Bottom Mounting Your AIO Radiator, feat. the MSI Coreliquid 240R in the Cooler Master NR200

There some legitimate performance, longevity, and noise concerns that relate to a bottom mounted AIO radiator. Part of this video is a review of the MSI Coreliquid 240R liquid AIO cooler, which is a viable solution for dependable bottom mounting. I also discuss the thermals for bottom mounting AIO water coolers, as well as the impact from vertical GPU mounting in the Cooler Master NR200. After this we will return to exploring more on the 3080 related SFF content!
Cooler Master NR200: amzn.to/3n4P5ER
MSI Coreliquid 240R AIO Liquid Cooler: amzn.to/2Gys7pe
NZXT Kraken X53 AIO Liquid Cooler: amzn.to/34ynKTg
Corsair SF600 SFX Power Supply: amzn.to/33v6dMr
Corsair SF750 SFX Power Supply: amzn.to/3ngr3qR
Noctua NF-P12 Redux: amzn.to/33sdlJu
Corsair Vengeance LPX DDDR4, 3600MHZ: amzn.to/2HHxkeF
AMD Ryzen 3700X: amzn.to/2ShvrqY
Gigabyte X570 ITX Motherboard: amzn.to/30nCD9I

[@ellowell8160]

As always, grateful you're still covering the NR200, exploring its many options while others have moved on. People will be building in this case for years to come; your content is invaluable!

[@AdRoXoN]

After buying this case i spent my time watching every nr200 vids on this channel before building it

[@blooskernd2098]

dude, again great content. I just got the case and your reviews and tests are awesome. I'm always waiting for the next upload :)

[@TheGlobuleReturns]

These vids are a godsend.. thanks. Only extra helpful would be a TL;DR recommendation for each of these vids. Not that I don't watch them all, but even then I get lost in all the info and still question the best setups by the end lol.

[@StyloTimo]

Bro you are a NR200 channel now, and im not complaining its an amazing case =) loving it!

[@azzatazizi8338]

I just found my new favourite youtube channel, awesome job!!

[@herbert6314]

by the time i get this case, you have done already all of the tests on what is the best hardware configuration on this case. Maybe, if you still make video's on this case, maybe suggest best hardwares to put in it for a specific use. More power dude!

[@ThaDuDeMaN1]

this is honestly the best review I seen on the MSI Coreliquid... i dont know why its not covered much... also i found the fans to be... less than perfect... and used corsair ML120s instead

[@MachinesMore]

It's a shame because the rest of the unit is quite competent otherwise, the fans are really the weak point.

[@Quad5Ny]

Thank-you for going over things other reviewers skipped!

[@ewancook]

Every video on here seems to cover exactly what I want to know, with a fair and unbiased view.

[@ethanwoods452]

Great video! Could you possibly make a video on ATX psu’s in the nr200 with cooler masters bracket (compatibility/ideal configuration)?

[@ztryfe]

Hooray on the Ricohflex t-shirt! great content!

[@mindofsamuel5097]

Just got my nr200p on Thursday and I love it even though I'm running my old ATX psu externally until the sfx PSUs restock

[@chrisschuster7728]

Great test! I just hope the case will be available sometimes... A few questions: are you sure the AIO is "filled t the brim"? That would not work if the liquid gets warmer and expands. In connection to that, any air would collate at the top of the loop- which is still the CPU block. That would explain the 3° difference to a standard pump which at least aerates the water before it brings it back to the radiator.

[@IPGINVISIBLEGUARD]

Thank you so much. Learning something new every time :D

[@codysmith43]

I've recently seen somebody over on /r/sffpc who used a 120mm AIO and mounted the rad to the PSU bracket. I'd love to see your reaction to such, or even bring that up in one of your videos as a viable option!

[@MachinesMore]

Hey Cody, as long as it can get airflow it will exchange heat, with the tempered glass panel this setup would be roughly on par with a low profile cooler since both would just use case air (hot case air when gpu is utilized) for heat exchange. It's not optimal in terms of fan airflow, but with lower TDP chips it can work well, even better as long as you turn over the case air volume frequently. So, strong case fans will help here.

[@thepan]

The most underrated AIO cooler that people took for granted

[@unitedviewscout7927]

Hi there, Would like to ask if you were able to mount the MSI cooler on another motherboard and see if you still had the pooling issue?

[@ChrisCroft77]

So there is a Be Quiet PURE LOOP that has the pump on the tubes which may be a better alternative to the MSI with pump in the radiator

[@cdreamworld]

Has that been released yet? Very interesting concept.

