Question AIO positioning

[Squrtle]

Hello. I'm putting together a new PC that's gonna have an i5 13600k, an Asus Dual 4070 and an MSI Tomahawk B760. I decided to go for liquid cooling for this build, so I'll get an Arctic LF 360. I wish to mount it on top.

The issue is that I cannot find a case that has 360 radiator support on top, is within my budget (120$) and is aesthetically pleasing. The only one that I really like is the Corsair 5000D, but it's a bit more expensive.

I could go for the 4000D, but I'll have to mount the AIO in the front. Now, I know (from what I've read this couple of weeks) that mounting it in the front would mean cooler CPU, hotter GPU. This is a build used primarily for gaming, so the GPU will probably run hotter. I don't plan to overclock CPU or GPU, only RAM through XMP.

Does mounting the AIO in the front make a big difference in terms of temperatures? I also know that the 13600k is notorious for running a bit hot, but I won't be doing CPU intensive tasks, so maybe it won't.

 

[bignastyid]

Few options for cases under $120 with top mount options for a 360mm radiator.
Fractal Design Meshify 2 Lite
Lian LI Lancool 216
Phanteks G360A
Antec AX90
Antec Dark League DF600, DF700 and DF800

 

[Ralston18]

This:

"The issue is that I cannot find a case that has 360 radiator support on top, is within my budget (120$) and is aesthetically pleasing. The only one that I really like is the Corsair 5000D, but it's a bit more expensive."

I understand that you want the build to look nice.

However, when it comes to cooling I would rather have (to paraphrase from a Horatio Hornblower book) a not so pretty case that keeps my build cool versus a beautiful case that is smoking. (Ugly ship afloat versus a sleek ship on the rocks.)

That is just me.

Focus on temperatures and performance. Not eye candy.

Likely there is a good compromise but the priorities must be balanced.

 

[geofelt]

All 13th gen processors are going to try to run full out up to the constraints of the workload and the cooling system.
That seems to be the nature of the beast.

You might want to read this article on how a 13900K runs with less than top cooling:

Core i9-13900K Cooling Guide: Testing Intel's Flagship With Budget Air and Big AIOs

The Core i9-13900K can push even the most capable liquid coolers to their limits, but you don’t lose that much performance if you go with budget-priced air cooling.

www.tomshardware.com

spoiler: Temper your expectations a bit and you will do just fine.

Looks count. Bust your budget if you must to buy a case that you really love.
It will be with you for a very long time.
See if you can't compromise elsewhere.
Front mounting a aio radiator is not all bad.

I am not so hot for aio coolers when there are good air coolers around that can do the job.
For one thing, aio coolers do not last forever. In time the mechanical pump fails or air intrudes.
Budget for a replacement in 5 years.

 

[Squrtle]

All 13th gen processors are going to try to run full out up to the constraints of the workload and the cooling system.
That seems to be the nature of the beast.

You might want to read this article on how a 13900K runs with less than top cooling:

Core i9-13900K Cooling Guide: Testing Intel's Flagship With Budget Air and Big AIOs

The Core i9-13900K can push even the most capable liquid coolers to their limits, but you don’t lose that much performance if you go with budget-priced air cooling.

www.tomshardware.com

spoiler: Temper your expectations a bit and you will do just fine.

Looks count. Bust your budget if you must to buy a case that you really love.
It will be with you for a very long time.
See if you can't compromise elsewhere.
Front mounting a aio radiator is not all bad.

I am not so hot for aio coolers when there are good air coolers around that can do the job.
For one thing, aio coolers do not last forever. In time the mechanical pump fails or air intrudes.
Budget for a replacement in 5 years.

That was an interesting read. I wasn't aware a budget air cooler like the Deepcool AG 620 is considered high-end. It looks like it performs tremendously well for its price. Like, why would anyone go for Noctua's nh-d15 or Dark Rock Pro 4, which are considerably more expensive and probably only improve cooling by a small margin?

Air coolers do cost a fair bit less than AIOs and considering I'm facing a budget constraint, I should get an air cooler and maybe change to an AIO later if cooling is inadequate, but I doubt it since I'm not using an 13900k and I'm not gonna stress my CPU that much.

Since this is my first AIO, I do share that concern regarding the reliability of liquid cooling. I keep thinking that it's gonna break and liquid will leak all over, but I've heard AIOs have come a long way and this kind of stuff rarely happens. With an air cooler you just install it and forget about it, not much can go wrong there. But they are big and ugly compared to AIOs.

 

[Squrtle]

Few options for cases under $120 with top mount options for a 360mm radiator.
Fractal Design Meshify 2 Lite
Lian LI Lancool 216
Phanteks G360A
Antec AX90
Antec Dark League DF600, DF700 and DF800

God bless, dude, I don't know how I missed the Meshify 2 Lite, but it looks fine, airflow is good and it fits within my budget.

 

[shad0wboss]

I looked through 40+ cases to decide this one. I also wanted to have a 360 on top but at the same time wanted something as small as possible. In the end I chose NZXT H7 flow and it seems to be big enough but not too obnoxious.