Stop Doing It Wrong: How to Kill Your CPU Cooler (AIO Mounting Orientation)

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.

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 YouTube 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.

RELATED PRODUCTS

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! **

Links to Amazon and Newegg are typically monetized on our channel (affiliate links) and may return a commission of sales to us from the retailer. This is unrelated to the product manufacturer. Any advertisements or sponsorships are disclosed within the video ("this video is brought to you by") and above the fold in the description. We do not ever produce paid content or "sponsored content" (meaning that the content is our idea and is not funded externally aside from whatever ad placement is in the beginning) and we do not ever charge manufacturers for coverage.

Follow us in these locations for more gaming and hardware updates:


Editorial, Host: Steve Burke
Video: Keegan Gallick, Andrew Coleman

[GamersNexus]

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).

[WayStedYou]

Tempered glass RGB coldplates?
Corsair: WRITE THAT DOWN WRITE THAT DOWN

[Ramingo]

Oh well... A lot of people are going to open their cases today. Well done GN!

[AFKBIN]

and i just learned something new just before i build my new PC

[_Paul_N]

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!

[DerRusher]

short version: waters goes down, air goes up. your pump is running dry while your system is gonna fry!

[altairiel]

9/10 people: *Repositions cooler*
The 10th guy: *Flips PC Over*

[thestarx]

11:49 for correct setup

EDIT: "Best" Setup. Having your radiator vertical with tubes at the top works fine as well

[camdennorris]

I swear next year at ces if i see any tempered glass radiators or aios im gonna blame this video.

[hashbiasshate]

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!

[isbestlizard]

My aio isn't meant to sound like an aquarium? :O

[riricorp]

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!

[neiljohnelizarde]

watch the entire vid for 26 minutes, and check my PC. ahhh sweet. good thing i only have stock intel CPU fan

[ThatOneDudeNick]

**looks at thumbnail and over to case several times, sweating**

[Nailbunny]

I've had so many people dismiss me as an idiot for telling them their coolers are mounted improperly. This video feels downright vindicating.

[Anthony-qtwv]

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!

[KatsuAbe]

I live in a hot region and my idle temperatures dropped 10C just changing the radiator position. Thank you, Gamers Nexus.

[mrphu.]

This is the video that literally changed the shape of thousands of PCs since the day it was released and for the foreseeable future.

[coltondudley]

It's 12am and you got me flipping my CPU cooler

[mariusgage]

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