What’s a good 240mm aio for i7 12700k

[nusp]

I was gonna get the Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L RGB V2 or the MSI MAG Series CORELIQUID 240R but I wanted to make sure that they are good enough to cooler the i7 12700k the pc will be used for gaming and some video editing probably won’t be overclocked 

[GuiltySpark_]

The only options worth considering are the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240 or EK-AIO 240 D-RGB. Consistently the best performers and not just rebranded models from Asetek/Cool-It.

[RONOTHAN##]

First off, what case are you gonna be using? Usually it makes more sense to get a big air cooler than a 240mm AIO if you can fit it in your case since they're half the price and the same performance. 

 

Second, if you aren't gonna overclock, then there's not really a point in getting the 12700K. The 12700F is ~$50 cheaper and roughly the same performance in basically everything.

 

Finally, if you are gonna be getting a 240mm AIO, avoid the MSI one, they've had a lot of issues lately with them clogging up. The Cooler Master one isn't bad per say, but it's not particularly amazing. If it's really cheap, sure go for it, but you'll get something better performing by getting an Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240mm or going for something from EK. 

[nusp]

6 minutes ago, RONOTHAN## said:

First off, what case are you gonna be using? Usually it makes more sense to get a big air cooler than a 240mm AIO if you can fit it in your case since they're half the price and the same performance. 

 

Second, if you aren't gonna overclock, then there's not really a point in getting the 12700K. The 12700F is ~$50 cheaper and roughly the same performance in basically everything.

 

Finally, if you are gonna be getting a 240mm AIO, avoid the MSI one, they've had a lot of issues lately with them clogging up. The Cooler Master one isn't bad per say, but it's not particularly amazing. If it's really cheap, sure go for it, but you'll get something better performing by getting an Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240mm or going for something from EK. 

The case I’ll be using is the Corsair 4000x rgb and I wanted a aio that has rgb and they seem to get decent reviews but is there a rgb aio that you recommended 

[IkeaGnome]

4 minutes ago, nusp said:

The case I’ll be using is the Corsair 4000x rgb and I wanted a aio that has rgb and they seem to get decent reviews but is there a rgb aio that you recommended 

https://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-Liquid-Freezer-RGB-Multi-Compatible/dp/B099RSPC2H?th=1

This mounted up top is a great balance of 240mmish cost and 360mm performance while having RGB fans. That being said, for less you could just get the non rgb version and put your Corsair RGB fans on it.

https://www.amazon.com/ARCTIC-Liquid-Freezer-All-One/dp/B07WP6M7P7/ref=sr_1_1?crid=D1MIITV8WW1V&keywords=LIQUID+FREEZER+2+280&qid=1657062913&s=electronics&sprefix=liquid+freezer+2+280%2Celectronics%2C229&sr=1-1

[RONOTHAN##]

2 minutes ago, nusp said:

The case I’ll be using is the Corsair 4000x rgb and I wanted a aio that has rgb and they seem to get decent reviews but is there a rgb aio that you recommended 

Both of the ones I suggested have RGB variants. You could just buy RGB fans to go with them as well. 

 

Also, just saying, you might want to avoid the 4000X. It's not a particularly great since the intakes are covered in glass so temps are higher than other cases. There are other cases that have better thermals with just as much RGB for about the same cost as the 4000X. 

[Shimejii]

19 minutes ago, nusp said:

I was gonna get the Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L RGB V2 or the MSI MAG Series CORELIQUID 240R but I wanted to make sure that they are good enough to cooler the i7 12700k the pc will be used for gaming and some video editing probably won’t be overclocked 

Avoid both, Cheap AIOS are almost never worth it, and the MSI MAG Series has had MASSIVE recalls. CM ML 240L Has also had pretty mediocre results.

 

I always reccomend 280 for i7 and i9 at minimum, or 360 if you can fit.  Arctic Freezer II, or Some Fractal units can be good. Corsair is pretty hit or miss with their AIOs, and id avoid anything NZXT due to pricing.

15 minutes ago, RONOTHAN## said:

First off, what case are you gonna be using? Usually it makes more sense to get a big air cooler than a 240mm AIO if you can fit it in your case since they're half the price and the same performance. 

 

Second, if you aren't gonna overclock, then there's not really a point in getting the 12700K. The 12700F is ~$50 cheaper and roughly the same performance in basically everything.

 

Finally, if you are gonna be getting a 240mm AIO, avoid the MSI one, they've had a lot of issues lately with them clogging up. The Cooler Master one isn't bad per say, but it's not particularly amazing. If it's really cheap, sure go for it, but you'll get something better performing by getting an Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240mm or going for something from EK. 

I will always never recommend removing the IGPU if its not beyond a certain price point. The troubleshooting ability and fix of just having one has fixed SO many issues for helping friends and others when trying to help. I understand if the price is a ton higher, 50$ sounds a lot higher then what it normally is,  its usually a 15$-20$ difference.

[nusp]

5 minutes ago, RONOTHAN## said:

Both of the ones I suggested have RGB variants. You could just buy RGB fans to go with them as well. 

