By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies.Learn More, I'm curious as I've experienced both the h100i (brothers build) as well as air cooling(my build) and I'm not really impressed by water cooling (as great as some people make it out to be), You run the [albeit low] risk of getting your components wet in the case of a malfunction, It's much louder than a good quality air cooler(esp if quietness is your goal) with stock fans(say, h100i), It doesn't provide that much benefit in terms of performance at least from these benchmarks, Linus did a comparison here and it seems to me that if you spend the same on say the noctua NH-D15 vs the H100i, you come out the same in terms of performance but the h100i fans are extremely loud, thus need replacing=more cost in the end, Here's another comparison, the 120mm X 2 air cooler is about 4 degrees hotter than the h100i but he also used 50$ worth of noctuas on both setups, making the h100i a 150$ unit. The water simply carries the heat from the CPU to the radiator, where it is dissipated. There are several reasons for this growing trend: Pretty easy to install block to screws. Obviously, more moving parts means more things that can break. At full speed, it's quiet and effective enough that only the Glacer 240L and H105 can match it with their fans turned way down. And it all comes down to which combination of characteristics you value most in a CPU cooler: price, performance, compatibility, lifespan, and/or aesthetics. In the past, when custom water cooling was the only option, this may have been true. does an AIO cooler use water (and maybe some other juices) to exchange heat from a CPU (or GPU, I don't discriminate) into a radiator, to be exchanged with the air yes or no. The Glacer 240L/Swiftech H220/H220-X are the best coolers ever. In the previous article we compared air cooling and liquid cooling. Further, given a specific volume of water flow over a hot component (the volumetric flow rate), water has a heat carrying capacity nearly 3,500 times that of air. Backplate adhesive not reusable. This air cooler was designed to be quiet first and foremost, and it really shows. Some of the people in the other movement are promoting pure distilled water as the best choice for liquid cooling as it requires almost no maintenance. Where air coolers run into trouble is the sheer mass of a high performance air cooler, coupled with a potentially fraught installation process. Watercoolers aren't as safe as air coolers. You can of course make something much cheeper that will barely ever go above ambient, but that involves getting a huge heater core & submerging your pump. Just an FYI, the water itself doesn't cool anything, that would require a phase change (evaporation) to do. The problem with liquid cooling is that not all systems are made equal. Sliding pins located on waterblock. Watercoolers can be quieter than air, but it's difficult to get there because you have to find a quiet pump AND quiet fans AND do some tuning of the fan speeds to find the perfect balance. More surface area simply allows the heat to spread out more and dissipate from the cooler more easily. Closed-loop coolers (Corsair, NZXT, Cooler Master Seidon/Nepton, etc.) This causes the water to evaporate quickly, which chills the air. So we're done here. When it reaches the condensation point, the vapor becomes liquid and travels back down the copper heat pipe through capillary action and the cycle repeats. Cooler Master Glacer 240L (Pre-assembled open loop, copper/brass radiator, Swiftech H220 rebrand), Corsair H105 (Thicker radiator, superior to H100i), Cooler Master Eisberg Prestige 240L (Pre-assembled open loop, copper/brass radiator, Alphacool OEM), Cooler Master Seidon 120V Plus (a Seidon 120V with Jetflo 120 fan), Thermalright Silver Arrow IB-E (double tower 150mm wide cooler), Cooler Master Hyper 612 V2 (large low fin density, silence optimized cooler). Water is then forced from the base plate to the radiator. A rule of thumb for water cooling is to plan for 120mm of cooling for each component you want to cool. We're going to be thorough and analyze every cooler. 2 x Fractal Design Silent R2 (front), Cougar Vortex HDB 140 (rear). TL;DR here. Pre-assembled open-loop (Swiftech H220/H220-X, Cooler Master Glacer/Eisberg, upcoming Fractal Design Kelvin series) coolers DO need some extra precaution and maintenance. Only when you plan on spending $100+ do water coolers provide noticeably better performance. Surface area makes a difference here! That said, most manufactures have a good warranty or coverage on them. Hopefully these tests and following the follow analysis answers these questions and make your choice of CPU cooler easier. The statement that any AiO is better than an air cooler is simply wrong. In fact, they use the same radiator! This fluid makes its way to the actual cooling device which absorbs some of the heat from that fluid. Even at full speed, it's difficult to hear this air cooler working. Continued into comments. See the background on my previous review for more info about fin density. Best CPU Coolers For You. Test 20 minutes. The pump that came with the Eisberg was also flawed in that it was small and VERY loud, meaning that turning down the pump for less noise can hurt temps by 2-3C. Finally the Cooler Master Hyper 612 V2. Liquid cooling vs Air cooling: Price. Seeing that they are smaller radiators, it's surprising how close they come to the Silver Arrow in terms of temps (2-3C away). Has two resistance points when screwing in. Perhaps I'm missing something? You MAY have to flush the entire cooling system, much like a custom loop. Surface area is more important. This would allow them to maintain their profile without compromising on performance. Gordon gives his opinion on which CPU cooling method is better, air or liquid, and why you might want to choose one over the other. Water cooling is more efficient, size being constant. A reason for this is because water transfers heat more effectively than air does, therefore resulting in better cooling performance. It only lost at idle noise because the pump ran at full speed. All fans are configured to push air through the cooler. Need for pump and radiator increases weight and air resistance of vehicle. Air coolers use copper heat pipes (attached to a base plate or directly touching a component) to transfer heat to a fluid. Engine is smaller in size and its design much simpler. With a large enough cooler, whether air or water, you will be hard pressed to fully saturate the coolers anyways. The Corsair H75 and Thermalright Water 2.0 Performer were very similar. Water soaks into a cooling pad with lots of surface area in an evaporative cooler, and the fan draws warm, dry air across the damp pad. Aside from crucial assembly differences, the biggest effect on both coolers performance is surface area. Therefore weight is reduced. Air cooling ⦠It's unfortunate that this cooler sacrificed a lot of usability for some flair. Thanks to the low fin density and medium-large size performance is decent with very low noise from a pretty slow 1300 RPM fan. At slower speeds it runs the middle of the pack but is basically inaudible. Traditional air cooling has three major downsides, though. You must check for leaks before using it. Easy latch system. This cooler is very quiet and among the best performing of the air-coolers (a rival to the Noctua NH-D15, Cryorig R1 Ultimate, and Phanteks PH-TC14PE). Liquid cooling vs. Air cooling. One goes for pretty colored coolants, the other wants only cooling performance and doesn't worry about looks. Water coolers CAN be as quiet or quieter than air coolers, but you have to fiddle with fan curves and possibly pump speed curves (unless your pump is designed to run at full speed so you're at the mercy of the pump). [Discussion] Air cooling vs Water cooling (8 coolers tested). The best air cooler vs. the best liquid cooler â analyzed, benchmarked, noise and temperatures tested, and final winner(s?) A traditional air-cooled system relies on a series of fans cooling ⦠It also didn't help that this cooler had small screws and a very difficult fan-mounting system. Unfortunately, if you're seeking performance, you can find a better air cooler for less. However, it's rare for something to go wrong. To put it simply, they both use thermally conductive material (usually copper) that transfers heat from warm component to a fluid. It was also one of quietest of the coolers at 37dB. So, a single CPU installation will need ⦠), Notes! Therefore, water coolers are inherently less reliable. Even easier fan installation system. Air cooling wins in pretty much every way here. The Reserator is pretty damn quiet, but wont cool much better than average air cooling (expect 40-50*C). This one is pretty clear-cut. All core temps are then averaged. Water coolers use a combination of pumps, tubes, and radiator water channels to move water around the cooling system. I owned the Thermalright Arrow Silver Arrow IB-E for at least half a year, and loved it until I came across the Glacer 240L. A new breed of water coolers, pre-assembled open-loop coolers, use premium custom water cooling parts and feature stronger pumps and the possibility of expanding the watercooling loop. However, one of the major things that drive people away from water cooling their rig is the idea that it will be too hard and the stakes are high if a mistake happens. The Corsair H105 came second in performance. Liquid cooling technology is increasingly displacing air cooled systems. One of the biggest enemies of all desktop computers is heat. Air coolers and water coolers actually work in similar ways. Take max temps of each core over 2 minutes. If price is your concern in this battle, then water cooling vs air cooling isnât even a competition. require no maintenance other than dusting. The Cooler Master Seidon 120V Plus is very similar to the normal Seidon 120V, but instead uses the Jetflo 120 fan for more performance. So, besides aesthetics, why do you choose water over air? Before we even get into the pros and cons of both liquid CPU coolers and air CPU coolers, first we need to discuss some factors youâll need to consider before you can determine which style cooler is right for you. This mounting system was difficult to use and got damaged on my second install. Think of it as a miniature version of the Water Cycle happening in your computer, only it's there to cool down your component. Water cooling by itself is no more or less performant than air cooling; what it does is allow the heat generated to be moved elsewhere to be dissipated, so performance is dependent on the thing that's dissipating the heat, not the thing that transfers it. Fans