Air or AIO?

knightslugger · November 28, 2016

I'm building a rig for gaming and mild content creation and will be using the 6700k. i don't expect to wildly overclock, just what you'd expect to see in an "Overclocked" system.

the question came up about cooling. I want to stay below TDP as much as I can while doing intensive operations and I don't expect to be doing so very often (except gaming which can be hit and miss for CPU intensive). COuld i get away with a Evo212, or should i bite the bullet and run an AIO from say Corsair (if so, how big?)

This is strictly a CPU cooling question.

bgibbz · November 28, 2016

If you are asking if an air cooler would be sufficient, then yes, it would be. AIOs offer a few advantages, such as (usually) better cooling, and (usually) better aesthetics. However, keep in mind that temperature is a threshold. Even a stock cooler generally falls safely within this threshold on modern CPUs. Aftermarket coolers are generally quieter and cooler than stock coolers, so most people opt for one. AIOs are very unnecessary, but provide even cooler temperatures. This is useful for extreme overclocking.

Generally, you won't find anyone that NEEDS a AIO cooler. People get them because they want the best looking system and the coolest temperatures.

Weak1ings · November 28, 2016

I'm going to go out of strictly cooling:

Which would you rather look at? A beautiful heatsink or a beautiful lack of one?

That is really what it comes down to, Air and Water both perform about the same (for closed loops/AIOs) with Air being the quieter and more reliable of the two (reliability in terms of longevity, perhaps leaks but especially put in favor toward Air due to a lack of pump.)

If you are looking for a great Cooler for a pretty good price look at the $40-60 range, these will allow you to get very nice heatsinks without risking high temperatures. The range also destroys AIOs at the pricepoint, here are some models to look for:

Cryorig H5 Ultimate (R1 if its in the price point) $47 H5, R1 is $70, too expensive.

Thermalright Macho Rev. B $55

Dark Rock Pro (expensive, $65)

All of these should be able to give you a good OC and good temperatures, be sure to check reviews.

If you want a cheap one, the Cryorig H7 is also a good choice.