Help Me CORRECTLY Install a Kühler H2O 950 in New Build

[Golodkin]

I'm building a new FX-8320 box and when getting the parts at Fry's I saw what seemed like a great price for this unit, US$33 after Antec rebate.

I'm still waiting to choose and get the motherboard and RAM, but I'm trying to get everything else staged and ready to move on this build when I do.

Looking around, I'm seeing a few reported problems with this unit's controllers going bad and the Grid software acting up -- plus I'm seeing contradictory instructions about how to properly install it. I'm assuming that improper installation and config may be the root of these problems.

I don't want any more surprises from this thing. Finding out that it won't fit in the Antec Three Hundred Two case I bought with it unless I pull and discard the nice 130mm top fan is my limit.

OS will be Win7/64.

What I know (?) so far:

Microsoft .NET Framework must be installed...

Control lead must be correctly attached to an internal USB2 socket on the motherboard...

"Q-Fan" must be disabled in the BIOS...

There are apparently different and contradictory power connection theories. One article I read said to NOT connect the unit to the usual CPU_FAN socket on the motherboard, but to run it on straight 12V from an adapter connected to an IDE socket off the PSU (I actually have some of these fan adapters).

What? This a lot more rigmarole than I expected from a cooler.

If anyone's been able to set this thing up and have it work properly with no early failures, I'd be grateful for any help!

Thanks!

 

[Johan45]

Welcome to OCF Golodkin
A couple things here, how does the manual tell you to install it since they usually know best as to how their products function and I know some of those control softwares were having issue with windows eight but you shouldn't have issues like that, couldn't you mount it to the back of the case as an exhaust fan instead of removing the top fan.

 

[Golodkin]

how does the manual tell you to install it since they usually know best as to how their products function

There are two lines about the hookup, that's it.

I wrote to Antec about this, but have heard nothing back.

I know some of those control softwares were having issue with windows eight but you shouldn't have issues like that

Well, I'm hoping not. I'm probably going to use Win7/64 as the Lexicon front end I'll be using in the studio doesn't have later drivers.

I'd still like to know why that article was so adamant about not hooking it up to CPU_FAN on the MB.

couldn't you mount it to the back of the case as an exhaust fan instead of removing the top fan.

Actually not, for a couple of reasons -- one, because the back holes are 120mm, not 130mm, and two, because the holes are pressed with outward-protruding grills. Plus, there's only one hole anyway, and that's where the radiator has to go. Check it out...here...and here (nice big pictures!).

It's quite remarkable how many cases and mounts this thing can't fit into in any way by about > < that much!

The only option is to reverse the top 130mm fan and grind off about 3/32" off one inner corner of the fan housing and along the edge about 2". On the intake side the fan blade is high enough to still clear the radiator. Flipped over in the original exhaust orientation, the fan blade itself will hit the radiator, no matter what.

So...it'll be OK if the top fan is oriented as an intake and fiddled with a bit. Really, though it's counter to natural thermal convection, it's still blowing directly on the CPU, cooler and VRMs oriented that way, so I guess it's not the end of the world and at least contributes to fresh air pressure on the intake of the cooler. It's just weird compared to "normal" practice.

 

[Golodkin]

I'm embarrassed to admit that it took me so long to realize that the OBVIOUS solution is to just flip the fan, grind the clearance and reverse the 12V pins on the fan-to-IDE power adapter; it's a manually HI/LO switched fan anyway. Non-optimum from a blade profile standpoint, but probably only negligibly, especially at the lower speed.

 

[GTXJackBauer]

to OCFs.

After looking around at the case and cooler, your best placement for the AIO cooler in this case is in the rear. The AIO is a 120mm cooler as is the rear. The top is a 140mm fan. Obviously it won't fit as the holes won't match. You also might have to remove the top fan to make room for the radiator in the rear.

As for plugging it in, I found the exact manual for your product.

Connect the female 4- pin connector from the fan to the 4-pin male connector from the coldplate. Connect the 3-pin female connector
from the coldplate to the 3-pin or 4pin CPU fan or chassis fan
connector on your motherboard
Note: make sure to disable the Q-Fan Control function of the connector in the BIOS

Its fairly simple. Connect your fan header to the "Y-Split" if you will from your block and the header that has nothing connected to it which is for the fan. Connect that end of that "Y-cable" than to your 4-PIN CPU fan header and make sure in BIOS you disable any fan control as it will by default make it run at 100% speed as it was intended too for almost all AIO pumps. If you don't disable it, you won't run your pump at its primal setting as the controller will think of it as a fan and reduce its power to it.

 

[Golodkin]

:You also might have to remove the top fan to make room for the radiator in the rear.

See my Rube Goldberg solution to the upper case fan problem, above.

Connect your fan header to the "Y-Split" if you will from your block and the header that has nothing connected to it which is for the fan. Connect that end of that "Y-cable" than to your 4-PIN CPU fan header and make sure in BIOS you disable any fan control as it will by default make it run at 100% speed as it was intended too for almost all AIO pumps. If you don't disable it, you won't run your pump at its primal setting as the controller will think of it as a fan and reduce its power to it.

Is it your guess, then, that the article's advice to NOT connect the power lead to CPU_FAN on the MB and connect to a PSU lead instead is just a more foolproof way of preventing any board/BIOS function from messing with the cooler's power management, ever? The idea being that the unit's power/speed/etc. should be controlled ONLY by the Antec Grid software via an internal USB socket on the board?

- - - Updated - - -

BTW, Antec still hasn't responded to my question about this. [sigh!]

 

[GTXJackBauer]

Well, from my experience with Corsair which is fairly similar, is you connect to the CPU Header and than USB header. The software would take over once in windows via USB header.

I think you're going about this oldschool which is fine but once you follow the exact directions, you should have full control at the least (assuming) through the software in window as most have but I will admit that the software is buggy at the corsair end so I couldn't tell you specifically if it would work on the Antec end but it does sound like everyone has an issue or another.

 

[Golodkin]

UPDATE: My post asking about this on the Antec support forum was deleted without notification, a support ticket then generated and the ticket ultimately ignored.

This is what I call truly modern customer support!

 

[GTXJackBauer]

UPDATE: My post asking about this on the Antec support forum was deleted without notification, a support ticket then generated and the ticket ultimately ignored.

This is what I call truly modern customer support!

Make sure to take some screen shots of your emails with the dates. If all was ignored or deleted my next step would be to contact them during their scheduled business hours.