Build Advice Help Needed: Building a Quiet Gaming + Productivity PC (1500–1700€ Budget)

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ladislav12

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Building a Gaming + Productivity PC (1500–1700€ budget) — Need Help with CPU/GPU Combo & Quiet Build Advice


Hi everyone,


I'm planning to build a new gaming PC soon with a budget of around 1500 to 1700€. My main priorities for the build are:


  • Quiet operation, ideally even under load
  • Strong performance for both gaming and productivity (Adobe apps, video rendering, etc.)
  • A setup that also looks decent

I'm trying to make the best price-to-performance choices, as I can’t stretch the budget much beyond 1700€. I’ve run into a few dilemmas and would appreciate your advice on the following:



1.​


These are the CPUs I'm currently considering:


  • Ryzen 5 9600X (~220€)
  • Ryzen 7 9700X (~320€)
  • Ryzen 7 7800X3D (~440€) — Less available and much more expensive in my country; I'm unsure if the performance jump justifies the +120€ compared to the 9700X.

And for the GPU:


  • RTX 5070 (~650€)
  • RX 9070 (~700€) — Looks like a great price where I live
  • RX 9070 XT (~800€) — Really tempting due to the price-to-performance ratio, but I'm a bit nervous about switching from NVIDIA to AMD. Also unsure which CPU would pair best with this card.

I’m trying to figure out which CPU/GPU combo is the “sweet spot” for both gaming and productivity within my budget. If you’ve built something similar or have suggestions, please let me know!



2.​


As mentioned, silence is really important to me. I’m unsure where to prioritize spending to achieve a quiet build. I assume all three play a role, but which should I focus on more?


  • Case: Is it worth spending extra on a premium, quiet-focused case? Or are there budget-friendly options that still keep noise down?
  • Cooling: I have no experience with higher-end cooling. Should I go with air or liquid cooling, and in what price range for a quiet system?
  • PSU: I’m aiming for Gold-rated 750–850W, no Bronze units. But what’s the difference in noise (and quality) between a 90€ PSU vs. something like a Corsair RMx at 130–150€?

In my past builds, I always went cheap on these parts (40€ case, 40€ cooler, 80€ PSU), and now with a Ryzen 5 5600X and RTX 4060 Ti, the system is super loud while gaming. I’ve never used higher-end cases, cooling, or PSUs, so I don’t know if investing in those would make a big difference noise-wise — and if so, which parts matter the most.



Bonus Info:​


I mainly play AAA single-player titles on high settings. I’m not into e-sports or competitive games. I’d love to play in 1440p, but I’ll stick to 1080p until I can afford a better monitor. I work with Adobe software daily (graphic design, editing), so productivity performance matters too.



Would really appreciate any input, especially:


  • Best CPU + GPU combos in my budget
  • Components worth investing in for a quieter PC
  • Any parts to avoid
  • Suggestions for specific brands or models you’ve had a good experience with

Thanks a lot in advance!
 
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You're advised on stylizing your thread with info asked of in this thread;

*How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice*

How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel...
forums.tomshardware.com forums.tomshardware.com
and the community will chime in with worthwhile suggestions.

If your workload is a balance of gaming and productivity, then the 7800X3D and RTX5070 is a no brainer. Adobe app's have traditionally performed better on Nvidia's GPUs.

Lastly, noise is a subjective topic as is aesthetics. Someone might recommend a silent fan to you but you end up catching the ticking of a fan's motor.
 
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dingo07 said:
Here's my opinion... You can put together any components you want - what makes the system quiet is an AIO that is quiet, without case fans.
I just recently built what's in my signature, and I don't even hear it. Granted, the AIO is below the case, suspended from my stand up desk, but it works for me.https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/bp16...ey=caoaxjrkcj91c6jmif3ck83cp&st=4i1djoha&dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/h1jt...ey=2ueeq1ej4uweas7ktkokervkk&st=nfgypvv9&dl=0
Click to expand...
What an interesting way to "mount" the build. So what you are saying basically is, having an AIO cooler is what makes the build quiet ? Then other components such as case, PSU are not as noisy
 
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The ryzen X3D processors are highly valued for gaming.
Games depend on a strong single master thread for performance.
The X3D processors give that thread a massive boost with a large cache.
The downside is that other apps that depend on many threads do not benefit.
As a result, the 7800x is a better all around processor than the 7800X3d.
Of your choices, I think the 9700X fits your needs better.

