Best AIO Liquid Cooling 2020

[ImportDaddy]

Hi guys,

 

I wanted to start this thread because I urgently have to upgrade from from my single fan 120mm Corsair AIO liquid cooler to possibly a 360mm AIO cooler for maximum longevity and performance for overclocking and case air intake. I have an i7 7700k and a year or two ago I had an emergency where my AIO failed and I didn't have money so I had to buy this one, did a push&pull and used my case without a front panel. P400 phanteks I believe, the front panel was a solid blockade for airflow. Now that I got the mesh panel for it I need a decent 360mm or perhaps a 240mm or a 280mm. I just want us to figure out which one is the best and most reliable.

That being said so far I've got two contenders, the NZXT Kraken Z73 360mm and the Corsair iCUE H150i RGB PRO XT 360mm. Show me the golden rated coolers gamers.

[KnowledgeByTech]

Seeing as almost every AIO is an Asetec partner cooler, it really just comes down to what generation of pump your unit has (most commonly Gen 5-7) and the static pressure of the included fans to guarantee the best performance.

 

-NZXT is currently the first Asetec partner to feature the new Gen 7 pump (on the Z63 & Z73 models), however they retail around $250-280 USD per unit which is relatively high when compared to the Gen 5 and 6 counterparts.

 

-Corsair is well rounded

 

-Enermax coolers as of now suffer from corrosion and internal growth (fix in progress)

 

-EVGA currently has some of the highest static pressure fans on any Asetec partner AIO cooler (74-113.5 CFM) on CLC 280 & CLC 360.

 

-ASUS has hate it or love it ROG branding and a MASSIVE pricetag

 

 -Cooler Master is yucky

 

-Thermaltake is meh

 

I personally would recommend the NZXT Kraken X62 and X72, as after the release of the new Z63 and Z73 coolers, NZXT has lowered their prices. They're well-rounded much like the Corsair coolers, however NZXT has better software.

[Letgomyleghoe]

the new corsair rgb pro xt aios are sexy af, cant really speak performance wise though, I just love the black instead of the grey.

[GreatnessRD]

20 minutes ago, scuff gang said:

the new corsair rgb pro xt aios are sexy af, cant really speak performance wise though, I just love the black instead of the grey.

Those new XT versions are pretty hot. I just wish the fans that came with them were RGB, too. But it is legit tough!

[ImportDaddy]

2 hours ago, KnowledgeByTech said:

Seeing as almost every AIO is an Asetec partner cooler, it really just comes down to what generation of pump your unit has (most commonly Gen 5-7) and the static pressure of the included fans to guarantee the best performance.

 

-NZXT is currently the first Asetec partner to feature the new Gen 7 pump (on the Z63 & Z73 models), however they retail around $250-280 USD per unit which is relatively high when compared to the Gen 5 and 6 counterparts.

 

-Corsair is well rounded

 

-Enermax coolers as of now suffer from corrosion and internal growth (fix in progress)

 

-EVGA currently has some of the highest static pressure fans on any Asetec partner AIO cooler (74-113.5 CFM) on CLC 280 & CLC 360.

 

-ASUS has hate it or love it ROG branding and a MASSIVE pricetag

 

 -Cooler Master is yucky

 

-Thermaltake is meh

 

I personally would recommend the NZXT Kraken X62 and X72, as after the release of the new Z63 and Z73 coolers, NZXT has lowered their prices. They're well-rounded much like the Corsair coolers, however NZXT has better software.

Seems like the X63 and X73 are currently even cheaper than the 62-72 models and hell!! I didn't know they were RGB??? So looking at it this way the X73 is still at least 20$ cheaper than the corsair's 360mm. Also corsair uses magnet bearings while NZXT uses fluid dynamic, I thought magnets were better for the lifespan but regardless, I think I'm going with NZXT. 280mm 360mm does it make a difference?

[KnowledgeByTech]

280`s and 360`s usually only produce at most a 5 degree variation in temps under load when testing using a 9900K at 5Ghz with 1.28V in my own experience. The difference in performance is not significant unless you are cooling a higher core count CPU (like Threadripper; which may benefit in sustained clock speeds slightly) or going for straight performance over value.

[ImportDaddy]

On 3/22/2020 at 4:30 PM, KnowledgeByTech said:

280`s and 360`s usually only produce at most a 5 degree variation in temps under load when testing using a 9900K at 5Ghz with 1.28V in my own experience. The difference in performance is not significant unless you are cooling a higher core count CPU (like Threadripper; which may benefit in sustained clock speeds slightly) or going for straight performance over value.

So I should just get a 240mm and be done with it since it doesn't have much difference between 280mm or 360mm?

[ImportDaddy]

18 minutes ago, ImportDaddy said:

So I should just get a 240mm and be done with it since it doesn't have much difference between 280mm or 360mm?

 

On 3/22/2020 at 4:30 PM, KnowledgeByTech said:

280`s and 360`s usually only produce at most a 5 degree variation in temps under load when testing using a 9900K at 5Ghz with 1.28V in my own experience. The difference in performance is not significant unless you are cooling a higher core count CPU (like Threadripper; which may benefit in sustained clock speeds slightly) or going for straight performance over value.

Well regardless I just found out with my case if I want to use a 360mm I have to remove the midplate and all of the HDD slots so the question now is do I get 240 or a 280mm.

[KnowledgeByTech]

A 240 should cool almost anything fine, Gamers Nexus's, and Optimum Tech's CPU test benches use 240mm AIO's and so it would likely be more than fine for daily use.

[Falkentyne]

Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360 is not made by Asetec and can keep a multicore CPU drawing a power virus load of 250 amps and 300 watts+ under 100C.