AIO coooler with 360mm radiator or Custom loop with 360mm radiator?

Brennlamb · September 21, 2015

Hi, I'm planning on building a new system soon, and the case I'm planning on using currently has the space for a 360mm radiator in it that I would like to utilize to cool the processor I plan to use, an i7 5930k. The problem I'm having is that I cannot find an AIO unit that appears to have performance that is better than a similar one with a 240mm radiator instead of a 360mm radiator that I am able to order. I would use the 240mm rad, but with the layout of the case it would look a bit strange as you could see through the lower fan compared to the top two, which would drive me insane. I do have enough extra money in my budget to run a custom loop for the cpu, but I have never done one before (though I have watched a ton of videos) and would prefer the convienience of an AIO. Another reason I prefer an AIO is thatI will be traveling between college and home which is a decent drive (~2 hours) and I don't want to worry about a custom loop getting a leak and then having to replace it and possible other parts upon reaching my destination with money out of my own pocket as I doubt the damages could be covered under a warranty (I plan on testing for leaks upon arriving regardless of which type I go with so that I won't turn my sytem on and fry everything). I know of two AIO options, the thermaltake water 3.0, and the Deepcool Gamerstorm Captain 360 that I can order, the Fractal s36 is unavailable to me as I live in the US. I'm trying to determine what I should do, as I plan on overclocking the cpu as much as I can, and would like as much cooling performance as possible while at the same time knowing that I am going to need to transport the system. Any advice helping me narrow down a choice would be appreciated.

W-L · September 21, 2015

-SNIP-

Welcome to the Forums!

You could get something like the EKWB Predator which is an expandable AIO unit for if you ever want to do a custom loop or integrate your GPU. It comes both in a 360mm and 240mm rad sizes.

Rpkiller · September 21, 2015

Hi, I'm planning on building a new system soon, and the case I'm planning on using currently has the space for a 360mm radiator in it that I would like to utilize to cool the processor I plan to use, an i7 5930k. The problem I'm having is that I cannot find an AIO unit that appears to have performance that is better than a similar one with a 240mm radiator instead of a 360mm radiator that I am able to order. I would use the 240mm rad, but with the layout of the case it would look a bit strange as you could see through the lower fan compared to the top two, which would drive me insane. I do have enough extra money in my budget to run a custom loop for the cpu, but I have never done one before (though I have watched a ton of videos) and would prefer the convienience of an AIO. Another reason I prefer an AIO is thatI will be traveling between college and home which is a decent drive (~2 hours) and I don't want to worry about a custom loop getting a leak and then having to replace it and possible other parts upon reaching my destination with money out of my own pocket as I doubt the damages could be covered under a warranty (I plan on testing for leaks upon arriving regardless of which type I go with so that I won't turn my sytem on and fry everything). I know of two AIO options, the thermaltake water 3.0, and the Deepcool Gamerstorm Captain 360 that I can order, the Fractal s36 is unavailable to me as I live in the US. I'm trying to determine what I should do, as I plan on overclocking the cpu as much as I can, and would like as much cooling performance as possible while at the same time knowing that I am going to need to transport the system. Any advice helping me narrow down a choice would be appreciated.

Welcome to the Forums!

You could get something like the EKWB Predator which is an expandable AIO unit for if you ever want to do a custom loop or integrate your GPU. It comes both in a 360mm and 240mm rad sizes.

Yep just wait for Predator 360 and getting that it is going to cheaper than paying for one Ek's kits which are about $100 more.