[SOLVED] Air Cooler or Liquid Cooler for a i7-12700 + B660?

[kaustubbhh]

Planning to build an mATX white theme PC build with Cooler Master TD300 case
CPU - i7-12700 + B660 board
GPU - Asus 1060 3GB (RTX 3070 in future)

I researched and found that a good air cooler can do the work vs the cheap liquid coolers but if budget then go for a liquid cooler. Due to budget constraints, I have these options with me -
Deepcool AS500 Plus or GamerStorm Castle 240EX or CM MasterLiquid ML240 Illusion or MasterLiquid ML360L V2

Open for any suggestions and change the build to a normal ATX case.

 

[Phaaze88]

if budget then go for a liquid cooler. Due to budget constraints, I have these options with me -
Deepcool AS500 Plus or GamerStorm Castle 240EX or CM MasterLiquid ML240 Illusion or MasterLiquid ML360L V2

If budget is tight, then it's still an air cooler.
The biggest cons with AIOs are their cost over time, and in relation to that, the user should have a backup cooler on hand for when it fails, or shows signs of failing. So that means 2 coolers, which = $$$.
AS500Plus is the best option out of those under tight budget constraints.

 

[geofelt]

TD300 looks to be a very nice case for air cooling.
It can mount two front 140mm intakes which should be plenty for any cpu and a hot 3070 card.
The case will not support a 360 radiator.
Then, a good tower type air cooler will be the most effective.
Noctua maintains a suitability list for their coolers.
Here is the list for the 12700:
https://ncc.noctua.at/cpus/model/Intel-Core-i7-12700-1592
The AS500 plus cooler would be most comparable to the noctua NH-U14s on that list and should work just fine.

 

[Bob.B]

Planning to build an mATX white theme PC build with Cooler Master TD300 case
CPU - i7-12700 + B660 board
GPU - Asus 1060 3GB (RTX 3070 in future)

I researched and found that a good air cooler can do the work vs the cheap liquid coolers but if budget then go for a liquid cooler. Due to budget constraints, I have these options with me -
Deepcool AS500 Plus or GamerStorm Castle 240EX or CM MasterLiquid ML240 Illusion or MasterLiquid ML360L V2

Open for any suggestions and change the build to a normal ATX case.

Maybe give the stock cooler a test drive.
Depending on the results then you make a choice.

Just my pref.
I'd lean toward an atx case for gaming.

 

[vMax]

For the non K 12700 a decent air cooler will more than do the job. The stock cooler will be just about okay but I would still get a decent air cooler as this will keep temps well in check and drop load temps by quite a few degrees. Something like the Cooler Master Hyper 212 or Cryorig M9 will keep the 12700 in check and the Deepcool one would be more than good enough. A 240 AIO even better and I personally now prefer AIO's as they keep things looking tidy and you can run the fans at low speeds to keep thing quiet.

PS on the case, a mid tower ATX case with decent airflow mesh fronted would be my choice. Currently using the Lian Li Lancool II Mesh and it was cost effective and does a stellar job on cooling but lots of choices out there.

 

[kaustubbhh]

TD300 looks to be a very nice case for air cooling.
It can mount two front 140mm intakes which should be plenty for any cpu and a hot 3070 card.
The case will not support a 360 radiator.
Then, a good tower type air cooler will be the most effective.
Noctua maintains a suitability list for their coolers.
Here is the list for the 12700:
https://ncc.noctua.at/cpus/model/Intel-Core-i7-12700-1592
The AS500 plus cooler would be most comparable to the noctua NH-U14s on that list and should work just fine.

Thanks, that helps!

 

[kaustubbhh]

Maybe give the stock cooler a test drive.
Depending on the results then you make a choice.

Just my pref.
I'd lean toward an atx case for gaming.

Makes sense to me and was supposed to be my original plan, but just for understanding the cooling necessity for a 12700 and plan the case accordingly if a 360 aio is needed. Thanks BTW

 

[kaustubbhh]

For the non K 12700 a decent air cooler will more than do the job. The stock cooler will be just about okay but I would still get a decent air cooler as this will keep temps well in check and drop load temps by quite a few degrees. Something like the Cooler Master Hyper 212 or Cryorig M9 will keep the 12700 in check and the Deepcool one would be more than good enough. A 240 AIO even better and I personally now prefer AIO's as they keep things looking tidy and you can run the fans at low speeds to keep thing quiet.

PS on the case, a mid tower ATX case with decent airflow mesh fronted would be my choice. Currently using the Lian Li Lancool II Mesh and it was cost effective and does a stellar job on cooling but lots of choices out there.

Thanks for the help! Yes planning to go with a white-themed mATX build for a better aesthetics and fir in my current place, else I planned to go with Lian Li 215

 

[KyaraM]

Get a BeQuiet Dark Rock 4 or equivalent and be done with it. AIOs aren't necessary for this CPU and sir coolers can get the job done just fins, don't overspend.