Best AIO Orientation for a Gaming PC?

[distantfromMAS]

the best way is also the common way to install an aio. I like how Zach explains this, very clear and understandable for beginners.

[silvadic]

Plus if you think about it, hot rises and cold sinks. It just makes sense to follow that idea.

[TtEL]

When he first said "mount" I thought he said "melt" 😂😂😂

[Tech-Expose]

⚠️ WARNING / TL;DR:

It's crucial to follow JayzTwoCents' advice precisely: positioning the radiator at the highest point of the loop is essential to prevent air from entering. Optimal placement involves mounting the radiator at the top of the case for the best results.

[tufab]

If you want to make your decision based on practicality, be aware that

AIO on top: good for exaustion, it will make everything in your case cooler, but it will lack a bit on the CPU

AIO on the front: it will cool your CPU very well, but the rest of the case will not benefit that much from the front fans

Keep in mind that the body type of your GPU also affects its temperature, in case you go with front mounted AIO. A open style GPU is mandatory if you want to mount the AIO on the front, because all the air sucked by the fans will go through the radiator, increasing the cooling on the CPU at the cost of the other components' temperatures. If the GPU has an open body, the lack of cooling inside the case will not affect its particular temps that much.

As pointed out by Thomas, when I said "open style card" I actually meant to say "Open Air card", the opposite of a Blower-Style card. Ty for the correction.

[Chaos-Watcher-]

the configuration changes if the pump is in the rad too, but in practically all cases it's best to use the aio as front intake with tubes down

[Ruanarkk]

Thanks for all your videos man. Love all the good information 🎉

[Josh-]

On the front or the side, tubes at the bottom, actually tends to give you the best thermals for most cases. That's because heat rises, and it's generally better to exhaust out the top of the case.

So using the radiator fans to intake from the front or the side ensures you're getting 100% ambient air with the best airflow across your radiator.

[luladrgn]

me chillin with my ak500 digital (an actually affordable screen)

[-average]

It's really easy physics, kids - air always goes up, so if you don't want air into your tubes, you know what to do now

[TheJeevo]

I'm happy I figured it out for myself and was just right. Feelsgoodman

[bastik.]

My case didn't have room above so i place it like the better way against the front fans and mounted the aoc fans behind the cooler. Works really well

[Core]

I've got a fancy pants(and sadly discontinued) case that has a totally separate chamber for AIO radiators. It came with an air cooled CPU and I've yet to add an AIO, but I plan to in the near future. For those curious, it's the HP Omen 45L case. Thankfully not from HP but a 3rd party PC builder. Really wonder why not other PC cases don't do something similar apart from manufacturing costs

[Trippo]

Had this dilemma a few days ago.
Got a 360 to mount on the front because I like how it looks and wanted to have the tubes from the bottom, but didn't take in consideration the GPU length, so had to turn it upside down.

Thankfully i was able to do it, I didn't want to send it back and get the 240 for the top 😅

[pyroyuy]

The best way is cover all areas with radiators, and custom loop it!

[GSM]

Unless you mounted on the side, I guess it’s aesthetically pleasing

[lukaskucerik]

that "ok" is also bad bubbles can reduce waterflow even can get into the pump so best opions are tubes at bottom or top mounted rad

[andrewmcallister]

Great video, just needs info on fan direction. I run a repair shop and see countless installs with the AIO at the top with fans as intake

[EMU]

Depends if its a CPU or GPU AIO, and if you have multiple in the system.

Best temps for the component that the AIO is cooling will be intake, best case temps will be exhaust. So, if you have multiple (CPU and GPU), you want them both intake. CPU only, exhaust.

Each case is different with how rads mount in them, so need to work with the limitations. Pump should never be on the top of the loop or it will catch the air and cavitate/kill the pump.

Convection really doesnt come into play once you introduce fans to move the air, so top being exhaust is not always the best setup. It just looks the best. Im a function over form hobbyist, so I dont mind the backside of the fans being seen.

[oSilverwolfo]

Thank you!! I get ocd when I see a build and they put the rad in front tubes up, when there is space to top mount in the case