[@ChrisCroft77]

@@cdreamworld Not sure but it is listed on the website. www.bequiet.com/en/watercooler/pure-loop/1957

[@dimitriid]

@@cdreamworld Its available on newegg now so if not out local to you its probably coming soon. Word of warning: Even though the fans are probably better and the unit is economical because of the lack of RGB, it has the same type of AM4 mounting mechanism as this MSi cooler: It does has it's own AMD brackets but its a two-point solution bracket as well, so not ideal. However because of the much better fans and the ingenious floating pump design it should be way, way better on the noise category: I've seen custom loops that copy this approach and suspend the pump in some sort of flexible string so its completely silent. But you might want to wait/check reviews to see if the mounting solution is good enough.

[@cdreamworld]

@@dimitriid Thanks bro. I already got a 280 mm arctic liquid freezer now. It's pretty good too. It also has a pain in the ass AMD mount. But place a piece of folded up paper or thin book behind the mobo, it helps hold up the backplate. I tried taping it didn't help.

[@pohalsted8847]

I am running mesh panel with 280mm AIO on side bracket for CPU and a 240mm GPU AIO bottom mounted with 3d printed case feet so I can externally mount the fans for the AIO. I don't really have a choice where I mount the EVGA hybrid radiator except for the bottom. I did pick up the 3080 XC3 air cooler on EBAY for $50 as a back up just in case I get failure, but I rarely keep a GPU longer than a year. Also, MSI has poor quality control and manufacturing. 60% of the products I have tried from them have QC issues. For example: My MSI 3070 had a loose heatsink and was missing thermal pads on one row of VRM (may have caused the looseness). Their b550i I am currently using in two PC's came with a dead CMOS battery. only one of the boards, but it was annoying figuring out I need a new battery. I contacted MSI and they said they will send out a new battery, but 2 weeks later I have not received one. Not that it matters, I sourced one myself. I am done with MSI going forward.

[@JT-408]

Have you considered doing an invert mod on the Nr200p case itself? Would allow top mount rad solution

[@Dj-sf7or]

I have the kraken x53 and a NR200p where should I mount the AIO?

[@antonavdyushkin545]

You can control pump, just use DC control method (between 4 and 12 Volts).

[@unforsaken552]

Good day will ever test c14s with your 3080??? Or does it have poor performance?

[@crispineda4630]

Hey I've been wanting to Upgrade my NR200. I'm seeing that this cooler is having a lot of failures with not actually cooling the CPU's. Has your unit held up?

[@walidkhan8780]

Hey man thanks for your content. What is your opinion on having the 240R as top mounted? Is it less optimal than front mounting? I have a Lancool II Mesh RGB case and having the front panel with these 2 fans coupled with different type of fan (corsair or stock Lian Li fan) will just not look cool lol so I'm trying to avoid it. (FYI, I didn't get the 360R because I was told it would be overkill for a Ryzen 5 5600X)

[@OzzySafa]

I remember when I requested a video of bottom mounted aio you said it would be pointless to test... glad you came around and tried it with a suitable aio. Good job

[@MachinesMore]

Indeed, as you can see the thermal difference between side and bottom mounting is pretty minimal, and I had to find one that was suitable for the task and then I thought of this one. It may be one of the few options that are “ok” for bottom mounting, for tempered glass panel users the bottom is the only way to go.

[@OzzySafa]

Machines & More I also saw someone mount a 92mm rad to the back of the case that’s also an option with tempered glass but I’m not sure what the difference is in temps between that and a 240 rad..

[@2old4Thiz]

Hi. I also have a NR200 with ab bottom mounted AIO cause I wanted to have the side glas panel mounted to see the vertical mounted GPU and I dont have any issues currently. I dont hear my pump at all. So I guess that my AIO is pretty much "airless"...

[@Delouser69]

How did it turn out till now?

[@2old4Thiz]

@@Delouser69 Still no Problem for me. Sometimes when I turn on the machine you can hear the pump disapating some airbubles. But that stops after a few seconds.

[@Crftbt]

How about the Be Quiet BW006 Pure Loop 240mm AIO bottom mounted?

[@RichMendoza3056]

Great job. Thanks for the continuing NR200P content. So which best RGB rad fans could I replace msi fans with. Love everyones great ideas and comments. @herbert ... vid on best hardware ideas

[@omerbayramseker338]

I had already ordered the NR200P before I saw your channel. However, this channel has been more useful than I can tell. I also bought this cooler and I use it with Corsair ML120 fans. But my question is, is it better to top intake and bottom/radiator exhaust or bottom/radiator intake and top exhaust, with glass panel?

[@MachinesMore]

It depends on what you want to prioritize. Top down, you prioritize your vertical GPU. Bottom up, you prioritize your CPU temps. Personally speaking if this were a higher res gaming build I'd be inclined to go top down since that will give best performance.

[@omerbayramseker338]

@@MachinesMore I thought the same and went top down. My previous GPU was 2 slot and it was good. But now 5700 XT Nitro+ needs more air. Thanks a lot for the reply and keep up the good work!

