Hi, I'm currently planning to buy DEEPCOOL GAMMAXX GT TUF Edition priced at $36. My question is: Is it sufficient enough for my r5 3600? Currently, it is running at 44-50 idle, 75-85c at Overwatch Ultra Settings at stock cooler and I'm not very comfortable with the temps atm. I'm afraid to play any games with heavier workloads atm due to the current temp. In fact, I don't play more than 1 hour just to make sure I don't hit the 90c mark. I plan to OC my ram and proc later on as soon I get a more consistent and safer temp for my CPU.
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Just go with the MA410m from the start? It's due to the bios patches that these chips are running as warm as they are - AMD says it's fine. Just keep an eye out for the next bios update.
Should be OK but do not expect much imrovement. It has bling but pretty ordinary performance. If it's temps you are really worried about then a Noctua or something in that leauge would be way better. RGB fans are never the best coolers anyway. If you want Deepcool what about a AIO Deepcool Gammax L20 which is also MSI Mystic light RGB compatible , would be better cooling and quieter than the GT TÜF and cost's not much more.
The MA410M is a pretty good cooler, yielding the same performance as the larger MA620P rated for 200w TDP:
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooler-master-masterair-ma410m-cpu-cooler,5813-2.html
A Noctua wouldn't be a huge improvement here.
AIOs being quieter is a misconception. They have more moving parts, thus more sources of noise and failure, and are more dependent on good case cooling to yield their benefits - they are HYBRIDS of air cooling!
Plus, they are simply not cost effective below 280mm - maybe 360mm, actually, since air coolers can't compete here.
The thing about Liquid AIOs is that I'm actually afraid of it leaking on my set up and i don't think I have that much budget left to risk a rebuild. Plus, based on my research, AIOs usually have a life span of 2-3 years in comparison to Air coolers. Thus, I wanted to invest in a CM MA410m instead which was what I originally planned by waiting since I've read that R5 3600 was supposedly good enough and based on my temperature readings is not. I've also done some reseating on the stock cooler plus paste change and not much changed.
Although, I have not completely crossed out going the AIO route. My options for an AIO are:
1.) Deepcool Gammaxx L120 (as you suggested) at $42
2.) DEEPCOOL MAELSTORM 240T @ $46
3.) DEEPCOOL CAPTAIN 240EX @ $60
With that said, are the Liquid AIO any better than CM MA410m? The Noctua color palette seems too far out with the price being not so good as well for my current budget.
Leaks are rare nowadays - less than 10% chance of one occurring, or you somehow screw up, or the product was already defective.
Yeah, the pumps in these things aren't eternal...
If you were to go straight for the MA410M, I don't believe any of those 3 AIOs would perform any better. I think it would take a 280mm to beat the MA410M.
I get why many would want to go for AIOs - big bulky air cooler sitting over the motherboard. But that's a small price to pay over the downsides of AIOs:
-Leaks, while chances are low, the possibility is still there
-Can be noisier. You've got at least 2 moving parts here, instead of just the fan(s) on air coolers
-When/if the pump fails, you can't continue to use that unit. Not the case for air coolers if a fan breaks - you can 'passively' cool the heatsink via your case fans, until you can get a new heatsink fan
-Value. Air coolers are simply more affordable, and they outperform AIOs - but there's a dead stop at 360mm and higher. There's simply none available that can provide that kind of cooling.