AIO Help

[stuckonthis]

How often should I be cleaning out my aio waterforce, I've had it for almost 2 years and I have never maintained it as in flushing out the loop and i have watched youtube videos on it but they don't seem to help or explain what they are doing and what agents they are using. 

[Shimejii]

AIOS are not to be touched. They are sealed units for a reason. They last for about 3-5 years then you buy a new one when they start to fail, usually the impeller/pump dies.

 

 

 

[stuckonthis]

1 minute ago, Shimejii said:

AIOS are not to be touched. They are sealed units for a reason. They last for about 3-5 years then you buy a new one when they start to fail, usually the impeller/pump dies.

 

 

 

Wow super response there!  If that's the case then they seem very overpriced for how long you potentially get out of them, a fan heat sink would last the time the pc would be obsolete.

[Shimejii]

5 minutes ago, stuckonthis said:

Wow super response there!  If that's the case then they seem very overpriced for how long you potentially get out of them, a fan heat sink would last the time the pc would be obsolete.

Correct. Air coolers usually need their fans replaced every 5-7 years usually (unless you are in a clean environment) but the actual heatsink will not fail. 

 

AIO's tend to be VERY easy to install, and usually last 5 years before pump dies. Spending 140+$ on an AIO makes 0 sense, Buying an Arctic AIO is the best thing to do if people just want the best performance.

[Hinjima]

4 minutes ago, stuckonthis said:

Wow super response there!  If that's the case then they seem very overpriced for how long you potentially get out of them, a fan heat sink would last the time the pc would be obsolete.

And that is why I always go with an AirCooler if possible   AIO's have a average lifespan of 5-6 years before pump failures and clogging starts to happen.

If a fan on a dual tower AirCooler fails, you just run 1 fan until you get a replacement fan, no problemo! You might see 2-4c increase with 1 fan.

[stuckonthis]

1 minute ago, Hinjima said:

And that is why I always go with an AirCooler if possible   AIO's have a average lifespan of 5-6 years before pump failures and clogging starts to happen.

If a fan on a dual tower AirCooler fails, you just run 1 fan until you get a replacement fan, no problemo! You might see 2-4c increase with 1 fan.

I guess it's to do with the space you get on the mobo with an aio, I've never had trouble with heat sink fans when I was using those, but then again that was on older gens. 

[TPCEA]

"AIOs are not meant to be serviced by the user."

 

This is true with many but not all AIOs. Some companies offer AIOs with full ports so that you can flush and fill. It is also possible to DIY and add a fill port if you have the nerve. Some people even disassemble the head and clean it. A lot of this is not too terribly difficult if you're willing to learn, but there is always the chance for a mishap.

 

Although the average pump life is indeed 5-7 years, there are people with AIOs that exceed 10 years.  There are different reasons why pumps fail, which generally break down to biofilm, corrosion, bits and pieces from the corrosion getting into the pump, or the pump running dry. 

 

The Arctic LF2 is one of the quietest AIO, but there are several others that are better in terms of performance.  As far as price, there are decent AIOs at and below $100.

 

Is an AIO necessary? Not necessarily, unless the top air coolers can't keep up with your CPU even after UV and UC and optimizing the fan curves. If you upgrade the fans to those with very high SP, you'll see greater gains that can make a lot of difference, especially since the mass of a water cooler can hold more heat.