AIO vs. Looped Cooling

[saya_kucing]

Aight. So I'm looking into a relatively high-end system to be my everything-able PC (video editing, gaming, general workhorse) and I was wondering what the best option of water-cooling would be - going for an all in one coolers or rigging up a loop to the CPU and graphics. A lot of people swear by the multiple loops to dissipate heat effectively using custom reservoirs and rads, where the people I know personally wouldn't go near anything so complicated and tell me to opt for the AIO solution.

 

I'm one to experiment and take things up a notch - so I was wondering what is recommended if I were to strike a balance between cost effectiveness and performance - regardless of time and effort.

 

I'd be looking at over clocking a high-end i7, and depending on the cost of plumbing opting for a liquid cooled GPU(s).

Is this a case of 'if PC cost is = or >$X, opt for the custom loop' - can the AIO solutions keep up, or is it purely preference?

[SnowGhost1212]

Swiftech H220-X. Great AIO, save a bunch of cash with components included and it has upgradability in the future for GPU water cooling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt5_dU-15v8

[SpyRosL]

Go custom loop only if you can afford it.Definitely worth it but expensive.

H220-x is a great option though and it's also expandable.

[Archangel1994]

Custom loops have a much higher performance potential than AIO's due to expand-ability but also tend to be more expensive. For AIO though your best bet is the Swifttech H220-x as @SpyRosL already said.

[SnowGhost1212]

For AIO though your best bet is the Swifttech H220-x as @SpyRosL @SnowGhost1212 already said.

[Archangel1994]

 

 

Your post was not on my screen so deal with it

[gundershot]

Noctua air coolers can match up with almost all AIO liquid coolers, so you would be better off going with a custom loop if you can afford it.

[SpyRosL]

 

For AIO though your best bet is the Swifttech H220-x as @SpyRosL @SnowGhost1212 already said.

 

Y mad bruh?

jk.

[Archangel1994]

Noctua air coolers can match up with almost all AIO liquid coolers, so you would be better off going with a custom loop if you can afford it.

Only that air cooler is bulky and hideous in looks, and I mean absolutely hideous. 

[saya_kucing]

Well, this is a tough one indeed. I've looked into air cooling, but - respectfully - they're not really my style. I can appreciate the affordability of them, however the space requirements or performance can't compete with an AIO or looped setup. Thanks for the suggestions guys - it really shows the optimal choice when everyone can be so coherent in suggesting the same cooler. 

[Archangel1994]

performance can't compete with an AIO or looped setup

Then you have not seen graphs with the Noctua NH-D15. @5:07 you can see that the NH-D15 outperforms an H100i and the NH-D15 is an air cooler. Also the Kraken X61 is one of the best on the market atm and it only wins by a small margin so yes, air cooler CAN match an AIO.

 

[Faceman]

Well, this is a tough one indeed. I've looked into air cooling, but - respectfully - they're not really my style. I can appreciate the affordability of them, however the space requirements or performance can't compete with an AIO or looped setup. Thanks for the suggestions guys - it really shows the optimal choice when everyone can be so coherent in suggesting the same cooler. 

If you live in the U.S., there is an incredible deal on the Cooler Master Seidon 240M for only $60.  You will not find a better price to performance liquid AIO.  I have one and absolutely love it, the performance is incredible.

 

You can view my Review With Statistics here.

 

For GPU Cooling, you can always go G10.  I have a G10 with a 120mm AIO for my GTX 780 and that has exceeded my expectations.  ~$100 to liquid cool your GPU and never exceed 50C is a damn good deal.  A lot less expensive than custom loop and much easier to manage.  I was also in a similar position recently, deciding if I wanted to go AIO or full custom.  After comparing the two, obviously the custom loop temperatures are 10C better, but their price is much more expensive.  Keep in mind that custom loop requires a lot more maintenance also, especially if you ever wanted to change something, it requires you bleeding your loop just before being able to upgrade or change anything out.

 

I paid $56 for my CPU AIO and $120 for my Kraken G10 + X31 + Heatsinks, getting a water cooled system for less than $200 that never exceeds 50C while at 60% fan speed is a winner solution that you should consider.