Air cooler vs. AIO liquid cooler (CPU)

[KarlFFF]

I am building a new rig (mainly for games) and want an after market cooler for a i5-4690k so I can get a good OC.

My problem is that I find conflicting results from different comparisons of the efficiency of AIO liquid coolers vs. air coolers, additionally I find the documentation of their methodology a bit lacking sometimes.

So my question is:

Is an AIO liquid cooler significantly better than an air cooler? and if they are, are they worth twice the price?

[Octavialicious]

No, they are neck and neck depending on what price range you look at. The advantages to AiO's are looks, size, and sometimes noise levels

 

What's your budget?

[KarlFFF]

I am willing to put down the 150$ or so the Corsair Hydro H100 costs but from what I've found that price is not justified by the performance compared to the 75$ or so for something like be quiet! Dark Rock 3.

[Lolzious]

I wouldn't bother with AIO coolers.

A Dark Rock Pro 3 or Noctua cooler would be good (and look better imo)

[Andrewf]

When it comes to overclocking, AiO coolers actually do come out on top, unless you're looking at air coolers with huge heat sinks. A dual rad AiO that can fit on the top of your case will do just fine. The bigger the rad, the better the temps. It's almost as simple as that.

[Octavialicious]

I am willing to put down the 150$ or so the Corsair Hydro H100 costs but from what I've found that price is not justified by the performance compared to the 75$ or so for something like be quiet! Dark Rock 3

I'd get a Noctua NH-D14 or NH-D15. They're under $100 and they are on par with the top end AiO's (Not to mention they are SUPER quiet!)

 

http://www.outletpc.com/ft8612.html?gclid=CjwKEAiA9qCnBRCb7ZDhvaHSyicSJABGFFHtgeRWZD2v8kIoVvY42Rpgyi989YdC6q0FoNsUObEQ9xoCDNjw_wcB

[fishy]

also take in consideration, that air cooler dumps the heat from CPU in case, not outside the case like AIO could

so if you don't have excellent airflow trough your case, it's worth getting AIO

[Guest]

I am willing to put down the 150$ or so the Corsair Hydro H100 costs but from what I've found that price is not justified by the performance compared to the 75$ or so for something like be quiet! Dark Rock 3.

The BeQuiet Dark Rock 3 (If anything like my Dark Rock 2) is a bit awkward to install. You need arms like an Octopus  It is a great cooler though.

 

The Phanteks PH-TC14PE is another excellent air cooler. It is pretty big though at 171mm Tall so you would need a case that can accommodate it and preferably low profile Ram.

 

Water coolers will always be a bit more noisier due to the sound from the pump. 

[Guest]

also take in consideration, that air cooler dumps the heat from CPU in case, not outside the case like AIO could

so if you don't have excellent airflow trough your case, it's worth getting AIO

The rear exhaust fan will expel the majority of hot air from the cooler.

[NumLock21]

AIO cooler, cost a preimum, looks nice and don't have to worry about ram tallness.

AIR cooler, also cost a premium but some good ones like the 212 Evo cost at a affordable price. Have to worry about ram tallness. There is no way to fit a HyperX Beast with them blue ridiculously tall heatsinks, under a 212 Evo. Less parts to break down vs AIO where it also requires a pump.

[Guest]

 There is no way to fit a HyperX Beast under a 212 Evo.

You can with a Dremel  :lol: only joking 

[CatzRuleZWorld]

AIO coolers IMO are for cases where an air cooler wont fit like a cooler master elite 130 or a corsair air 240. Otherwise, an air cooler is a much better price/performance.

[NumLock21]

You can with a Dremel  :lol: only joking 

Oh well, if it doesn't fit can always use it as a comb.

Edit: My mistake, looks like the ram I was talking about is not called the Hyper X Beast

 

[TheKDub]

I am building a new rig (mainly for games) and want an after market cooler for a i5-4690k so I can get a good OC.

My problem is that I find conflicting results from different comparisons of the efficiency of AIO liquid coolers vs. air coolers, additionally I find the documentation of their methodology a bit lacking sometimes.

