Air Cooler or AIO?

[ResonantPixel]

(sorry I am not sure about place to post as there is not unified cooling sub forum : L)

 

I have £40 - £50 (I know about current amazon deal for UK I am ordering more ram aswell) to spend on a CPU cooler, I intend to overclock so good performance is quite important, I would like to be basically all black if possible and quiet as possible(This may soon be less of an issue to moving to a sound insulated case I do also wear headphones (Vmoda XS on ears (totaly awesome but a going on a bit of a tangent)) I am a little bit of a silence freak :L), and yes this is quite a small budget I know, especially for an all black cooler, but I like my PC to look pretty. I was wondering about any suggestions? Should I go AIO water, I only have space for 120mm radiator but more cpu clearance than any reasonable air cooler. Will AIO be quieter than air and have more performance? I will be overclocking i5-4670k and temps are currently too high so heat removal is the most significant factor!

So far I am considering:

 

bequiet Dark Rock 3

http://www.amazon.co.uk/quiet-BK018-Quiet-Dark-Cooler/dp/B00HPX7IKU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453488805&sr=8-1&keywords=be+quiet+cpu+cooler&tag=linustechtips-21

 

or for an AIO:

 

Cooler Master Seidon Rev.2 120mm

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00N93KIES?keywords=cpu%20cooler&qid=1453487972&ref_=sr_1_4&s=computers&sr=1-4&tag=linustechtips-21

 

or

 

Corsair H55 120mm

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009VV56TY/ref=twister_B00IAJ0X5A?tag=linustechtips-21

 

I cant honestly say I have any clue whats better of the two aio and the reason I am posting on air cool sub is because I would like to know some other options if possible!(thats not the dark rock pro 3)

 

Thanks!

 

Edit; I will also need some thermal compound (I have other money for) so recomendations for some good stuff would be greatly appreciated!

[Hunched]

AIO's are louder than air cooler because they also have the fans, but pumps and running water too.

Most don't even perform better than top line air coolers, only few do and they're all louder than things like the NH-D15

[Slug]

AIO's on that low a budget shouldn't really be considered. i5 4670k run at high temps overclocked. 120mm rads wont cope. I would recommend air.

[UnlimitedTMD]

120 MM aren`t enough at all, would be better to go with Dark Rock or Cryorg H7, may even be more silent

[ResonantPixel]

AIO's are louder than air cooler because they also have the fans, but pumps and running water too.

Most don't even perform better than top line air coolers, only few do and they're all louder than things like the NH-D15

 

NH-D15 is out of my budget range and both those AIO are within Do you know if the Dark Rock is a decent choice ( I am happy to faff with the mounting hardware, is basically non issue as I will install that on a test bench)

[MetalSkinGaming]

(sorry I am not sure about place to post as there is not unified cooling sub forum : L)

 

I have £40 - £50 (I know about current amazon deal for UK I am ordering more ram aswell) to spend on a CPU cooler, I intend to overclock so good performance is quite important, I would like to be basically all black if possible and quiet as possible(This may soon be less of an issue to moving to a sound insulated case I do also wear headphones (Vmoda XS on ears (totaly awesome but a going on a bit of a tangent)) I am a little bit of a silence freak :L), and yes this is quite a small budget I know, especially for an all black cooler, but I like my PC to look pretty. I was wondering about any suggestions? Should I go AIO water, I only have space for 120mm radiator but more cpu clearance than any reasonable air cooler. Will AIO be quieter than air and have more performance? I will be overclocking i5-4670k and temps are currently too high so heat removal is the most significant factor!

So far I am considering:

 

bequiet Dark Rock 3

http://www.amazon.co.uk/quiet-BK018-Quiet-Dark-Cooler/dp/B00HPX7IKU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453488805&sr=8-1&keywords=be+quiet+cpu+cooler&tag=linustechtips-21

 

or for an AIO:

 

Cooler Master Seidon Rev.2 120mm

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00N93KIES?keywords=cpu%20cooler&qid=1453487972&ref_=sr_1_4&s=computers&sr=1-4&tag=linustechtips-21

 

or

 

Corsair H55 120mm

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009VV56TY/ref=twister_B00IAJ0X5A?tag=linustechtips-21

 

I cant honestly say I have any clue whats better of the two aio and the reason I am posting on air cool sub is because I would like to know some other options if possible!(thats not the dark rock pro 3)

 

Thanks!

