AIO Liquid Cooler Power Draw & Wiring
Water cooling pumps and fan hubs add to your system's overall power budget. This guide analyzes pump power draw, header limits, and SATA connections.
Liquid Pump Amperage
Standard motherboard fan headers are rated for 1.0 Amp of current at 12V (equal to 12 Watts). Heavy-duty AIO pumps can draw 0.8A to 1.5A under full startup load.
Always plug your pump into the designated AIO_PUMP or W_PUMP header. These headers are specially rated for up to 2.0A or 3.0A to handle motor startup transients safely without burning out motherboard circuits.
SATA Power Connections
Many modern high-end AIOs (such as Corsair iCUE Link or NZXT Kraken) bypass motherboard headers for power. Instead, they connect directly to the PSU via a SATA power connector or a 6-pin PCIe plug.
This ensures the pump and extensive RGB setups have access to a clean 4.5A capacity from the +12V and +5V rails.