VISION and Aquasuite

This is certainly a first - a driver page for a CPU block. Aquasuite is the name of Aqua Computer's control program, and you begin by downloading an initial file from their software page that in turn identifies any connected, compatible hardware and prompts the download of the installer accordingly.


Installation is fairly straightforward, and the entire package takes up approximately 26 MB after installation while also being lightweight on system resources. The way Aquasuite currently works is that you get a certain number of years worth of free updates depending on the product purchased before you will have to purchase a new license to get further updates, or purchase another product which automatically renews the license for all connected devices. This is not to say that current functionality will go away, but this is, rather, their way to keep investing in the program. For example, this CPU block with VISION got me a license that is good until 2018, and there is not much I would want in addition to what is already present, so I am probably not going to buy a license past then. But this is a move that was not universally accepted with open hands, although a few months into implementation, people have begun to realize that this is more and more of a nonissue.


Once finally up, a series of messages popped up to first tell me there is a small update to the program, before updating my settings and the firmware of the VISION unit on the CPU block. All of these steps took less than 2 minutes in total, and it was then that I was finally ready to take a look at the program for VISION.



I will only talk about the relevant parts here since Aquasuite is very diverse and now has a web interface as well; it would take an entire article on its own. The VISION tab, when selected, opens up five sub-menus, and as I later found out through the video above, there is no need to change the global settings for units of temperature and flow rate given there are individual sensor options for each of these in the sub-menus. The first is "sensors", wherein there is by default the temperature sensor and support for three flow meters if separately purchased and integrated. You can add in other sensors - be it hardware temperature sensors or virtual software sensors read out by Aquasuite or even Aida64. The second sub-menu controls the actual display with the various screens being scrolled through in order, and you can change just about anything here, including having the option to flip the display by 180° for an inverted ATX case. One of the display screens is simply the current time, and the third sub-menu is to help set it along with a countdown timer, and the fourth deals with an alarm if the integrated temperature sensor detects a value past a set point whereupon you can initiate actions, including having your PC shut down with the use of an optional accessory. The final system sub-menu provides information about the connected device, including the option to reset or update the firmware and control how standby/sleep mode behaves.


Here is a look at some of the screens that scroll through on the display. Note that these are all programmed in by default; you do not need Aquasuite installed or running for this to happen. The driver merely assists in changes or further control and monitoring. The display's resolution isn't the best, but to be fair, the display size is the limit of practicality here anyway in that if you are close enough to see what is on the display, it is clear enough to read just fine. With more and more cases going with an acrylic or tempered glass side panel, the VISION display will look great inside a case 1-2 feet away.