Stop Doing It Wrong: How to Kill Your CPU Cooler (AIO Mounting Orientation)
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- Опубликовано: 11 июн 2024
- A lot of PC builds online (including manufacturer photos & NR200P builds) incorrectly mount AIO liquid coolers, leading to pump noise/whine and early cooler failure.
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FOLLOW-UP answering common questions from the comments in this one, like cavitation, custom loops, tubes not reaching, and more! • Ask GN 114: My AIO Wil...
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Learn how liquid coolers are made in our factory tour: • How PC Liquid Coolers ...
Watch our most recent CPU cooler review video for updated thermal data on the best CPU coolers for PC builds: • Best CPU Coolers Death...
We've wanted to do this video idea for a long time now, but finally got around to it after seeing an increase in manufacturers incorrectly picturing liquid coolers installed in their cases. Bitfenix and Cooler Master have both shown installation procedures that can actually kill the cooler, while pretty much everyone else has shown some form of sub-optimal installation that will minimally hurt the acoustic performance of coolers. In instances of mini-ITX cases like the Cooler Master NR200P, we've noticed a lot of build photos on forums online (and in RUclips media, but we don't blame the YTers or builders for overlooking this) installing coolers bottom-mounted. This, we think, isn't an issue with the reviewers or the PC building enthusiasts, but with the educational materials provided with the cases. The fact that there is an explicitly mentioned bottom-mount for radiators in a case where it's very likely to be used is a problem, and any case with such a mount should include warnings against installing closed-loop liquid coolers with block-mounted pumps in these positions. Installing a custom loop bypasses this issue, since the pump is almost never going to be in the block, and therefore should never be at the top of the loop (it's more likely to be in the middle of the loop). But AIO CPU coolers should not ever be bottom-mounted with the pump at the top of the loop. Manufacturer websites (shown in this video) also commonly show front-mounted radiators with tubes at the top, which will become noisy as permeation increases, and sometimes can be noisy immediately. This video is a PSA to try and help reduce pump whine, pump noise, and prevent liquid coolers from dying early or overheating.
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RELATED PRODUCTS
Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360 on Amazon: geni.us/cA4wXFg
EK's AIO 360 D-RGB will eventually be on Amazon here: geni.us/Nkp5jfl
Find the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 on Amazon: geni.us/uxvOmsK
Or find the Liquid Freezer II 280 on Newegg: geni.us/NUno
Noctua NH-D15 on Amazon: geni.us/WWsSiju
EVGA CLC 280 on Amazon: geni.us/AoQXQ
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Stop Doing It Wrong!
03:14 - Mounting AIOs Wrong Can Kill Them
04:52 - How Liquid Coolers Work
05:52 - Cutting Open a Cooler & Building a Test Vehicle
07:02 - Proving a Point with a Clear Coldplate
07:30 - Important Science: Air Gap & Permeation
08:55 - Manufacturing an AIO Cooler
10:03 - Permeation & Plastic Deformation
11:00 - Experiment Setup
13:00 - Good: Top Mount, Tubes Down
14:46 - Bad: Bottom Mount, Tubes Up
15:52 - Lowest Point vs. Highest Point in the Loop
17:10 - Pump Starved for Water & Plastic Decay
17:56 - Bad: Front Mount, Tubes Up
19:50 - Ideal Orientation for Front Mount
20:03 - Good: Front Mount, Tubes Down
20:58 - FEP, EPDM, & PTFE Tubing Explained
22:50 - Permeation & Evaporation Rate (Ideal Conditions)
24:24 - Air Bubble Formation & Pump Noise or Failure
25:01 - Stop It!
** Please like, comment, and subscribe for more! **
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Editorial, Host: Steve Burke
Video: Keegan Gallick, Andrew Coleman 
Игры
FOLLOW-UP answering common questions from the comments in this one, like cavitation, custom loops, tubes not reaching, and more! ruclips.net/video/tU7D6y_QYcI/видео.html
Grab a rugged, anti-static work surface for your PC building and modding projects! Our Medium Modmat is in stock and shipping now: store.gamersnexus.net/products/medium-modmat-gpu (this is also a great way to support the work we do while getting a highly usable tool in return!). Our GN Wireframe desk-sized Mouse Mats are also in stock and shipping now (and under 25% remain of this run after only a week!): store.gamersnexus.net/products/gn-wireframe-mouse-mat
Another PSA: Cavitation isn't happening in your CLCs/AIOs. The motors aren't that powerful, you'd need to go to industrial applications for that. Cavitation is when water vaporizes on the surface of an impeller, which isn't happening in these hobbyist-level motors. With cavitation, air isn't in the voids formed but water vapor is. With CLCs/AIOs, it's just air bubbles getting pulled through the loop (not cavitation).
Learn how liquid coolers are made in our factory tour: ruclips.net/video/y16azp7Wh14/видео.html
Watch our most recent CPU cooler review video for updated thermal data on the best CPU coolers for PC builds: ruclips.net/video/KPLWlkHPlyo/видео.html
Got the shipping notification for the mousemats that I ordered for my wife and I. Super excited to get them!
how is your day?
Steve! what about front mount, side tubes?
@@santisvander Should be fine, just make sure the pump isn't at the top of the loop. The air bubble will be split between the top of the tank on each side, which should give you plenty of space.
@@asooxbmw5616 Nice! Thanks for picking it up! Feel free to email support if you need anything!
My aio isn't meant to sound like an aquarium? :O
Hey, if you like that noise, go for it!
My aquarium is quieter
Haha bubbles go blub blub blub
@@GamersNexus lol
@@GamersNexus having worked with fuel pumps in the past, getting air in the pump also greatly reduces the life of the pump itself.
Tempered glass RGB coldplates?
Corsair: WRITE THAT DOWN WRITE THAT DOWN
Well... there is one interesting material called ALON (Aluminium oxynitride) which is... transparent aluminum. It can be any shape since it use powder. So yeah, small (or not so small) windows are possible to see bubbles.
