[SOLVED] NZXT Kraken M22 for i7 8700?

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DelirivM

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Mar 31, 2016
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Hi there, I recently bought new components for my PC (CPU, Motherboard, RAM and SSD), now I'm thinking to buy the NZXT Kraken M22,, because my PC doesn´t have too much space for a 240mm radiator. And there is no way I want an air cooler.
I'm planning to use my PC to play some games like Dota 2, FIFA 19, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Metro: Exodus and for editing videos in 1080p.
I'm using the stock cooler for now, and I know it's gonna have high temps if I strees my CPU 90%/100% trying to render some videos.
So, I would like to know if the NZXT Kraken M22 it's enough for my CPU (i7 8700 non-K version) or do I need necessarily a 240mm liquid cooler?

My PC specs:
CPU: i7 8700
MOTHERBOARD: ASUS ROG Strix z390-E GAMING
GPU: ASUS STRIX x480 8OC
RAM: Corsair DOMINATOR PLATINUM RGB 32GB (4x8) 3200 MHz
PSU: Seasonic 620W GOLD
SSD: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 500GB
CASE: Corsair Crystal 460x RGB

Thanks in advance!
 
Solution
Darkbreeze
Any decent 140mm air cooler would be a good choice for that configuration. Obviously, beyond simply not exceeding maximum recommended thermal values there are a few other factors that for some people are a consideration.

Quiet is a big one. The smaller the fan, the louder it is going to be in most cases for any given thermal design power (TDP). It is not a matter of whether the stock cooler at 92mm CAN ultimately keep the CPU below 80°C, it's a matter of it being twice as loud as (For example) a Cryorig H5 or similar entry level 140mm cooler. There are many choices that don't break the bank but offer considerably quieter service AND usually a much lower overall TDP.

AIO coolers CAN be quieter than some models of air cooler, but when...
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The 8700 will be fine with an M22, it's roughly the equivalent of any of the 120mm budget aircoolers. Or about 2 steps up from Intels pretty miserable stock cooler, which is fine for an i3 but not for an i7 under stress like hyperthreaded gaming.
 
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Karadjgne said:
The 8700 will be fine with an M22, it's roughly the equivalent of any of the 120mm budget aircoolers. Or about 2 steps up from Intels pretty miserable stock cooler, which is fine for an i3 but not for an i7 under stress like hyperthreaded gaming.
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Hi, and thank you for your answer!
I have one more question, if I swap the NZXT M22 stock fan for a Corsair LL120 RGB, will the performance of the liquid cooler go down or not?
 
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Slightly. The nzxt fan on that cooler is very good at its job, better than the fans Evga uses on its CLC 120. However, the performance issues inherent in the M22's design (it doesn't use the standard Asetek like any of the other nzxts) kinda put a damper on things. But any performance loss should be minimal at best.

Honestly, unless you are kinda adamant about the RGB looks of the block, you'd be better off using the cheaper Evga CLC 120, especially if planning on switching to an RGB fan like the LL120.
CPU Cooler: NZXT - Kraken M22 Liquid CPU Cooler ($69.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: EVGA - CLC 120 CL11 58.87 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($52.99 @ SuperBiiz)


CPU Cooler: Cooler Master - MasterLiquid ML240L RGB 66.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($69.89 @ OutletPC)

Exact same price, far better overall performance, and absolutely no need to spend additional money on an LL 120 rgb fan. Being slightly larger than minimum, it'll run fans at slower speeds as it won't be necessary to go higher, meaning it'll run almost dead silent most of the time, to barely audible under gaming loads. Quite different to the smaller 120mm which will have a slightly higher rate of rpm under duress.

With excess overhead on cpu cooling, you could even mount it in front using the stock case fans, and use the 2x RGB fans elsewhere and not suffer any performance loss at all.
 
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Best to ask parts questions BEFORE you buy.
Since the i7-8700 can not be overclocked, the stock cooler will do the job.
The Kraken M22 will be fine, the 120mm fan will be quieter than the 92mm stock cooler fan.
I suppose you want RGB bling, otherwise, there are more cost effective cooling solutions for your setup.
 
