Best liquid CPU cooler

[Joelbanks5]

What's the best 360mm liquid CPU cooler for LGA 1151?

[rphawks]

10 minutes ago, Joelbanks5 said:

What's the best 360mm liquid CPU cooler for LGA 1151?

Why do you need liquid cooling?

[CookieMaster]

1 minute ago, rphawks said:

Why do you need liquid cooling?

most likely overclocking 

 

I cant think of any 360 mm ones, I heard some good reviews about this one though 

 

DEEPCOOL Gamer Storm CAPTAIN 360EX CPU Liquid Cooler

[Joelbanks5]

1 hour ago, rphawks said:

Why do you need liquid cooling?

Make my computer look nicer, I think liquid coolers look much nicer than air coolers. Also just make it that much cooler because why not.

1 hour ago, CookieMaster said:

most likely overclocking 

 

I cant think of any 360 mm ones, I heard some good reviews about this one though 

 

DEEPCOOL Gamer Storm CAPTAIN 360EX CPU Liquid Cooler

That's currently the one I'm looking into the most. I've heard many good things about it. 

[EliasRC]

I would go for corsair on this one for an all in one

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

[EminentSun]

From what I remember there are only two 360mm aio coolers: the deepcool captain as was previously mentioned, and the thermaltek water 3.0 ultimate.

[atomicus]

Jeez, I thought people on this forum were supposed to be well informed!! There are LOADS of 360 AIOs, but the hands down best is the EKWB Predator 360. Closest you will get to a custom loop (it uses many of the same EK components people use in custom loops) but with zero maintenance. Great pump (quiet), great fans (powerful and quiet) and great performance. You can't do better. It's not cheap though, and make sure it fits in your case.

 

Any 360 is somewhat overkill for just a CPU though. One advantage of the 360 Predator however is that it includes the QDC (quick disconnect) feature, so you can add a pre-filled block to your GPU and hook up the AIO to that by just connecting the hose... no draining or filling, amazing really. So if you think you might go this route, get the 360, but if you know you'll never want to watercool your GPU, then save some money and get the 240 or 280 version. They also have a 140mm version, should that be of interest. Nothing wrong with the 360 for a CPU only solution though, especially if you have a 360 space to fill, but thought I'd mention.

 

It is worth noting that the vast majority of AIOs (like the Deepcool) really aren't anything special when it comes to cooling... not compared to top end air coolers anyway, which are invariably only a couple of degrees behind, and in some cases actually run cooler! Look at the top of the range Noctua D15 for example... it beats the Deepcool on noise, temps and price/performance. Don't be fooled... just because a cooler has water in it, doesn't mean it's great. Unless ALL you care about is aesthetics, in which case feel free to ignore everything I've said...

[Joelbanks5]

38 minutes ago, atomicus said:

Jeez, I thought people on this forum were supposed to be well informed!! There are LOADS of 360 AIOs, but the hands down best is the EKWB Predator 360. Closest you will get to a custom loop (it uses many of the same EK components people use in custom loops) but with zero maintenance. Great pump (quiet), great fans (powerful and quiet) and great performance. You can't do better. It's not cheap though, and make sure it fits in your case.

 

Any 360 is somewhat overkill for just a CPU though. One advantage of the 360 Predator however is that it includes the QDC (quick disconnect) feature, so you can add a pre-filled block to your GPU and hook up the AIO to that by just connecting the hose... no draining or filling, amazing really. So if you think you might go this route, get the 360, but if you know you'll never want to watercool your GPU, then save some money and get the 240 or 280 version. They also have a 140mm version, should that be of interest. Nothing wrong with the 360 for a CPU only solution though, especially if you have a 360 space to fill, but thought I'd mention.

 

It is worth noting that the vast majority of AIOs (like the Deepcool) really aren't anything special when it comes to cooling... not compared to top end air coolers anyway, which are invariably only a couple of degrees behind, and in some cases actually run cooler! Look at the top of the range Noctua D15 for example... it beats the Deepcool on noise, temps and price/performance. Don't be fooled... just because a cooler has water in it, doesn't mean it's great. Unless ALL you care about is aesthetics, in which case feel free to ignore everything I've said...

Would I have to drain and refill the deepcool one?

[atomicus]

8 hours ago, Joelbanks5 said:

Would I have to drain and refill the deepcool one?

 

No, you don't need to drain and refill any AIO, but the Deepcool one isn't expandable, but it's also no better a performer than the top end air cooler, both in terms of noise and performance. The EK is far superior in every aspect, and IS expandable, should you ever want to watercool your GPU, but due to the QDC feature, it works without needing to drain or refill... hard to explain, video below demonstrates...

 

 

[Joelbanks5]

1 hour ago, atomicus said:

 

No, you don't need to drain and refill any AIO, but the Deepcool one isn't expandable, but it's also no better a performer than the top end air cooler, both in terms of noise and performance. The EK is far superior in every aspect, and IS expandable, should you ever want to watercool your GPU, but due to the QDC feature, it works without needing to drain or refill... hard to explain, video below demonstrates...

