[SOLVED] PRIME-H310M-K with Cooler Master ML240L

Jul 13, 2021
6
0
10
Hello,
i m planning to buy "Cooler Master ML240L" water cooling
as i watched some videos on how to install i noticed that the cooler had 2 cables to connect on the motherboard
one on the CPU_fan pins
the second on the CPU_opt pins
the issue that on my motherboard "Asus H310M-K" i cant find the CPU_opt pins. what can i do ?
Thanks.

B3ZfsQEJKruLhm8s_setting_xxx_0_90_end_1000.png
 
Solution
if the board is new, i would return it. if it's passed that date, maybe try and sell it but get something better.
very low budget in regards to VRM heatsinks, fan options, memory support, and pretty much every other option.

i cant find the CPU_opt pins. what can i do?
you only have two fan headers, CPU_FAN & CHA_FAN.

the cooler's second fan would be in the CPU_OPT slot because it follows the profile set for the CPU_FAN header and they need to be running on the same curve to ensure equal airflow through the radiator's fins.

while i would definitely get a better board before going any further,
if it's really necessary you can just get a 2-way fan splitter to use on the CPU_FAN header and connect both fans.
but you can see in this...
if the board is new, i would return it. if it's passed that date, maybe try and sell it but get something better.
very low budget in regards to VRM heatsinks, fan options, memory support, and pretty much every other option.

i cant find the CPU_opt pins. what can i do?
you only have two fan headers, CPU_FAN & CHA_FAN.

the cooler's second fan would be in the CPU_OPT slot because it follows the profile set for the CPU_FAN header and they need to be running on the same curve to ensure equal airflow through the radiator's fins.

while i would definitely get a better board before going any further,
if it's really necessary you can just get a 2-way fan splitter to use on the CPU_FAN header and connect both fans.
but you can see in this image though that only a single CPU_FAN header is occupied,
the second CPU_FAN2 is unoccupied.
this would mean lean me to believe that there is a cable splitter included.
ml240lrgb_g9-zoom.png
 
Solution
The problem here is that any CPU that would really need such cooler will be severely handicapped by poor VRMs in the board. So even with good cooling it still won't be able to unleash full power.
But if you just want to run water cooler on some basic CPU just for some other reasons (silence?), you can just use splitter as JohnBonhamsGhost mentioned.
 
Jul 13, 2021
6
0
10
if the board is new, i would return it. if it's passed that date, maybe try and sell it but get something better.
very low budget in regards to VRM heatsinks, fan options, memory support, and pretty much every other option.

you only have two fan headers, CPU_FAN & CHA_FAN.

the cooler's second fan would be in the CPU_OPT slot because it follows the profile set for the CPU_FAN header and they need to be running on the same curve to ensure equal airflow through the radiator's fins.

while i would definitely get a better board before going any further,
if it's really necessary you can just get a 2-way fan splitter to use on the CPU_FAN header and connect both fans.
but you can see in this image though that only a single CPU_FAN header is occupied,
the second CPU_FAN2 is unoccupied.
this would mean lean me to believe that there is a cable splitter included.
ml240lrgb_g9-zoom.png
thank you for your answer :)
it been 3 years so i cant returned it
so whats your advice for a budget motherboard known that i have i7 -8700 + GTX 1060 + 2 x 8 Go RAM
 
Last edited:

punkncat

Polypheme
Ambassador
IMO, would suggest sticking with air cooling on this motherboard.

The 8700 is likely using all the VRM can deliver. Taking certain aspects for granted we can figure that the cooler on that CPU is providing at least some cooling to the VRM.
If you cool the CPU better it's own thermal profile should allow it to run faster, which will tax the VRM even more. With the water block on the CPU you have eliminated that source of cooling to them and might end up with worse performance, crashes, or damage.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Khalil0111
yes it's a i7-8700
i thought that water cooling will be better
for now i have a cooler master GTS V8 got it 2 years ago
So no real need for water cooling. Stock Intel cooler would suffice if you don't mind a little higher (but still safe) temps. Would the water cooler be better? Punkncat in above post put very good points why it could actually be worse then air. I'll add another one: water coolers usually last few years and then have to replaced; while air cooling last pretty much forever (the only thing that can break in air cooler is fan and you can replace it in 5 minutes).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Khalil0111
To answer your question, the pump needs to always run at 100%
That can be done by direct connection to the psu via an adapter, or by setting motherboard ports at 100%
But.....
Liquid cooling is not appropriate for a i7-8700 that can not be overclocked and does not need expensive cooling. Even the stock cooler can work, but it gets noisy under load.
The i7-8700 is supported on that motherboard.
A simple $50 noctua NH-U12s redux will do the job.
https://www.newegg.com/noctua-nf-p12-redux-1700-pwm/p/13C-0005-001N1
It will cost less, be easier to install, require no maintenance, be quieter, and... it will never leak.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Khalil0111