I'm installing a Corsair Nautilus RS 360 and am unsure where its pump cable should be connected. The manual says to use the motherboard's CPU_FAN header, but my motherboard also has a dedicated AIO_PUMP or PUMP header. What is that header intended for, and should I use it instead?
2 Answers
The dedicated PUMP header is generally intended for a pump when the cooler’s wiring is separate from the radiator fans. If the fans connect independently, they can use the CPU_FAN header while the pump uses AIO_PUMP. However, some all-in-one coolers combine the pump and fan connections or specify CPU_FAN for the single cable. In that case, use the connection recommended by the cooler manufacturer rather than moving it to PUMP just because the header exists.
Follow the cooler’s manual and connect the Nautilus pump’s 4-pin PWM cable to the CPU_FAN header. That lets the motherboard detect the cooler and verify that a CPU cooling device is running during startup.
That makes sense for the manual, but I’m still wondering what the separate PUMP header is meant to power.