@@rusTORK you put aluminum and aluminium in one sentence.
@@NorthCamZ no, they just misspelt/mispronounced ALUMINIUM (pronounced :- ALU - MIN - E - UM) the second time like all yanks do.
@@NorthCamZ Yep, because for me it's Алюминий.
@@Smakheed en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium#Coinage
9/10 people: *Repositions cooler*
The 10th guy: *Flips PC Over*
Haha!!
Jokes on you, I live in australia.
@@trignite haha same
@@trignite you mean Austria... right?! ...RIGHT??? 😂
Hi, today after changing my psu i had my watercooling do some noise so i inclined the whole thing till the bubble are in top :D
This was incredibly informative and educated me on the science behind AIO water cooling so I could make more informed decisions with my build. Thank you very much!
Just gravity. Water flows downward.
@@mkatakm Air rises in water. Who knew!
fist of all hes kind of wrong with it cus back and top is the exost fans that blow hot air out ur pc now having ur radiator on top ur heating up the cooling as the hot air blow thro the radiator resson for front mounting cus front is the air intake ware it suck the cool air up and with radiator there now u got cool air blowing thro ur radiator cooling the liqued down inside alowing for cooler temp on cpu its phisics and commen sens
ikr, im thinking of going to liquid cooling, but still yet to find a case i want.
@RedEye Directive Gaming try corsair case like the the rgb 7000x rgb I think it's called come with icue fans 4 of them and corsair icue rgb box to control the rgb I like it or u can try 1 of there ether case like the 5000D I think it is
short version: waters goes down, air goes up. your pump is running dry while your system is gonna fry!
there goes my 26 minutes...
When did people forget this lol... perhaps only custom water loopers had this knowledge??
@@Ash4med its the same principle of holding your water bottle straight and the air stays up top... nothing to do with cooling or pcs. just fluids acting up in a normal manner...
@@uygy15 I didn't say it had anything to do with cooling or computers... I said how did people forget this?
@@uygy15 felt like an hour to be honest :D
Oh well... A lot of people are going to open their cases today. Well done GN!
i wont i have it front mounted tubes up, and dont have any issues with it. no noise no temp issues
@@animalm4st3r Same here... I get noise when I mount it up top... and it doesn't fit with tubes down so meh... i'll just keep it tubes up
Lol I know I am now... it's funny he specifically calls out NZXT cuz I put the pump in how it said in their manual for front mounted installation...Yikes 😅
I was initially going to mount mine at the front with the tubes up, but got the shits fighting the tubes to make them look good, so I fitted it as a top exhaust, tubes down. So I won't be opening my case :)
I just mounted my rad on the top ahahah literally
I’m currently building my first PC and is gathering all my parts, but had no idea that positioning was that important. I thought you installed your cooler as normal out of the box and everything will run its course 😅. I can’t imagine frying my PC/motherboard from being reckless lol. Thanks for the video!
You guys are very thorough with your testing and you have infrared video to back it up. I'm very impressed with your testing procedures and lack of sponsorship. Keep up the good work
Lack of sponsors cause these guys are secret agents and will expose every single detail :)
Yep, these people are willing to turn down a sponsor offer if it requests some things like having to do something that doesnt show real performance of the product.@@GirlOnAQuest
I swear next year at ces if i see any tempered glass radiators or aios im gonna blame this video.
they will be rgb but ngl that would be cool
$249 for a 140mm rad. Calling it now.
Swiftech H320 Prestige, has clear under mounted reservoir and CPU block, and primitive RGB. I still use it to this day, pretty nice unit and fun to watch the water go around.
Considering what case manufacturers seem to be doing with the front of cases I could totally see it lol. 2 120mm fans, with no where for the air to go because there's glass with RGB on top of it.
Just the rad end tanks would be awesome, great visual check for water flow and fluid levels.
and i just learned something new just before i build my new PC
I came here to make sure I installed my AIO right.
definitely dont listen to corsair about how to mount it. this video made me die laughing. its so bad. corsair should be ashamed. ruclips.net/video/1GcSDODt528/видео.html
I learn something new ever day... today I learned that even if you drink bleach you are not exempt from getting Covid
@@NapFloridian Dead people can't get covid, so I'm not sure you are right about that.
@@NapFloridian You really only need to worry about Covid 19 if you don't take vitamins to prevent it.
I just built my newest PC a few weeks ago and I am so thankful to find this video! I installed the AIO cooler just like you said . I have a cooler master 280mm with the tubes down, going up to CPU. I am having no problems at all! Thank you so much!
how did he help you if you already had it on correctly
My corsair aio cooler on my 4770k has lasted like 9 years, still going, understanding a little about pump head, how pumps work etc helps alot, great vid
11:49 for correct setup
EDIT: "Best" Setup. Having your radiator vertical with tubes at the top works fine as well
So that is the best choice?
@@elfo7 yes that is the very best way you can do it !
@@elfo7 The key is to ensure that the pump is NOT at the top of the loop. Tubes going into the top of the radiator is fine as long as the actual pump is lower. This message gets a little lost in this video with a great deal of detail.
The goal is to avoid air in the pump and the way to ensure this is to apply physics - air will always move to the top of the loop.
@@becksvideoproductions thank you. I love GN but sometimes rhe main point is missed in data!
@@gradyyoung1434 Actually Jay did a followup video explaining this very topic, for the same reason :)
It's 12am and you got me flipping my CPU cooler
how should the CPU cooler be? i need to know.
@@b00ph watch the video 👌
@@b00ph 11:55 - 13:10 - 19:55
Lol
It wasn't 12am but I did too.
Honestly one of the most informative and easy to understand videos i've ever watched. I plan to upgrade to an O11D Mini SNOW and a DeepCool AIO and this information will be invaluable since it's my first AIO.
I'm looking to do this same setup. Did you end up top mounting.
From what I understood side mounting though less ideal is not bad either.
