Is AIO water cooling systems always better than air heatsinks?

[Linnaeus]

I'm comparing the $100 Silver Arrow Heatsink to the $100 H100i. Is water cooling much better at this price bracket? At what price point would a air heatsink be better than water?

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Noctua DH14-15
Phanteks PH-TC14PE
Silver Arrow
Gamer ASSASSIN
Dark Rock Pro 3

These will stick with the h100i or sometimes performs better.

 

[Tradesman1]

Yep there are plenty of great air coolers, if going liquid and have a need for it, a custom loop is far better (and far more expensive)

 

[geofelt]

My canned rant on liquid cooling:
------------------------start of rant-------------------
You buy a liquid cooler to be able to extract an extra multiplier or two out of your OC.
How much do you really need?
I do not much like all in one liquid coolers when a good air cooler like a Noctua NH-D14 or phanteks can do the job just as well.
A liquid cooler will be expensive, noisy, less reliable, and will not cool any better
in a well ventilated case.
Liquid cooling is really air cooling, it just puts the heat exchange in a different place.
The orientation of the radiator will cause a problem.
If you orient it to take in cool air from the outside, you will cool the cpu better, but the hot air then circulates inside the case heating up the graphics card and motherboard.
If you orient it to exhaust(which I think is better) , then your cpu cooling will be less effective because it uses pre heated case air.
And... I have read too many tales of woe when a liquid cooler leaks.
google "H100 leak"
-----------------------end of rant--------------------------

I suggest a noctua nh-D14 or phanteks with dual 140mm fans.
Your pc will be quieter, more reliable, and will be cooled equally well

 

[menengrone]

Today the advance of air coolers, general aspects, using the PC for common tasks, isn't to big deal, silence is the key.

But working with CPU near 100% for long time and OC, Water cooling is better, keeps the CPU temp below of air cooling. So choose your application.

 

[Tradesman1]

Today the advance of air coolers, general aspects, using the PC for common tasks, isn't to big deal, silence is the key.

But working with CPU near 100% for long time and OC, Water cooling is better, keeps the CPU temp below of air cooling. So choose your application.

_____________________--

That depends on the cooler, many of the AIO LCs have loud fans, and simply put, you can get a $30 Hyper 212 EVO that cools better than most any sub $100 AIO coolers, you basically need a H100 to top an EVO, and inbetween the EVO and the H100 pricewise, there are many other air coolers (Phantek, CM, Noctua) that cooler even better than the H100

 

[geofelt]

There are trade offs.
1. Air coolers are usually larger or taller. A liquid cooler can be good in a case with limited height(<160mm) available for the cooler. A good air cooler will usually be 160mm tall.
2. Liquid coolers are noisier. There may be some pump noise in addition to the fan noise. A liquid cooler will usually use 120mm fans that need high rpm's to push air through the radiator. The higher the rpm required, the more the noise. Top air coolers use slower turning 140mm fans.
3. Liquid coolers are usually more expensive, particularly if you get into custom loops.
4. Liquid cooling has more moving parts which can fail. If a liquid cooler does fail, the results can be catastrophic. A failed air cooler simply shuts down the cpu.

 

[menengrone]

Today the advance of air coolers, general aspects, using the PC for common tasks, isn't to big deal, silence is the key.

But working with CPU near 100% for long time and OC, Water cooling is better, keeps the CPU temp below of air cooling. So choose your application.

_____________________--

That depends on the cooler, many of the AIO LCs have loud fans, and simply put, you can get a $30 Hyper 212 EVO that cools better than most any sub $100 AIO coolers, you basically need a H100 to top an EVO, and inbetween the EVO and the H100 pricewise, there are many other air coolers (Phantek, CM, Noctua) that cooler even better than the H100

I agree, but any air cooler with CPU running at 100% for long time, will make noise even using Noctua, CM, Plantek. All fans is noisily. some fans more other less.

I have some workstations without Fans, passive cooling, but the size of CPU block is unbelievable.

So noise to noise, a good water cooler keeps temp below of air cooler.
Cost, maintenance, extra care, is the price of better temp. The user will think in cost/performance. Worth it.

 

[Tradesman1]

As said, if it a good AIO, those under the H100 aren't worth it, they simply don't cool as well