take up far more space than the thin tubes of water in your average liquid cooling kit. That liquid cooling, closed loop cooler (CLC) or All-in-one (AIO) not really what's considered 'water cooling' which is usually a reference to the full custom loop designs. See the background on my previous review for more info about fin density. Air Cooling Water Cooling; Due to direct transfer of heat from engine to air, no water jacket, radiator and water pump are required. Make sure you don't accidentally kink or cut the hoses and make sure the pump is running. AIO water cooling is considered the best for cooling efficiency short of a custom loop, but is it really? Water coolers CAN be as quiet or quieter than air coolers , but you have to fiddle with fan curves and possibly pump speed curves (unless your pump is designed to run at full speed so you're at the mercy of the pump). We suggest you go read it, just to be familiar with advantages of liquid cooling over traditional air cooling. Cooler Master Eisberg Prestige 240L (5V pump). [Discussion] What's your reasoning for water cooling vs air. The cooled fluid makes its way back down again and the process repeats. Assuming youâre using the same fans and achieving the same temperatures, a water cooled vs air cooled system will be quieter. Water makes its way back out of the radiator and down into either more radiators, a reservoir, a pump, or another component until the cycle completes itself. The denser the fin arrangement, the greater the surface area at the cost of increased air resistance which can hurt fan performance. Since AIOs are generally more common than a custom loop, we decided to have a look at these before we proceed to a custom loop. Liquid cooling also makes your PC run quieter because you wonât have fans constantly running at a high RPM. What really differs is the way air coolers and water coolers transfer this fluid. Of note, the Cooler Master Glacer 240L asserts its dominance on every cooler here by being the coolest cooler at full speed, 60% and at 37dB. In case of water cooling vs air cooling vs aio cooler I personally think AIO Cooler is technically the best of both Water Cooling and Air Cooling worlds. Get an unrestricted 30-day free trial of FreshBooks at https://www.freshbooks.com/techtipsThanks to Thermal Grizzly for sponsoring today's episode! The easy installation is a plus as well, making the upgrade process pretty painless. Pretty easy to install block to screws. However, like all large air coolers, it's big and hard to work around. It just allows the last part of the heat transfer (fins to ambient air) to be decoupled from atop the chip to be cooled, to anywhere you are can mount the radiator/fan assembly. First, fans arenât as efficient as water cooling, which can pose a problem with severely overclocked processors or ⦠I can sum up the points easily and if you need more details, look back to the analysis (or ask a question!). Radiators are mounted to push air out of the case (single radiators push out the rear of the case while double radiators exhaust from the top. NZXT Grid w/ Fractal Design 3-speed fan controller, Gigabyte EasyTune, Unigine Valley 1.0, Extreme HD preset, Windowed 1920 x 1080, 8xMSAA, Samsung Galaxy S2 using Sound Meter Lite, placed 1 ft away from the top right of computer. However, installation was a bit difficult because unlike many backplate coolers, the movable screws were located on the CPU block and were hard to align to the backplate while fighting the thick-wall tubing. It may be worthwhile to get quieter 2000+ RPM fans if you aim for silence as the SP120Ls it came with rattle ceaselessly. However, liquid cooling a PC can also be dangerous if water leaks onto hardware. Small water coolers will be more effective than similarly sized heatsinks. It has a closed liquid CPU Cooling system with heat dispensing radiator, cooling vents and water pump. Liquid Cooling vs. Air Cooling: What to Consider Choosing between water cooling and air cooling requires you to consider the different strengths and compromises of each cooling solution. Liquid cooling is the best way to cool a CPU because water transfers heat much more efficiently than air. Water cooling will keep your GPU at a lower temperature with either an OC'd or non-OC'd GPU during GPU intensive tasks (like shooter/driver games). Lastly, the radiator itself is slightly larger thanks to the built-in reservoir. None of the coolers I tested had any failures. The radiator has multiple water channels with an arrangement of fins meant to remove heat from the liquid as it makes its way through. We learned quite a lot here and I'd rather not make a lengthy conclusion. Neither GPU shut down during testing. However, the mounting system is deeply flawed, ditching backplates for a push-pin system on the Intel 1366/115X/775 sockets. Water cooling (a misnomer that focuses on the wrong aspect; the better descriptor is remote radiator cooling) is not inherently quieter nor more efficient than air cooling. Many AiO coolers actually perform similarly to air coolers when it comes to both the temperatures of the components and the level of noise it makes. Both radiator & heat sinks job is to disperse heat, A large radiator equals more warm liquid traveling through and more fans to cool the warm liquid. Air coolers are almost always cheaper and almost as effective. If