fans are rated up to 2300RPM and feature 4-pin PWM management, while 3-pin aRGB (5v) plugs provide lighting effects. Cooler Master specifies the fans with an expected lifespan of more than 160,000 operating hours.
The base of the PL360 Flux is milled quite flat, ensuring a uniform mating surface for all CPUs.
This milling results in a very uniform mating surface with our Core i9-10850K, ensuring uniform thermal spread under stress.
The same can be said for Threadripper mounting, as the entirety of the copper cold plate makes contact with the face of AMD’s massive processor, albeit with one caveat.
As mentioned, the copper cold plate only covers the center 2/3 of the Threadripper Integrated Heat Spreader (IHS). And while this covers most processor cores, it relies heavily on the IHS to evenly dissipate the thermal loads so the PF360 Flux can take the heat and remove it from the CPU package.
Installation and mounting of the Cooler Master PL360 Flux is the same as any standard 360mm AIO, meaning the target enclosure must support 3x120mm fan and radiator sizes.