AIO questions

[TallboyGus]

It never occured to me exactly how All-In-One coolers work. Are they pre-filled? Do they ever evaporate or run out? I have a basic knowledge of full loops, but nothing about all-in-one coolers. I know full loops can leak and the fluid can get some impurities and all that, but without clear tubing or windows, how would I know if such a thing happened? can dirty fluid even happen on all-in-ones? I don't know, and I think my wallet would appreciate if I considered an AIO before hitting up EK for the full suite

To summarize

 

-Are All-in-One's pre-filled, or do they need to be filled by the user?

-can they / are they known to leak

-can the fluid get dirty / impure

 

And at the very least, is it still a better option to just go for a full loop straight off the bat?

[Aytex]

Yes they are pre filled, They will eventually evaporate over years and years.

Certain models are known to get a leak (luck of the draw)

If not manufactured correctly they will possibly have bacteria growth

[Oshino Shinobu]

They are pre-filled and for the most part, the liquid has no place to evaporate to as they're sealed units. Some liquid will be lost over time as the tubing is slighty porous, but it's such a small amount that the pump will likely have long died before it really made any difference. 

 

For those three questions:

1) Pre-filled

2) They can, but are not known and are not designed to leak as they are (mostly) not made to be taken apart. Leaks are pretty rare.

3) The liquid will slowly pick up impurities from the tubing and metal as they (very) slowly wear away. Again, like losing liquid through slightly porous tubing, chances are the pump will die before the liquid's impurities makes a difference. 

 

Whether you go AIO or custom loop really depends on what you want. For performance that is somewhat cost effective, go for an AIO. If you just enjoy building and working on PCs and like the process of designing a loop and making a system look good, then a custom loop may be for you. I wouldn't recommend it purely from a performance standpoint though as it's really too expensive for the performance you gain IMO. I did mine mainly for the looks and enjoyment of building it. 

[TallboyGus]

5 minutes ago, Oshino Shinobu said:

Whether you go AIO or custom loop really depends on what you want. For performance that is somewhat cost effective, go for an AIO. If you just enjoy building and working on PCs and like the process of designing a loop and making a system look good, then a custom loop may be for you. I wouldn't recommend it purely from a performance standpoint though as it's really too expensive for the performance you gain IMO. I did mine mainly for the looks and enjoyment of building it. 

I'll probably end up building one for the aesthetics, as well. However, I don't think an AIO will screw with my basic aesthetic of "black."

 

Thank you for being so thorough.