Help me pick an AIO water cooler

[LordDre]

Hello guys,

 

I finally upgraded my old PC, actually changed the whole system.

Few details:

Case: Corsair Carbide Series® 200R Windowed

CPU: i5-6600 non k

 

I have been using it for a few months now, but i am already annoyed by the stock cooler and its noise.

I was looking for options, but help me choose.

I am looking for AIO water cooling systems.

 

Please dont say "just buy an Hyper 212 Evo" or anything like this.

I dont want any air cooler like that since i hate those huge, big blocks...

 

I was checking the Corisair H series, especially the H55.

What do you guys think? What would you suggest?

 

Thank you,

Norbert

 

[Castdeath97]

Hmmm, so you are going to get a conflict of interest I guess. Water coolers are known for their annoying pump idle noises, so unless you are welling to deal with it I'm going to leave the usual recommendation of getting a decent air cooler like the nocuta D15 or the Cryorig H7.

[Fulgrim]

You want a quiet cooler, but you don't want a tower cooler due to disliking the size. I'm afraid you gotta pick - noisy liquid AIO, or a quiet air cooler.

If you want major silence at a reasonable price, get the Cryorig H7. It will run at low rpm since your chip is a stock non-k model and won't pump out much heat.

 

Otherwise, get the cheaper 212 EVO.

Both the Cryorig H7 & 212 EVO are far cheaper than a H55. They're also quieter.

 

 

[positivePXL]

Non-k skew? Sure, a 120/140mm AiO will work.

 

You really should just buy a Hyper 212 Evo, though. You'll get used to that big, huge block, its an intimidating piece of hardware, that's all; the 212 Evo is also famous for cost/performace, you're gunna be paying twice as much for that AiO, and it won't even perform as well. Additionally, the AiO has more points of failure over a tower air cooler, and are (generally speaking) loader because you need the fluid pump (and fluid pumps are really finicky, there can't be any air in the system, and in a few years, it might just completely break and either get REALLY loud, stop working, or even pop and drain water down your mobo  ).

 

Just some things to think about.

 

positivePXL [+PXL]

[LordDre]

Thank you guys for the fast and informative feedback! I will think about the EVO than and i will try to be "friends" with those huge blocks or whatever they are called..:)

 

Anyone who uses AIO coolers?

 

Thanks!!

[shibbs]

And the air-cooler people are in here already.  Ignore them, I've never heard the pump on my Corsair H90.

 

I'd recommend picking up an Asetek-model AIO (round pump)

 

H55 or H75 should be just fine.

 

EDIT: Most/all of the round pumps like the H90 H55 H75 are made by Asetek, and rebraned by Corsair/NZXT/Thermaltake.

[LordDre]

Just now, shibbs said:

And the air-cooler people are in here already.  Ignore them, I've never heard the pump on my Corsair H90.

 

I'd recommend picking up an Asetek-model AIO (round pump)

 

H55 or H75 should be just fine, too.

Any feedback is fine, but i wanted to here someone with water cooling system. Thanks:) I will check them out!

[positivePXL]

AiO coolers are usually used by enthusiasts for enthusiast grade equipment, like k-skew chips, and/or just really TPU intensive chips. 120/140mm rad's are almost completely worthless because if you are even considering one, you'd be better off with a tower cooler. The only time a 120/140mm rad is used in place of a tower cooler, is when the case simply won't support it, such as slim form-factor cases, and mITX cases. The best way to see performance from an AiO or other liquid cooling loop, is to use use a 240mm+ size rad, because at that point, you are actually getting more cool-able surface-area than a tower cooler, but again, used only by enthusiasts for enthusiast grade equipment, or just any AMD chip, ever. 

 

The tech experts and the tech novice alike, on this forum, will all feel comfortable telling you that the Hyper 212 EVO is more cooling than you will need for any non-k Intel chip. Depending on the exact overclock you are going for, they might yet still recommend the Hyper 212 EVO, because it really is just that awesome. 

[LordDre]

6 minutes ago, positivePXL said:

AiO coolers are usually used by enthusiasts for enthusiast grade equipment, like k-skew chips, and/or just really TPU intensive chips. 120/140mm rad's are almost completely worthless because if you are even considering one, you'd be better off with a tower cooler. The only time a 120/140mm rad is used in place of a tower cooler, is when the case simply won't support it, such as slim form-factor cases, and mITX cases. The best way to see performance from an AiO or other liquid cooling loop, is to use use a 240mm+ size rad, because at that point, you are actually getting more cool-able surface-area than a tower cooler, but again, used only by enthusiasts for enthusiast grade equipment, or just any AMD chip, ever. 

 

The tech experts and the tech novice alike, on this forum, will all feel comfortable telling you that the Hyper 212 EVO is more cooling than you will need for any non-k Intel chip. Depending on the exact overclock you are going for, they might yet still recommend the Hyper 212 EVO, because it really is just that awesome. 

Alright i understand, thanks.

 

Although about the performance. Since i am just gaming (gta, witcher, csgo...) i dont think i could push the CPU to its limit and i think those AIO coolers would also do their job. Of course i read many reviews about them. I read quiet and loud reviews. Also 5 years of waranty is pretty nice for a 60 dollar cooler. I really like the compact size of them and they also look good and at this point i dont mind that +5-10 celcius degrees as long its not over its limits, which again i dont think i could push.

 

[done12many2]

21 minutes ago, LordDre said:

Any feedback is fine, but i wanted to here someone with water cooling system. Thanks:) I will check them out!

There are so many opinions about air vs water.  It boils down to what type of cooling you prefer and it sounds like you prefer water.  