Intel 200 series processors have been panned in early reviews by gamers.
Intel has looked at this, and the resolutions look impressive:
https://www.pcworld.com/article/256...rmance-could-rise-25-percent-after-patch.html
The one thing you DO get with the ultra processors is quiet operation.
A decent air cooler will do nicely and be quieter than big aio coolers.

A case is very important for quiet.
CPU and GPU ultimately depend on good airflow to dissipate heat.
If you have a case with two 140mm front intake fans you should have adequate airflow.
Some cases have a 200mm fan which is about the equivalent.
Smaller 120mm intake fans need to run faster to deliver a good airflow.
Aesthetics is something only YOU can determine.
List a couple of cases that look good to you.

On the PSU, buy only a quality unit.
The simplest way to tell quality is by the warranty.
7 years should be the minimum, but 10-12 years is better.

Then, buy a PSU larger than you think you need.
1. The incremental cost from 750w to 850w or 950w is usually small.
2. An extra strong psu will only use the power demanded of it, regardless of the max capability
3. Current graphics cards can exhibit occasional high power draw spikes that a stronger psu can handle.
4. A graphics card upgrade is commonly the only upgrade that you will do, and a sufficiently strong psu enables that.
5. A strong psu will run in the middle third of it's range where it is most efficient and quiet.

What makes a pc noisy is small fans running at high rpm.
Sources of noise are the fans on the cpu cooler, the graphics card, and case fans.
On a strong efficient psu, the psu fans may never run at all.
 
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geofelt said:
The ryzen X3D processors are highly valued for gaming.
Games depend on a strong single master thread for performance.
The X3D processors give that thread a massive boost with a large cache.
The downside is that other apps that depend on many threads do not benefit.
As a result, the 7800x is a better all around processor than the 7800X3d.
Of your choices, I think the 9700X fits your needs better.

Intel 200 series processors have been panned in early reviews by gamers.
Intel has looked at this, and the resolutions look impressive:
https://www.pcworld.com/article/256...rmance-could-rise-25-percent-after-patch.html
The one thing you DO get with the ultra processors is quiet operation.
A decent air cooler will do nicely and be quieter than big aio coolers.

A case is very important for quiet.
CPU and GPU ultimately depend on good airflow to dissipate heat.
If you have a case with two 140mm front intake fans you should have adequate airflow.
Some cases have a 200mm fan which is about the equivalent.
Smaller 120mm intake fans need to run faster to deliver a good airflow.
Aesthetics is something only YOU can determine.
List a couple of cases that look good to you.

On the PSU, buy only a quality unit.
The simplest way to tell quality is by the warranty.
7 years should be the minimum, but 10-12 years is better.

Then, buy a PSU larger than you think you need.
1. The incremental cost from 750w to 850w or 950w is usually small.
2. An extra strong psu will only use the power demanded of it, regardless of the max capability
3. Current graphics cards can exhibit occasional high power draw spikes that a stronger psu can handle.
4. A graphics card upgrade is commonly the only upgrade that you will do, and a sufficiently strong psu enables that.
5. A strong psu will run in the middle third of it's range where it is most efficient and quiet.

What makes a pc noisy is small fans running at high rpm.
Sources of noise are the fans on the cpu cooler, the graphics card, and case fans.
On a strong efficient psu, the psu fans may never run at all.
Click to expand...
Lovely answer! A lot of new informations for me.

So the CPUs... Im gonna be honest. I didnt even consider Intel CPU till now. And even if, ULTRA CPUs would probably be last on my mind but at the same time, I barely know anything about them. Just seen few benchmarks and thats it. I just quickly read a few reviews and many people say they are quiet and "cool" most of the time. Not going to throw Intel completely out of the window yet, since you mentioned they have some benefits. For now however, the best value seems to be the 7 9700X for me at least and in my country.

I personally find nice looking these cases: Montech King 95/65, ASUS A31 PLUS TG, basically all NZXT cases, Corsair 3500X ARGB. They all look kinda simple and they have clean design. I believe their design is "fish tank" if thats what they are called xd, I heard it somewhere. But honestly how good it looks is my lowest priority, i just dont want it to look cheap or bad.
When it comes to cases, basically its better to aim for at least 140mm fans ? 120mm fans gonna run louder and quicker - I dont know it this will make enough sense but in my situation (budget wise) I really dont want to spend 200€ or even 150€ on case if im not gonna benefit from it significantly because I would rather spend that money elsewhere and get more performance. On the other hand, I want to spend a bit more than I used to because cheap case is "surprisingly" not ideal and especially for mid range - higher end builds. If there is a 100 or even 120€ case that will make the build quieter, I WANT IT! If you have any suggestions on this topic, I would appreciate that. If you have some suggestions for quiet components that will truly make the build quieter but will not break my bank I will apreciate that. Some CPU coolers, cases, PSUs.