So my question is:

Is an AIO liquid cooler significantly better than an air cooler? and if they are, are they worth twice the price?

 

AIO liquid coolers can be better and worse than air coolers depending on the size and thickness of the radiator, the waterblock, tubing, etc... and have another point of failure (the pump), though I personally find that they look much better than bulky air coolers that would do the same job.

 

I personally would go for a 240mm aio or 360mm aio any day over a bulky air cooler. (Except for in an environment where the case has no window, and I want it to as silent as possible)

[othertomperson]

Only the NH-D14 and NH-D15 trade blows with a good AIO and they both come with their own compatibility considerations. Not to mention being... quite a niche aesthetic, to but it mildly.

[KarlFFF]

AIO liquid coolers can be better and worse than air coolers depending on the size and thickness of the radiator, the waterblock, tubing, etc... and have another point of failure (the pump), though I personally find that they look much better than bulky air coolers that would do the same job.

 

I personally would go for a 240mm aio or 360mm aio any day over a bulky air cooler. (Except for in an environment where the case has no window, and I want it to as silent as possible)

Don't really like cases with windows anyway so inside looks doesn't matter to me (beyond good cable management etc. for optimized airflow)

 

I wouldn't bother with AIO coolers.

A Dark Rock Pro 3 or Noctua cooler would be good (and look better imo)

 

I agree air coolers look nice that AIO coolers, shiny metal looks way better than some black tubes and a fat radiator. Though I want a windowless case so I wan't actually be looking at it that often.

 

 

also take in consideration, that air cooler dumps the heat from CPU in case, not outside the case like AIO could

so if you don't have excellent airflow trough your case, it's worth getting AIO

A good airflow and positive pressure should solve that issue. Also if I were to go for a AIO I would have it on an intake to get the coldest air over it.

 

I'd get a Noctua NH-D14 or NH-D15. They're under $100 and they are on par with the top end AiO's (Not to mention they are SUPER quiet!)

 

http://www.outletpc.com/ft8612.html?gclid=CjwKEAiA9qCnBRCb7ZDhvaHSyicSJABGFFHtgeRWZD2v8kIoVvY42Rpgyi989YdC6q0FoNsUObEQ9xoCDNjw_wcB

Were planning on noctua fans for a potential AIO anyway for the silence.

 

Thanks for the great input everybody. Think the matter has been settled for me at least - Air cooler it is.

[Smooth Bunz]

What you need my friend is a cryorig r1 universal 

Im at 4.8ghz on my 4790k and At load I never go above 65C 
On a h110 I went up to 77C full load 

[fishy]

A good airflow and positive pressure should solve that issue. Also if I were to go for a AIO I would have it on an intake to get the coldest air over it.

 

i have it as intake as well

and the rad is cool enough, so as air goes trough fins, it doesn't affect the temp significantly any way

but if you were worried about that, you can always turn it into exhaust

and with air cooler you need good airflow>more fans>probably higher speed>noise...

atm i have 2 noctuas at 800rpm as intake, fans on rad at 800rpm as intake and 1 exhaust that barely moves and no problems even in H440, which is known for bad airflow

the loudest thing in there is the GPU now 

[redchris18]

 Also if I were to go for a AIO I would have it on an intake to get the coldest air over it.

 

 

 

 

You're missing the point of liquid cooling. You're not trying to keep the radiator cool, you're trying to shove the heat OUT of your case. By using your rad as an intake you are dragging heat away from your CPU to the rad and then pumping it straight back onto your motherboard area. You might as well just take the fans off it.

 

Think of it this way: you're sucking heat from the CPU into the CPU block. This then passes into the coolant and runs through the tubing, ending up at the radiator. You are then using fans to shunt this heat directly into the case you have just taken it out of.

 

Radiators should be exhausts, because they just don't work otherwise. Sure, some people may not notice much difference if their case and component arrangement are favourable, but they're still throttling their CPU, albeit mildly.