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Sorry geo. I beg to differ. It's an i7. If it was an i5 then meh, somewhat ok, but an i7 will put that cooler in the 90's with ease if you tax the threads. It's running on stock voltages. No worries for websurfing, but dive into Tombraider or Witcher 3 or heavily modded Fallout 4/Skyrim and you'll be in trouble.
 
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Yes the temps might be high and the cooler certainly isnt ideal, but if the cooler wasnt adaquate, intel wouldnt ship it with the cpu.

If you want to get another cooler, it wouldnt improve cpu performance but it would look cool, be quieter, and keep your cpu at more reasonable temps. You really dont need an aio, a smallish copper air cooler should be sufficiant.

Its not a waste to get a new liquid cooler since it does have some quality of life benefits, but i personally would spend my money elsewhere on something that adds performance, like a better gpu or a new ssd.
 
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Very good word that, Adequate. And it is. For nominal usage. That means grandma websurfing for cooking recipes on Pintrest or YouTube. The TDP is calculated using an averaged amount of power used by several average specific workload apps, like Adobe, office, Photoshop etc. Nothing really extreme usage. The difference between TDP and max thermal output is anywhere from 1.5 to 2x TDP. You can literally put almost 200w output on an i7-8700 with anything like rendering or p95, even aida64 or occt. A stock cooler will throttle down/shutdown under such usage. AMD is better, but Intel stock coolers suck.
 
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Any cooler air or liquid needs a good source of fresh air to do it's job.
The corsair crystal with three 120mm front intakes is sufficient for anything.
The case allows 170mm tall air coolers which lets you use virtually any air cooler out there.

With a i7-8700 I would consider a scythe kotetsu for $40 or so.
It is a quiet and easy to install unit that I have used.
here is a review:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1391-page1.html
At the end of the review it is compared favorably to hyper212 and noctua

If an intel processor detects a dangerous operating temperature, it will throttle or shut down to protect itself.
That point is around 100c.
Running apps at 75c or a stress test at 85c should be ok.
 
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Thank you very much for all the answer and help! I really aprecciate it!

I know some people just prefer performance over aesthetics. For me, its also how it looks my PC. I really don't like AIR coolers. Unfortunetly, there are not many options of liquid coolers to choose in my country.

NZXT Kraken M22, x62 and x72 (don't have the space to put a 280mm or 360mm on my case)
ASUS ROG Ryou 120mm / 240mm with OLED screen (too expensive)
Cooler Master ML 120mm / 240mm RGB
Gamer Storm Castle 240mm / 280mm RGB
And a lot of Thermaltake that i don't like...

I really like the NZXT mirror effect, also like the Corsair H100i Platinum RGB but I still can't find it here...

If you guys tell me that I need a 240mm liquid cooler then I'll go for the Cooler Master option I guess. But I want to make sure first that the Kraken M22 isn't enough for my CPU usage. I would prefer the temps don't exceed 70c - 75c.
Also, can you tell me what are the normal temps for play games like Tomb Raider, Metro Exodus or for render a video?

Anyway, I'm planning to put 6 fans in my case (Corsair SP 120mm (case stock fans) x3 and LL120mm RGB x3), 1 or 2 for liquid cooling (depend if 120mm or 240mm) and the rest for case cooling. So, I think my case will have good airflow. Just wanna know if I need a 120mm or 240mm for my CPU usage.

PS: I'm going to put the liquid cooler in front of my case, cuz I don't have space on top and don't want to cover the ASUS ROG logo of my motherboard if I put it on rear. I saw a video test from Kyle (BitWit) "Does radiator placement matter?" and it shows that the best option is to put it on the front panel. What you guys think?
 
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I think you are overfanned.
I might use the three stock fans as intakes in front and mount the kraken radiator in the rear exhausting heat.

Whatever cooling air that comes in the front will exit somewhere, taking component heat with it.
If the single source of intake air in the front is filtered, your parts will stay cleaner.
Adding fans elsewhere will only add cost and noise.
Other fans will tend to draw in unfiltered air.

