Liquid vs air cooling: Do you need an AIO cooler?

[Admin]

Liquid or air cooling? Either option will move heat away from your CPU. This guide will explore whether an AIO cooler is the right choice for your build.

Liquid vs air cooling: Do you need an AIO cooler? : Read more

 

[truerock]

Air coolers put more weight on the CPU socket.

 

[USAFRet]

Air coolers put more weight on the CPU socket.

Air coolers will never leak..😉

 

[Notton]

Mobos these days have no issues with the heaviest air coolers. Even those ultra cheap and thin 4-layer (Asrock) work fine when bowed in from the mounting pressure and weight.

The article omits smaller details, like how the AIO pump and radiator orientation. Done right, it prevents airbubbles from getting trapped in the pump that reduces lifespan while increasing noise.

Speaking of noise, AIO are generally quiet, but I've had some where the pump was loud. I am guessing it is a QC issue, but you can't beat air coolers for noise since they lack an active pump.

AIO aren't necessarily expensive when you have makers like Thermalright going for broke and barely making any profit off of sales.

 

[philged]

Would be nice to see this article with a little more in-depth data. Tom's has plenty of AIO and air cooler reviews to draw from. It would be more helpful to have a deeper dive into that data or even additional testing to show what the actual performance difference is between budget and high quality air coolers and 120/240/360mm AIOs.

Especially with how slim the margins are between quality air coolers and more entry level AIOs, it'd be nice to get a rundown too of where thermal throttling starts on the current set of processors to know if an extra 1-3C performance makes any difference.

 

[bikemanI7]

I purposely searched for a better cooling system when i upgraded entire system in July 2024 for better game performance

Previous System was an Intel 10700 with Arctic Freezer 7X Air Cooler, 32GB DDR4 2666mhz, Geforce 1660 Super in a Thermaltake V200 TG RGB Case--It never really stayed cooler in that system, always was fighting to keep it under 85C while doing my tasks

Newer System:
Lian Li LanCool 216 Air flow case, AMD Ryzen 7 7700X with Air Cooler, (searched til i found a build with Air Cooler) Radeon 7800XT OC 16GB, MSI Pro B650 VC Wifi, with 2 M.2 Slots. 2 Big 160MM Intake fans, mesh front of case, Rear exhaust 140MM

Temps never get over 85 hardly at all, video card stays in the upper 40's to low 50's pretty much all the time

I still am terrified of AIO Cooler leaking, and therefore made sure my Desktop was still air cooled

**Old system gonna probably reuse soon as 3rd Family PC at some point or trade it in for another custom built AMD system, with proper cooling and hopefully still air cooling, possibly AMD 8600G for 3rd system

 

[Syntaximus]

I used AIOs for years when I had mATX builds; if you're tight on space they're still a good option.
If space isn't an issue though it's hard to justify the cost of a lot of them when a $32 PA-120 will do the job.

Also yea, less to go wrong in general w/ air.

Air coolers put more weight on the CPU socket.

I think the only cooler I'd have worried about that with is the TRUE Copper.

 

[Alvar "Miles" Udell]

Ever since swapping from a tower cooler with a Delta fan to a Corsair H60 way back when on my Athlon X2 6000+ Windsor I never went back. Never had a leak, only had one fail due to air bubbles (and that one had been though several builds), and the noise level and tone is just wonderful, and would recommend them to anyone building any machine for gaming or intensive work.

 

[EzzyB]

There is one more use case for air coolers. I've even seen it mentioned here. Air coolers improve airflow in the vital areas near the CPU. So power delivery for the motherboard, memory, and more importantly than ever, the M2 sockets.

I don't think you should dismiss that.

 

[bikemanI7]

I typically run my Main Desktop 24/7 as always doing some task on it, even over night at times, sure most the time the task finishes quicker than i planned.

But i also sometimes use my Galaxy Bud Bluetooth earbuds and listen to relaxation audio via Bluetooth over night from the Main Desktop & Give My Galaxy Phone a break sometimes.

Or Sometimes i do Maintenance tasks over night

Or System backup

I think if i used an AIO cooler, with the way i use my machine would be dead in span of a year lol, or suffer a leak or something, i'd probably be a nervous wreck constantly looking thru the Side Panel glass to make sure its working fine lol

Glad i stuck to Air Cooling, and probably will for a very long time lol

 

[newtechldtech]

Cost: AIO coolers are typically more expensive than their air-cooled counterparts, especially models with larger radiators or premium features like RGB lighting or built-in screens. Depending on the size and brand, AIO prices can range from $50 to $200 or more, whereas air coolers generally cost less. For budget-conscious builders, investing in a high-end air cooler might offer a better price-to-performance ratio, especially for non-overclocked systems.

not true , many AIO coolers are not more expensive when you calculate Watt TDP per dollar cooling.

example : Arctic freezer iii 240 : $76

example : Freezer ii 420 : $109

You just need to look carefully and you will beat ANY air cooler nowadays.

 

[bill001g]

not true , many AIO coolers are not more expensive when you calculate Watt TDP per dollar cooling.

example : Arctic freezer iii 240 : $76

example : Freezer ii 420 : $109

You just need to look carefully and you will beat ANY air cooler nowadays.