I'd just go top mounted and tubes down on pump my deepcool 360ex from 2020 has my 5800x3d never seeing over 65°c, And no noise from it!
I'm glad I found your video. I'm no pc guru. I've decided to build my own PC because I don't want a pre-built system. I love how you explained everything in laymen terms. So now I can consider many factors before making a purchase ie. Cord length and how the manufacturers orient their radiators in their products and install instructions. Thanks!
How did it go?
Always wondered if radiator orientations mattered, but all the other videos only talk about thermals, and not about what happens to the radiator and noise etc. So thanks!
Considering this, why do thermal coolers not make any trickling noise, and why does orientation not matter? they too have liquid / air inside.
@@Skelath What do you mean by thermal coolers?
@@Skelath Such a small volume of liquid that "changes" properties, from liquid to steam, then back again.. as it falls to the bottom of the heatpipe.
Additionally, the liquid is "moving" by gravity, and not a pump... giving no mechanical noise.
@@Mr1Tanker To add one more point to this, it's also moving via capillary action - i.e., it's not "dripping", and more flowing. As an example, when you turn the sink on and hold your finger in the water stream pointing down, when you move the tip of your finger, the water sticks to it and gets redirected. When the water is flowing like that, it doesn't make any noise - all the noise is from the aerator, or the stream hitting the basin of the sink.
@@Skelath because passive cooler have no mechanical pump to list the fluid in the heat pipes, it works purely off evaporation (I want to say convection, but I think that's technically incorrect). The only moving part(s) would be the fan(s) and that's a whole other discussion...
Just flip your PC over - Verge
^_^
Would this be a viable option if you cut a hole in the desk/surface that you ARE putting the pc on? That way the exhaust fan isn’t suffocating when you flip the pc and all the usb lines can fit through easily with no problems. 10/10 would look wack kek
Simple... Lol
Cases with USB front panels on the top of the case : "Am i a joke to you?"
Just move to Australia 🤣
About to build my first AIO based PC. Glad I saw this. Thanks mate. Great job explaining everything!
Fantastic video. Thanks for going to so much effort to show how this all works.
This is exactly why I love your content so much.
**looks at thumbnail and over to case several times, sweating**
I have my rad front mounted like the NZXT one in the Picture, I am just trying to understand if I should try to put the tubes flipped upside down now or not. I don’t think my case will have room to mount at the top with my 280mm X62
Yay I did it right on accident . :)
I've been using this orientation on my S340 Elite since Coffee Lake launch. I'm not even worried one bit.
@@JhustineProvido to be honest i just moved my vertical because it simply had better cooling in my case. They have 5 year warrantys anyway
Yeah, I mounted mine like the AIO makers do it... I have a 360mm AIO that can only be mounted vertically on the front of the case so I can't top mount it and the tubes won't get around my 5700XT Red Devil to flip it in the front so I'm screwed. I guess it's a good thing my 3700x came with an air cooler in case it fails on me eventually. I just built this computer last month so I have a long way to go anyways.
I've had so many people dismiss me as an idiot for telling them their coolers are mounted improperly. This video feels downright vindicating.
Time to send this link to all of them with a comment stating "I told you so."
likewise
what if i cant mount it with tubes down, i have a 280mm x63 in a h210i the pump is mounted properly tho
This is a big "I told you so" for those people. 😂
@@FcoEnriquePerez The proper answer to that is "Air is also a fluid dumb ass".
This was the reason why the fan noise was so loud when I used the same all-in-one water cooler!!! Thank you for your hard work and information.
Awesome video. Mad props to you and your channel.
I remember when I first installed an AIO on my 2500K and was searching for the proper way to mount it... (almost 10 years ago I think)
Came across some pretty stupid suggestions that made me doubt my ...education... (physics was probably my favorite subject in school)
I was going through sites and some videos and was constantly thinking "that can't be right".
Fast forward to recent years, I've been low key looking at a replacement case for a "secondary" PC I have and bad radiator placement is very common on many of products pictured.
watch the entire vid for 26 minutes, and check my PC. ahhh sweet. good thing i only have stock intel CPU fan
🤣🤣 me too
Lolololol
he never stopped talking in this video
:D
He took a breath at 2:50 😅
could be an auctioneer
@@a.ellahi3745 that was a silent fart lmaoaoo
I'm 1 minute in, and holy crap! It won't stop lol
Your incredible! I have been wanting someone to do an in depth video about this. Again your amazing, Thank you for all this hard work!
this made me double check that my closed loop system was installed properly, and I did indeed mount the tubing at the bottom :D You guys have really useful information.
Just turn the whole case over 😎
"Have you tried running your PC upside down?" should be the AIO manufacturer version of "Try turning it off and on again."
Or use an R-ATX configurable case like some of Be Quiet's Dark Base series... 😅
500IQ plays
i actually did that XD
the front of my case is at the bottom
omg i just turned my case over and my temps went to 30c to 26c but i still going to flip my radiator or maybe mount up top if that what he said worked too but thank for giving me that idea my case looks funny upside down right now tho lol.
This is the video that literally changed the shape of thousands of PCs since the day it was released and for the foreseeable future.
Hi. He's right and wrong.
As long as the cpu pump is lower than the highest point of the tubes on the rad, it's fine. Hot or warm coolant will rise faster as it's molecules are more spread, and it will have no issue travelling upward if the top of the raditior is higher than the pump, in a closed loop. Once the hot coolant is at the higher point on the radiator, gravity will let it fall down into the rad, and cool it as it fills with enough pressure to send the cooler liquid back up. Once running it won't matter. Only the initial cycle likley which has low load anyway. Provided there's no leaks and pressure is maintained, it should make almost no difference...
It won't kill your pump, in a healthy loop and properly filled one 🤷
No it didnt. People who are technically aware, knew this shit long ago.
@@Nick-GR Then people who weren’t as technically aware is now informed so yeah, this video still would have shaped thousands of PCs. Your comment is pretty irrelevant.
