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CORSAIR AIOs: Everything you need to know
When it comes to keeping your CPU in check, the most popular option these days is an AIO (all-in-one) cooler, especially for gaming PCs. They look great, generally perform better than air coolers, and don’t obscure all your carefully chosen components nearly as much.
At CORSAIR, we’ve been making AIOs for a long time and have many options – which naturally leads to plenty of questions that we’re in the perfect position to answer. Here on Explorer, we’ve written extensively about AIOs, with most pages answering specific questions. To make things easier, we’ve consolidated all that information on this page.
The Basics
If you’re new to this, you might not even be sure what we’re talking about. In that case, the best place to start is naturally at the beginning.
What is an AIO?
An AIO, or all-in-one cooler, is a self-contained liquid cooler for your CPU. It consists of a cold plate that clamps onto the CPU, a pump on top of it, and a radiator with fans connected to the pump with flexible tubing. The pump circulates the liquid through the radiator, where fans dissipate heat before the cooled liquid returns to the CPU in a continuous cycle. AIOs come pre-filled and sealed from the factory.
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Read more in detail here: What is an AIO cooler? Do you actually need one?
Is an AIO quieter than an air cooler?
AIOs are usually quieter than air coolers, but not in all instances. Air coolers rely on a large heatsink and one or more fans blowing air through the heatsink to remove heat from the CPU. This means that the noise depends on the quality of the fans and how fast they're spinning. Of course, AIOs have fans, too, and the pump creates some noise as well. However, liquid is a more effective conductor of heat and so the fans on an AIO do not usually have to spin as fast as those on an air cooler. So, yes an AIO is often quieter than an air cooler, but it's heavily dependent on the air cooler and AIO in question.
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Read more in detail here: Is an AIO quieter than an air cooler?
Can I add a GPU to my AIO?
No. AIOs are fully sealed from the factory and not user-upgradable. If you try to add a GPU to the AIO you will invariably invalidate the warranty. If you want to liquid cool your GPU, you must opt for a custom cooling setup instead.
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Read more in detail here: Can I add a GPU to my AIO?
How should your mount your AIO?
The best way to mount an AIO is with the radiator at the top, with the tubes pointing down. The AIO will technically work regardless of orientation, but positioning the radiator at the top will maximise the longevity of the AIO. This is because there will always be some amount of air in the AIO, and the best place for that air is up top away from the pump.
If you position the pump above the radiator, then the air will float up into the pump and potentially create annoying gurgling noises and it can lower the lifespan of the pump itself.
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Read more in detail here: How should you mount your AIO? AIO Cooler Orientation explained
Can you change the fans on an AIO?
Yes. The fans that come attached to the AIO are simply screwed in like any other fan. If one dies or you just want different fans for whatever reason, you can simply unscrew the original fans and screw in some new ones. (Just make sure they are the same size as the original fans.)
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Read more in detail here: Can you change the fans on your AIO?
Do AIOs come with Thermal Paste already?
All CORSAIR AIOs come with thermal paste pre-applied from the factory. This is usually the case with other brands, too, but not always.
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Read more in detail here: Do AIOs come with Thermal Paste already?
Are AIO pumps noisy?
When AIOs first became popular, the pumps were a little noisy. In the years since however, the technology has improved, and AIO pumps these days do not typically produce much noise. Some AIO pumps are quieter than others, though, like the 3-phase pump design on our TITAN RX AIOs.
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Read more in detail here: Are AIO pumps noisy?
Choosing an AIO
We mentioned that we offer a wide selection of AIOs to choose from. The different sizes and product lines can get confusing, so let’s clear some of that up.
Which size AIO do I need?
AIOs sizes are defined by the length of the radiator, which is decided by the number and size of fans that can be attached to that radiator. The short answer is that you should get the largest AIO you can fit in your case. The larger the AIO radiator, the more cooling potential it has.
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Read more in detail here: Which size AIO do I need?
iCUE LINK TITAN RX vs NAUTILUS AIO: What's the difference?
The iCUE LINK TITAN RX AIO coolers are higher performance, and therefore have a higher price than the NAUTILUS line. TITAN coolers use a 3-phase pump which is more efficient and quieter than the 2-phase design of the NAUTILUS.
Additionally, the NAUTILUS uses RS or RS ARGB fans, which are not part of the iCUE LINK ecosystem, whereas the the TITAN cooler uses RX fans.
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Read more in detail here: iCUE LINK TITAN RX vs NAUTILUS AIO: What's the difference?
iCUE LINK TITAN vs iCUE LINK Hxxi AIO: What's the difference?
