H115i Fan/Pump Control - Commander Pro or MB CPU Fan Header

Hello All,

I wasn't sure if I should put this in the cooling category, but since my question is Link related I figured I'd post here. If the moderators feel the need to move this post to the appropriate category, please do so.

I'm currently in the process of procuring all the components for my new build. I'll be installing a H115i for CPU cooling (which I'm replacing the stock fans with a pair of ML140 Pro RGBs) and will also be incorporating a Commander Pro (with fan splitter) for the rest of my case fans (2x ML140 Pro RGB front intake, 1x ML120 Pro RGB bottom intake and 1x ML140 Pro RGB rear exhaust).

My question is, should I connect H115i pump to the CPU Fan header on my MB (ASRock Z270 Taichi) or should I connect it to the Commander Pro? I assume that I'll receive some sort of CPU fan warning upon boot if I don't connect it to the CPU fan header, but is there any advantage/disadvantage by connecting it to the Commander Pro? Will it matter to Corsair Link?

I'd rather control my fan/pump speeds, etc... via Link as opposed to the BIOS. Will it matter depending on which way I go to connect?

The other related question I have is should I still connect the H115i fans directly to the pump, or should I also connect those to the Commander Pro?

I thank you all in advance for any advice you can offer!

Hi there,

I would connect the pump to the CPU Fan Header. From a control perspective, it won't make any difference; nothing is controlled from that fan header. However, if your pump does completely die, you'll get that CPU Fan warning, which is a good thing. That H115 is SATA powered too, so you won't need to worry about setting the power settings on the fan header to make sure it gets 12V. So ... absolutely no benefit to connecting it to the CoPro and some downside.

For the fans, I prefer to connect them to the cooler. This allows the cooler to control the fan speeds natively based on cooler temperature and yes, you'll be able to set your fan curves directly in Link. While you can do this with the CoPro, it does require Link to be running. If Link isn't running, your fans will kick up to 100% ... but those RGB ML fans really aren't loud, even at 100%. Also, I do like to have my fan curves controlled by the hardware so my CoPro setup has all of my fan curves set to the temperature probes.

I think that covers things ... if you have more questions, ask away.

Thanks so much DevBiker! Everything you said makes sense. Once I get the rest of my components in, this will be the way I'll go.

Another question if you don't mind... What are your thoughts on the intake versus exhaust debate for a top mounted H115i? I have the Corsair Graphite 780T case which has ample room for airflow. With the two ML140 front intakes and one ML120 bottom intake it just makes more sense to me to have the H115i fans mounted as an exhaust, but I've seen many schools of thought on this and could use further advice. I have to keep in mind that my EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 is an two fan open shroud so I'll be adding that additional heat to the interior of the case.

Thanks again!

Top mounted? Definitely exhaust. Yes, there are good reasons for having a radiator as intake but you also need to consider the overall case airflow.

You will definitely need to manage the waste heat from that GPU. That'll be the key thing that you need to deal with. If you don't, the air that's supposed to be cooling your radiator will actually warm it up.

For me, I have a temp sensor from my CoPro about 1" over the GPU and I actually use this temperature to control most of my case fans. I've found that having a good rear exhaust is the best way to actually manage that. YMMV, of course, but with the CoPro, you can place those sensors in strategic locations inside the case and get pretty good real-time feedback on the impact of increasing the fan speeds. By the way, I also have a temp sensor just below the radiator intake as well, to measure the air cooling the radiator. My radiator is top mounted, exhaust as well.

Thanks again DevBiker! That's what my thoughts were as well, and I definitely plan on putting the CoPro's temp sensors to use. Fortunately, the ML140 rear exhaust fan will be be directly above the GPU so I'm hoping that will assist in the heat dissipation. As I said, the Graphite 780T has a cavernous interior so between that and the three intakes I'll hopefully be able to keep everything at a reasonable temp.

Much appreciated!!!

Hi DevBiker,

Really helpful information in this thread relating to my set up and inquires, I have a question in regards to connecting the ComPro to the CPU Fan header, I have the Hydro Series™ H150i PRO RGB 360mm Liquid CPU Cooler fans connected to the female connectors stemming from the CPU cooler as designed (not connected to the ComPro), while this is has many benefits, such as the ones mentioned in your reply, I am left with the CPU fan error in my BIOS at start up, my question, is there a way to connect the ComPro to the CPU header via one of the fan slots on ComPro (i.e double male fan connector cable)? that way the data can be communicated to the BIOS on the CPU fan performance.

Thanks!