Are AIO's really better than air coolers?
Posted by Defiant_Country1764@reddit | buildapc | View on Reddit | 274 comments
Just got my pc 2 days ago with an air cooler and my mates are saying your pc is bad because you have an air cooler? I specifically have a Peerless Assassin 120Se and my mates have a CoolerMaster ML240. Which cooler is better?
Hungry_Reception_724@reddit
Yes but only when you start hitting extreme limits.
The biggest benefit for a watercooler for 99% of people is that they are quieter. But dropping a CPU temps from lets say 75 degrees under load with air to 65 degrees under load for water does nothing for the CPU both are safe operating temperatures and offer lots of headroom for overclocking without CPU degradation.
lawrence1998@reddit
Overall they are about the same, there's advantages and djsadvtanges to both. That said, good 360mm AIOs will outperform most air coolers.
Some very large air coolers will be able to keep up with top 360mm/420mm aios, but they come with their own problems (eg they can obstruct airflow for the rest of the case, they can cause air to get recycled etc)
sansjoy@reddit
nothing wrong with air coolers. nothing wrong with AIO either. for most people there's no difference between the two so the less liquid close to my components the better
hiebertw07@reddit
Plus, air coolers don't fail, make less noise, and help cool VRMs better. That being said, I run AIOs because of the thermal mass.
wazzledudes@reddit
Make less noise? The main reason I switched to water was the massive reduction in noise.
Lewdeology@reddit
I was about to say how is an air cooler going to be quieter than an AIO…
N3opop@reddit
It's got less fans in general, and the fans are inside the case. So what was that?
wazzledudes@reddit
More fans means running them at much lower speeds.
N3opop@reddit
To be honest, this whole discussion between air and aio is idiotic.
either you chose an AIO for estethics
or
you chose an air cooler for longevity
it's literally as simple as that for gaming environements, which is the use case for 99% of people here.
If you're gaming, you'd go for something like a x3d chip, and they need fuck all cooling due to their low wattage, and build. My 7800X3D wont go above 60 degrees while gaming, because PPT doesnt pass 60W. While rendering at absolut full load and proper curve offsets and PBO, it will get throttled by it's 82-84W max PPT, which is set by AMD(even though they state 120W, it's not the case. This has been tested again and again by not just me, but Gamer Nexus and several other trustworthy sources).
At full power over several hours of full load rendering, it'll maintain temps of \~81 degrees with fans at 55%. Having fans at 100% gave a 1-2 degree reduction, and at 100% it'll sound like a yet plane.
Same goes for GPU. If maintained properly, you'll stay well below temp limits, having power limit be the throttling factor. My RTX 3080 maintains 320W which is it's max, but it'll be 15 degrees off it's thermal throttle limits for avg. core, hot spot and memory conjuction respectively. That's also with fans at no more than 50-55%.
wazzledudes@reddit
Not idiotic. My top of the line air cooler would ramp up periodically during production work and be audible on mics even with a very generous curve. On water it's able to stay lower, longer, quieter.
For gaming I largely agree with you unless you are pushing tons of frames.
N3opop@reddit
Hence my 99% of people here.
May i ask about your periodic production work? Did you set a limit on fan speeds? Did you test the difference between perfomance while letting fans run at a max of 50-60% vs letting it ramp above that?
After back and forth testing, i concluded that with stable undervolting there is, like i said 1-2 degree difference in temp between 100% fan speeds and 60%. With a decent air cooler, it shouldnt make any extra noise until you reach the 55-60% threshold.
Sure, you can have good fan curves, but they should be limited to certain max speed %, or you they aren't reeally optimised.
wazzledudes@reddit
Yeah I do video production, animation, voice over work, etc.
Sometimes I'd like to export a draft of a project while I'm recording vocals and that user pull my cpu overhead.
Yes i set a limit on my aio, my noctua air cooler before was getting thermal throttling under the same load, and I don't want to nerf my processor I spent way too much on.
Games where I was pushing a lot of frames had a similar issue but less common and not dire more of a damn my fans are ripping that's annoying.
N3opop@reddit
100% correct. However, everyone's talking like they would need cooling for rendering 24/7 using a +16 core cpu at +300W.
For gaming, you don't need your fans to run much more than 40%, both case, cpu and gpu-fans if you've done your homework, when it comes to flow inside the case and configured proper fan curves.