Also, when choosing GPU, I guess the brand of that GPU will matter If I want quieter build right ?

Some of the CASES I have been looking at I already mentioned at the beggining of my answer
Some of the CPU Coolers I have been looking at: Arctic Liquid, MSI MAG CORELIQUID, DeepCool AK620, DeepCool AIO, Be Quiet Dark Rock 5. The quieter the better, I know I will probably have to check some benchmarks and testings to pick the right one, but if you have some suggestions I am listening
Some of the PSUs I have been looking at: Corsair RM 750e-850e, Be Quiet PURE POWER 12M 750W, ADATA XPG CORE REACTOR II 750W, Seasonic Core GX-750 ATX 3
 
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ladislav12 said:
Building a Gaming + Productivity PC (1500–1700€ budget) — Need Help with CPU/GPU Combo & Quiet Build Advice


Hi everyone,


I'm planning to build a new gaming PC soon with a budget of around 1500 to 1700€. My main priorities for the build are:


  • Quiet operation, ideally even under load
  • Strong performance for both gaming and productivity (Adobe apps, video rendering, etc.)
  • A setup that also looks decent

I'm trying to make the best price-to-performance choices, as I can’t stretch the budget much beyond 1700€. I’ve run into a few dilemmas and would appreciate your advice on the following:



1.​


These are the CPUs I'm currently considering:


  • Ryzen 5 9600X (~220€)
  • Ryzen 7 9700X (~320€)
  • Ryzen 7 7800X3D (~440€) — Less available and much more expensive in my country; I'm unsure if the performance jump justifies the +120€ compared to the 9700X.

And for the GPU:


  • RTX 5070 (~650€)
  • RX 9070 (~700€) — Looks like a great price where I live
  • RX 9070 XT (~800€) — Really tempting due to the price-to-performance ratio, but I'm a bit nervous about switching from NVIDIA to AMD. Also unsure which CPU would pair best with this card.

I’m trying to figure out which CPU/GPU combo is the “sweet spot” for both gaming and productivity within my budget. If you’ve built something similar or have suggestions, please let me know!



2.​


As mentioned, silence is really important to me. I’m unsure where to prioritize spending to achieve a quiet build. I assume all three play a role, but which should I focus on more?


  • Case: Is it worth spending extra on a premium, quiet-focused case? Or are there budget-friendly options that still keep noise down?
  • Cooling: I have no experience with higher-end cooling. Should I go with air or liquid cooling, and in what price range for a quiet system?
  • PSU: I’m aiming for Gold-rated 750–850W, no Bronze units. But what’s the difference in noise (and quality) between a 90€ PSU vs. something like a Corsair RMx at 130–150€?

In my past builds, I always went cheap on these parts (40€ case, 40€ cooler, 80€ PSU), and now with a Ryzen 5 5600X and RTX 4060 Ti, the system is super loud while gaming. I’ve never used higher-end cases, cooling, or PSUs, so I don’t know if investing in those would make a big difference noise-wise — and if so, which parts matter the most.



Bonus Info:​


I mainly play AAA single-player titles on high settings. I’m not into e-sports or competitive games. I’d love to play in 1440p, but I’ll stick to 1080p until I can afford a better monitor. I work with Adobe software daily (graphic design, editing), so productivity performance matters too.



Would really appreciate any input, especially:


  • Best CPU + GPU combos in my budget
  • Components worth investing in for a quieter PC
  • Any parts to avoid
  • Suggestions for specific brands or models you’ve had a good experience with

Thanks a lot in advance!
Click to expand...
Country you are located?
 
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From the options you suggested I’d look at the 9700x and if the budget allows the 9070xt. The 9700x tilts the build toward productivity use, if you went with the 7800x3d you would tilt towards gaming and lose wrt productivity. Your choice. Now to sound like a bequiet fanboy, look at the light loop series AIO coolers and the Pure Base 500 case. The case has noise deadening on the side panels and front panel. It is a dream to build in this case. The model I have hasn’t got a glass side panel so.. no RGB. Toms reviews -
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/be-quiet-pure-base-500
www.tomshardware.com

Be Quiet Light Loop 360 review: The best AIO for Intel CPUs

Exceptional performance and low noise levels.
www.tomshardware.com www.tomshardware.com

With a 9900x running PBO, light loop 360, older master cooler case.
Power limits - motherboard
Overclock - 200MHz asked for
Curve optimiser - (negative) 16
The processor maxes out at 82°C while bench marking. Gaming it is silent. The Pure Base 500 according to the review takes upto 360 AIOs.