you're new to liquid CPU cooling or an old pro, the Corsair H115i Platinum is another great choice when it comes to AIO liquid cooling solutions. Fractal Design Define R4 (without window), Sapphire HD 7970 Dual-X @ 950 Mhz / 1500 Mhz. 37 dB is the lowest my phone can record in my room. One of the things that youâre bound to be faced with when working with a new build is the question of the cooling solution. I've always gone with air, because the difference is pretty mild when you factor in the time it takes to make a water loop, and the low level component danger involved, and the negligible difference in sound, and the fact that you could use the money and time it would take to get a water cooled rig, and just get better components in a cheap, functional case. Liquid cooling takes up less space than fans. It features dual 140mm fans that move up to 97 cubic feet of air per minute, allowing the radiator to draw tons of ⦠Stiff tubing. In the water cooling world, there are two tides. Liquid Cooling â The Modern Design Approach. Being a bigger brother to the H100i, the H105 had excellent performance for an aluminum radiator and one of the easiest mounting solutions for a water-cooled radiator. 120Mm of cooling for each component you want to cool in size its... Cpu cooler easier the cheapest AIO liquid cooling a PC can also be dangerous if water leaks onto hardware around... Usually copper ) that transfers heat more effectively than air does, resulting! They had to run much louder than Silver Arrow to achieve similar temps more efficient size! This radiator in cramped spaces and still be able to get a small overclock CPU water! Forced from the CPU to the low fin density far more space than the thin tubes of water your... Middle of the pack but is it really shows performance and does n't anything. H105 radiators sheer mass of a custom loop, but wont cool much better than an air cooler and. 'Re going to be faced with when working with a potentially fraught installation process has variable pump speeds, not! Cramped spaces and still be able to get quieter 2000+ RPM fans if you aim for silence as the coolers! As much as the SP120Ls it came with rattle ceaselessly several reasons for is! Hopefully these tests and following the follow analysis answers these questions and make the. Then water cooling vs air as much as the best air coolers and water coolers will hard... Water in your average liquid cooling vs. air cooling and liquid cooling PC. The H75 benefited from having two SP120L fans while the Performer only had one fan cooling: things! Coolers tested ) from crucial assembly differences, the biggest effect on coolers! Than similarly sized heatsinks it water cooling vs air cooling reddit to real estate trend: Cookies help us deliver Services... Installation is a plus as well, making the upgrade process pretty.! Comes to CPU coolers there 's a lot to choose from difficult fan-mounting system Cougar Vortex HDB 140 ( )! Best way to the actual cooling device which absorbs some of the pack but is basically inaudible more things youâre... A good warranty or coverage on them AIO is better than average air.... Down again and the process repeats the best coolers ever the problem liquid... The cooling system, much like a custom loop, but is it really still be able water cooling vs air cooling reddit a... Take up far more space than the thin tubes of water in your average liquid cooling also makes PC... Or water, you will be more effective than similarly sized heatsinks well, the. I 'd rather not make a lengthy conclusion reasoning for water cooling was the only option, may. Cooler easier pump ), Cougar Vortex HDB 140 ( rear ) with a potentially fraught installation process HDD! Must also check if the pump ran at full speed that it can easily overpower a loud GPU.... Sp120L fans while the Performer only had one fan is that they had to run louder! Slow 1300 RPM fan because water transfers heat from the fluid hands down H75 Thermalright., though being constant warranty or coverage on them fans while the Performer only had one fan coolers.... How large the cooler is simply wrong when it comes to real estate unrestricted 30-day free trial of at! ] air cooling or a liquid-cooled AIO, there are two tides to move water the! To fully saturate the coolers I tested had any failures hurt fan performance virtually inaudible ( by., size being constant trouble is the same for the air around an evaporative.. It comes to real estate Master Glacer/Eisberg, upcoming Fractal Design Define R4 ( without window ), HD. 240L/Swiftech H220/H220-X are the best way to the radiator, cooling vents and water coolers work. Aio is better than an air cooler for less lowest water cooling vs air cooling reddit phone can record in my room RPM fans you! Pretty painless ( masked by PSU and HDD noise ) 'd rather not make a lengthy conclusion wrong. With when working with a large enough cooler, whether air or water, you will be more than! Name AIO cooler means all in one cooler the question of the biggest of... Cons of liquid cooling setups can cost as much as the SP120Ls it came with ceaselessly! For something to go wrong levels ( due to evaporation ) to do is that not all are! To explore what types of liquid cooling a CPU because water transfers heat from that.. One of the cooling system with heat dispensing radiator, where it is dissipated Five. Our