[SOLVED] Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240 vs 280 real-life usage differences

[Suspect_0]

Hey folks,
I've recently bought Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240mm for a really good price (around $75). It's sitting for 3 days in my PC and I must say that I'm pretty happy with it. Especially that it's my first AIO.
It's cooling it 8600k I was finally able to OC to 5 ghz. Temps are fine, and it's not louder from my previous air cooler.
But, since I still have some upgrade options (got Asrock Z370 Extreme4 mobo) I'm also considering switching to a bit more powerful CPU - i7 9700k.
Of course, I'll be overclocking it like I do with all my stuff but I'm wondering now whether 240mm will be enough to handle this thing.
My case can either take 240 or 280 so other sizes are out of option.
From what I've been able to find out, people are generally saying that 280 will cool i7 more and be quieter at the same time. But will it really?
Especially that I'm using my PC only for gaming @1440p/60fps and web browsing?
I've still got a week to return 240mm and get another one.
The price difference will be noticeable though:
$75 for 240mm vs $105 for 280mm
I'm kinda stuck here because I didn't find any specific side-by-side comparisons between these 2 versions of this AIO.
That's why I'd like to ask you to help me clarify the things a little. I'll be much obliged

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

using either you can achieve the same temperatures but for a 280 it would be easier to achieve.

with 2x 120mm fans they will need to spin quite a bit faster / blow quite a bit harder to offer the same performance.
2x 140mm fans can offer the same amount of airflow & air pressure at lower speeds which produces lower noise.

still have some upgrade options (got Asrock Z370 Extreme4 mobo) I'm also considering switching to a bit more powerful CPU - i7 9700k.

if your plan is already a new CPU & motherboard don't skimp with 9th gen.
get a nice 11th or 12th generation and make it a new build.

then you've got the current 8th gen as a backup, gift, or put it on the market for sale.
you can keep any nicer components out of it for your new build and replace those with cheaper ones.

 

[Suspect_0]

Yeah, I totally got all these things. Sadly, it's hard to find any relevant data to back them uo.
But on the other hand, I'm not sure if getting a good overclocker chip (one that will require not a huge bump in voltage to be OCd) won't make a bigger difference than picking 240mm vs 280mm.
I think I'll rather go with i7 9700k so the heat won't be as big as i9...the question is how much more I'll have to stress the cooling to get around @5ghz.
Generally speaking, I'd prefer to stay with 8th/9th gen for a while yet because it perfectly does what I want. I constantly monitor the usage when I'm playing and still didn't observe any bottlenecking at all. It'll be a rather cosmetic change which will give me around 2 years more with current mobo.
I just want to squeeze ad much as I can from it
Also, the price difference is holding me back a bit. If I'm going to get no more than 2-3 degrees difference and not that much of a dBA improvement (which on 240 for now is perfectly fine) - that might be not enough to make me go with the 280mm option, I think.

Oh, and I'd like to add that the price difference will make it easier for me to switch the CPU sooner than later. That's where the whole question comes from in the first place.

 

[Phaaze88]

IMO, 240mm AIOs just don't have enough going for them compared to 280mm and big air(140mm).
That $75 price tag is competing with those big air coolers too, some of which are cheaper than that, and match or cool better* than the 240mm AIO.
*By that, I mean at the fan speeds you can comfortably tolerate. At 100%, the AIO should still win at raw performance... but almost no one can run them at the those speeds - at least, in the same room - so the gap between them and those 140mm air coolers narrows.

If I'm going to get no more than 2-3 degrees difference and not that much of a dBA improvement (which on 240 for now is perfectly fine) - that might be not enough to make me go with the 280mm option, I think.

An AIO does not just cool the cpu. Those fans are also chassis fans, which have to push or pull air through a block with holes in them.
So it cools the device it's hooked up to, for worse, or slightly worse system-wide cooling for the other components in the PC; the rad presents higher air resistance at the panel you're going to install it against, as opposed to just having fans there.



Since you already have the 240mm, the 280mm isn't going to be a big step up.
I don't see either struggling with a 9700K either. The Intel cpu also isn't picky about temperatures; it could be running at 95C and still give you max performance.
That is not the case with Ryzen cpus and Geforce + Radeon gpus, where lower temperatures lead to better boost curves - sans power limits not getting in the way.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

the question is how much more I'll have to stress the cooling to get around @5ghz.

not sure with the 9700K exactly but my 8700K @ 5GHz is pretty easily cooled with a 280mm EVGA CLC 280.
idles ~ 35°C, gaming ~64°; average.
stayed relatively quiet with fans under 85% at max.

the 9700K is supposed to run a tiny bit warmer and the 240mm will offer slightly less cooling performance.
so running your fans at higher RPMs while gaming or heavy processing, considering that you get a good 240mm with some good fans on it, you should be more than fine temperature-wise.

 

[Suspect_0]

Damn, ain't that a hard decision to make. I think that I'll maybe just order 280mm and compare it side by side with the 240mm.
Like I said - from what I see and hear, it works pretty fine with i5 8600k but having more heat from i7 will definitely make things at least a little less comfortable. Maybe not a lot but from what you're saying, it'll be different.
And I'm extremely prone to any weird noises so if I can eliminate them, it might be worth the hussle.
Happily, the case I've got is pretty nice in terms of the air-flow (SilentiumPC Regnum RG6V TG) so it's not necessary to be too fixated on this part.
Maybe someone with a similar setup will see this thread and share some insight. I'll wait a few days with a decision, I think.

 

[Suspect_0]

...aaaaand 280mm doesn't fit my case and mobo. I tried so hard to fit it there but there's just not enough space between Z370 Extreme4 's radiator, 12V power connector (the one on the top), and one of the fans.
I was able to mount it after taking off 1 screw with the standoff (top-left)but the mobo was bent way too much to keep it this way. It's such a shame because it looked beautiful there and the temps went down compared to 240mm by around ~4 degrees while stressing. I think that even GPU was somehow cooler but need to verify it today.
My case is SilentiumPc Regnum RG6V TG and maybe it's also not thick enough...I could potentially mount the radiator with the fans in front but I want to stick to the optimal placement which is at the top. Oh well 🙁

 

[Phaaze88]

Ah. It's not that a 280mm doesn't fit up there...

Regnum RG6V TG : SilentiumPC

www.silentiumpc.com

[COMPATIBILITY FOR 28 MM THICK RADIATORS AND 25 MM THICK FANS]

Arctic Liquid Freezer II: 38mm thick radiator.