AIO vs Air cool

[xzplicit]

I don’t know what cpu cooler to get , any suggestions ? My build will be a 3900x

[Stormseeker9]

4 minutes ago, xzplicit said:

I don’t know what cpu cooler to get , any suggestions ? My build will be a 3900x

Noctua D15, Dark rock pro 4, NZXT kraken X52/62 

[Mooshi]

Anything from Noctua is a solid choice. AIOs are more show than go compared to high end air coolers that cost less.

Edited July 24, 2019 by Mooshi

[another_member]

10 minutes ago, Stormseeker9 said:

Noctua D15, Dark rock pro 4, NZXT kraken X52/62 

NZXT Kraken X72 for 360mm rad

[Stormseeker9]

38 minutes ago, Catchears said:

NZXT Kraken X72 for 360mm rad

Okay

[xzplicit]

Many friends are suggesting I get the Dark Pro 4 / nh model instead of a water cooler. 

They say it’s better and cheaper but I personally don’t find it appealing to they eye. Is water cool really that bad ? 

What are pros / cons of air cooling ?

what are pros/ cons of water cooling ?

[Skiiwee29]

THe DRP4 is better than most AIOs on the market. A few of the top end 280/360mm will beat it, not by much though. It will beat almost all the 240mm AIOs out there. 

 

Air cooling:

 

Pro - no dying of pumps, only dead fans, which is extremely rare if you clean them properly and regularly.

Con- Can be loud depending on the fans used and RPMs. The Silent Wings on DRP coolers are top notch and about as quiet as they come for fans.

 

Water cooling - AIO Specific:

 

Pro- Can be quieter than air cooling with some tweaking of pump/fan curves.

Pro- Can have premium looks compared to air coolers

Con- Pump failures take the whole system down with it.

Con- Permeation, while it can take many many years, 5+ usually, but you do lose liquid in AIOs and are usually not able to refill them, so when its gone, its gone. 

[Shreyas1]

AIOs can be cooler, but not by much, so air coolers are usually a better value. Also what CPU do you have? If it can't oc or you're not planning to then you probably shouldn't get either and save your money with a cheaper cooler 

[xzplicit]

1 minute ago, Skiiwee29 said:

THe DRP4 is better than most AIOs on the market. A few of the top end 280/360mm will beat it, not by much though. It will beat almost all the 240mm AIOs out there. 

 

Air cooling:

 

Pro - no dying of pumps, only dead fans, which is extremely rare if you clean them properly and regularly.

Con- Can be loud depending on the fans used and RPMs. The Silent Wings on DRP coolers are top notch and about as quiet as they come for fans.

 

Water cooling - AIO Specific:

 

Pro- Can be quieter than air cooling with some tweaking of pump/fan curves.

Pro- Can have premium looks compared to air coolers

Con- Pump failures take the whole system down with it.

Con- Permeation, while it can take many many years, 5+ usually, but you do lose liquid in AIOs and are usually not able to refill them, so when its gone, its gone. 

 

2 minutes ago, Shreyas1 said:

AIOs can be cooler, but not by much, so air coolers are usually a better value. Also what CPU do you have? If it can't oc or you're not planning to then you probably shouldn't get either and save your money with a cheaper cooler 

I haven’t built my pc yet but I’m gonna go with a 3900x paired with a 2080 Oc

[Skiiwee29]

Just now, xzplicit said:

 

I haven’t built my pc yet but I’m gonna go with a 3900x paired with a 2080 Oc

Honestly, I have a full custom loop in my system, but I also have air coolers (Cryorig R1 Ultimate)  on stand by in case of pump failure. 

[xzplicit]

3 minutes ago, Skiiwee29 said:

THe DRP4 is better than most AIOs on the market. A few of the top end 280/360mm will beat it, not by much though. It will beat almost all the 240mm AIOs out there. 

 

Air cooling:

 

Pro - no dying of pumps, only dead fans, which is extremely rare if you clean them properly and regularly.

Con- Can be loud depending on the fans used and RPMs. The Silent Wings on DRP coolers are top notch and about as quiet as they come for fans.

 

Water cooling - AIO Specific:

 

Pro- Can be quieter than air cooling with some tweaking of pump/fan curves.

Pro- Can have premium looks compared to air coolers

Con- Pump failures take the whole system down with it.

Con- Permeation, while it can take many many years, 5+ usually, but you do lose liquid in AIOs and are usually not able to refill them, so when its gone, its gone. 

For the water cooling , is pump failure common ? And how does it happen / what can make it happen ? 

 

And when we lose the liquid , we would have to get a brand new AIO?

[Skiiwee29]

1 minute ago, xzplicit said:

For the water cooling , is pump failure common ? And how does it happen / what can make it happen ? 

 

And when we lose the liquid , we would have to get a brand new AIO?

Pump failure isnt very common, but does happen more frequently on AIOs compared to custom D5 or DDC pumps. As for the cause, I do not know as generally the manufactures dont release data on what causes it so it would be all speculation on my end which I dont like doing. 

 

Usually with the liquid, it almost always happens outside the warranty window so you would not get a brand new AIO unless you by it. 

