12/10/2020 07:15 am GMT Buy Now This flow rate is controlled via an impeller often located in the CPU block (a dubious design patent held by Asetek). Liquid coolers require room in your case to mount the radiator while air coolers take up more immediate space around your CPU, which could pose clearance issues with side panels and larger RAM kits. It’s often said that liquid coolers are quieter than air coolers of a similar price, but generalizations like that are misleading. username Both air and liquid CPU coolers operate on a similar principle, and both do essentially the same thing: absorb heat from the CPU and redistribute it away from the hardware. If you don’t do some massive procession working on your pc,then air cooling will be enough. Some AIO loops can be refilled, which can increase the usable lifespan but ultimately introduces more points of failure. Required fields are marked *. If you’re serious about overclocking, or plan on undertaking CPU-intensive tasks like rendering video or streaming, liquid cooling might be the best choice. The browser version you are using is not recommended for this site.Please consider upgrading to the latest version of your browser by clicking one of the following links. Air cooling wins in pretty much every way here. See Intel’s Global Human Rights Principles. Quiet, affordable, high performer. The other factor that is important to note here is that, typically, smaller AIO liquid coolers perform worse than higher-end air coolers. There are two types of CPU coolers: air CPU coolers and liquid CPU coolers. Liquid cooling is capable of absorbing more heat than the standard air-cooling system. However, many coolers ship with lower quality fans or run their fans at higher RPMs out of the box to achieve better thermals. I'm undecided whether I should get liquid cooling vs normal air cooling. Learn More // See our complete legal notices and disclaimers. That said, it’s rare that a liquid cooler fails so spectacularly that your components wind up damaged from leaking liquid. The Best Air GPU Cooler. PC builders often overlook the large flat area on top of their GPUs, potential prime real estate for eye-catching designs and additional lighting. If your CPU runs hot enough to benefit from upgrading to aftermarket cooling (and budget isn’t a concern), the best option for you is likely to be the largest AIO cooler that you can afford and that will fit comfortably inside your case. The answer depends on how you use your computer and the performance and workloads you expect to encounter. This can raise the ambient temperature of the system overall. Likely the best value cooler on our list, includes slim and full-sized fans for better clearance in all systems. The results are interesting, mostly because the performance is almost identical except for more significant fluctuation on air cooling. Your email address will not be published. Where air coolers run into trouble is the sheer mass of a high performance air cooler, coupled with a potentially fraught installation process. Learn More Big radiator with three fans. Liquid coolers do a better job of relocating that heat outside of the system via the fans on the radiator. Liquid coolers will tend to be quieter at a given heat load. Get advice from international gaming pros and Intel gaming tech experts. Also, liquid cooling is much quieter than air cooling, since you don’t have to stuff your case with fans. EVGA CLC 360mm - AIO CPU Liquid Cooler $133.64 Forgot your Intel The heat is then transferred to the baseplate of the CPU cooler. A smaller build, a radiator water coolers will slightly outperform the AIO... 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