Price, I got the pair for £200 retail.

Regarding Adobe, look at benchmarks that cover the programs you use from the Adobe suite. Only you can decide what is acceptable performance. Intel win some, Amd wins others. What is important to you?
 
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stuff and nonesense said:
From the options you suggested I’d look at the 9700x and if the budget allows the 9070xt. The 9700x tilts the build toward productivity use, if you went with the 7800x3d you would tilt towards gaming and lose wrt productivity. Your choice. Now to sound like a bequiet fanboy, look at the light loop series AIO coolers and the Pure Base 500 case. The case has noise deadening on the side panels and front panel. It is a dream to build in this case. The model I have hasn’t got a glass side panel so.. no RGB. Toms reviews -
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/be-quiet-pure-base-500
www.tomshardware.com

Be Quiet Light Loop 360 review: The best AIO for Intel CPUs

Exceptional performance and low noise levels.
www.tomshardware.com www.tomshardware.com

With a 9900x running PBO, light loop 360, older master cooler case.
Power limits - motherboard
Overclock - 200MHz asked for
Curve optimiser - (negative) 16
The processor maxes out at 82°C while bench marking. Gaming it is silent. The Pure Base 500 according to the review takes upto 360 AIOs.

Price, I got the pair for £200 retail.

Regarding Adobe, look at benchmarks that cover the programs you use from the Adobe suite. Only you can decide what is acceptable performance. Intel win some, Amd wins others. What is important to you?
Click to expand...
Thank you for your help! Many people suggested the same combo. I will likely go for that.

Now from Be Quiet products you mentioned - the AIO is not available unfortunately and the case is but only in 500DX version which I am not sure if its the same.

I work in Illustrator, After Effects and ocassionally in Photoshop. Will have to check the benchmarks to see performances.

Thank you again!
 
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Lutfij said:
You're advised on stylizing your thread with info asked of in this thread;

*How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice*

How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel...
forums.tomshardware.com forums.tomshardware.com
and the community will chime in with worthwhile suggestions.

If your workload is a balance of gaming and productivity, then the 7800X3D and RTX5070 is a no brainer. Adobe app's have traditionally performed better on Nvidia's GPUs.

Lastly, noise is a subjective topic as is aesthetics. Someone might recommend a silent fan to you but you end up catching the ticking of a fan's motor.
Click to expand...
Hmm the RTX 5070 surprised me not gonna lie, but I absolutely understand your suggestion. I already mentioned few times (not sure if here on this forum as well) that its quite a big dilemma for me because AMD cards 9070 and 9070XT are somewhat better for gaming than RTX 5070 but the RTX is leading in productivity apps (Which I also use)... So I will have to sacrifice something I guess. On the other hand RTX 5070 is in my country 250€ cheaper than RX 9070 XT
 
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ladislav12 said:
Slovakia
Click to expand...
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i7-14700F 2.1 GHz 20-Core Processor (€340.82 @ Alza)
CPU Cooler: *ID-COOLING FX360 PRO 82.5 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (€71.90 @ Alza)
Motherboard: *MSI B760 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (€158.90 @ Alza)
Memory: *Patriot Venom 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory (€197.90 @ Alza)
Storage: *Lexar NM710 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€114.90 @ Alza)
Video Card: *Gigabyte WINDFORCE SFF GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB Video Card (€646.90 @ Alza)
Case: *Montech AIR 903 BASE ATX Mid Tower Case (€73.90 @ Alza)
Power Supply: *ADATA XPG Core Reactor II VE 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€96.90 @ Alza)
Total: €1702.12
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-05-04 21:54 CEST+0200
 
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ladislav12 said:
Building a Gaming + Productivity PC (1500–1700€ budget) — Need Help with CPU/GPU Combo & Quiet Build Advice


Hi everyone,


I'm planning to build a new gaming PC soon with a budget of around 1500 to 1700€. My main priorities for the build are:


  • Quiet operation, ideally even under load
  • Strong performance for both gaming and productivity (Adobe apps, video rendering, etc.)
  • A setup that also looks decent

I'm trying to make the best price-to-performance choices, as I can’t stretch the budget much beyond 1700€. I’ve run into a few dilemmas and would appreciate your advice on the following:



1.​


These are the CPUs I'm currently considering:


  • Ryzen 5 9600X (~220€)
  • Ryzen 7 9700X (~320€)
  • Ryzen 7 7800X3D (~440€) — Less available and much more expensive in my country; I'm unsure if the performance jump justifies the +120€ compared to the 9700X.

