Installation
As with most AIOs, the installation of the Cooler Master MasterLiquid 360 Atmos is quite easy. As DIY PC building seems to be getting more popular each and every day, the option of AIO liquid coolers is sure to entice those wanting to have a more advanced build, and easy installation will go a long way towards not scaring off first-time builders. As I mentioned when I covered the included accessories, Cooler Master has included all of the necessary mounting hardware for a large list of both Intel and AMD processors, but they have opted to move to a digital version of their installation guide, and while I appreciate their reduced waste, I still prefer a physical copy of installation instructions.
Our testing is performed with fans in a push configuration, so to get things started, I first needed to reorient the fans to the radiator using the supplied screws. This is a very simple process, but one that shouldn’t be needed with this kit. I hope Cooler Master will take note of the orientation of their fans with regards to cabling. Thankfully the fans were in the right orientation for a push configuration.
From the factory, the 360 Atmos doesn’t have any AMD or Intel mounting hardware installed, so my first step of CPU block installation was to install the AMD mounting hardware for my Ryzen 7 1800X test system.
This is a pretty trivial process that involves mounting two brackets to the ends of the pump housing with four included screws.
Cooler Master chose not to use the factory AMD mounting clips for securing the cooler to the motherboard, so I did have to remove the plastic mounting brackets prior to installing four standoffs on the motherboard.
As I mentioned earlier, Cooler Master preinstalled a stencil to guide the application of the included thermal paste, and a spreader in the form of a business card sized thick card. This is a bit different than simply installing a cooler with pre-applied paste, or just putting paste on your CPU and letting pressure do the rest.
This is the second time I have encountered the stencil method, and while it does take a bit more time to get your paste on the bottom of the cooler, it does spread the paste evenly over all of the cutouts.
That being said, it does result in a nice looking pattern of paste that is laid out in a manner that Cooler Master recommends. Just don’t forget to remove the sticker.
With the standoffs in place, the AMD mounting hardware attached to the pump housing, and our thermal paste applied, the next step for installing the cooler was to place the cooler over the CPU and use the included screws to tighten it into place.
Next up is attaching the radiator to the top of our case. Just like attaching the fans to the radiator, attaching the radiator to the case is a simple task. Using the twelve included screws, simply align them with the appropriate mounting points on your case, and tighten. One thing I would like to make known is the relatively short tubing length between the radiator and pump housing. While adequate to allow the radiator to reach the top of our case, I would have liked a bit more tubing length to allow for a bit more flexibility with regards to mounting options. I also made sure to thread the fan power and lighting cables through my case’s cable management openings in preparation of wiring everything up.
In order to power the MasterLiquid 360 Atmos’ pump, I needed to attach the 4-pin PWM connector to my motherboard’s CPU_Fan header. This will allow me to not only power on the pump, but monitor its speed. Next I connected the pump and fan’s 3-pin ARGB cables to the included wiring harness so that I could connect it to the included lighting controller.
