Cooler Master has expanded its product line in recent years to include peripherals for all stripes. gaming chair When monitorBut the company doesn’t offer coolers like the classic Hyper 212 EVO or HAF700And the company is keeping an eye on its core competencies.
The Cooler Master PL360 Flux is a large 360mm AIO with lots of RGB. I’ve tested this cooler with an i9-10850K before and it handled the 10th gen i9 just fine. But can it keep up with Alder Lake’s increased heat density while earning a fairly high asking price of $190?
Cooler Master PL360 Flux specs
| Manufacturer’s suggested retail price | $190 USD |
| Radiator dimensions | 394×119.6×27.2mm |
| Gross weight | 1.98kg |
| Socket compatibility | FM1/FM2(+)/AM3/AM4/AM5/TR4, LGA 1700/1200/2066/1150/1151/1155/2001(-3) |
| pump dimensions | 89×75×40mm |
| Rated noise level (pump) | Up to 15 dB(A) |
| radiator size | 397×120×27mm |
| Radiator material | aluminum |
| CPU block | copper |
| lifespan | 160,000 hours operating rating |
Packing and inclusions
Cooler Master’s PL360 Flux is packaged in a medium-sized box about 18 inches long with protective molded cardboard.
Package includes:
- 360mm liquid cooler
- 3x 120mm PL-FLUX fans
- Mounts for all modern CPU sockets including LGA1700, TR4 and upcoming AM5 motherboards
- fan splitter
- thermal paste
- user manual
- USB controlled ARGB hub
- ARGB splitter cable
Installation of cooler
Installing the Master Liquid PL360 FLUX was a breeze. First, secure the backplate to the motherboard using standoffs. After applying thermal paste, press the CPU block onto the standoffs and secure with the included screws.
What is the difference from other coolers?
- Premium dual chamber pump
Cooler Master’s latest dual-chamber pump is driven by a high-speed motor utilizing a ceramic bearing impeller, enabling increased flow in a small package with low noise levels.
- slim and sleek radiator
The reduced profile of the Cooler Master’s radiator means it fits better in cases where there isn’t much space. This is something that users of SFF cases appreciate.
- Cooler Master PL-FLUX Fan
It’s not just radiators and pumps. Fans have a significant impact on cooling performance and noise levels. The PL360 Flux includes Cooler Master’s PL FLUX fan, including his ARGB lighting that shines through the blades. You can’t buy these fans individually (at least not yet).
| model | PL flux |
| size | 120mm |
| fan rotation speed | Up to 2300 RPM +- 10% |
| air flow | 72.37 CFM (100% speed) |
| air pressure | 2.96 mm H2O (Velocity 100%) |
| noise level | Up to 32 dB(A) |
| lighting | ARGB |
- USB ARGB controller with software support
Cooler Master includes a USB powered ARGB controller box. This is useful if your motherboard doesn’t have a spare ARGB header or you don’t want to use your motherboard’s software to control the lights. If the 3 ports included in the box are not enough for your lighting needs, Cooler Master also includes a splitter that allows you to connect 5 additional devices, and the splitter can be used in combination with ARGB for up to 7 different devices can be controlled. controller.
Although you can use the cooler without the cooler, Cooler Master offers Master Plus+ software that allows you to control devices connected to the USB ARGB controller and other supported peripherals. Cooler Master’s MH650 headsetThere are 11 customizable lighting options that can be selected from within the control panel.
New test configuration
| cooler | Cooler Master Master Liquid PL360 Flux 360mm AIO |
| Comparison Coolers Tested | “BeQuiet Pure Loop 2 FX, 360mm AIO |
| Cougar Poseidon GT 360, 360m AIO | |
| DeepCool LS520, 240mm AIO” | |
| CPU | Intel i9-12900K |
| motherboard | MSI Zz690A-Pro DDR4 |
| case | keep quiet!silent base 802 window |
| PSUs | Deep Cool PQ1000M |
Testing Master Liquid PL360 Flux on Intel’s i9-12900K. Due to the increased heat density of the Intel 7 manufacturing process and changes to core and component layouts, Alder Lake CPUs are more difficult to cool than their predecessors in the most demanding heat-loaded workloads.
This means that coolers that kept previous generations like the i9-10900K nice and cool struggle to keep Intel’s i9-12900K below TJj max (the maximum temperature before the CPU starts throttling) It means that there are cases. Many coolers I’ve tested can’t keep the i9-12900K below TJ max when power capping is lifted for workloads like Cinebench and OCCT.
Keep in mind that there are many factors that can affect cooling performance. Your system’s motherboard can affect this. There are motherboards on the market with CPU sockets that do not comply with Intel’s specifications, which can cause warping or poor contact with the CPU, affecting thermal performance. The case you use also affects the cooling effect.
With this in mind, we rate CPU coolers at three different levels.
Tier 1: These coolers are able to keep the i9-12900K below TJ max at most loads without enforcing power limits. I believe only the best liquid coolers meet this criteria.
Tier 2: These coolers can apply a CPU power limit of 200W to keep the i9-12900K below TJ max. I believe most liquid and air coolers meet this criteria.
Tier 3: These coolers can apply a CPU power limit of 140W to keep the i9-12900K below TJMax.
test configuration
| cooler | Cooler Master PL360 Flux |
| Comparison Coolers Tested | BeQuiet Pure Loop 2 FX, 360mm AIO |
| Cougar Poseidon GT 360, 360m AIO | |
| DeepCool LS520, 240mm AIO | |
| CPU | Intel i9-12900K |
| motherboard | MSI Zz690A-Pro DDR4 |
| case | keep quiet!silent base 802 window |
| PSUs | Deep Cool PQ1000M |
test method
To test the limits of a cooler’s ability to dissipate heat, we run two major stress tests. cine bench When OCCT, for 10 minutes each. This may be a short amount of time, but it’s enough to push most coolers (both air and liquid) to their limits.
While stress testing in Cinebench, I ran with the power cap removed and a 200W CPU power cap applied. In this test setup with MSI’s z690 A Pro DDR4 motherboard and Be Quiet’s Silent Base 802 computer case, only the best coolers can pass the Cinebench test when the power cap is lifted.
Do not test OCCT without power capping. Because when I try this, the CPU package draws over 270W, instantly throttling even the best of his AIO coolers. Instead, we test at 200W to give the cooler a chance of passing. We also include the 140W results to provide closer data for lower-end CPUs such as AMD’s Ryzen 5600x and Intel’s i5-12400.
more: best aio cooler
more: How to buy a suitable CPU cooler