At 40% and below, neither cooler or case fans make any noise. It's pretty much equal dB until reaching some 55-60% fan speed.
wazzledudes@reddit
Absolutely agree. For a cinebench run, my aio is much louder than my air cooler was. For my work, my aio is much quieter. For gaming it's largely irrelevant.
MoDErahN@reddit
Yes. Makes less noise. Just use beefy radiator with 140mm fan and setup speed thresholds in a BIOS to 300 RPM or less for sub 50 celsius. I have exactly this setup and this thing has virtually undetectable sound level. Like you actually can't detect if the thing is powered.
Drages23@reddit
Not so much as air cooler gets more heat in case. If you play GPU heavy games, your air cooler start to lose their cooling.
MoDErahN@reddit
Or you use proper case for air cooling that is more open stand like. Cooler Master HAF XB EVO in my case.
Drages23@reddit
It's possible but an AIO at that kind of case would still be better. AIO's and fans are way better these days.
I was a good air cooler defender as I used NH D15 for years for my AMD 5900x with a cool air cooling case. Now I got a 9950x with Lian Li Hydroshift, not best but good enough to hold the CPU at 75 C max when NH D15 can handle 5900x at 85 C.
As I said, if you go for only CPU stuff, yeah air is fine but if GPU and M2's starts running, you just feel how hot the exhaust air and no air cooler can cool anything in that heat.
MoDErahN@reddit
I have 12700F and 4090 and everything is cool even though I often load both with AI related stuff and VR gaming to it's max.
dropamusic@reddit
I am using be quite cooler on my both my rigs, and it is massively more quite then when I had an AIO cooler. Its possible the AIO cooler I had was cheap shit. But Air coolers can be very quite.
wazzledudes@reddit
Definitely an aio has the potential to be louder, but a good one will be significantly quieter all things equal.
blorgenheim@reddit
I think the pump noise bothers people but I find an aio to be infinitely more quiet than air cooling
digitalsmear@reddit
I have an Arctic Liquid Freezer III as my first AIO in the machine a few feet from me and it's barely audible. The video card and the case fans make the majority of the noise. I'm not even sure what people are talking about regarding pump noise.
Mchlpl@reddit
I had to manually crank up the pump rpm while other fans were idling to actually hear it.
Gumbode345@reddit
used to be the case, but I think now it's even. AIO has (not from experience, just from what I've seen reported over time) slightly higher failure rate. I'm running aio btw and have zero complaints.
bitwaba@reddit
I noticed my AIO pump speed was running at 100% after install so I had to do some tuning to get it reactive to my CPU temperature. I'd imagine some people just plug it in and don't bother with anything else.
beirch@reddit
The pump is made to run at a set speed at all times. Lots of changing speeds can actually introduce turbulence and more heat expansion/cold contraction than if it just runs at 70% or 100% constantly, which may reduce life expectancy.
What you definitely don't want is the pump running at slow speeds and struggling to move water. In any case, AIO pumps are made to run at 100% and it won't damage it. If the noise bothers you you can also just leave it at 60-80% as long as it's moving enough water.
My_Legz@reddit
The pump noice is only audiable in passive systems tbh. If they aren't there is either air in the system, the pump is broken or the installation was wrong giving you air in the system more often than not
420KillaNA@reddit
meanwhile, have a 280mm Corsair H115i 2x140mm radiator, plus a bunch of 6000rpm Delta & Scythe fans and this shits half as loud as an airplane taking off 😂 but it's colder than water bottles in the fridge (well almost...)
3600CCH6WRX@reddit
Too many fans can be worse for cooling and increase noise level.
IM_OK_AMA@reddit
More fans means the fans can spin slower to move the same amount of air, resulting in a quieter build.
Not sure how they could be worse for cooling.
3600CCH6WRX@reddit
I didnt say more fans = worse cooling. But it can be counterproductive.
Airflow Balance: A balanced airflow is crucial. Having too many fans can disrupt the airflow pattern, leading to air pockets and inefficiencies. The goal is to have a consistent flow of cool air coming in and hot air being exhausted out.
Fan Placement: Placement matters more than quantity. Fans should be strategically placed to maximize airflow. For example, intake fans should bring cool air in from the front and bottom, and exhaust fans should push hot air out from the top and rear.