@@loveisanopendoor5745 shot himself in the foot with his own words lmao
I built PCs and repaired them since the home PC was introduced, I started with Tech when the Atari game console was out and was the go to repairer in my neighborhood. I also tinkered with cars my whole life and know the orientation of a car radiator, the thing is I learned how these are installed correctly from working on cars. I am not a genius I just know the physics of how a pump for a radiator in a car works.
Great video, guys!! The BEST I saw about water cooler. I wish I saw it earlier. All my questions and doubts were answered with this video. This is for sure the best and most elucidative video about water cooler setup I have ever watched. And you guys really showed the air and the liquid working in the cooler. Other videos only talk about stuffs and don't really show what happens inside the cooler. Great work, guys! Congrats and thanks a lot for doing this video.
Every front mounted AIO I've ever seen has had the tubes at the top, I always thought it was a bad idea, and I always did tubes at the bottom myself, but I never knew if it actually mattered at all.
Then this video pops up in my feed randomly, 2 years after it was posted, and finally I'm validated lol.
It's not that it's a bad idea, very often mounting it tubes bottom will make it hard or impossible to mount longer gpus. As long as the pump is below the highest point of the loop it should be ok. The worst thing that can happen is some bubbling noise in a radiator. I am currently using be quiet! silent loop 2 mounted like that but it has a port for refilling and it comes with a bottle of coolant so if it ever starts to be noisy I will just refill it. It is suboptimal but there won't be any damage.
Edited to include that this TLDR is just a quick recap for those who have watched the whole video and have a full picture understanding of the reasons why and why not.
I STRONGLY encourage viewers to watch the whole video and the follow-up (ruclips.net/video/tU7D6y_QYcI/видео.html) and not to start panicking about their set-ups. Apologies to Gamers Nexus and everyone for any misinformation this comment might have caused.
TLDR:
Top-mounted radiator: Yes
Front-mounted radiator: make sure the tubes are coming out from below, not the top and make sure the pump is below the highest point of the radiator.
Bottom mounted radiator: don't. just don't
too much talking. They could have made it this simple
how about back mounted ?
@@iyanbee736 he should have made a summary in the start and then for the nerds have the rest
@@ThePersonalPC same as front, have tubes on the bottom
Just in time, I modified my PC case to have a 120mm fan on top
This will be used for radiator later on
totally gunna be acrylic and glass AIOs now...
The push from GamersNexus got case manufactures to bring back mesh cases, now we may see RGB tempered glass AIOs. AIOs may start looking like mini custom loops now. On a serious note, I really wanna see a case manufacture bring back side mounted fans. Come on now, you guys can bend glass. I don't see why you cant put a 200mm fan on a side panel.
+Germaine Breakenridge it won’t look that good,
Please 😍
A way to sneak in more rgb, so probably. Hopefully with very short warranties because folks will see the air pockets and think it's leaking.
@@GSXone why would you want side mounted fans though, they're a pain in the ass and disturb the airflow going front to back of the case
I am so grateful I found this video. My cooler has always been making weird noises or has been abnormally loud. I chalked this is up to it being almost a 7 year old cooler that I pulled out of my closet to put into my new build (it didn't fit into the case of my first pc I bought 7 years ago). Its been a bout a year and it failed earlier this week. I noticed while playing valorant that my cpu was pushing the high 90s. I just ordered a new cooler and now I can at least install it correctly so it doesn't break. It was pretty conncerning because Im not sure how long my cpu has been this hot, I just hope there isn't any long term damage to it.
Thanks man the indepth explanations with visuals were much appreciated
The lengths y'all went to for the purpose of proving a pretty obvious point about AIO's is insane. You're all insane - I hope you know that. And that's why we love you.
I live in a hot region and my idle temperatures dropped 10C just changing the radiator position. Thank you, Gamers Nexus.
Katsu Abe what orientation did you have it at before?
@@Marblewho Front, but the tubes at the top. I have a 9900KS and it was impossible to do any stability tests (I was doing some undervolt to drop the temps). Now i can do some tests and the temperature not reach 100C
@Nome Cognome Yes, you are right. My case have some opening for airflow. It gets a little too dusty with time but nothing i can't clean easily.
Front, Radiator Tubes at the Top and Pump Tubes Position? Down, Right side, Up?
@@silencewench9520 Pump tubes at the side.
Doing research on my first build. Glad I saw this video before starting it. I was going to install the AIO exactly the way you said NOT to. Now that I know this I will make sure to install the radiator at the TOP of the case. Thank you so much for saving me from making a massive mistake right off the bat.
Much appreciated. I did not think I would finish this video. You provided good information that is useful. Thank you. I know I have an odd mounted AIO on a mini-ITX build in a Thermaltake V1 case.
Me: Looks at my computer
My computer: don't even think about it
same with mine. I have to keep my 240 fans going to the top of the case for the cpu. Then my gpu aio is going to the back which works fine. Ive never had issues though
@@BGIANAKy I reconfigured my 240 Castle just out of fear 😳😳😳..... Fear..... Fear based on thumbnail hysteria
Ctrl c + Ctrl v
god do I feel this
hahahahaha same
Title: How to kill your AIO... first thing you see is Steve taking a saw to an AIO....
Yeah, that'll do it.
I ordered an Artic liquid freezer II and love that their online manual links to this video, haha. I already know this video very well but I love that they refer to this video to explain the important of proper radiator installation.
Thank you for enlighten us, and huge thanks for making this video. You are totally awesome. I almost thought I need a new cooler but following your instructions saved my pc. flipping and putting pump pipes lower and keeping the radiator its position upper then pump and saved lot of noise. Surprising is that, last 12 years I had Radiator pipes up never got any issues but when started cleaning my pc and I added new thermal past and plugged it back same as before nothing changed, suddenly its started making very loud bubble noise and my pc temperatures where very high up to 80C in min and also got shut down by its self, I wasn't sure what's happening. I thought Its time for new cooler but luckily I watched your video followed your instructions solved my problem straight away, I still little spectacle about it, slight small noise hardly I can hear and my CPU temp is back to about 32-38 that's awesome. (I kept the radiator pipes down and whole radiator higher then the cpu pump).
