I found the fan configuration a bit confusing, though – the pump was plugged into the CPU FAN header and the four fans were connected to a daughter board that split them among two headers – the bottom two radiator fans on one CHA FAN header, the top radiator fan and rear exhaust on another CHA FAN header. The BIOS allows you to tweak the fan curve to your preferences, provided you’re willing to sacrifice a bit of cooling potential. The pump was rather quiet unless under full load, though fans were rather loud at their default settings.

For example, iBuyPower is using aluminum blocks instead of copper, which does limit the cooling effectiveness compared to a system you could build yourself (more on this later). It’s a clever design, though it comes with some small sacrifices. Custom fittings keep a strong grip on the tubing so it can be shipped without as much risk for leaks.

This, iBuyPower says, allows for a faster build time to keep costs down, as well as adjustability – so the company can fit different CPUs and GPUs into the system without having to re-bend the tubing. The hardline tubing leads straight from their blocks to the reservoir with only one bend per tube. The front glass panel is a window into iBuyPower’s custom D5-compatible reservoir, which takes up most of the 8x7-inch panel. The Element CL lives inside a steel case with tempered glass panels on the side and front, for a crystal-clear look at the badass hardware inside. The non-Plus version of the Element CL downgrades the CPU to an i7-10700K, the RAM to 16GB, and the GPU to a 2070 Super, with Best Buy offering two similarly-tiered models that use slightly downgraded motherboards and SSDs. Accessories: iBuyPower Gaming Keyboard and Mouse.Ports: 2 x USB 3.0, 3.5mm headphone, and 3.5mm microphone on front of case, plus all the rear and internal ports available on the ASUS PRIME Z490-P motherboard.Storage: 1TB ADATA SX8200PNP PRO M.2 NVMe SSD.Power Supply: High Power 700 Watt 80 Plus Gold (Model HP1-J700GD-F12S).Cooling: iBuyPower custom CPU and GPU water blocks, fittings, and hardline tubing, with 4 x 120mm ARGB fans and one 360mm radiator.Memory: 32GB DDR4-3200 G.SKILL Trident Z RGB.Graphics: MSI RTX 2080 SUPER 8GB VENTUS GP OC.We tested the high end Element CL Plus at $2,199, with these specs:

There are a few different configurations for the Element CL, with the lowest-end model running about $1,599.

Element cl