 

Also, just saying, you might want to avoid the 4000X. It's not a particularly great since the intakes are covered in glass so temps are higher than other cases. There are other cases that have better thermals with just as much RGB for about the same cost as the 4000X. 

 

5 minutes ago, Shimejii said:

Avoid both, Cheap AIOS are almost never worth it, and the MSI MAG Series has had MASSIVE recalls. CM ML 240L Has also had pretty mediocre results.

 

I always reccomend 280 for i7 and i9 at minimum, or 360 if you can fit.  Arctic Freezer II, or Some Fractal units can be good. Corsair is pretty hit or miss with their AIOs, and id avoid anything NZXT due to pricing.

I will always never recommend removing the IGPU if its not beyond a certain price point. The troubleshooting ability and fix of just having one has fixed SO many issues for helping friends and others when trying to help. I understand if the price is a ton higher, 50$ sounds a lot higher then what it normally is,  its usually a 15$-20$ difference.

Do you think it would be better to go 360mm instead of 240mm

[IkeaGnome]

2 minutes ago, Shimejii said:

  its usually a 15$-20$ difference.

Alder lake hasn't seemed to be that way. Even the 12400 vs 12400f is almost $50 difference. 12600K/KF is only a $11 difference. 

Interestingly, the 12900F is $20 cheaper than the non F while the KF is $10 more than the 12900k. 

The prices on Alder Lake are all messy.

 

[RONOTHAN##]

1 minute ago, nusp said:

 

Do you think it would be better to go 360mm instead of 240mm

If you're not gonna overclock it doesn't really matter, but if you're not gonna overclock why are you getting a -K SKU?

[nusp]

1 minute ago, RONOTHAN## said:

If you're not gonna overclock it doesn't really matter, but if you're not gonna overclock why are you getting a -K SKU?

Got it for my birthday 

[IkeaGnome]

5 minutes ago, RONOTHAN## said:

If you're not gonna overclock it doesn't really matter, but if you're not gonna overclock why are you getting a -K SKU?

I don't know if OP knows this or not, or is going with it my happenstance. Once again. Alder Lake is weird.

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/134591/intel-core-i712700-processor-25m-cache-up-to-4-90-ghz.html

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/134594/intel-core-i712700k-processor-25m-cache-up-to-5-00-ghz.html

Spoiler

I accidentally had outdated leak information, but there still is a difference. Mostly base frequencies though

 

[RONOTHAN##]

2 minutes ago, nusp said:

Got it for my birthday 

OK, if you already own it it makes sense. I would aim for a 360mm since then you have the option to overclock in the future, though if you have a hatred towards overclocking both are fine. 

[nusp]

1 minute ago, RONOTHAN## said:

OK, if you already own it it makes sense. I would aim for a 360mm since then you have the option to overclock in the future, though if you have a hatred towards overclocking both are fine. 

It’s not that I don’t like overclocking it’s just I don’t want to break anything 

[RONOTHAN##]

Just now, nusp said:

It’s not that I don’t like overclocking it’s just I don’t want to break anything 

CPUs are pretty resilient, and pretty hard to break. Just don't accidentally pump 2V into VCore and you're fine, check for stability and you're good to go. There are a ton of tutorials out there for how to do it on Alder Lake, maybe not today or tomorrow, but eventually you should try to overclock it a bit. 

[nusp]

6 minutes ago, RONOTHAN## said:

CPUs are pretty resilient, and pretty hard to break. Just don't accidentally pump 2V into VCore and you're fine, check for stability and you're good to go. There are a ton of tutorials out there for how to do it on Alder Lake, maybe not today or tomorrow, but eventually you should try to overclock it a bit. 

Yeah I probably will is there a good 360mm aio you recommend? 

[RONOTHAN##]

16 minutes ago, nusp said:

Yeah I probably will is there a good 360mm aio you recommend? 

The Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360 or the one made by EK (I forget the model number off the top of my head). Both are top notch AIOs. 

[GuiltySpark_]

21 minutes ago, nusp said:

Yeah I probably will is there a good 360mm aio you recommend? 

I told the best two brands in the first reply. 

[nusp]

2 minutes ago, GuiltySpark_ said:

I told the best two brands in the first reply. 

Lol sorry

[nusp]

2 hours ago, RONOTHAN## said:

The Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360 or the one made by EK (I forget the model number off the top of my head). Both are top notch AIOs. 

Would there be a big difference in temps between a 240mm arctic liquid and a 360mm one?

[RONOTHAN##]

1 hour ago, nusp said:

Would there be a big difference in temps between a 240mm arctic liquid and a 360mm one?

I'd have to look at specific thermal tests again, but I'd expect something like a 5-10C difference under full load. 

[Dogzilla07]

be quiet! Silent Loop 2 models are also a good bang-for-buck (and have as awesome fans)

[-rascal-]

3 hours ago, nusp said:

Would there be a big difference in temps between a 240mm arctic liquid and a 360mm one?

 

I would personally get a 360mm if you can.

Can dissipate more heat, and can run the fans at a lower RPM = quieter.

 

Personally, I would recommend the EKwb EK-AIO 360 D-RGB.

You can order directly from EKwb, or get it through Amazon, etc.

https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-aio-360-d-rgb