AIO/CLC Mount Location

[MiRai]

I am looking to venture into the easy man's world of water cooling, and I began looking at the AIO/CLC setups that are available. I stumbled across the EK Predator and thought that it might be what I was looking for, but then I saw their documentation which tells you not to mount it so that the block is above the pump/radiator combo. I contacted EK directly and they confirmed that the pump in both the Predator 240 and 360 is not powerful enough to provide adequate cooling when mounted below the CPU block.

I've been looking at other AIO/CLC 240/360 setups for just the CPU, but they don't seem to be specifying whether or not they can be mounted below the point where the CPU block will sit.

Is this an unspoken rule of not being able to mount a CPU block above a (seemingly) weak pump that is integrated into these AIO/CLC setups? Am I stuck contacting every manufacturer to see what they recommend for their particular unit? Might it be because these AIO/CLC setups may have air bubbles in them which are going to sit at the highest point (the CPU block in my case) and mess with the temps?

For reference, I'll be mounting this into an In Win S-Frame, which has its own bracket at the bottom of the chassis for mounting fans/radiator(s), so I'm pretty locked in to this location. Images: 1 / 2 / 3

Thanks!

 

[MrTeal]

You could look at adding something like a Swiftech Micro Res or a Koolance single bay 5.25" reservoir above the level of the CPU, if you're worried about air in the CPU.

 

[seamadan]

I think the corsair CLCs can be mounted in pretty much any orientation.

 

[MiRai]

You could look at adding something like a Swiftech Micro Res or a Koolance single bay 5.25" reservoir above the level of the CPU, if you're worried about air in the CPU.

I didn't think of that, but I am probably going to be using every "bay" available on the chassis itself, so this might not be an option.

I think the corsair CLCs can be mounted in pretty much any orientation.

I was hoping to find a 360mm option (I know, there aren't a lot of options out there), but I was looking at the 240mm selection from Corsair/NZXT. However, I did stumble upon the H20-320 Elite from Swiftech, and it looks promising. We'll see what their support has to say in regards to restrictions on mounting.

 

[YBS1]

That documentation has nothing to do with the the pump not being strong enough or the block being mounted above or below the pump/radiator combo. It's relating to the orientation of the rad/pump combo mount position. It can't be mounted in the two ways shown due to the way the integrated reservoir feeds to the pump. The Swiftech units are *roughly* similar.

It appears from the pictures you linked you could still use that setup with your case but the inlet/outlet lines will have to be pointed down so you'd likely need to replace the standard fittings with some 90 degree fittings or something creative, I can't really tell how much room you'd have to make the lines turn. You may be better off with something like the Thermaltake Water 3.0 Ultimate.

 

[YBS1]

However, I did stumble upon the H20-320 Elite from Swiftech, and it looks promising. We'll see what their support has to say in regards to restrictions on mounting.

There shouldn't be any restrictions on orientation with that model, but that is part of their older line and may not be available anymore depending upon where you live. Their newer H220-X/H240-X models are similar to the Predator but under your particular case's preferred mount position they would be unworkable.

 

[MrTeal]

That documentation has nothing to do with the the pump not being strong enough or the block being mounted above or below the pump/radiator combo. It's relating to the orientation of the rad/pump combo mount position. It can't be mounted in the two ways shown due to the way the integrated reservoir feeds to the pump. The Swiftech units are *roughly* similar.

It appears from the pictures you linked you could still use that setup with your case but the inlet/outlet lines will have to be pointed down so you'd likely need to replace the standard fittings with some 90 degree fittings or something creative, I can't really tell how much room you'd have to make the lines turn. You may be better off with something like the Thermaltake Water 3.0 Ultimate.

I can't see the attached image (no imgur) but could you explain why that would be the case? With the pump bottom mounted and an external res it doesn't seem you should run into an issue with it losing its prime even if the intake is routed down from the radiator unless you have a massive amount of air in the system. I can't seem to find any images of the top without the motor attached kicking around the internet.

 

[Kenmitch]

I can't see the attached image (no imgur) but could you explain why that would be the case? With the pump bottom mounted and an external res it doesn't seem you should run into an issue with it losing its prime even if the intake is routed down from the radiator unless you have a massive amount of air in the system. I can't seem to find any images of the top without the motor attached kicking around the internet.

Case looks like this. Real water is doable it looks like to me. I'd go the DIY way and skip the AIO.

Interesting looking case....But dang it's pricey!

 

[MiRai]

That documentation has nothing to do with the the pump not being strong enough or the block being mounted above or below the pump/radiator combo. It's relating to the orientation of the rad/pump combo mount position. It can't be mounted in the two ways shown due to the way the integrated reservoir feeds to the pump. The Swiftech units are *roughly* similar.

I was just relaying what EK support had responded with:

"You are correct, this unit is not intended to be used this way as the pump is not strong enough for any setup. This is the reason why we recommend having the pump higher than the water block. Especially if you intend to add another water block to the loop."

It appears from the pictures you linked you could still use that setup with your case but the inlet/outlet lines will have to be pointed down so you'd likely need to replace the standard fittings with some 90 degree fittings or something creative, I can't really tell how much room you'd have to make the lines turn. You may be better off with something like the Thermaltake Water 3.0 Ultimate.

Yeah, that's the feeling I got from their second, slightly contradictory, response:

"Also, the problem here is not the strength of the pump but the position of it and there the in and out are.

As you can see in the installation manual, you can fit the unit on the bottom, but not laying down "backwards"."


Note: I'm not trying to "call out" EK on anything they have said here about their Predator product, I'm just relaying what I was told in an e-mail. I know that EK makes quality products, and I would recommend them to others.

There shouldn't be any restrictions on orientation with that model, but that is part of their older line and may not be available anymore depending upon where you live. Their newer H220-X/H240-X models are similar to the Predator but under your particular case's preferred mount position they would be unworkable.

I heard back from Swiftech this morning, and they said there will be no issues with mounting their kit down below.

I did happen to look at their 240mm setups as well, but because I'd like to keep things looking even on the chassis and fill up all three available spots with fans/radiator, it's a lot easier to just go with a 360mm setup at the moment.

Case looks like this. Real water is doable it looks like to me. I'd go the DIY way and skip the AIO.

Interesting looking case....But dang it's pricey!

Yeah, it was pricey, but I did buy it with the intention of keeping it through a few builds and getting more and more custom with those builds as I become more comfortable with everything. Also, a full DIY-WC setup is just not in the budget at the moment with the added cost of GPU blocks and what not.

In the future, I would love to do a nice custom DIY loop as seen in your pictures (and others across the internet), but right now I'd like to just get my feet wet ( >_> ) with something a bit more simple.

Thanks to everyone for all the input and feedback.

 

[YBS1]

I can't see the attached image (no imgur) but could you explain why that would be the case? With the pump bottom mounted and an external res it doesn't seem you should run into an issue with it losing its prime even if the intake is routed down from the radiator unless you have a massive amount of air in the system. I can't seem to find any images of the top without the motor attached kicking around the internet.

I don't have access to any exploded diagrams of EK's res/pump combo, but I would imagine those two orientations place the reservoir's outlet below the pump's inlet. Provided you don't ever get an air pocket down into there it probably would work anyway, but considering they have to support the product they can't say it might work.