[SOLVED] Need advice on which AIO.

[skippyboy92362]

Finally after 5 years I'm building a new rig. In the past it's been air cooling. This time I'll be going with a Intel I7 12700K. Also managed to get my hands on a Lian Li 011 Dynamic EVO. With the newer CPU's and there thermals a AIO looks like about the only way to go. I need help on which one to get that is not tied down to using prepritory software for ARGB. I'm down to 2 choices.
1: EK AIO Elite 360 D-RGB.
2: Fractal Design Celsius + S36 Prisma.
Which one seems better? Please give me the pros and cons on both. Thanks.

 

[Lutfij]

Why not get a Lian-Li AIO to pair with your Lian-Li case? If it's between those two listed above, I'd get the Fractal Design AIO. both those AIO's mentioned above are made by Asetek, they are essentially the same sheep under the same wooly exterior. I mentioned Fractal since they've been good for me on my builds and EK tends to have some good fans although they have a bad track record with AIO's, not so much on their custom watercooling side though.

 

[Nighthawk117]

both those AIO's mentioned above are made by Asetek, they are essentially the same sheep under the same wooly exterior.

Not true for the EK, it might be made by Asetek but it's not the same design:
"Unlike most liquid coolers on the market, which are based on either Asetek or Coolit designs, among others, the EK-AIO 360 D-RGB is a custom in-house solution. The pump inside the CPU block is fully custom and based on the company's SPC series"

EK-AIO 360 D-RGB All-in-One Watercooler Review

EK looks to pummel their competition in the liquid cooler market with the EK-AIO 360 D-RGB. It features a pump based on their SPC series, which means it isn't just another Asetek design, but genuinely new from the ground up. However, does new in this case truly mean better?

www.techpowerup.com

I tend to agree with you though, I've seen more of the Fractal. Lian Li for a Lian Li case also not a bad idea.

In reality though I think they are both good coolers.

 

[Phaaze88]

1)EK AIO Elite 360 D-RGB
Pros: temperatures under blender, Cinebench, Prime 95, and similar.

Cons: EXTRA THICC, so clearance(chassis, mobo, ram, psu shroud) will be a concern.
Geezus, the cables!
Going to get loud at cpu core temperatures above 75C, because the mobo is designed to ignore fan curves at a certain point.

2)Fractal Design Celsius + S36 Prisma
Pros: temperatures under blender, Cinebench, Prime 95, and similar.
Fan hub on radiator for a little cleaner installation.

Cons: Going to get loud at cpu core temperatures above 75C, because the mobo is designed to ignore fan curves at a certain point.
Round frame fans are not very good for pushing air through a radiator. Using them in pull would be recommended, but then the light show just went bye-bye.

 

[skippyboy92362]

Sorry guys been working a lot setting up new cloud farms. As good as the EK is the fans probably would have to be replaced because I hate noise. But with that said Im leaning towards going black out without RGB fans anyhow for a more clean old school look do to my age but the case and motherboard ones ad a classy touch. ( Not saying my age, but Im one of the few around here that did builds where you had to set cpu and ram speed with switches on the board.) This leads me to just going with the EK Elite 360 and replacing the fans with Noctoa Chromax PWM 's on the coer and through out the case. Thanks all for some insight given to this old timer who still games.

 

[skippyboy92362]

Why not get a Lian-Li AIO to pair with your Lian-Li case? If it's between those two listed above, I'd get the Fractal Design AIO. both those AIO's mentioned above are made by Asetek, they are essentially the same sheep under the same wooly exterior. I mentioned Fractal since they've been good for me on my builds and EK tends to have some good fans although they have a bad track record with AIO's, not so much on their custom watercooling side though.