levelplay CL 360 HUD Installation
Like most AIOs, the installation of the be CL 360 HUD is a very straightforward process. 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, levelplay has included all of the necessary mounting hardware for modern AMD and Intel platforms, as well as a physical installation guide. We are seeing more companies move to digital versions of their product manuals, and while I appreciate their reduced waste, I still prefer a physical copy of installation instructions.
Our testing is performed with the fans in a push configuration, and since the CL 360 HUD comes with the 360mm fan already attached to the radiator in that orientation, this is a step that we can skip.
To make things a bit easier during installation, I recommend removing the pump housing display. Not only does this make the pump smaller and easier to work with, it also helps protect the glossy cover of the display from getting damaged by an errant screwdriver or other components.
The CL 360 HUD does not come with any Intel or AMD mounting hardware pre-installed, so I first had to twist on the included AMD mounting hardware to support my Ryzen 7 7600X test system.
The CL 360 HUD does not use the factory AMD mounting clips for securing the cooler to the motherboard, so I did have to remove the plastic mounting brackets in order to secure the cooler to the motherboard. Instead, replacement standoffs are attached to the board via the CPU backplate threads.
With these standoffs in place and the AMD bracket attached to the pump housing, the next step was to apply thermal paste to the CPU, line up the holes in the bracket with the standoffs and place the block onto the CPU.
With the block in place, four thumbscrews were then tightened down onto the standoffs to keep everything in place.
Next up is attaching the radiator to the top of our case. Using the twelve included screws, simply align them with the appropriate mounting points on your case, and tighten. I also made sure to thread the PWM and RGB cables from the fan through the cable openings in my case in preparation of wiring everything up.
After orienting and reattaching the pump display onto the pump housing, next up was connecting the pump’s 4-pin PWM cable to my motherboard and chaining the RGB cables together and attaching them to the appropriate header. Routing the pump’s USB 2.0 cable to an available motherboard header was all it takes to get that component connected, and once that was finished it was time to fire up the system and get to testing.
Lighting and Display
The levelplay CL 360 HUD does not offer any software control or configuration, so the only real control you have over this AIO is via your motherboard or discrete fan and lighting controllers. Our installation utilizes the motherboard headers and Fan Control software to control the operation of the fans, while the motherboard header takes care of the lighting. A simple driver for the pump display is required to be installed in order for it to fully function, but keep in mind that there is no control over what is displayed – it is all or nothing. While I think the overall look of the display is pretty good, I did find it curious that both of these indicators move in directions opposite of what I was expecting to see. The arc for the temperature moves from top to bottom, while the load indicator arrows move from right to left.
Below are a few shots of the levelplay CL 360 HUD installed and lit up.