First you can never believe the specs from the vendors you need to find the testing sites that measure how many watts a cooler can really dissipate.

The main flaw in your argument is you are assuming extra cooling you can not actually use has value. I likely could come up with some example of a refrigerant based cooler that could cool 1000 watts and then try to justify the huge price.

Key here is read the last line in what you posted. "especially for non-overclocked systems".

It really doesn't matter if a cooler can cool say 300watts if your cpu only uses 150. Even 14900k have been shown to easily be cooled by things like peerless assign $40 coolers.....as long as you use the intel default settings. Pretty much every other cpu from amd and intel, including the very newest cpu, do not actually need the extra cooling capacity.

The other misconception a lot of people have is that if cooler A get a temp of 75 and cooler B get a temp of 80 that automatically makes cooler A better. The issue is as long as the cpu does not thermal throttle both are exactly the same.

 

[Leahi84]

Whatever you do don't buy a pre-built with an AIO cooler. I've had nothing but problems in the past and once it broke down I was screwed because it couldn't be replaced due to being proprietary crap like the rest of the components.

 

[grogi]

I typically run my Main Desktop 24/7 as always doing some task on it, even over night at times, sure most the time the task finishes quicker than i planned.

But i also sometimes use my Galaxy Bud Bluetooth earbuds and listen to relaxation audio via Bluetooth over night from the Main Desktop & Give My Galaxy Phone a break sometimes.

Or Sometimes i do Maintenance tasks over night

Or System backup

I think if i used an AIO cooler, with the way i use my machine would be dead in span of a year lol, or suffer a leak or something, i'd probably be a nervous wreck constantly looking thru the Side Panel glass to make sure its working fine lol

Glad i stuck to Air Cooling, and probably will for a very long time lol

I have run my AIO (Corsair 80i) 24/7 for 7 years and counting. No leaks, no issues (knock on wood)

 

[why_wolf]

A lot of times the decision is made for you by what case you have. A lot of them aren't wide enough the handle to biggest air coolers, or even generic 120mm towers. So unless you have a lower power CPU you're basically forced to get an AIO.

 

[newtechldtech]

First you can never believe the specs from the vendors you need to find the testing sites that measure how many watts a cooler can really dissipate.

The main flaw in your argument is you are assuming extra cooling you can not actually use has value. I likely could come up with some example of a refrigerant based cooler that could cool 1000 watts and then try to justify the huge price.

Key here is read the last line in what you posted. "especially for non-overclocked systems".

It really doesn't matter if a cooler can cool say 300watts if your cpu only uses 150. Even 14900k have been shown to easily be cooled by things like peerless assign $40 coolers.....as long as you use the intel default settings. Pretty much every other cpu from amd and intel, including the very newest cpu, do not actually need the extra cooling capacity.

The other misconception a lot of people have is that if cooler A get a temp of 75 and cooler B get a temp of 80 that automatically makes cooler A better. The issue is as long as the cpu does not thermal throttle both are exactly the same.

it does matter , because water cooling will keep the entire system cooler and more silent as well. heat builds up with time faster in air coolers .and the Turbo Mode will be at max for longer time when it sees lower temps.

I did not say anything about non OC or OC .. I was talking about price performance ratio , in which AIO are Cheaper nowadays . The Article writer is living in the past and not following up .

 

[Phaaze88]

Yay, this again...

Air coolers put more weight on the CPU socket.

Meanwhile, LGA 1700 ILM warping:

The mounting system allows for the motherboard and part of the case(see motherboard standoffs) to support the weight of an air cooler standing sideways.
Nothing to really worry about, just don't travel with an air cooler mounted to the motherboard. They weren't designed for that.

not true , many AIO coolers are not more expensive when you calculate Watt TDP per dollar cooling.

A new cooler must be bought after an indeterminable amount of time has passed, due to one of the inevitable failures rendering an AIO unusable e-waste(mechanical/chemical/biological). An air cooler doesn't have this con, unless it's one of those dated push-pin models. They can be reused in other PCs and last virtually indefinitely. Instead, they get replaced:
-if a new case isn't compatible with it.
-the user gets tired of looking at it(if the case even allows for viewing the interior).
-the cooling isn't adequate for the cpu + use scenario.
-the user breaks it, for some reason...
One of those reasons isn't necessarily a mandatory one.

If the PC helps put food on the table, I hope folks who use AIOs have backup coolers on hand. [This means buying 2 coolers, instead of having the one air cooler.]
Time is money, and all that; it wouldn't be great if the PC was/went down at a bad time due to AIO failure.

it does matter , because water cooling will keep the entire system cooler and more silent as well. heat builds up with time faster in air coolers .and the Turbo Mode will be at max for longer time when it sees lower temps.

Temperatures: ✋
Watts: 🫵
Liquid coolers actually increase ambient(case & room) faster than air coolers, and ambient affects the min/max operating temperature of all devices.
Certain PC parts boosts higher and for longer, thus use more heat energy(in watts) when using them, meaning they are using and dumping more heat energy into the case, and or room, than air coolers.
Temperature is not a measurement of the heat energy being used, and IMO, there is too much focus on it and not enough on watts, out there in the community.