And for the GPU:


  • RTX 5070 (~650€)
  • RX 9070 (~700€) — Looks like a great price where I live
  • RX 9070 XT (~800€) — Really tempting due to the price-to-performance ratio, but I'm a bit nervous about switching from NVIDIA to AMD. Also unsure which CPU would pair best with this card.

I’m trying to figure out which CPU/GPU combo is the “sweet spot” for both gaming and productivity within my budget. If you’ve built something similar or have suggestions, please let me know!



2.​


As mentioned, silence is really important to me. I’m unsure where to prioritize spending to achieve a quiet build. I assume all three play a role, but which should I focus on more?


  • Case: Is it worth spending extra on a premium, quiet-focused case? Or are there budget-friendly options that still keep noise down?
  • Cooling: I have no experience with higher-end cooling. Should I go with air or liquid cooling, and in what price range for a quiet system?
  • PSU: I’m aiming for Gold-rated 750–850W, no Bronze units. But what’s the difference in noise (and quality) between a 90€ PSU vs. something like a Corsair RMx at 130–150€?

In my past builds, I always went cheap on these parts (40€ case, 40€ cooler, 80€ PSU), and now with a Ryzen 5 5600X and RTX 4060 Ti, the system is super loud while gaming. I’ve never used higher-end cases, cooling, or PSUs, so I don’t know if investing in those would make a big difference noise-wise — and if so, which parts matter the most.



Bonus Info:​


I mainly play AAA single-player titles on high settings. I’m not into e-sports or competitive games. I’d love to play in 1440p, but I’ll stick to 1080p until I can afford a better monitor. I work with Adobe software daily (graphic design, editing), so productivity performance matters too.



Would really appreciate any input, especially:


  • Best CPU + GPU combos in my budget
  • Components worth investing in for a quieter PC
  • Any parts to avoid
  • Suggestions for specific brands or models you’ve had a good experience with

Thanks a lot in advance!
Click to expand...
How much is one of the quiet optimised cases from be quiet? You normally get decent fans included with them and even though they’re quiet they’re also not hotboxes.
 
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Why_Me said:
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i7-14700F 2.1 GHz 20-Core Processor (€340.82 @ Alza)
CPU Cooler: *ID-COOLING FX360 PRO 82.5 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (€71.90 @ Alza)
Motherboard: *MSI B760 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (€158.90 @ Alza)
Memory: *Patriot Venom 64 GB (2 x 32 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory (€197.90 @ Alza)
Storage: *Lexar NM710 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€114.90 @ Alza)
Video Card: *Gigabyte WINDFORCE SFF GeForce RTX 5070 12 GB Video Card (€646.90 @ Alza)
Case: *Montech AIR 903 BASE ATX Mid Tower Case (€73.90 @ Alza)
Power Supply: *ADATA XPG Core Reactor II VE 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€96.90 @ Alza)
Total: €1702.12
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-05-04 21:54 CEST+0200
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot. Very interesting picks I gotta say. Some of the parts I even picked for myself (very similar cooling, GPU, case and even PSU). Can I know why 64GB of RAM and i7 ? Not saying these are wrong picks, just curious
 
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LordVile said:
How much is one of the quiet optimised cases from be quiet? You normally get decent fans included with them and even though they’re quiet they’re also not hotboxes.
Click to expand...
Thanks for a reply!
Well I could get Be Quiet pure base 500 DX in my country for 100€. Which seems like a nice value, anything else kinda falls into category of not really for my budget but at the same time its tempting to invest more into this
 
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ladislav12 said:
What an interesting way to "mount" the build. So what you are saying basically is, having an AIO cooler is what makes the build quiet ? Then other components such as case, PSU are not as noisy
Click to expand...
Exactly. In my use case, the fans of the AIO are also pulling air out of the case - so the fan for the VRMs that is integrated into the cpu plate that are moving air around the cpu get pulled out of the case by the AIO.

The one thing to remember is that moving air makes noise. You want to pick equipment that is not going to run above 60% load, so that makes it efficient, which in turn doesn't generate heat which needs to be expelled by fans.
 
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dingo07 said:
Exactly. In my use case, the fans of the AIO are also pulling air out of the case - so the fan for the VRMs that is integrated into the cpu plate that are moving air around the cpu get pulled out of the case by the AIO.

The one thing to remember is that moving air makes noise. You want to pick equipment that is not going to run above 60% load, so that makes it efficient, which in turn doesn't generate heat which needs to be expelled by fans.
Click to expand...
I see. Thank you for the help!
 
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