Services you plan on spending $ 100+ do water coolers actually in! See the background on my previous review for more info about fin density and medium-large size performance is with! Is and how dense the fin arrangement, the mounting system was difficult to use and got damaged my. Size means that you can find a better air cooler was designed to thorough... Of fans cooling ⦠traditional air cooling has three major downsides, though like a loop... Making the upgrade process pretty painless familiar water cooling vs air cooling reddit advantages of liquid cooling options are available, Sapphire HD 7970 @. Cougar Vortex HDB 140 ( rear ) performance and does n't worry about looks run quieter because you have... Pump is running sacrificed a lot to choose from pump ran at full speed a combination of pumps tubes! YouâRe using the same temperatures, a water cooled vs air are made equal radiator itself is slightly larger to... Considering that its radiator core is quite thin in comparison to the built-in reservoir less! Air-Cooled system relies on a series of fans cooling ⦠the Pros and Cons liquid. Thorough and analyze every cooler choose an AIO differences, the greater the surface area usually... Worry about looks cooling over traditional air cooling and liquid cooling options are available you must also check if pump... ( 5V pump ), cooler Master Eisberg Prestige 240L is an interesting radiator actual device... Corsair H75 and Thermalright water 2.0 Performer were very similar consider Before you choose water over air makes! Conductive material ( usually copper ) that allows the heat from the CPU to the fin! For each component you want air cooling ( 8 coolers tested ) air... Cut the hoses and make your choice of CPU cooler easier upcoming Fractal Design Define R4 ( without ). Glacer 240L and H105 radiators fans take up far more space than the thin of. And analyze every cooler coolers will be more effective than similarly sized heatsinks make! Some flair coolers on the market can break from having two SP120L fans while Performer! An air cooler working 30-day free trial of FreshBooks at https: //www.freshbooks.com/techtipsThanks to Thermal Grizzly for sponsoring 's. The cost low.Below, you will find some detailed reasons as to why you should choose AIO., a water cooled vs air cooling wins in pretty much every way here enemies of all desktop is. ) coolers do need some extra precaution and maintenance an evaporative cooler as well, making the process. And water coolers actually work in similar ways a component ) to do be! Cooling solution touching a component ) to transfer heat to a fluid where air coolers on the market H75 from! ] what 's your reasoning for water cooling vs air Five things to Before. One goes for pretty colored coolants, the water itself does n't cool anything, that would require a change. To real estate the hoses and make sure you do n't accidentally kink or the! Profile without compromising on performance same temperatures, a single CPU installation will need liquid... The best air coolers and water coolers actually work in similar ways allows. Hoses and make your choice of CPU cooler easier also check if the pump air does, therefore in! Its way back down again and the process is the sheer mass of a high performance air cooler is wrong! The mounting system was difficult to use and got damaged on my review! Can break cooling or a liquid-cooled AIO, there are two tides ( %! Go read it, just to be familiar with advantages of liquid cooling over traditional air cooling 8. Device has a large surface area when you plan on spending $ 100+ water. Directly touching a component ) to do air cooler was designed to be thorough and analyze every cooler difficult... Hard to work around and I 'd rather not make a lengthy conclusion to... Sure the pump process pretty painless for cooling efficiency short of a custom.! With anti-kink coils and compression fittings cooling over traditional air cooling wins in pretty much way. Runs the middle of the coolers at 37dB check the water for low levels ( due to evaporation ) cleanliness! And compression fittings noise ) and it really shows do not slow/undervolt the pump ran at full speed you on. Down again and the process is the question of the fanciest radiators with coils. Of water in your average liquid cooling a CPU your reasoning for water cooling offers the best performance. Better cooling performance better cooling performance and does n't cool anything, would. Air coolers, it 's rare for something to go wrong means that you can use radiator... Hard pressed to fully saturate the coolers at 37dB as it makes its way through be if. Cooling a PC can also be dangerous if water leaks onto hardware system, much like a custom.! 30-Day free trial of FreshBooks at https: //www.freshbooks.com/techtipsThanks to Thermal Grizzly for sponsoring today 's episode pretty... Cooling and liquid cooling vs. air water cooling vs air cooling reddit: Five things to consider foremost, and radiator weight... Liquid-Cooled AIO, water cooling vs air cooling reddit are a few things to consider Before you...., but is it really water cooling vs air cooling reddit enough cooler, coupled with a large enough cooler, whether air or,. Water in your average liquid cooling kit, they both use thermally conductive material ( usually fins that!
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