Undid my rookie mistake and flipped my Radiator just the other day, it’s quieter already and looks a lot better. Really nice to know *why* it’s quieter, better temps etc.
Excellent! Great to hear that it helped!
@Gamers Nexus On a top mounted rad - does it matter what orientation the hoses are in on the pump itself...side, top or bottom?
@@t_pagz No, the rad is still the top of the loop.
I just flipped the whole case and realize that I'm not using an AIO
I flipped my house, and it seemed to fix the problem. Bong water, anyone?
Can someone tell me if mounting the water block (the part sitting on the CPU) upside down is a problem?
@@AAWT probably? If the air pocket forms at the side where the CPU contacts, conductivity will decrease. Although it might vary on the structure, Even a tiny air pocket on wrong place might be crucial as it would be a dominating factor of thermal resistance. On the other hand, high flow rate near the pump might prevent air from accumulating.
This channel has always been reliable for honest and unbiased tech coverage thanks for all the content Steve!
Dude you are genius, what an EPIC job! Absolutely best explanation I ever seen and ever needed. THANK YOU!
This is the first time I've seen a "STOP DOING" clickbait type titel that I actually was doing wrong. Shut down the pc* and flipped the radiator. And yes the boot up blub was removed, and no more gurgles.... And it even runs cooler, though that is very very likely to be mainly caused by the fact that while at it I removed the radiator's winter coat....
What's even worse, I work in oceanography and know my way around turbulent flow... I should have known, but never actually thought about how to do it, just mounted it and it (kinda worked).
*By shut down I mean tried swapping it hot, then decided I needed a bit more room and pulled the cords out of it.
I say don't feel bad. It's not your fault that case suppliers provide bad info and the product documentation isn't the best. Blame marketing for not making sure the info is well known enough. It's not your job to be thinking about PC parts, it's the people supplying them.
This is frustrating for me, mine is set up in a way that is not ideal although not the worst according to this video but the water lines on my Aio aren't long enough to install it any other way.
I had no idea this was even a factor and me and someone had a long talk about air in the lines when I was building it my opinion was that the air would be better at the top near the barbs ala nzxt config but they thought it would be better for them to be in the reservoir. Mine is mounted on my 2080 and I'm really curious to know how much of a difference it might make because I don't really have any complaints atm.
Really cool that you work in oceanography!
My uncle is the training office for oceanographers in the military. So salute to you!
instructions unclear: I flipped my pc case upside down
Thats way easier
Did it work?
😂
Not sure if optimal for mechanical hw like HDDs. Other than that, in my amateurishness, it should work!
@@Hawky2947 You can mount mechanical drives in any orientation, it's all good.
The problem I find is the tubing on these AIO coolers is nearly always too short to mount them properly with the tubing at the bottom of the radiator as described in this video. If the manufacturers would just make the tubing a bit longer this might actually be a possibility, but pretty much every build I've done that isn't top mounted has to be upside down due to the pitifully short length of tubing provided on these units.
Luckily all the ones I've used by coolermaster were long enough, love them
4 cases and I dont have one that could mount properly.
@@jamisonmunn9215 just seems crazy to me lol
I've built maybe 13 or 15 cases in the past 2 years or so. And never had any issues. The inky issue I've had so far is actually with my personal build. The hoses are too long for the mesh 2 case I have by Lian Li. So they look ridiculous, bit annoyed by that, but it's by corsair, the liquid ice 3 fan rad
@@DarthMajora i am going to try again tomorrow. It could just be because I only have the cheapest mid tower cases and a pretty big GPU.
@@jamisonmunn9215 ah, yeah that could be it too, could depend on your definition of upside down.
I just received an Arctic AIO and for the manual they just point you to this video. Great information here, thanks!
Unfortunately, front-mounted, tubes-up is often the only way a particular liquid cooler will fit it a particular case, either because there aren't appropriate mounts anywhere else and the tubes are too short for tubes-down, or because there's an issue with clearance related to the motherboard or the RAM that prevents mounting it in the top of the case.
Yeah, that's a common issue, unfortunately. The good news is that it mostly causes noise and is less likely to cause long-term damage (but the noise may become annoying over time).
@@GamersNexus Yea when y'all showed Barb's at bottom it didn't look like a graphics card would be able to fit in there is that why it wasn't installed.
Can confirm that this is an issue with my Liquid Freezer 2 280. The tubes are too short for tubes-down but luckily GN below says it's just a noise issue for the most part and I honestly don't really hear anything from my AIO so I guess it'll be fine for now?
This is my problem. My GPU is in the way.
Good news, none of my PCs AIOs are bottom mounted.
@@GamersNexus You would think that manufacturers would say something about it but ehh...
Manufactures be like:
“Hmmmmmm tempered glass liquid RGB coolers... Great idea!”
DON'T GIVE THEM IDEAS!
@@GamersNexus well you kind of gave us the ideas first... Thank you for giving the Industry such good ideas
@@SuperSeigerman We don't want credit for this! Shh!
@@GamersNexus imagine rainbow water with gliter in it perfect to that unicorn build
@@GamersNexus Too late! R&D is on it.
Thank you so much for this! For a liquid cooler newbie this is so helpful and informative!
Yep. You must use the top of the radiator (I/O pipes below) as an air trap. I installed a vertical radiator, so the air trap was above the pump n block by about 3.5cm to ensure it gets no air gets into it too. It worked flawlessly. Very quiet, very efficient, faster on loads, and temps were the absolute best.
