Poll: Preference for header connections for simple closed-loop cooler

[Zig13]

Option 1:

• Pump -> CPU_Fan Header
• Pump connected to SATA power
• Radiator Fans connected to pump
• Pump connected to USB header
• Control fans through Windows software (e.g Corsair Link)

Option 2:

• Pump -> CPU_Pump Header
• SATA power connector shouldn't be required?
• 1st Radiator fan connected to CPU_Fan Header
• 2nd Radiator fan connected to CPU_OPT
• Control fans through BIOS

Context:
I work in a computer repair shop. We mostly deal with consumer-level stuff - mostly laptops. However we have a customer with more-money-than-technical know-how who has decided his current water cooling solution had died, has bought a replacement, and is paying us to fit it.
My collegue/boss has a water cooler in his own tower so the job got left to him.
The case is a horrible Anidees one. The new cooler is a H115i Pro. The motherboard is a Socket 1151 ROG Maximus X Hero.

My collegue is used to option 1 and considers it the "way it is done".
They are backed up by the manual for the H115i Pro that (in my opinion) assumes your motherboard doesn't have a Pump header and extra CPU Header and instruct you to do Option 1. I guess they also want you to use thier software.

My preference would be for Option 2. The cabling is simpler/cleaner, doesn't use up a USB header and doesn't require extra software running at Windows startup. I'd also imagine you could do without the SATA power connector (pump is powered by pump header and won't need the extra power as it is not powering the fans) which would make the cabling even cleaner. I'd feel more secure knowing my fan settings are in operation from power-on and not only after the program has launched.
Admittedly in this specific instance, the pump doesn't have the ability to connect to a motherboard RGB so AFAIK the only way to stop it flashing rainbow lights is to install the software (although it will still rainbow flash until the software loads).

Googling suggests this is a preference rather than one way being strictly correct and I'm interested to see which way this community leans.
If someone could make this an actual poll that would be great!

 

[Radox-0]

Option 1:

• I'd feel more secure knowing my fan settings are in operation from power-on and not only after the program has launched.

Admittedly in this specific instance, the pump doesn't have the ability to connect to a motherboard RGB so AFAIK the only way to stop it flashing rainbow lights is to install the software (although it will still rainbow flash until the software loads).

Been a while since I used an AIO (either custom or air), but pretty sure the fans will still spin even before you get into Windows for the software to kick into play and control the speed, or is that not the case? I use a commander pro with corsair link in one of my builds with a custom loop (combination of RGB, temp sensor and fan headers) and the fans spin perfectly fine prior to getting into Windows at which point its controller by the software.

My other preference for software over Q-Fan in ASUS Bios is you get more control and options mostly. Can set up more steps in the corsair link in terms of steps. Similarly I imagine if your likely to hook the cooler up to allow control of RGB, would just control the fans via link aswell. Only disjoint at that point I suppose will be the fan speeds for the AIO fans would be controlled via Corsair link while the rest of the fans (assuming there is nothing like a commander unit in the case) would be hooked up to the motherboard and controlled via BIOS / ASUS's FanXpert software.

 

[Zig13]

pretty sure the fans will still spin even before you get into Windows for the software to kick into play and control the speed, or is that not the case?

Oh the fans spin all right and the pump pumps, but, judging by the way it reverts to default rainbow RGB pre-Windows, I'd bet it reverts to it's default fan settings pre-Windows as well. Seems like the H115i Pro doesn't have any non-volatile memory. So yeh it will keep things cool enough but I don't like the idea of it (possibly audibly) switching to different fan settings only after a delay.

Yeh I was initially working under the assumption the RGB Cooler would be able to connect with an RGB Header to sync with the Motherboard but the H115i Pro - despite being released in 2017 - seems to be stuck in the past. For the sake of argument it'd be prudent to either ignore RGB or consider a cooler that can connect to a motherboard RGB header as any good modern AIO should.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Option 2 revised

• Link the 2 fans with a splitter and connect to the CPU Fan Header - set the BIOS profile as required (quiet, turbo etc..)
• Connect the pump speed cable to any fan header and set it at a constant speed that is within an acceptable noise level.
• SATA power should still be required to power the pump - there is no advantage to not having it connected.

 

[ttaskmaster]

NVM

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Most people I know like to have the pump on the CPU_Fan so that the system will alarm or auto-shutdown in case of pump failure

This is an AIO not a custom loop. If he connects the pump to the CPU fan it will ramp up and down according to load and be annoying. If the pump fails then the system will shut down due to temperature spike on the CPU.

 

[ttaskmaster]

NVM

 

[Dirk Diggler]

ISTR setting CPU_Fan speed in BIOS when I had a Corsair H100, again because an error at the header would be flagged up...

Yes, if CPU fan could be set at constant speed then that would be best solution.

 

[WantoN]

What Mobo do you have?

I’m running my pump and all my fan banks off the Mobo, but the headers are rated well. There’s a pump header and high amp fan header which both do 3A, the rest do 1A, one of which will run a bank of two fans at about .5A.

You should check the power draw of your components and the max on your headers before running it all off the Mobo.

You won’t be able to use Corsair Link to control the fans unless they’re connected to USB or a controller, so if you want to control more than the rad fans via link then you’ll need a Commander. In which case I’d advise you check the number of internal USB headers you have, and make sure there’s enough for all your equipment. The Commander Pro has USB passthroughs.

 

[WantoN]

This is an AIO not a custom loop. If he connects the pump to the CPU fan it will ramp up and down according to load and be annoying. If the pump fails then the system will shut down due to temperature spike on the CPU.

Unless he can set the speed via software / bios.