The iCUE LINK TITAN RX has a better pump than the iCUE LINK H100/150/170i coolers. The fans are also higher performance, though not as comprehensively lit. Both coolers use the iCUE LINK ecosystem so they are equally easy to install and cable manage.
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Read more in detail here: iCUE LINK TITAN 360 RX RGB AIO Vs iCUE LINK H150i RGB AIO
CORSAIR AIO naming conventions explained.
We used to designate the size of our AIOs with an H followed by a number where 50 was equivalent to 120mm. So a 360mm cooler would have H150 somewhere in the name for example. This kind of made sense but then 140mm fans created numbers like H115 and H170 so it got out of hand.
This turned out to be a bad idea and more confusing than necessary. Since the release of the TITAN RX range of coolers, we now simply use the total length of the radiator in the name. So, if it's "360" in the name, the radiator fits 3x 120mm fans. If it has "280" in the name, the radiator fits 2x 140mm fans. Much clearer now.
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Read more in detail here: Updating the naming convention for CORSAIR AIOs
CORSAIR AIOs and Accessories
CORSAIR AIOs have some specific features and accessories you won’t find in AIOs from other brands. The content below will help with that.
What's the difference between normal AIOs and iCUE LINK AIOs?
iCUE LINK AIOs use the iCUE LINK ecosystem that allows you to control the fans and the pump all with a single cable. It makes cable management way easier and you have a greater level of control over individual fans as compared to traditional daisy chain technology.
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Read more in detail here: iCUE LINK AIOs vs regular AIOs: What's the Difference?
Which CORSAIR AIOs are compatible with CapSwap?
The CapSwap modules are compatible with any CORSAIR iCUE LINK AIO. If it's not an iCUE LINK AIO, it is not compatible with CapSwap.
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Read more in detail here: Which CORSAIR AIO Liquid CPU Coolers are compatible with CapSwap?
What is the CapSwap VRM fan module?
This is part of our CapSwap line of AIO accessories and it's a small fan that sits atop the pump. Underneath the fan there are chamfered edges that guide air out of slots on each side of the module directly onto whatever surrounds the CPU socket. This is almost always the banks of VRMs (Voltage Regulator Modules), hence the name.
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Read more in detail here: iCUE LINK AIO VRM fan module: Everything you need to know
How do you install the CapSwap modules?
Makes sure the iCUE LINK AIO and System Hub are on the latest firmware and turn the system off. Firmly pull the existing pump cap off the AIO and then line up the pogo pins on the new CapSwap module and push it on until it clicks. When you turn the PC on and open iCUE, it will detect the new module and you're all done. The process is identical for any CapSwap modules.
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Read more in detail here: How to Install the iCUE LINK RGB AIO VRM Fan Module for CORSAIR iCUE LINK Coolers
And also here: How to Install the Groove Pump Cap for CORSAIR iCUE LINK Coolers
Oh, and here: CORSAIR iCUE LINK LCD AIO coolers and iCUE LINK LCD upgrade kit: Everything you need to know
How do you rotate images and gifs on an AIO LCD screen?
Once you put an image or gif on the LCD screen, you'll find two little arrows on the bottom right of the tab in iCUE. Click these to rotate the image by 90° clockwise or anti-clockwise.
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Read more in detail here: CORSAIR iCUE Link AIO LCD: Can I rotate images and GIFs on the LCD screen?
Maintenance and Troubleshooting
If you’re having trouble, or just like to think ahead, then these questions should help you keep your AIO in top form.
Do I need to maintain an AIO?
Not really. AIOs are sealed from the factory and come pre-filled with coolant. So you don't need to do anything regarding the actual liquid cooling aspect of an AIO. However, keeping the fans and radiator free of dust will keep the AIO performing at it's best.
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Read more in detail here: Do I Need to Maintain an AIO?
Should I replace the thermal paste that came pre-applied to my AIO?
When using the AIO for the first time you do not need to replace the thermal paste. But if you're moving the AIO to a new PC, or have upgraded the CPU, then putting new thermal paste on there is a good idea.
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Read more in detail here: Should I replace the thermal paste that came pre-applied to my AIO?
How do I clean an AIO?
Keeping the fans and radiator fins free of dust is all you need to do in terms of cleaning the AIO.
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Read more in detail here: How to Clean an AIO Liquid CPU Cooler
What are the chances of an AIO leaking?
We can't speak for AIOs from other brands, but CORSAIR AIOs have an exceptionally low failure rate when it comes to leaks. Only around 0.016% of CORSAIR AIOs develop a leak. Additionally, CORSAIR AIOs come with a 5- or 6-year warranty, offering plenty of peace of mind.
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Read more in detail here: What Are the Chances of an AIO Leaking?
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