Quality Over Quantity: High-quality fans can be more effective than a larger number of lower-quality fans. Fans with higher static pressure are better for pushing air through components, while those with higher airflow are better for general ventilation.
Noise and Power Consumption: More fans mean more noise and power consumption. It's important to find a balance that keeps your system cool without turning it into a noisy power hog.
Air Filters and Maintenance: More fans can introduce more dust into your system, especially if you don’t have proper air filters or don't clean them regularly. This can actually lead to worse cooling performance over time.
IM_OK_AMA@reddit
Thanks but I didn't ask chatGPT
GoldSkyline@reddit
Not worth the time typing and explaining to people who lack critical thinking. ChatGPT is enough.
digitalsmear@reddit
Gotta rethink that one, my friend.
wazzledudes@reddit
Hey man I crank my curves for benching too! Daily driving it is plenty quiet and more than plenty stable though.
My_Legz@reddit
This is the real answer, it's a big difference in sound. Especially if you set your radiator fans to eother match the medium temperature or a really, really slow ramp since you aren't directly cooling the CPU, you are colling the medium with a significant delay.
hiebertw07@reddit
Air coolers and AIOs both use fans, but only water cooling has a pump. You could make the argument that the AIO radiator can fit more fans so they each spin slower, but I think it's pretty well documented with empirical testing that AIOs are louder all things being equal.
wazzledudes@reddit
Yeah my fans spin a lot slower and the pump is nearly inaudible compared to the jet engine tower cooler set up.
If we are running a cinebench test, yeah the aio noise is probably going to peak louder, but in daily use, my high end aio is significantly quieter than any high end tower cooler I've used.
hiebertw07@reddit
I understand and feel the same, but videos by GamersNexus and LTT showed me otherwise.
Disastrous2821@reddit
Uhm no? Gamers nexus list clearly shows aios dominating the top end. Even in the 240mm space some like arctic liquid freezers beat out most if not all air coolers, except like noctuas nhd15 in noise normalized testing.
hiebertw07@reddit
You were right. I misunderstood the data. I deleted my previous comments to avoid spreading misinformation.
pieisgiood876@reddit
Thank you! I see people constantly saying that air coolers perform the same as AIOs, but GN clearly illustrated that top end AIOs are much more effective in noise normalized testing.
Not to diss anyone who runs air cooling, but I think it's crazy that people think a top end 360mm with 3x 140mm fans is on the same level as a mid level tower air cooler
Karyo_Ten@reddit
3x120
wazzledudes@reddit
Literally why I switched haha. My aio is much quieter than my tower fan. Way better for recording audio in my office/VO booth/recording studio/gaming space.
hiebertw07@reddit
Really? What the hell did I watch? Brb
RChamy@reddit
Meanwhile my Corsair h100i elite capellix sounds like a robot vacuum on a ryzen 3D chip. Tried a bequiet dark rock 4 and the thing is almost creepy silent.
DefMech@reddit
I also switched from a Corsair h100i to a bequiet dark rock and had the same experience. The AIO pump was clattery as hell and the fans were super loud under load. My Bequiet is so quiet I had to check that it was actually working a few times after I first installed it. Still inaudible under the heaviest loads. The loudest part of my pc is my GPU now.
silalumen@reddit
If it was 1:1 fans = same noise that would be true, but you neglect to realize the fans change speeds based on temps which cause the noise to vary. AIOs should reduce heat faster than an air cooler so your empirical tests aren't benching/stressing the cpu temps properly if what you say is true..
Laputa15@reddit
If you go by noise-normalized benchmarks, AIOs are actually quieter. Now you can argue that dBA doesn't tell the whole picture and you need to go by frequencies, I'm all for that but there's not much data around to have a conclusion if we're going by frequencies.
double0nothing@reddit
Noise-Normalized benchmarks are measuring temperature, not volume. It has nothing to do with how loud a cooling solution will get, it more has to do with how efficient they are at cooling at a certain noise level.
Laputa15@reddit
'Quieter' in noise-normalized tests means, for example, cooler X keeps a 9900X at 72°C at 35 dBA, while cooler Y manages only 78°C at the same noise level. So, to reach 78°C, cooler X can run at lower RPM, producing less noise. I thought that was obvious.
Metallibus@reddit
I'm not sure where you're getting this from or how it would even begin to make sense. I've read entirely the opposite.
