AIO Liquid Cooling vs Air Cooling.

F

FenFox

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 20, 2016
Messages
296
-Which option will keep the CPU cooler? There seems to be some debate about this.

-Personally I think an AIO looks much better than any fan I've ever seen, but I'm a little concerned about AIO's leaking. Does it happen? Some people say it does, others have said they've never seen it happen. And what do you do if it leaks onto your components? Can you prevent/know if it will leak before it actually happens?

-I don't plan to OC, so do I still need an AIO or CPU fan? I'm pretty sure the stock fan would be adequate?

-I really like the look of the NZXT AIO's, but I've heard the CAM software is dodgy. Can anyone confirm? I've used it before and certain non-AIO gaming things didn't work. But I have no experience using the software with an AIO so I dunno if It's reliable or not under that circumstance.

-What AIO would you guys recommend? Something with RGB that looks sleek would be great!

Thanks.
 
From my experience, some of the worst H2O tend to work better than the best air coolers for keeping the processor cool.

Leaks - haven't had one in 20 years with either hand built or AIO. The only time I had worried about water on components was way back when, when I was using a peltier on the CPU and.or an inline chiller(peltier/blocks combo to a secondary water system). ...which I then had special insulators around the socket and dielectric grease smothered everywhere.

My present 360mm Thermaltake AIO has been working since 2016 no problems, running close to 24/7/365. (I rarely turn my system off) https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16835106241?Item=N82E16835106241
 
The only problem I have with AIO cooling is that the motor dies around the two year mark regardless of which manufacturer I choose. When it dies I have to replace it and I really don't want to replace any part that often.

I have since moved to a new system and now use a Noctua cooler. I swapped out the brown fans with two black Noctua fans. I do not see myself going back to AIO.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
I've never had an AIO leak. I've got one unit that's at least five years old. I have however, had custom loops leak. It probably happens to me more than most because of my use of them on the test bench and moving stuff around so often that the connections come loose. I had a leak at the block on my bench this last weekend in fact. It was small and I caught it without making too much of a mess. It was non-conductive fluid, which I did put to the test.
 
On a system where you are swapping out parts frequently, an AIO is a little easier in my experience compared to a large air cooler. Plus, I don't have any clearance issues with RAM with the AIO. I don't notice a huge difference in temps between my 240mm AIO and my dual tower Scythe Fuma though. I'm currently on an AIO, but this is my first one in a while as I've been on that Fuma since the 1st HardOCP review a couple years back.
 
Since they came out, I've been using AIO's for almost everything. They provide a clean look and as you mentioned, they avoid the clearance issues common to air coolers and RAM.
 
Ok, so if I understand correctly, the stock fan is fine if I'm not OC'ing? I mean, I use the stock fan on my current non-OC'ed PC and the temps are just fine so I'd assume I don't need one on my new build.
It's just... the stock fans are ugly lol.

Is there really much point to OC'ing? A lot of people I know who used to OC don't even bother anymore even though It's easier than it has ever been to OC from what I've read.

So no experience with NZXT AIO and CAM software?
 
Stock fans will work, but they are far from ideal. Usually, they are too noisy and don't really cool the CPU all that well. The thing you have to consider is the fact that CPU's now have automatic "overclocking" features to improve single and multi-threaded performance. Features such as Intel's Turbo Boost Technology and AMD's Precision Boost 2 and Precision Boost Overdrive increase the CPU's clock speeds within specific power and thermal limits. If those thermal conditions aren't met, throttling or reduced clock speeds are the result which means a reduction in performance. If you use a stock cooler like AMD's Wraith Spire then they probably won't clock very high. You are basically saying, "I don't want more performance." Performance that's not free, but certainly easily and safely obtained with no interaction or effort on your part.

This is why modern processors have two clock frequencies listed for them. There is a base / boost clock listed for them. The upcoming AMD Ryzen 9 3950X for example has a base frequency of 3.5GHz and a boost clock frequency of 4.7GHz. Thermals are why parts with massive core counts generally don't clock as well as their lower core count brethren using the same manufacturing process and architecture. A good example of this is Intel's Core i9 9980XE vs. the Xeon Platinum 8180 and AMD's Threadripper 2950X vs. 2990WX. The Threadripper 2990WX typically runs at lower frequencies when fully loaded than the 2950X. This isn't because the cores individually can't clock as high, but because the damn thing draws too much power and generates way too much heat to run at those same clocks with all 32 cores fully loaded. Similarly, the 9980XE has 18 cores and 36 threads and outclocks the Xeon Platinum 8180 based on the same architecture, but with 28 cores and 56 threads.
 
I had a corsair h100 where the copper part of the block started to erode and turn green near the edge. The next day they sent me out a brand new unit and also a return label for my leaking one. I know sometimes their service is spotty, but in that case, it was excellent.
 
For an AIO - I don’t see that they perform that much better than a high end air cooler. They do tend to cost a bit more.

The big advantage of an AIO though, is that you are able to directly exhaust heat out of the case, rather than dumping it in the case and relying on case ventilation to move it out.

The AIOs with larger rads can also cool with considerably less noise.
 