Fans are easy to change if you do not like the results with minimal fans, you can always change things out
 
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Any decent 140mm air cooler would be a good choice for that configuration. Obviously, beyond simply not exceeding maximum recommended thermal values there are a few other factors that for some people are a consideration.

Quiet is a big one. The smaller the fan, the louder it is going to be in most cases for any given thermal design power (TDP). It is not a matter of whether the stock cooler at 92mm CAN ultimately keep the CPU below 80°C, it's a matter of it being twice as loud as (For example) a Cryorig H5 or similar entry level 140mm cooler. There are many choices that don't break the bank but offer considerably quieter service AND usually a much lower overall TDP.

AIO coolers CAN be quieter than some models of air cooler, but when it comes to comparing an average AIO against a decent 140mm single fan air cooler, chances are good that the AIO is going to be louder if for no other reason than the addition of pump noise. This may or may not be a factor, for you.

Aesthetics is a big factor for some people, although I think a good quality air cooler can look just as good, some folks prefer minimal bulk in the motherboard area. Nothing wrong with that so long as you understand that unless you are going with a high end 240mm or larger AIO you are probably trading cooling performance for looks. Again, that's ok if you don't need the additional cooling performance or are unconcerned with some new harmonics from pump noise and air turbulence from the radiator fans. Typically I see at least a small increase in external noise from AIO fans over an air cooler because they are not buried in the center of the case like heatsink. They are close to the exit points and sound escapes more easily and is therefore more obvious at higher RPMs.

IMO a 120 or 140mm water cooler is not the right choice for an i7 that, locked or not, can exceed 100w at boost frequencies on all threads. If you are going to go with an AIO, I'd recommend some flavor of 240mm. It will be a lot quieter, because unlike a single or push-pull fan 120/140mm AIO, it will not have to run at high RPM constantly in order to keep thermals in check or at least not nearly as often, plus there is a much larger surface area to dissipate heat. They also help to restrict reversion leaks that can happen on configurations that have more positive pressure since the radiator tends to block a bit more of the total opening in the case than fans alone.

Even so, for your configuration I think a good quality air cooler would be fine, but if you are primarily concerned with aesthetics so long as thermal compliance is maintained then I'd look at one of the 240mm AIO models out there. I think for the small difference in price between those and one of the skimpy 140mm AIO coolers, you'll be a heck of a lot happier in the long run. Especially if you ever decide to upgrade to a higher tiered CPU. At least then you won't be in need of again purchasing a new cooler.
 
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Solution
Darkbreeze said:
Even so, for your configuration I think a good quality air cooler would be fine, but if you are primarily concerned with aesthetics so long as thermal compliance is maintained then I'd look at one of the 240mm AIO models out there. I think for the small difference in price between those and one of the skimpy 140mm AIO coolers, you'll be a heck of a lot happier in the long run. Especially if you ever decide to upgrade to a higher tiered CPU. At least then you won't be in need of again purchasing a new cooler.
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Hi man, thank you for taking your time to help me! I really appreciate it!
That was quiet an explanation! And I will follow your advice and buy a 240mm liquid cooler. I will look for the Corsair H100i model.
I have 2 more questions, first, can I put the 240mm liquid cooler on my front panel with the stock fans of my case? and second, someone told me that I should undervolt my CPU to keep low temps, should I do it?
 
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Undervolt = No. What you SHOULD do is run it at the stock configuration with a good cooler, that way it is both stable and thermally compliant. Later down the road, IF through experience and education you get to the point where you understand the concepts involved with undervolting or overclocking, you still want to do that (Which you won't) then you can certainly do anything you wish. Fact is, thousands of hours are spent determining what the appropriate voltage is for a given CPU that results in the highest probability of stability with the lowest temperature, by the manufacture (Intel, AMD, etc.) so that you don't need to do that.

Certainly every chip is different and there are some exceptional samples out there that can remain stable at lower voltages but until you know how to go about determining if yours IS, and are ready to commit yourself to the testing required to ensure the configuration is stable, then you should leave it alone.

Yes, putting the cooler in front with the included fans configured as intake is a good idea but I would not ALSO use your stock fans there. If possible, use them elsewhere in the case such as rear or top positions, as exhaust fans.
 
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