AIO or not?

[jtsoi]

Looking to cool a i9-9900K in a new build. Is there any point in getting an AIO or water cooling in general nowadays with today's air coolers? Looking to get either the Noctua DH-15S, Noctua NH-U12A, or an EVGA CLC 280.

[LukeSavenije]

I'd get a nhd15 or drp4

 

but if you do get an aio, get at least a 280mm

[RollinLower]

depends. imo watercooling is only worth it when you go custom watercooling, so you can get a specific loop for your hardware requirements.

that being said, if you are going for a case with restricted airflow you might be better off getting a AIO.

[Sorenson]

Personally I would go with an AIO. You will probably get about the same performance (maybe a degree or two cooler with a really good air cooler) but I personally don't like all of the weight of an air cooler on my motherboard. 

[SnowyMus]

I'd personally get the air cooler if your case allows it, as you can save a bit of money here.

[Oalei]

It depends whether you like it very quiet or just a little bit of noises, Air cooler is quieter i believe especially NH-D15.

[Princess Luna]

Even the Dark Rock 4 is sufficient for the i9 9900K.

 

If you want to ensure a high end overclocking and what not though might go for the Dark Rock 4 Pro.

 

AiO's are extremely overpriced and overrated.

[Sorenson]

6 minutes ago, Princess Luna said:

Even the Dark Rock 4 is sufficient for the i9 9900K.

 

If you want to ensure a high end overclocking and what not though might go for the Dark Rock 4 Pro.

 

AiO's are extremely overpriced and overrated.

The Dark Rock 4 is 68.99

 

The cooler Master ML240L is 69.99 for a 240 AIO. I'm not sure where you're getting they are overpriced. 

[Princess Luna]

4 minutes ago, Sorenson said:

The cooler Master ML240L is 69.99 for a 240 AIO. I'm not sure where you're getting they are overpriced. 

Probably because the Dark Rock 4 is a high performance cooler with premium high quality heatsink and dead silent high end fans that outperforms the ML240L at everything because the ML240L is an entry level AiO with bad thermal performance, loud fans and very prone to pump failure.

[Sorenson]

5 minutes ago, Princess Luna said:

Probably because the Dark Rock 4 is a high performance cooler with premium high quality heatsink and dead silent high end fans that outperforms the ML240L at everything because the ML240L is an entry level AiO with bad thermal performance, loud fans and very prone to pump failure.

According to Tom'shardware testing, the cooler master ML240L out performs the Dark rock 4 in cooling, but is indeed louder. I was just commenting that AIO's can be had for very reasonable prices. Also the Dark Rock 4 is more of a mid range air cooler, while the Dark Rock Pro 4 is the high end variant. 

 

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooler-master-master-liquid-ml240l-rgb,5345-2.html

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/be-quiet-dark-rock-4-cpu-cooler,5563-2.html

[Tristerin]

Water - Reaches Thermal Equilibrium Slower, Cools back down Slower

Air - Reaches Thermal Equilibrium very quickly, Cools back down very quickly

 

Both work very well.

[DarkSmith2]

Aio will last you maybe 2 years before it degrades or dies, 

Air cooler will last you 2 decades for the same or better performance to noise ratio,

choose yourself.

[SolarNova]

Get DRP4 if you dont like Noctua color scheme, otherwise get the NH-D15.

 

Dont bother with AIO's. While a 360mm AIO can beat top end air coolers, they are damn expensive and will be noisier.