 

 

Would it be better to have the CPU with its own water cooler and the GPU it's own? So like having a normal CPU water cooler and then like an msi seahawk or aero. 

 

Also can you get longer tubing for it? It looks like it'd be pretty difficult to manage with such small tubes. 

 

And how how expensive is it? 

[Joelbanks5]

1 hour ago, atomicus said:

 

No, you don't need to drain and refill any AIO, but the Deepcool one isn't expandable, but it's also no better a performer than the top end air cooler, both in terms of noise and performance. The EK is far superior in every aspect, and IS expandable, should you ever want to watercool your GPU, but due to the QDC feature, it works without needing to drain or refill... hard to explain, video below demonstrates...

 

 

 

3 minutes ago, Joelbanks5 said:

 

And how how expensive is it? 

I answered my own question, unless you want to buy the $220 water cooler for me, it's not an option. 

[atomicus]

1 hour ago, Joelbanks5 said:

 

I answered my own question, unless you want to buy the $220 water cooler for me, it's not an option. 

 

LOL, you get what you pay for... it's custom loop components and performance for significantly less cost than a custom loop would be. There is nothing necessarily wrong with a cheaper AIO like the Deepcool, but just be aware you are NOT getting performance that exceeds that of a quality air cooler... actually it's inferior performance for more money, and with that comes an increased risk of leaks etc, although that is a rare occurrence. It's a pure aesthetic purchase, nothing more, so please be aware of that. If your interests are overclocking, you will be better served with a top end air cooler such as the Noctua D15... or check out the Cryorig R1 Ultimate... nearly as good and better looks (in my opinion... those Noctua fans aren't for everyone). Cryorig have a very impressive line-up of coolers actually, you can't go wrong there. Ultimately you just need to ask yourself why you think you need/want an AIO...?

[Joelbanks5]

3 hours ago, atomicus said:

 

LOL, you get what you pay for... it's custom loop components and performance for significantly less cost than a custom loop would be. There is nothing necessarily wrong with a cheaper AIO like the Deepcool, but just be aware you are NOT getting performance that exceeds that of a quality air cooler... actually it's inferior performance for more money, and with that comes an increased risk of leaks etc, although that is a rare occurrence. It's a pure aesthetic purchase, nothing more, so please be aware of that. If your interests are overclocking, you will be better served with a top end air cooler such as the Noctua D15... or check out the Cryorig R1 Ultimate... nearly as good and better looks (in my opinion... those Noctua fans aren't for everyone). Cryorig have a very impressive line-up of coolers actually, you can't go wrong there. Ultimately you just need to ask yourself why you think you need/want an AIO...?

Is it likely to go on sale during Black Friday or cyber Monday?

[atomicus]

You may get lucky... always deals to be had at some point, so you never know. Alternatively, you could get lucky on eBay etc., sometimes people sell new having never used, changed their mind etc.

[Joelbanks5]

17 hours ago, atomicus said:

You may get lucky... always deals to be had at some point, so you never know. Alternatively, you could get lucky on eBay etc., sometimes people sell new having never used, changed their mind etc.

EBay's too sketch for me. If I can't see it working in person when buying from random people then it may as well be broken. Lol

[Joelbanks5]

17 hours ago, atomicus said:

You may get lucky... always deals to be had at some point, so you never know. Alternatively, you could get lucky on eBay etc., sometimes people sell new having never used, changed their mind etc.

Also now that I look they have kits too, what would be better that or the kits?

[atomicus]

1 minute ago, Joelbanks5 said:

Also now that I look they have kits too, what would be better that or the kits?

 

The kits are essentially custom loops, just everything packaged together for a better price. If you want to build a custom loop then sure, that's a good way to go, but just be aware of the maintenance factor and work involved. An AIO is far simpler in that regard.

[Joelbanks5]

18 minutes ago, atomicus said:

 

The kits are essentially custom loops, just everything packaged together for a better price. If you want to build a custom loop then sure, that's a good way to go, but just be aware of the maintenance factor and work involved. An AIO is far simpler in that regard.

Yep don't care for maintenance, I Barely  keep up with dusting my pc as is.

[atomicus]

2 minutes ago, Joelbanks5 said:

Yep don't care for maintenance, I Barely  keep up with dusting my pc as is.

 

It's certainly not for everyone, so I would advise a Predator if you can get one at a good price, or just look at some of the Cryorig air coolers... they look fantastic IMO. If you simply MUST have an AIO for aesthetic reasons and don't want to spend Predator money, then it doesn't really matter, they're all much of a muchness, so just go with what you like the look of, because it's a pure aesthetic really... there isn't a great deal to separate them when you read the group tests.

[Joelbanks5]

1 minute ago, atomicus said:

 

It's certainly not for everyone, so I would advise a Predator if you can get one at a good price, or just look at some of the Cryorig air coolers... they look fantastic IMO. If you simply MUST have an AIO for aesthetic reasons and don't want to spend Predator money, then it doesn't really matter, they're all much of a muchness, so just go with what you like the look of, because it's a pure aesthetic really.

I'll buy the deepcool aio and upgrade to a predator at a later date and use the deepcool aio in another build for a friend.