 

AIO water coolers are fantastic.  Contrary to some of the opinions in this thread, pump noise is minimal or nonexistent provided that the system is functioning correctly.  I personally no longer use AIOs as I have moved onto larger custom loops in order to remain silent at very high CPU and GPU overclocks, but I can tell you that I'd use a quality AIO water cooler without hesitation. 

 

With water cooling, whether it be AIO or custom loop, the more radiator surface area used to displace heat, the slower (quieter) your fans can run.  With that said, I looked up the specs on your case and you have a couple of options.  My recommendation would be to go with the largest AIO that you are comfortable spending money on.  The 240mm would be ideal as it would allow for better heat displacement at a lower fan speed.  Effectively, you'd have the same cooling capacity without all of the noise and if you chose, you can turn up the fans resulting in even more cooling capacity.

 

Always buy a larger radiator than you think you need.  The old 120mm per water block rule is for the absolute bare minimum cooling.  240mm per block and higher is much better.

 

Something like this H100i-v2 would work well for you.

 

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/hydro-series-h100i-v2-extreme-performance-liquid-cpu-cooler

 

Good luck!

 

[LordDre]

34 minutes ago, done12many2 said:

There are so many opinions about air vs water.  It boils down to what type of cooling you prefer and it sounds like you prefer water.  

 

AIO water coolers are fantastic.  Contrary to some of the opinions in this thread, pump noise is minimal or nonexistent provided that the system is functioning correctly.  I personally no longer use AIOs as I have moved onto larger custom loops in order to remain silent at very high CPU and GPU overclocks, but I can tell you that I'd use a quality AIO water cooler without hesitation. 

 

With water cooling, whether it be AIO or custom loop, the more radiator surface area used to displace heat, the slower (quieter) your fans can run.  With that said, I looked up the specs on your case and you have a couple of options.  My recommendation would be to go with the largest AIO that you are comfortable spending money on.  The 240mm would be ideal as it would allow for better heat displacement at a lower fan speed.  Effectively, you'd have the same cooling capacity without all of the noise and if you chose, you can turn up the fans resulting in even more cooling capacity.

 

Always buy a larger radiator than you think you need.  The old 120mm per water block rule is for the absolute bare minimum cooling.  240mm per block and higher is much better.

 

Something like this H100i-v2 would work well for you.

 

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/hydro-series-h100i-v2-extreme-performance-liquid-cpu-cooler

 

Good luck!

 

You are my man! Thanks for your feedback!

And what about these smaller H series like h55?

I have always wanted a custom water cooled system, but cant afford it right now.

Since i got a new job it is going to take atleast a year to save up with the hungarian saleries for a better and nicer water cooled rig but i want one one day.

 

So right now i want a smaller one for my cpu only which is around the H55s budget. But if its really necessary i might save up for the one that you mentioned.

[done12many2]

1 minute ago, LordDre said:

You are my man! Thanks for your feedback!

And what about these smaller H series like h55?

I have always wanted a custom water cooled system, but cant afford it right now.

Since i got a new job it is going to take atleast a year to save up with the hungarian saleries for a better and nicer water cooled rig but i want one one day.

 

So right now i want a smaller one for my cpu only which is around the H55s budget. But if its really necessary i might save up for the one that you mentioned.

The H55 will work great.  You'll just need to spin the fan a bit faster, but no issues besides that.  You could even do a push/pull like the one pictured for a slight increase in cooling capacity.

[LordDre]

9 minutes ago, done12many2 said:

The H55 will work great.  You'll just need to spin the fan a bit faster, but no issues besides that.  You could even do a push/pull like the one pictured for a slight increase in cooling capacity.

Nice, thanks!!

About the fans. Are the stock fans good or should i replace them? I was checking out some new red colored corsair fans which would nicely fit in my build. 

This one :https://www.google.hu/search?q=corsair+red+120mm+fan&source=lnms&prmd=ivsn&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiTob_S3LHMAhWJB5oKHdHuBjAQ_AUIBygB&biw=360&bih=616#imgrc=j6yJC7h5XMjjFM%3A

[done12many2]

2 hours ago, LordDre said:

Nice, thanks!!

About the fans. Are the stock fans good or should i replace them? I was checking out some new red colored corsair fans which would nicely fit in my build. 

This one :https://www.google.hu/search?q=corsair+red+120mm+fan&source=lnms&prmd=ivsn&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiTob_S3LHMAhWJB5oKHdHuBjAQ_AUIBygB&biw=360&bih=616#imgrc=j6yJC7h5XMjjFM%3A

I'm not a big fan of Corsair's fans... no pun.  

 

I've used both their AF and SP series and bearing noise, especially when mounted in a hanging position from a top mounted radiator gets louder with speed.  When mounted vertically, they seem fine, but everyone of them that I've installed horizontally results in extra bearing noise.  Other than that, their SP120 fans produce a good deal of airflow through the radiators thanks to great static pressure. 

 

The stock fans that come with Corsair AIO seem pretty good.  They'll be good enough to get you started

[LordDre]

2 hours ago, done12many2 said:

I'm not a big fan of Corsair's fans... no pun.  

 

I've used both their AF and SP series and bearing noise, especially when mounted in a hanging position from a top mounted radiator gets louder with speed.  When mounted vertically, they seem fine, but everyone of them that I've installed horizontally results in extra bearing noise.  Other than that, their SP120 fans produce a good deal of airflow through the radiators thanks to great static pressure. 

 

The stock fans that come with Corsair AIO seem pretty good.  They'll be good enough to get you started

Thanks man a lot for the help! You convinced me!!