Question Connecting Arctic Freezer Liquid Cooler 3 to my motherboard.

[vaka7a]

Hey guys,

I recently upgraded to the Arctic LF3 AIO, and it's my first time having an AIO cooler. I'm running a TUF GAMING B550M-PLUS & Ryzen 5 3600.

I wasn't sure on what to use when setting up, so I went with the all in one connection, plugging it in the CPU_FAN header on the motherboard.

I'm not sure if I've made a mistake going down that route since I feel like the AIO not performing on the level that I'm expecting it to be - I've read countless reports of people saying the AIO is super loud beyond 50-70%, yet I'm at 100% and I barely notice it running at 1900 rpm.

Have I made a mistake here..? Should I try and swap out the all-in-one connector to the one that has the PUMP, VRM & FAN separately, and if so, where should they go?

I read a comment on another thread stating:
"One great way to avoid overloading the Amps on a header is to split up the load. If at all possible, depending on what headers your mobo has, the prefrerred arrangement would be one of these:
1. PUMP on CPU_FAN, RAD FANS on CPU_OPT
2. PUMP on AIO_PUMP, RAD FANS on CPU_FAN
3. PUMP on CPU_FAN, RAD FANS on SYS_FAN IF you can set that header to use the temp sensor in the CPU chip, and NOT the one on the mobo.
4. PUMP on a SYS_FAN / PUMP header that CAN be configured for PUMP operation which WILL feed it full power always, PLUS we hope it will take strong action IF the PUMP fails; RAD FANS on the CPU_FAN header."

Going off of option one, should I go:
PUMP -> CPU_FAN
FAN -> CPU_OPT
VRM -> CHA_FAN1 (located on the left of the CMOS battery)

I greatly appreciate your input on this since I'm really questioning if I did things right I'm open for any questions you might have regarding my setup so you can better guide me forward.

Cheers 🍻

 

[Lutfij]

ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 240 - User Manual

Get your ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 240 user manual. Detailed explanation with coloured schematics, photos, animations and videos.

support.arctic.de

You're going to be fine the way you are. What is the make and model of your case?

 

[vaka7a]

ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 240 - User Manual

Get your ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 240 user manual. Detailed explanation with coloured schematics, photos, animations and videos.

support.arctic.de

You're going to be fine the way you are. What is the make and model of your case?

It's the Cougar DuoFace Pro, and I've mounted the AIO on top, the most default way possible

 

[Paperdoc]

That comment from another thread that you quoted sounds like me, so I looked it up. I should clarify.

The Arctic Liquid Freezer III 240 AIO system does some things differently from most designs.The biggest among these is that it does not hold its pump speed constant (most others keep it full speed all the time). It manages its pump speed itself and has its own way of dealing with control of two elements that impact cooling rate. Now, the CPU_FAN header manipulates the speed of its "fan" (well, of whatever cooling device is there) according to the temperature measured by a sensor built into the CPU chip. With 4-pin fans and headers this is done by the PWM signal fed via Pin #4. This signal sets the speed the header has decided is needed for the current temperature, and the fan uses a chip inside itself to actually get that speed. What this Arctic system does is use that PWM signal to control the speed of all three of its components - the pump, the fan and the VRM cooling fan. It imposes different "fan curves" on those components based on that one PWM signal. It also exercises control of the speed of the integrated VRM cooling fan in the main module, because the heat generated by that unit is closely related to the pump functions.

This system is designed to get power and control of the entire system from ONE mobo fan header, the CPU_FAN header. There is no danger that it will overload any standard fan header. The specs of the system say the max current consumption of its components are 0.35 A for the Pump, 0.05 A for the VRM, and 0.10 A per fan (there are two of these), for a total max of 0.60A. A standard header can provide up to 1.0 A.

The system includes as an optional cable that allows you to connect each of the three key components to separate mobo fan headers. This has nothing to do with current loads. SOME users like to take separate control of everything, so this is a way. It has one small benefit for the user, too. Using the single connection means that you will be able to "see" the speed of the ONE of the two Rad Fans, but NOT the other one, the pump, or the VRM fan. When you use the three-connection system instead, you can "see" also the speeds of the Pump and the VRM fans on their individual mobo headers. Interesting, but that may not be important to you.