[@MachinesMore]

Just an update- at least with an Ampere founders edition card, top down doesn't help the GPU as much as I thought it would, in fact from my detailed testing this week bottom up is better off. I didn't test a conventional GPU though- how are your temps?

[@willeeh_]

DO you think the Artic Freezer II 280 would fit in ?

[@yuanjijin5749]

Pls do a custom loop vid for NR200, and maybe dual rad?

[@hepengye4239]

Can you even put a 280mm radiator on the bottom? I know it does not fit by screw holes, but if I use 3M tape to fit, will it ever have enough space to be put in?

[@MachinesMore]

You can, the case clips interfere so if you don't mind it sitting on them, theoretically it can fit in the bottom

[@pirasathparthipan283]

Thanks for your informative videos! Just a quick question - would it be better to place the *side-mounted* radiator as an intake (i.e. fans placed such that the air is pulled into the case) or as exhaust (i.e. fans blowing air out of the side of the case)? Thanks!

[@MachinesMore]

If you run bottom fans (which is best) then run the side panel rad as an intake.

[@pirasathparthipan283]

@@MachinesMore thanks so much! Keep up the great work!

[@ShahrilSafawi]

Would you be able to test a side mounted aio like the Arctic liquid freezer II 240 together with a 3.5" hdd attached to the side of the psu? I know that there wouldn't be much space left between the aio and the hdd considering how thick the rad is and the 25mm fans that come with it. If we were to swap the rad fans for slim ones at 15mm, would there be sufficient airflow with the hdd installed by the side?

[@MachinesMore]

Yup, testing that exact AIO soon. I highly highly doubt it will work well with an HDD on the shroud. You can see on the earlier videos on AIOs that with a thinner rad there’s already minimal clearance.

[@ShahrilSafawi]

Machines & More thanks for the reply. Hmmm. In this instance, what would you suggest considering that I can't get rid of the hdd at the moment other than replacing it with a ssd which would be over my budget. I don't think there are any other mounting holes for the hdd anywhere else in the case. How much of a difference would it make if I were to go with a 120mm aio instead?

[@MachinesMore]

Couple things, you could run one slim fan on the rad to space out a little, or you could use a thinner rad AIO, or, put it in an external enclosure (that’s be my preference, really). As for 120mm AIO, if you have the 240 already, I’d just run one fan on it if you really have to, would still beat a 120. Honestly though I’d just try it and see what happens, if your CPU isn’t too hot it’ll probably be OK. HDD getting all that heat, not optimal though. You can try exhausting the rad out the panel, too, if for the sake of the HDD.

[@ShahrilSafawi]

@@MachinesMore i never thought of using just 1 fan on the rad, that's an idea :) After mulling over this the whole day, I think I shouldn't restrict myself to just the arctic liquid freezer as an option for the aio. I figured any differences in temps between different brands would be insignificant (I hope!), and bottom mounting the rad would solve my problem.. So I'm gonna do what you did and scout for a radiator with a built in pump. Thanks for the tips and advice! :D

[@GoosemanSG]

Awesome! Keep it up!

[@nolandderlugner1351]

Got my nr200p today! No cpu and mobo yet but im waiting lol

[@saltdog9832]

Would a 120mm aio such as the Corsair h60 work effectively?

[@tmkongen]

Yeah you can place it on the side if you want but I'd rather get a good aircooler over a 120 depening on what you you're going to cool.

[@420f37]

Interesting, I have the same exact AIO that I got in the previous black friday amazon sale and have been looking for ways to mount this cooler. Have been trying to side mount it but clearance with the tubes and psu cables makes it hard. Tldr thank you for the video! Your NR200 videos are top of the line and helpful for many NR200 owners

[@protectorp]

Great findings

[@StyloTimo]

Question is and probably isnt will the 3080 kill it :D

[@joshsanderson5512]

The pump being at the top is really bad for a pump

[@Wegason]

The CPu block is not the pump block if the pump is in the radiator. Be Quiets new AIO should be good bottom mounted

[@cdreamworld]

What if the radiator is at the bottom inlets to the back, route it so it loops above the pump. Would that still cause the same issue since the top of the tube is the highest point and not the pump?

[@MachinesMore]

Are you suggesting to route it so the air might collect in the tubes since it’s at the highest point, vs the pump block? I think that would be a lot better than just running it without thought. Though, in practice for the NR200 with VGPU it’s pretty tough with top fans installed, which press the tube down to be level with the head unit, as well as with limited tubing length, forcing the tubes into the most direct path. It’s worth a shot though!

[@cdreamworld]

@@MachinesMore Yeah that's what I was thinking. As long as there is a point where the tube is even just slightly higher than the pump, it might work.

[@mariusbalan4098]

Man, you speak a lot for nothing. Really disappointed