Review Air Cooling vs. Liquid Cooling (Noctua NH-D15 vs. NZXT Kraken X72)

[JDurden]

Hey folks, I recently made a video review where I compared the best air cooler vs. the best liquid cooler to see how they fared against each other:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEjm2fZyaeI


In the end it was pretty close, but the NH-D15 won more categories and was probably the best overall, while the Kraken X72 did win in two crucial categories though: performance and looks.

Below is the main performance graph that compares how each cooler performs in noise and temperatures:

If you have any questions or comments I would be happy to answer them here. Hopefully this review will help some people decide between air cooling or liquid cooling.

 

[rubix_1011]

Looks like you're doing some cooling tests, much like I do for the site.

You picked a couple of good ones for comparisons, which reinforces many arguments that good air cooling is often as good as, or better, than AIO cooling, in many aspects, including load temps, noise levels, price and installation effort.

 

[JDurden]

Looks like you're doing some cooling tests, much like I do for the site.

You picked a couple of good ones for comparisons, which reinforces many arguments that good air cooling is often as good as, or better, than AIO cooling, in many aspects, including load temps, noise levels, price and installation effort.

Thanks, yeah it does look like the air cooler is better in lots of ways, although the liquid cooler does cool the CPU better, especially at low fan speeds.

 

[geofelt]

NH-D15 is half the price and will not leak.

Aesthetics may well trump all if you are into that.

 

[JDurden]

NH-D15 is half the price and will not leak.

Aesthetics may well trump all if you are into that.

Yeah that was pretty close to my conclusion. Basically the NH-D15 won in price, installation, compatibility, and power usage. While the Kraken X72 won in looks and performance.