Can a 240mm AIO adequately cool an i7 13700k?

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patric

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I'm in the middle of getting parts to upgrade my current i7 9700k system. I'd love to reuse my current case and cooler, a Fractal Design Celsius S24. If I got a bigger radiator I'd also have to buy a different case, which I'm trying to avoid.

I don't really plan to do much overclocking. Maybe setting all cores to run at the same speed or else just leaving it at stock speeds and undervolting.

Would my current 240mm AIO keep the CPU from throttling under heavy loads like video rendering and large numbers of imports and exports in Lightroom? My current CPU regularly runs at 100% usage for extended periods of time when I'm working.
 
A 240mm AIO isn't exactly tiny. I could see how it might put a damper on any extreme overclocking ambitions that you may have had, but other than that, it should not be an issue. Also, the size of the radiator is hardly the only variable at play. Fans matter. On one end of the spectrum you could be talking about two low-CFM fans using a conservative fan-curve to keep noise down. On the other end of the spectrum you could be talking about 4 high-CFM fans in a push-pull setup using an aggressive fan curve. Many/most AIOs also allow you to adjust the pump speed, which would obviously also have an impact. Then there is the issue that an AIO doesn't usually last forever like a traditional heatsink does. Even in a unit without a leak, you'll still have some slight evaporation over-time. This is even more important to consider if you are re-using an "old" AIO from a previous setup. Case airflow matters also, as does the ambient air temperature in your room. With all of those variables, I could envision scenarios where a 240mm AIO could be anything from "not enough", to "borderline overkill".
 
If your case allows for it, go for one of the thicker units (38 vs 25mm rad), like the Arctic Liquid Freezer II or the Phanteks Glacier One 240T30 edition. They have cooling capacity on par with most generic 360mm coolers, both due to the increased rad thickness, and because of the great fans they come with.
 
I second the think units. You really can't go wrong with a Hardware Labs 280GTX at medium fan speeds. I have mine paired with some Noctua A14s and its doing great. Just watch out for the width at 53mm not all cases are happy with that.
 
devkinetic said:
I second the think units. You really can't go wrong with a Hardware Labs 280GTX at medium fan speeds. I have mine paired with some Noctua A14s and its doing great. Just watch out for the width at 53mm not all cases are happy with that.
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I ended up ordering a new case as well as an Arctic Freezer II 280mm AIO for $67 from their refurbished eBay store.

I did have to Dremel out part of the corners of the fan mounts to get the AIO to fit over my RAM, so I guess I can only use RAM with lower profile heatsinks in the future.

My stock temps running R23 with the buckle and 280mm were hitting 82C so it seems to do an good job. With a .065v undervolt my hottest core is at 72C. I'm going to see if I can lower it further and/or maybe add a small overclock but I haven't had a lot of time for stability testing lately.
 
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