 

Edit; I will also need some thermal compound (I have other money for) so recomendations for some good stuff would be greatly appreciated!

hey

i am using a h100i watercooler the cpu is on 30-40°C and its very quiet

[ResonantPixel]

120 MM aren`t enough at all, would be better to go with Dark Rock or Cryorg H7, may even be more silent

 

The H7 isnt black and at present my Rig has baller colour matching!

[Hunched]

NH-D15 is out of my budget range and both those AIO are within Do you know if the Dark Rock is a decent choice ( I am happy to faff with the mounting hardware, is basically non issue as I will install that on a test bench)

I know the NH-D15 is out of budget, was using it as an example of probably the best air cooler there is.

The Dark Rock is a great choice

[UnlimitedTMD]

The H7 isnt black and at present my Rig has baller colour matching!

OK, than Dark Rock al the freaking way, those AIO aren`t good for OC`ing, the Dark Rock will do better (and look better IMO)

[ResonantPixel]

I know the NH-D15 is out of budget, was using it as an example of probably the best air cooler there is.

The Dark Rock is a great choice

 

Grand thanks! Apparently it uses 135mm fans though, would this mean I would not be able to mount another fan on the rear?

[Hunched]

Grand thanks! Apparently it uses 135mm fans though, would this mean I would not be able to mount another fan on the rear?

You should be able too, it would be a pretty odd and stupid design decision if Be Quiet doesn't allow that.

[ResonantPixel]

You should be able too, it would be a pretty odd and stupid design decision if Be Quiet doesn't allow that.

 

Do you know if the Dark Rock Advance C1 is better/worse? How are they even different?

[Hunched]

Do you know if the Dark Rock Advance C1 is better/worse? How are they even different?

It appears to use a 120mm fan, so not as good, would require higher RPM's for the same performance as the 135/140mm.

 

Also, this is my 1000th post.

[ResonantPixel]

It appears to use a 120mm fan, so not as good, would require higher RPM's for the same performance as the 135/140mm.

 

I'll probably go dark rock 3 then! Turns out there is a Linus Video on it I have yet to watch

[The_Stig]

The H7 isnt black and at present my Rig has baller colour matching!

Coughs

 

 

 

 

How is the top not black?

[WoodenMarker]

A cheaper alternative that is very similar to the DR3: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/scythe-cpu-cooler-scktt1000

Or if you want to spend more, the Macho Rev B. is similar to the NH-D14: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/thermalright-cpu-cooler-machorevb

[Guest]

Would never go with a single 120mm rad AIO - perfromance isn't where it needs to be. 

 

And if you're spending ~100 on a dual 120mm rad, you're better off investing more money into raw performance of your CPU.

 

So It's air cooling or AIO on top of the line CPU's. 

 

I have a H7 and I absolutely love everything about it. 

[ResonantPixel]

Coughs

 

 

 

 

How is the top not black?

The sides : L

[wunleashed]

Get a decent air cooler for that price, unless airflow in your case is a concern and you feel you need it to be dumped immediately outside of the case.  It really depends on the whole setup.

[ResonantPixel]

I have ordered the Dark Rock 3, (with £10 off on amazon!) thanks everyone for your help !

Also I am going to try to design and 3d print and easy screw tool for this (and potentially other) be quiet coolers! If anybody knows of any existing stls that would be great! (saves the effort of designing stls)

[dfsdfgfkjsefoiqzemnd]

No need for special tools.  Just tighten the nuts BEFORE you mount the cooler. 

 

I found it much easier to tighten the nuts first, then put the motherboard and backplate on top of the cooler and tighten it using the screws.  If you have the motherboard in the case already, you'll probably need an extra pair of hands though.  Either option beats BeQuiet's suggested method.