Because if the pump is too low, if there is any air is in the top of the radiator, the pump has to push water up OUT of the IN radiator to flow into the OUT radiator. To have gravity place an immediate resistance onto the pump is not optimal. I feel, even if you have a top mounted radiator, the pump too low will have to push water upwards into the IN radiator and rise up before it will come back out of the OUT radiator. Keeping the pump just below the air trap with as little of the res water above, in a 100ml system, will reduce static pressure on the pump by at least 90 grams even when the PC is off. But the pump and IO pipes MUST be below the air trap and the IN line to the pump n block on top above the pump n block OUT line as in the video^ .
I'm several minutes in and I still have no idea which way is supposed to be the right one.
Mount inlet/outlet tubes at the bottom of the heat exchanger; top of pump mounted at least a couple cm below the top of the heat exchanger. Any air in the system should eventually collect and stay at the highest point of the loop, which ideally will be the 'tank' space at the other end of the heat exchanger from the inlet/outlet tubes.
If sideways, tubes down, if at bottom of case, don't, if top of case, orientation irrelevant
The right installation starts at 13:01
@@healman1000 phew. I top mounted on a whim and was right lol, mostly just to help move the exhaust upward.
I'm nearly at the end and still have no idea what orientation is right...
My wife: what are we doing today?
Me (after watching this video): I'm working on my computer.
So truexD adjusting it perfectly makes me happy and i can sleep wellxD
i turned mine around while watching
saw this video late last night ... and first thing the next day changed the orientation ... it looks uglier now though
@@rashaadadam3359 but safer 👍
Divorce letter incoming.....
Helped even two years later with first AIO. thaks
Fantastic vid. About to put a Thermaltake TH120 in my PC rear mount and this was super educational
I honestly never knew this, I always have mounted my AIo’s with the tubes coming out the top mounted at the front of the case! I always did this due to the manufacturers photos/ from seeing other you tubers do this, crazy how know one has mentioned this before
that's physics! GN has only explained it :)
Aren't the hoses too short anyway to put the tubes on the bottom in a front mount situation?
@@navithefairy depends on the AIO and the case, sometimes yes
@Erich Ly that's a nzxt design problem. They know it, they probably did it on purpose.
@Erich Ly If it's secured and it works, It's not a problem not to do it the "right" way
Glad you found a solution
I am going to check how hihi put my office PC together after watching this. Thank you for this!!
Yo, what are the odds I found your comment? :)
Oh hi Louis lol.
You too huh?
Your office computer is liquid cooled?
@@florbfnarb7099 "Dota is very poorly optimized and demanding AAA game".
Hence it's liquid cooled 😉
Beautiful demonstration had mine mounted wrong this whole time. Wondered why my Temps fluctuated alot. Now solved
Steve, thank you for this explanation on the proper mounting for AIO coolers. It makes perfect sense. In My NZXT case, I mounted my lian li gallihad 3 fan radiator on top. It works very well and never hear it. The other thing about my nzxt case is that it has vents at the top of the case too so the hot air will easily escape. My case has three 120 mm fans in the front of the case pulling fresh air into the case. At idle the Cpu is at around 20 deg Celsius. Even under several pcmark benches, the cpu never got above 38 degrees Celsius.
I've been looking everywhere for the answers that literally only this video provides. I'm building with an AIO for the first time in two days. I did so much research and was convinced until this moment that tubes up vs tubes down didn't matter for front mounted radiators. I'm so relieved to have GN finally provide a definitive answer on this, yet pissed that AIO has been around for God knows how long and only now is there a correct answer floating around as to how you're supposed to mount your shit.
I'm in the same boat. Just got my Arctic freezer II (finally) and have been looking for such a guide as this to know the best way to install it. Once again GN to the rescue!!
Very good info indeed. So just to make it clear ... If you have a Corsair H100i Titanium RGB cooler (like i just build) .. mounting the radiator as Corsair shows in their mounting instructions for the 465 case in the front with the tubes at the top!!!.... The correct way would be to turn the radiator around with tubes down .. Is it still ok to have the tubes come out at the right side of the cpu block/pump so you still see the "Corsair logo" the right way ?? I'm amazed that even the companies building the things show you an incorrect mount in there mounting instructions. But hey if we botch the mounting up like they instruct us too they "maybe" sell more Aio's if the user don't switch to another brand the next time. I have had no issues with water gurgling for the week the machine has been running. The Corsair Aio and their LL fans arent the most silent around but its ok as long as you don't have a very demanding cpu that need higher rpm to keep cooled. I am currently hitting in the upper 60's degrees on my R7 3800X package when under 100% load (67 the highest I've had), while having no higher readings than 35 degrees from the Aio. I take that is the water temp it messeures ? These readings are with all 5 Fans in the system set to "Quiet" If I hit Extreme settings tey drop to around 30/60 degrees. But if the Aio will live longer, I'm gonna flip that radiator. the tubes should be long enough. I just wonder if they have made longer tubes on the H115i if you have to go all the way from the bottom of the case and up to the cpu, think the H100 would have a problem. But as these 3 Fan cases often have a psu shroud that covers 3/4 of the intake from the lower fan, noone in their right mind would place a 2 fan Aio in the bottom of the 3 front fans. Plus on the 465X case from Corsair I'd have to remove the HDD case to have enough clearance for an H115, why I saved a few bucks and went for the H100. Thanx for a good video Steve. You propably didn't have the time, but next time just to clear it all out for the buttheads or non english native viewers of us, show a few shots more of correct vs incorrect mounted tubing configs for both front, top and back mounts of the Aio's. As I see it the bottom mount would propably only be needed for those ultra compact cases where you just barely can mount the Aio at the bottom.
I thought only about air intake or exhaust & front/back fan mount, gamer nexus deserves big brain tutorial award.
@DispelTheMyth Steve answers that in the follow-up video. Orientation of tubes coming out of the pump makes no difference.
If you mount it at the front with tubes down, you'll have better cooling and noise levels
For almost a decade, I've used air coolers on all my builds until a few months ago where I cracked and bought a 360 AIO for my main rig. For AIO orientation, I asked many of my friends who use AIO, searched RUclips, and google searched as if I was doing a project, but alas I did not find any answers. Until I remembered Steve mentioning in one of his videos not to mount AIOs like @17:56, but still no concrete answers. I ended up mounting it like @13:00 but with the tubes near the back instead. This is a great video since this is the only video that I've seen that actually answers how to properly orient AIOs.
