need help picking a cooler

[LunyJake]

I'm getting a 9700k with plans to overclock it as high as I can. I was going to get the Corsair H150i RGB PRO XT (360mm) but it is out of stock then this got me wondering, would it be better to get the 280mm version and mount it to the front as intake? I heard front intake radiators are better for temps with both the GPU and CPU. Would the 280mm version (H115i RGB PRO XT) be enough to cool a overclocked 9700k or should I buy the regular pro 360mm version until the all black version comes in stock? My case is the Corsair 750D if that helps. Thanks!

[vong]

10 minutes ago, LunyJake said:

I'm getting a 9700k with plans to overclock it as high as I can. I was going to get the Corsair H150i RGB PRO XT (360mm) but it is out of stock then this got me wondering, would it be better to get the 280mm version and mount it to the front as intake? I heard front intake radiators are better for temps with both the GPU and CPU. Would the 280mm version (H115i RGB PRO XT) be enough to cool a overclocked 9700k or should I buy the regular pro 360mm version until the all black version comes in stock? My case is the Corsair 750D if that helps. Thanks!

360 rad doesn't perform that much better than a 280.

[Andiq]

If you check the vid Linus made on Air vs Water the 360 perfomed worse then the 280 ...

[LogicalDrm]

Where have you heard that using AIO as front intake is better for GPU temps? Logically and realistically that doesn't make any sense. CPU temps are better, for a fact. But GPU would be using hotter air coming from rad for cooling. Versus using normal room temp air coming from front intakes.

 

As for cooling performance. Both options are good and working for overclocking. The temp difference in real world solutions is minimal. For synthetic loads, and going for highest possible clocks, hard to say. As that also depends on your chip.

[LunyJake]

6 hours ago, LogicalDrm said:

Where have you heard that using AIO as front intake is better for GPU temps? Logically and realistically that doesn't make any sense. CPU temps are better, for a fact. But GPU would be using hotter air coming from rad for cooling. Versus using normal room temp air coming from front intakes.

 

As for cooling performance. Both options are good and working for overclocking. The temp difference in real world solutions is minimal. For synthetic loads, and going for highest possible clocks, hard to say. As that also depends on your chip.

Made a mistake only meant to put CPU but thanks for the help!

 

 

7 hours ago, Andiq said:

If you check the vid Linus made on Air vs Water the 360 perfomed worse then the 280 ...

Thanks I’ll watch that video

 

8 hours ago, vong said:

360 rad doesn't perform that much better than a 280.

Good to know thanks

[Shrepto]

I've had the H115i which is a 280mm radiator and it performed well when it worked.  Unfortunately after about 1.5 years of use it developed a clog I think.  My 9700k was hitting 100c during Prime95 tests without an overclock.

This has been a major turn off from AIOs for me.  I would recommend the Noctua NH-D15.  The worst case scenario is a fan stops working.  You'll be able to diagnose that pretty fast and it has remarkable cooling capability.

[LogicalDrm]

5 minutes ago, Shrepto said:

I've had the H115i which is a 280mm radiator and it performed well when it worked.  Unfortunately after about 1.5 years of use it developed a clog I think.  My 9700k was hitting 100c during Prime95 tests without an overclock.

If it was only then producing those numbers, then sure. But if you had some issue with AIO, you would hear it from pump making more noise. Also, P95 is very heavy stress test and if you don't have tweaks, Intel chips will draw more voltage then they need. So saying it like that doesn't provide much help in this question.

[Shrepto]

I don't have the numbers before this, but this was like one minute into Prime95.  On the NH-D15S it doesn't go above 55c during the test.  It would regularly hit temps in the low to mid 70s playing Apex Legends at 144hz 1440p.  Now It barely comes close to 50c.  I want to say it was a clog because pump speed was playing a MAJOR factor in its performance.  This was on 3100 RPM extreme setting.  Turning it to quiet setting would cause temps to rise by over 10c which shouldn't happen in a loop.  I feel like the extra pressure from the pump speed was needed to bypass coolant through the blockage at a normal speed.  I should note I also reseated the cooler multiple times with new thermal paste to determine that wasn't part of the issue.