Cooler Master Aquagate ALC-U01 Liquid Cooling System

Installation:

Once unpacked I had to get a plan on whether or not to mount inside the case or outside, seeing as this system goes to Lans with me normally I opted to mount inside the drive bays. First I read the instructions which are in 8 different languages and are very well detailed (I know most of the time I don’t but when water is involved it pays off) and looked at what had to be moved etc in side the case. I decided to put the Aquagate between my Cd-Rw and the Aerogate in this case.

After removing the top fill plug on the LCU filling it putting it back in you must rock it side to side to purge any air from the radiator and reservoir, this is possible due to the units self sealing connectors that allow for line disconnection without draining the entire system.

I test fit the unit and measured the hoses to the water block. The waterblock is copper and acrylic and has a smooth surface for heat transfer, as you can see the reflection from the camera on its surface.

With everything measured I cut each line leaving enough length for error and distance to remove the LCU from the front of the case to top off the system after everything was installed. I installed the leak proof ends to both lines along with the sealing clamps then attached the waterblock.

The PCI card has connectors for the thermal sensor, the shutdown harness, the d-bus cable, and Molex power supply. The thermal sensor mounts to the waterblock as close to the core as possible then to the PCI card. The shutdown connector installs between the power switch and the mainboard to allow the LCU to shutdown the system if there is a coolant loss or a overheat condition. The d-bus cable connects the PCI card to the LCU to show CPU temperature and power the LCD. The Molex supplies power to the PCI card and the LCD. The LCU pump is powered by an inline adapter between the power plug and the PSU and routes through the PCI card adapter.

The waterblock has a stainless clip that has enough tension to hold the block securely against the core for optimal cooling a socket 462 Athlon XP 2500 is running in this system. Once everything was installed and air was purged as much as possible I started the system and checked the reservoir level and topped off as necessary. Coolermaster does not mention anything about running for X amount of time and check for leaks in the manual but I did just for reassurance. The monitor for CPU shut down temperature and reservoir alarm temperature were setup using the LCD display also fan speed is set there also.