Question Does motherboard internal VRM cooling have to be used?

[Mattimanden]

I have an ASUS Maximus XI Formula that I have been using for some years now with a custom loop. The board features cooling internally on the VRM's and my question here is as I am cosidering a new build without water cooling, does these cooling features need to be used in a running loop, or can they operate without coolant and not cause damage or overheat etc?

https://imgur.com/a/OZKwWg4

 

[Lutfij]

EKWB were the ones who made that cooling assembly in collaboration with Asus. The VRM can operate with airflow across them, sans any watercooling aid. You should be fine if you're not chasing high overclocks on the CPU. As in you might need to dial down the overclocks if you had them when on a watercooling loop.

 

[Mattimanden]

EKWB were the ones who made that cooling assembly in collaboration with Asus. The VRM can operate with airflow across them, sans any watercooling aid. You should be fine if you're not chasing high overclocks on the CPU. As in you might need to dial down the overclocks if you had them when on a watercooling loop.

And can the VRM's be provided with such airflow given they are somewhat covered by the "waterblock"? Thanks for the help so far!