Page 2 - Physical Look - Hardware, Installation
We have become quite familiar with all-in-one liquid coolers from Cooler Master here at APH Networks, having reviewed such products as the MasterLiquid ML240 Illusion, MasterLiquid ML280 Mirror, MasterLiquid ML240L V2 RGB, MasterLiquid ML240P Mirage, MasterLiquid ML120R RGB, MasterLiquid ML240R RGB, MasterLiquid Pro 140, Nepton 240M, and Nepton 280L. Like most of the liquid coolers listed, the Cooler Master MasterLiquid PL240 Flux uses a 240mm radiator. The radiator has a matte black finish that does not draw too much attention to itself, since that is what the RGB LED lighting on the fans and water block is for. A line of text is located on both sides of the radiator that reads “Designed by Cooler Master”. The radiator is rectangular in shape with measurements of 277mm in length, 119.6mm in width, and 27.2mm in height. The radiator is almost symmetrical, with the only outstanding element being an extra tab on one side with the warranty sticker attached. Two cables are fed out from the water block; one of them being the pump cable and the other being the ARGB cable. The radiator is made out of aluminum, which has a thermal conductivity of 237 W/mK. Aluminum is a good choice for radiator and heatsink material due to its relatively light weight, even if it has a lower thermal conductivity than other metals such as copper.
The CPU water block also utilizes a clean matte black finish. The Cooler Master logo is located directly at the center of the water block. The top area on the rim of the water block is surrounded by a plastic translucent RGB LED diffuser that shows the lighting on your liquid cooler. The logo will also display the RGB LED lighting and is adjustable such that it can always be orientated correctly when installed.
The radiator fins are arranged in a typical wave pattern. The wave pattern comes from the fins being placed in a way such that they come into contact with the liquid flowing through the radiator. When the fins come into contact with the liquid, the heat is transferred from the liquid to the fins, which are cooled by the fans that attach to the radiator. There are two sleeved braided tubes at the top that connect directly to the CPU water block to transfer coolant. These tubes are flexible and easy to bend. Along with the hinged connection at the water block, this should give a decent amount of flexibility when choosing the mounting position of your radiator around your chassis. The tubes are 320mm in length, which falls on the shorter side when compared to other liquid coolers like the Thermaltake TOUGHLIQUID Ultra 240. While you should be able to mount it on the top or side of your chassis, if the design of that particular case permits it, you may find yourself having trouble mounting it at the front due to reach concerns.
The photo above shows a closer look at the contact base of the CPU water block. The water block measures 89mm in length, 75mm in width, and 40mm in height. The contact base is flat, which should help in exerting a reasonable amount of contact with your processor. While the finish is mostly smooth, a few small scratches can be seen. I do think the contact base could benefit from being a little smoother, as this could improve performance. There is no pre-applied thermal paste as the MasterGel Pro is provided for users to apply to the processor separately.
The water block is rated at 6W with the power being supplied by the 12V 3-pin header on your motherboard. The Performance Dual Chamber Pump should last around 50,000 hours and produce about 25dBA of noise according to Cooler Master. This, of course, will be tested on the next page, so we will see how these claims hold up then. The contact base is made out of copper, which has a high thermal conductivity at 401 W/mK. Copper is heavier than aluminum, but we do not need to worry as much about the weight with the pump as it is smaller in size compared to the radiator. A nickel-plated contact base would have been nice to have as nickel and nickel-base alloys can withstand corrosive environments and high temperatures, which proves to be an advantage for devices made for dissipating heat. Overall, the Cooler Master MasterLiquid PL240 Flux is solidly built. This is no surprise from Cooler Master at this point, given the strong build quality of past liquid coolers manufactured by this company.
The radiator fans used for the Cooler Master MasterLiquid PL240 Flux are updated versions of the Cooler Master SickleFlow 120 ARGB, which were reviewed in detail by my colleague Aaron Lai. Like the previous SickleFlow ARGB 120 fans, these fans have 4-pin PWM and 3-pin ARGB headers. These fans also use rifle bearings and have a rated MTTF greater than 160,000 hours. The blades are angled at approximately 55 degrees from the center impeller. These versions of the SickleFlow 120 run at a maximum speed of 2300 RPM ± 10%, which produces a static air pressure of 2.44 mmH20, 65.79 CFM airflow, and maximum noise output of 33dBA. These are strong numbers that should be more than capable of cooling the radiator. Although not stated by Cooler Master, eight addressable RGB LEDs can be seen on the central hub of the fans when in operation. The inner rim of the fan utilizes the same translucent plastic that the fan blades are made out of, making it so the RGB LED lighting will stand out more. Each blade is attached to the circular translucent plastic inside the rim of the fan. The fan blades themselves also have a frosted look. These design elements were also found on the recently released Cooler Master MasterFan SF120M ARGB. I really like the choice to have the updated SickleFlow 120 fans be consistent in design with one of Cooler Master's more recent cooling fans.
A second-generation addressable RGB LED controller is included for those who own a motherboard without ARGB support, although that is rare with common motherboards today. This controller connects to your motherboard through a USB 2.0 header and is powered by a SATA cable. This will provide software control for users to adjust the RGB LED lighting for the fans. Cooler Master has also provided a three-way ARGB split cable that plugs directly into the ARGB header on your motherboard to use in lieu of a USB header.
As with all Cooler Master all-in-one liquid coolers, the installation process was very simple. The installation tools are divided into separate bags for Intel and AMD, which is great organization. The Cooler Master MasterLiquid PL240 Flux also comes with a guide that goes over the installation process for both Intel and AMD users. The installation guide is a great document that provides clear step-by-step instructions along with detailed pictures. The installation process begins with attaching the required backplate onto the back of your motherboard. Intel users can use the provided backplate, while AMD users are required to use the original backplate that came with their motherboard. Afterward, you must attach your respective screws into the required backplate through your motherboard.
The radiator is simple enough to install and will likely not require any manual for users. Each SickleFlow 120 cooling fan can be attached directly to the radiator through the four long screws. Eight smaller screws are included for mounting the radiator directly. Once the radiator and the respective fans are installed, it is just a matter of routing the different cables in an efficient manner.
Placing the water block over the top of the processor was as simple as the rest of the installation. This can be done after applying an appropriate amount of the MasterGel Pro thermal paste on the processor. You, of course, must also install the mounting brackets on the water block first, which is different between Intel and AMD processors. Once you place the water block with the attached mounting bracket on top of the processor, you just need to screw in the double-threaded screws. Once that is done, you can proceed with connecting the rest of the cables to the appropriate headers on your motherboard. As mentioned earlier, the Cooler Master logo on the water block is rotatable to ensure correct orientation every time.
The installation process was very simple with no troubles at any point. There are a lot of cables that you will have to deal with, so just be sure to think the routing through beforehand.
The above screenshot shows the second generation addressable RGB LED controller's configuration in the company's MasterPlus+ software. There are up to eleven different color customizations available for users to choose from to brighten up your PC. Users can also adjust the lighting speed and color of choice for single color modes. Setting up the controller was an intuitive process, with the connections on the controller being clearly labeled. The MasterPlus+ software works great, with any changes reflecting instantly on the fans and water block.
I did not experience the shutdown bug that my colleague Jonathan Kwan experienced with the MasterLiquid ML240 Illusion. When my computer shuts down, the ARGB controller that comes with the MasterLiquid PL240 Flux also shuts down as expected.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware, Installation
3. Test Results
4. Conclusion