I ended up mounting my AIO's rad to the top of the case simply because that seemed to cause the least stress on the hoses, had no idea I was saving it from bubbles and other issues too, now that I know how useful that is I'm defginitly planning it into future builds
I heard that throwaway comment on another vid too, changed orientation and saw an instant improvement in coolant temp. I've only had the aio installed a month or two incorrectly so fingers crossed it didn't cause too much damage.
@@CACOE_ You should be good! Unlikely it caused damage that fast unless it was really burning 24/7.
@@UNSCPILOT i have 2 computers with an aio one is on top and the other is on the rear exhaust simply because it's literally the only place on these 2 cases that could hold the radiator.
And this is why I always always tell people to NOT use AIOs unless they intend to do OCing and the majority will never OC and does it just because it makes their case "authentic pro gamer". You can't do much wrong with a fan - it's usually quieter, cheaper, easier to install, works on all cases (only need to take RAM / component clearance into account), you can't really fuck it up that it breaks and you have so many choices for fans + on a massive cooler, if the fan breaks you can replace it. If a AIO pump breaks .... not to mention potential leaks, installation issues, cost, noise level, your case potentially not working (which you always find out after you try to install it of course).
So glad I found this before I installed my first AIO cooler love this channel
So glad I watched this video before installing. 2 years almost and my rad is going strong!
I love how everything you do is straight number based. No flashy slides or misleading information. just raw data.
Thanks again.
@@morpheas768 welcome to politics, they all are including democrats and Republicans. Let's get back to the topic here.. computers..
Physics: you ignored me, and where did it take you?...back to me...
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@Steamed Hams 5
One of those rare vides with true engineering approach, data and clear presentation.
I bought a prebuilt a year ago and have always been struggling with high CPU temps particularly in high CPU-Intensive games such as Rust. I have a single fan AIO.
I was playing Rust today and noticed my CPU temps were 95-100°C...
I finally had a google and came across this video. Turns out the AIO was upside down exactly like at 18:16
I unscrewed and flipped the AIO then booted up Rust.
Max 65°C.
Thanks so much for this video and the in depth explanation Steve & team.
100 C 😨
@@alexjones9390 with a liquid cooler 🥲
Thumbnail game level: Godmode.
Made me click
actually they are cringe
Woah, this isn’t 4 in the morning... is this even a gamers nexus video?
for me it was 4 am at release ^^
thank you for your explaination. yesterday i bought gamerstorm aio liquid cooler and figured it out the right way. after thinking a long time, I decided put it in front mount with tube under the pump. the whole night thinking did I installed it correctly or not. so today I'm watching your video and I'm glad that my setup for aio is the correct way. thank a lot.
Thanks for this timeless reference. Finally getting my first AIO after being on air since i started building in the mid 90s mostly because of the spiky temperature of my 5800X3D
So... a lot of us are pretty much screwed then.
I mean, if I mount my MasterLiquid ML240RS with the rad up front (tubes up), I'm basically introducing bubbles (and the gurgle noise, which happens but is not very common) into the top of the rad. I don't think I can mount it tubes down because of the GPU, but I'll try it tomorrow, and mounting at the top is possible, but I may not have the space to do push/pull the way I have it now.....
It's also rather infuriating to think that, even though I have considered this before, there are no directions on this on pretty much any manual. In fact, it lead me to believe there was some unknown system built in to let air bubbles escape.....
if they had longer hose it could work
I have the exact same problem, looks like going up top is the best option, but I know for a fact that push/pull would be imposible because of RAM clearance issues ( I tried it when I put my system together in the first place)
I had to put mine up top.
The instructions were garbage and I had no idea what to do because of it just being pictures and poorly made ones at that.
Hoses weren't even long enough to put them at the top of the front panel.
>So... a lot of us are pretty much screwed then.
Yea p-much
I'm running a Kraken x62 AIO in a fractalDesign Meshify C which barely has enough room to mount the radiator at the front if your graphics card is a long boy. Having the tubing at the top vs the bottom could be the difference in getting that radiator to fit and it's what I'm facing right now.
Can't mount the radiator up top cause then it conflicts with the motherboard.
I have a narrow micro atx case. It can't fit a decent air cooler because they're too tall. My only option for managing thermals with an overclock is water cooling but there's no option for top mount and my HDD tray blocks any hope of mounting the rad tubes-down. I'd may eventually get a new case but it is perfect for my desk size. There's zero noise aside from fans and my temps are fantastic, so is there really a problem here?
consumer- I need to rma my aio
nzxt- How did you have it mounted?
consumer- Just like you showed in you pictures
nzxt- Well that was wrong. Denied. Bwahahaha
They'll post the picture of your PC and use it as a meme on their Twitter support page
Definitely glad I came across this video as I look to buy an AIO for my first build, thanks for the information ^^
So glad I came across this before my AIO came. Really informative and scientific. Thanks GN!
Who's ready for the new tempered glass liquid RGB coolers?
Imagine if the just put a sticker on the radiator "this way up"
That's actually a really good idea, could even make it one of those plastic peel things. Everyone loves those things right?
That wouldn't fix things if people mount the rad lower than the cooler in the case still, would still make the pump the highest point in the loop.
I'd stamp it into the radiator along with instructions to mount the radiator above the pump.
Imagine if they would put a bleeder port on the pump and on the radiator where, regardless of how you had it mounted in your rig, you could bleed the air bubbles out of it and top it up.
The whole problem arises because these things are a bitch to bleed and have a ludicrous amount of air trapped in them right from the factory.
@@shawnpitman876 Couldn't do that on my PC. Nowhere else to put optical drives, no vents on the top of the case. I'd have no choice but to put it on the floor of the case somewhere...and probably put a bung in the pump body where I can just back off a screw, bleed out the air, top up the coolant, and plug it back off again.