[xzplicit]

16 minutes ago, Skiiwee29 said:

Pump failure isnt very common, but does happen more frequently on AIOs compared to custom D5 or DDC pumps. As for the cause, I do not know as generally the manufactures dont release data on what causes it so it would be all speculation on my end which I dont like doing. 

 

Usually with the liquid, it almost always happens outside the warranty window so you would not get a brand new AIO unless you by it. 

So what would be the best AIO out there in terms of it being reliable and really good ? I’m Willing to pay any amount of $, I want my build to look nice but also be secure so I don’t want to go with the cheap AIOs

[Tonberry]

Watch this. They might help you to make decision.

 

 

 

 

Are these air coolers not good enough to please your eyes?

Spoiler

 

 

 

[WoodenMarker]

1 hour ago, Skiiwee29 said:

THe DRP4 is better than most AIOs on the market. A few of the top end 280/360mm will beat it, not by much though. It will beat almost all the 240mm AIOs out there. 

If by better you mean overall with noise taken into account, that may be true. In terms of raw performance without regard to noise, the DRP4 falls behind most 240mm's. 

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/be-quiet-dark-rock-pro-4/6.html

https://www.hardocp.com/article/2018/05/24/be_quiet_dark_rock_pro_4_cpu_air_cooler_review/3

https://www.eteknix.com/be-quiet-dark-rock-pro-4-air-cooler-review/

http://tech-legend.com/reviews/be-quiet-dark-rock-pro-4/3/

https://www.techtesters.eu/be-quiet-dark-rock-pro-4-review/

https://hardzone.es/reviews/disipadores-refrigeracion/analisis-corsair-h100i-pro/

 

@PotatoCanDo! Please use spoilers when posting multiple photos or any other media that's particularly large.

 

@xzplicit What case are you using and what coolers do you consider appealing to the eye?

Where are you shopping / located? Budget?

[xzplicit]

4 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

If by better you mean overall with noise taken into account, that may be true. In terms of raw performance without regard to noise, the DRP4 falls behind most 240mm's. 

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/be-quiet-dark-rock-pro-4/6.html

https://www.hardocp.com/article/2018/05/24/be_quiet_dark_rock_pro_4_cpu_air_cooler_review/3

https://www.eteknix.com/be-quiet-dark-rock-pro-4-air-cooler-review/

http://tech-legend.com/reviews/be-quiet-dark-rock-pro-4/3/

https://www.techtesters.eu/be-quiet-dark-rock-pro-4-review/

https://hardzone.es/reviews/disipadores-refrigeracion/analisis-corsair-h100i-pro/

 

@PotatoCanDo! Please use spoilers when posting multiple photos or any other media that's particularly large.

 

@xzplicit What case are you using and what coolers do you consider appealing to the eye?

Where are you shopping / located? Budget?

I’m just in a weird place right now , I love the way AIOs look with the rgb, the Air coolers are not by any means “ugly” but they just stand out a lot in my opinion, but ultimately I will go with what’s best for the build and what will actually perform. If I can find a nice looking fan that is up to par with the unappealing Noctua I will go with that. 

I just want a nice looking air cool/ AIO that will compliment my build nicely and not be standing out a lot. (RGB would be noce but not necessary).

I am located in the U.S/ shopping online so any site .

[xzplicit]

42 minutes ago, PotatoCanDo! said:

Watch this. They might help you to make decision.

 

 

 

 

Are these air coolers not good enough to please your eyes?

 

Yes those are very nice , but are they 1) quiet 2) top notch , I want the best there is while also looking nice . What would you recommend ?

[WoodenMarker]

5 minutes ago, xzplicit said:

I am located in the U.S/ shopping online so any site .

What case are you using?

[Tonberry]

18 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

 

@PotatoCanDo! Please use spoilers when posting multiple photos or any other media that's particularly large.

Fixed.

 

8 minutes ago, xzplicit said:

Yes those are very nice , but are they 1) quiet 2) top notch , I want the best there is while also looking nice . What would you recommend ?

Those 2 air coolers are the top tier air coolers, those are the Dark Rock Pro 4 and the NH-D15, quiet and rivals any water coolers. Those are 2 of the best of air coolers in the world.

 

Watch that Jayztwocents video, that is that NH-D15 which rivals not even an AIO but a 360mm custom water cooling loop.

[xzplicit]

6 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

What case are you using?

I don’t have a case yet  that’s another issue I’m having , I wanted the Corsair 460x but I think I’m going to end up with the meshify C

[WoodenMarker]

1 minute ago, xzplicit said:

I don’t have a case yet  that’s another issue I’m having , I wanted the Corsair 460x but I think I’m going to end up with the meshify C

The Meshify C is excellent and hard to go wrong with.

A slimmer air cooler like the TS 140 Power might be blend in a bit more: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/qs6BD3/thermalright-cpu-cooler-truespirit140power

If that doesn't work and you want rgb, the H115i RGB Platinum is a good option: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/vTTPxr/corsair-h115i-rgb-platinum-970-cfm-liquid-cpu-cooler-cw-9060038-ww

 

You posted a related thread here: https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/1086091-what-case-fans-should-i-get-how-many/

I'd recommend keeping similar discussions in one thread so that other members have a better understanding of the situation and info doesn't need to be repeated. For example, you could just use the stock AIO fans for front intake instead of getting aftermarket fans separately.