FenFox said:
So no experience with NZXT AIO and CAM software?
Click to expand...
CAM is alright. It's waaay better than some of the crap coming from overseas, speaking specifically of crappy motherboard software.

CAM acts like modern software, and is very much in the same vein as Razer's Synapse/Control Center, in that it always wants to be online, wants you to register an account, and auto-updates to the latest version in the background. You don't have to create an account, and can firewall it, but it will nag you to the point of driving you insane.

I've had CAM auto-update once and hose itself completely. That was over a year ago, and it's been stable since. That's a minor, yet arguable con.

Changing fan/pump profiles on-the-fly in CAM is a bit awkward. It seems it was designed more for functionality (i.e controlling multiple units) than user friendliness. CAM is required to customize the LEDs for the Kraken. Afaik, there's no way to sync the LEDs up with anything but NZXT's own HUE+. So no Asus Aura Sync, etc.

Being an NZXT Kraken owner, other disadvantages (vs HSF) are 1) it eats up a USB header and 2) you pretty much need CAM running to have variable pump speed. I suppose you could forgo CAM altogether and instead connect the fans to a motherboard/fan controller, leave the pump running at a constant speed, but at that point you'd have to ask yourself why did you get the Kraken in the first place?

CAM offers a lot of functionality I can't possibly appreciate, because it overlaps with other monitoring tools I already use. So I won't bother mentioning them here. But you might find value in those "extras" anyway.

All things considered, CAM is not that bad. I've seen (& experienced) worse.

CAM aside, I'm thoroughly pleased with the NZXT Kraken hardware. Still working good 2 years later.
 
Last edited:
Dan_D said:
Stock fans will work, but they are far from ideal. Usually, they are too noisy and don't really cool the CPU all that well. The thing you have to consider is the fact that CPU's now have automatic "overclocking" features to improve single and multi-threaded performance. Features such as Intel's Turbo Boost Technology and AMD's Precision Boost 2 and Precision Boost Overdrive increase the CPU's clock speeds within specific power and thermal limits. If those thermal conditions aren't met, throttling or reduced clock speeds are the result which means a reduction in performance. If you use a stock cooler like AMD's Wraith Spire then they probably won't clock very high. You are basically saying, "I don't want more performance." Performance that's not free, but certainly easily and safely obtained with no interaction or effort on your part.

This is why modern processors have two clock frequencies listed for them. There is a base / boost clock listed for them. The upcoming AMD Ryzen 9 3950X for example has a base frequency of 3.5GHz and a boost clock frequency of 4.7GHz. Thermals are why parts with massive core counts generally don't clock as well as their lower core count brethren using the same manufacturing process and architecture. A good example of this is Intel's Core i9 9980XE vs. the Xeon Platinum 8180 and AMD's Threadripper 2950X vs. 2990WX. The Threadripper 2990WX typically runs at lower frequencies when fully loaded than the 2950X. This isn't because the cores individually can't clock as high, but because the damn thing draws too much power and generates way too much heat to run at those same clocks with all 32 cores fully loaded. Similarly, the 9980XE has 18 cores and 36 threads and outclocks the Xeon Platinum 8180 based on the same architecture, but with 28 cores and 56 threads.
Click to expand...

Ok, so because all newer processors have "automatic overclocking" this overclocking will kick in if the CPU or mobo detects that It's being adequately cooled or how does that work? So It's worthwhile to spend more money to pickup an AIO or a better fan over investing that money into another piece of hardware? What AIO / Fan would you recommend? Like I mentioned, I really like the look of the NZXT AIO's. I would not get an AIO unless it has some adjustable RGB on it though. I'm gonna try and go for a black case, white cable sleeves if I can buy 'em like that. Pink and blue-ish teal RGB combo. I'm sure you've seen this combo a million times before, but it works for me. I think I'm gonna go with this case: Fractal Design Define R6 because It has A LOT of hard drive bays and I need that many. Plus I like the look of it. But if I use those bays, I'm not sure if I'll have room for an AIO.
 
Last edited:
If it's my build aios are fine.
If my spare/old parts are being given to someone then air bc I don't want to deal with anything once I give the build away.

I've never had leaks way back when I used my first aio on a p4 570j.
I've had aio pumps die, or years later the liquid permeates the tubes.
 
Well someone has to break up this AIO circlejerk, might as well be me :)

From my experience, some of the worst H2O tend to work better than the best air coolers for keeping the processor cool.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, but you definitely did not try the best air coolers. The best air coolers actually beat quite a few AIO all the way into the mid-to-upper tier models, not just the "worst AIO".

Since we're talking about worst AIOs: there are some retail AIO that barely keep certain CPUs effectively cool at "stock" on most gamer boards that ignore TDP locks, let alone any real overclock. Then theres shameful segments like TR which still has no reliable AIO.
 
Water coolers cost more for the same level of performance, if your case has decent airflow.

I also prefer air coolers, because you have no risk of leaks. You just install the thing and forget about it for 6-8 years!

Water cooling is only useful for the hardcore overclocker. for everyone else, you don't need to spend that amount of money.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top