IF you opt to use the three-connection system there are some extra details you REALLY should pay attention to.
1. The CPU_FAN header pays close attention to the speed signal from the PUMP in most AIO systems to watch for FAILURE, because failure of the PUMP will create NO cooling amd needs to be dealt with quickly. So with the three-connect system you REALLLY should ensure that the PUMP cable end goes to the CPU_FAN header for this reason.
2. The RAD FANS need their speed controlled according to the temperature sensor inside the CPU chip. So this connector must go to some header that can be set to use that sensor. On your mobo, OP, the ideal one is the CPU_OPT header that simply duplicates the actions of the CPU_FAN header.
3. How do you guide the VRM fan speed? There is no temp sensor in the VRM component of the AIO system, so you need to decide what sensor might come close to predicting the heat genertion of that component. Best bet is what Arctic does: use the internal CPU temperture sensor as a good guess. That means you could connect its cable end ALSO to the CPU_OPT header using a simple Splitter. Alternatively, you cpuld connect it to one of your CHA_FAN headers and then set the header to use the CPU temp sensor. But that leaves you only one last CHA_FAN header for all your case ventilation fans.

The simple choice is to use the single-header connection cable. This system is designed to work properly that way. You can choose the other option for your own enjoyment if you wish, and if you are careful about how that is done.

 

[vaka7a]

That comment from another thread that you quoted sounds like me, so I looked it up. I should clarify.

The Arctic Liquid Freezer III 240 AIO system does some things differently from most designs.The biggest among these is that it does not hold its pump speed constant (most others keep it full speed all the time). It manages its pump speed itself and has its own way of dealing with control of two elements that impact cooling rate. Now, the CPU_FAN header manipulates the speed of its "fan" (well, of whatever cooling device is there) according to the temperature measured by a sensor built into the CPU chip. With 4-pin fans and headers this is done by the PWM signal fed via Pin #4. This signal sets the speed the header has decided is needed for the current temperature, and the fan uses a chip inside itself to actually get that speed. What this Arctic system does is use that PWM signal to control the speed of all three of its components - the pump, the fan and the VRM cooling fan. It imposes different "fan curves" on those components based on that one PWM signal. It also exercises control of the speed of the integrated VRM cooling fan in the main module, because the heat generated by that unit is closely related to the pump functions.

This system is designed to get power and control of the entire system from ONE mobo fan header, the CPU_FAN header. There is no danger that it will overload any standard fan header. The specs of the system say the max current consumption of its components are 0.35 A for the Pump, 0.05 A for the VRM, and 0.10 A per fan (there are two of these), for a total max of 0.60A. A standard header can provide up to 1.0 A.

The system includes as an optional cable that allows you to connect each of the three key components to separate mobo fan headers. This has nothing to do with current loads. SOME users like to take separate control of everything, so this is a way. It has one small benefit for the user, too. Using the single connection means that you will be able to "see" the speed of the ONE of the two Rad Fans, but NOT the other one, the pump, or the VRM fan. When you use the three-connection system instead, you can "see" also the speeds of the Pump and the VRM fans on their individual mobo headers. Interesting, but that may not be important to you.

IF you opt to use the three-connection system there are some extra details you REALLY should pay attention to.
1. The CPU_FAN header pays close attention to the speed signal from the PUMP in most AIO systems to watch for FAILURE, because failure of the PUMP will create NO cooling amd needs to be dealt with quickly. So with the three-connect system you REALLLY should ensure that the PUMP cable end goes to the CPU_FAN header for this reason.
2. The RAD FANS need their speed controlled according to the temperature sensor inside the CPU chip. So this connector must go to some header that can be set to use that sensor. On your mobo, OP, the ideal one is the CPU_OPT header that simply duplicates the actions of the CPU_FAN header.
3. How do you guide the VRM fan speed? There is no temp sensor in the VRM component of the AIO system, so you need to decide what sensor might come close to predicting the heat genertion of that component. Best bet is what Arctic does: use the internal CPU temperture sensor as a good guess. That means you could connect its cable end ALSO to the CPU_OPT header using a simple Splitter. Alternatively, you cpuld connect it to one of your CHA_FAN headers and then set the header to use the CPU temp sensor. But that leaves you only one last CHA_FAN header for all your case ventilation fans.

The simple choice is to use the single-header connection cable. This system is designed to work properly that way. You can choose the other option for your own enjoyment if you wish, and if you are careful about how that is done.

Indeed it was you, and I'm so glad you found my post to provide all of this! I really appreciate it and this helped a ton!

Safe to say, I'll stick with my all in one connector. Once again, I appreciate your time and effort into explaining all of this!

 

[Paperdoc]

You're welcome, glad it helps you.