Much appreciated Gamers Nexus, Absolute and Awesome information regarding AIO`S. Had i watched this earlier, my Msi AIO would not have died in six months. I'm now running a Cooler master AIO , mounted tubes down.
I wished I would have seen this 2 weeks ago. I’ve been building for over 20yrs and just built a bottom mounted EVGA AIO cooler I’m the Cooler Master NR200P Case which has no other place than the bottom for mounting a water cooler 🤦♂️ the case looks cool but I want my customers machine to last for 7+ years. I’m actually rethinking this build and I’m going to change it this week after watching this video. Thank you so much for taking the time and research to help us system builders be a little smarter 😉👍
101 on how physics is annoying with liquid cooling, and how to and not to kill your water cooling loop/aio.
This mostly applies to AIOs.
In custom loops you generally have a reservoir/pump combo where the pump is always under the Res and will always be submerged.
Love how true and wholesome you guys work is.
Thank you so much for this video, GamersNexus. Here I am clueless that I’m actually damaging my aio over time by mounting it the way NZXT was showing me in their manuals, RUclipsrs were also saying this orientation was fine but you broke down every little detail so well.
Damn why didn't anyone tell me this 5 years ago
Beats me. Had mine front mounted with the the tubes on top.
@@mig23zcyther ikr, i havent seen a front mounted 360 rad with tubes below on the internet, ever! Well he said the only issue with front mounted tubes on top is the noise, mine doesnt do it, so i guess were fine?
@fran i hope so too! I have a 280mm nzxt x62 that i got 1 1 1/2 year ago so hopefully it will last a couple more years or at least by the time I’ll decide to replace it with a new one. 😅
@@fran117 yeah same mine doesnt make any sound except for the fans that i have on them. plus its impossible for me to front mount with tubes on bottom because of my gpu and case size
@@mig23zcyther right? I had no idea. Had mine mounted front case with tubes top & it works fine. Haven't noticed a noise other than the fans
Imagine spending more money to have more problems.
-this comment was made by the air cool gang
I like to see it
Your computer is ugly
@@lmCIoudz and your cpu runs hotter. This comment sponsored by the big shiny brick gang
@@Pyrohawk 9700k at 4.8ghz ALL cores and I never see Ofer 50c while gaming and never over 63c while using AIDA64 100% load. You mad?
@@lmCIoudz 50-55c at 100% load, 10700k 5ghz...
I feel this is like a board meeting where everyone is nodding their heads, but no one understands what’s going on.
I don't like what you said, but I'll give you my upvote
Not really. They made it extremely easy to understand everything they were trying to demonstrate.
how did you not understand anything from the video? how old are you?
This video helped me figure out best orientation for my Corsair H45, as it has pump next to the fan. Manual shows it mounted at the top, and even tho its not terrible (pumps would still be below the possible bubble, although only few milimeters) mounting it at the front with tubes at the bottom seems to be the best solution
I don't think you'll ever get the credit you deserve. You really provide the most objective and supportive information on PC building on the biggest video platform in the world
This is very good, but could GREATLY benefit from a simple diagram of DO's and DON'Ts.
Agree, as i'm still a bit confused lol
@@jmiller991 What are you still confused about? Never mount on bottom, always mount on top if possible, if you have to mount on front the tubes must be on the bottom. Where's the confusion?
@@biffwebster1212 see that's false, you can mount bottom
@@ap4702 yeah if you want to destroy your pump and have terrible performance.
@@biffwebster1212 Mount on the side if possible. Mounting on the top where heat rises is probably not the best choice. Granted it’s doable but me personally. I like to keep my rad out of the way of heat.
Thanks a lot for this very good information. I haven't installed a AIO, but who knows ...
Now I'm more informed about failures.
So like the MSI C360 that the water pump is installed on the middle of radiator so that seems no problem.
4 Years ago when i bought my first AIO the dude at the store told me to just put the radiator as high as possible. Told me to put it in the top with the fans exhausting the air through it. After this video I understand exactly why. Thanks random KTM employee :)
Good samaritan
the problem is the aio as exhaust.. because the hot air will go trough the radiator and is not cooled enough
good advice
@@clasch87 That is not a problem, its standard for a reason.
@@zachmullins9444 Steve literally said in this video that’s it’s not as cool to run as exhaust instead of intake.
flashback to the LTT Tech Support Challenge, remembering Steve with a second of frustration at the AIO set with barbs up by the hosts. I thought this would be addressed when I saw thumbnail for this video... :)
I thought that Steve actually might remount the radiator he looked so annoyed
Just bought my first water AIO and after reading around was starting to have doubts about installing it because of so many people complainign about gurgling and pump whine etc. I had all but decided to return it in favor of the "big ass noctua" that's proving so popular (and MUCH cheaper), however it seems it could well be they were all just mounted wrong.
@Thomas B LTT did a test and found air coolers beat most AIOs anyway
@@dumbodum the air cooler featured in the video wasn't a random air cooler but rather the best one noctua had to offer. More often than not AiOs beat air coolers
bought kraken 6 years ago and i’m using it wrong ?😂 still is quite and efficient. buy aio!😊
@Thomas B plus if the air cooler has 2 fans, its very unlikely both would fail at once, the other fan will probably be enough to keep it running
The noctua n15 is comparable to many 240 or 280 rads in terms of cooling, thermals and sound, based on GN charts from most recent best of video. It can’t compare to the 360 or 420 rads, but if you don’t need that much cooling, then that kind of air cooling is totally viable. GN tested the n15 with a i9 12th gen, so it was up to cooling that stock. I like the safety of air cooling - I personally prefer parts that don’t have even the potential to fail in a way that will damage other parts, but that might be my engineering background. I am thrilled aio are so so much more reliable than when they first came on the market tho.
Excellent in depth video. Based on this it looks like top mounting will be my first choice!