Let's Talk About AIO Orientation... Again

Someone had to say it. This issue is being blown way out of proportion. Here's why.

We used the Corsair H150i Elite Capellix for demonstration purposes in this video. Check it out

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[GregSalazar]

For those who need a TL:DR - Front-mounted, barbs-up radiator placement is _FINE_ a vast majority of the time. Unless your loop isn't filled correctly, air shouldn't incessantly circulate through your pump after the closed system has primed. The worst you'll likely experience in this config is a bit of noise at the top of the rad. But if pump whine persists, its very likely your loop wasn't properly filled/topped-off.

I just pour water on my motherboard every now and then and my temps are so low

[GearSeekers]

Yes! The amount of times I've had to correct people is ridiculous! People only hear what they want to hear.

Great work mate!

[alxbkers]

Such a non-issue - Steve is just a very informative guy with videos that really are in-depth - the only thing people should really worry about is to not mount the radiator at the bottom of the case.

[SlappytheNinja]

People just love telling other people on the internet that they're wrong.

[cracklingice]

They do actually intentionally leave some air in AIOs for thermal expansion to reduce leaks. Water doesn't compress as well as air.

[Uwenthol_J_Gibblesworth]

My AIO is barb up, front mounted, no issues. Only hear a bit of water movement when my PC first turns on, but beyond that, no issues. No idea that this was a thing.

[therealrbert]

This topic triggers me so much, thank you for setting the record straight. If a product is defective or ill designed I don’t want to baby it so it limps along anyway.

[DesignsByIFR]

Well said. Very frustrating seeing this nonsense blown out of proportion.

[paladingeorge]

I think Steve was pretty spot on about the AIO stuff, but people keep getting upset about nothing. I currently use my 120mm AIO barbs up with the top above the block - and I got the AIO about a month or two before Steve's video (it is my first one!). What I found when I was experimenting with orientation was that placing the radiator below the block does in fact cause lots of noise and severely reduce the AIO's performance. By placing it barbs up, as Steve would suggest, the pump will make some noise for a short while until the bubbles settle, and when they did it became whisper silent. Honestly, I don't get why people keep getting so confused about what Steve said - if your AIO is making lots of noise, change the orientation dangit!

[jasong.]

The only thing not addressed in this video that Gamers Nexus has is permeation. As a clc ages and more air permeates the loop, barbs down becomes the more optimal orientation.. I would argue that someone on a budget who needs an aio to last as long as possible should consider this. However, if a case only allows a 280 or 360 to be mounted tubes up, I personally would choose more cooling capacity. Especially since there are affordable aio options out there.

[xlAnimosty]

It’s only a big deal now because Steve finally said something about it. He’s definitely one of the most respected opinions in the PC hardware community.

[gothik]

I'll be honest, I flipped my radiator around with barbs on the bottom because I do care about noise in my room and I like to keep it as quiet as possible.

But I could do it because I had sufficient space in my system to do so, do not try to forcefully put your barbs down if you do not have enough clearance or cable length as you could create situations where your cables are subjected to intense stress from being very tightly squeezed and over time damage them.

Bottom radiator is still bad though, if it is the only place in your case where it fits, perhaps a new better case is in order.

[SheikMMO]

i have mine on the topside, been running for 6-7 years now, no issues with temps so far.

[BPSCustoms]

"Air is less dense than water" - citation needed

[craigrobertson]

8:10 I don't think the manufacture put insufficient amounts of water in it, I think it's because they sawed it open.

[janas]

I'm still waiting for The Verge to come with the best mounting solution 😂😂.
Thanks Greg👍

[Enders]

Love seeing you use the exact radiator I installed in my rig last month for this demonstration. My tubes are the highest point in my loop and yeah, I have the fittings at the top of my front mounted rad.

[RadioactiveLobster]

Instructions Unclear: Installed Noctua NH-U12A

[studentism]

bro this helped me SO much. comments sections are a goddamn mess, and i appreciate you taking the time to make this informative video to help