AIOs have more surface area, so the same heat is spread over more area, meaning more air to pick it up, meaning lower fan speeds, which means drastically less noise. Especially on 360s, it's entirely different. You'd have to have much MUCH worse fans for them to be anywhere near the same volume.
The only way this would make any sense is if somehow the pump is louder than the difference in fan speed.... Yet I've never seen an AIO I can even really hear the pump on even with the case open.
I've seen some people claim the pump frequency is a more annoying sound, but it's barely audible so not sure why that matters.
Ktrell2@reddit
For real. My arctic liquid iii is so damn quiet. I love that thing. 3 fans and the thing is so quiet.
Hamshaggy70@reddit
Less noise? My aio is virtually silent...
My_Legz@reddit
I mean, air coolers DO fail. Just differently
hiebertw07@reddit
Dust? Bent fins? I mean heat pipes can leak and the gas does evaporate over time, but that's with a hammer or over decades respectively.
FiTZnMiCK@reddit
Heat pipes should be filed with a liquid at room temperature. The heat causes the transition to gas and as that gas is cooled and condenses a wick returns the liquid to the baseplate.
The wicks fail over time, but that’s usually after 10-20 years of use.
Otherwise, the main failure points are from physical damage like you mention or corrosion.
CatalyticDragon@reddit
I'd class that as degradation rather than failure but perhaps that's being pedantic.
PirateRob007@reddit
*degradation leading to failure. Now we're all pedantic.
Mchlpl@reddit
And I wonder: is it years of use, or years since production... Heatpipes don't really have an on/off button.
Arlcas@reddit
You would need the cicles of heating up and cooling down for it to degrade so use unless it's stored in the open in the desert.
Mchlpl@reddit
So if the temperature difference across the length of the pipe is zero or close to zero there are no vaporisation/condensation cycles, no wicking and so no degradation? It makes sense I suppose.
Phantacee@reddit
Use
Phoenix__Wwrong@reddit
Wtf, I thought air cooler was just metal.... Til
kumikanki@reddit
This is new for me too. They are filled with distilled water.
My source is Be quiets web site.
SecreteMoistMucus@reddit
Well not filled, it's like 25% water or something.
kumikanki@reddit
Don't know how much it is in % but "only a few millimeters per tube."
https://www.bequiet.com/en/insidebequiet/1769
Dysan27@reddit
They used to be. Then processors got powerful enough that the needed surface area was to large to fit close enough to the processor that thermal conduction was enough. So Heat pipes are now used to efficiently transfer the heat from the contact pad where the processor is out to the fins.
So ones like this are just a hunk of metal with at fan.
But the ones like this, those copper pipes are the heat pipes and conduct heat MUCH better than solid copper would. Allowing better use of the fins. (also I realise that is a very oddly shaped heat sink, it's what Wiki had)
cyri-96@reddit
Very simple cheap ones like the intel stock cooler are just slabs of milked alumininum and copper, but any cooler more complex cooler with heatpipes has small amounts of liquid in them.
Though unlike Liquid oolers there's basically 0 risk of liquid damaged since heatpipes contain just a tiny amount of Destilled water and are completely sealed (they need to hold a vacuum after all)
Sharlinator@reddit
Surely the fan motor is the weakest link here, unless we talk totally passive cooling. But fans are of course easily replaced and last a long long time if they have quality bearings.
hiebertw07@reddit
Yup. Unless you have a big air cooler, then you'll have bloody knuckles trying to swap a fan.
RChamy@reddit
Just use a victorinox swiss knife nail tool
hiebertw07@reddit
I think you might be overestimating the frequency at which I replace fans. I categorically refuse to buy a special tool that I'll definitely lose before it's second use.
MetroSimulator@reddit
Noctua nh-15 have a really easy way to change fans
salcedoge@reddit
Some also bend the motherboard
Ziazan@reddit
They usually tell you long in advance about it too, and loudly.
My_Legz@reddit
True, they usually do
IceeP@reddit
What is thermal mass abd what does ot mean?
Laputa15@reddit
I really don't get this "air coolers make less noise". I have owned several air coolers and AIOs, and the AIOs (quality ones) tend to do better in the noise department because they can run at lower fan rpm to achieve the same cooling performance. Bad AIOs tend to have noisy pump though so that can be the reason why people generally think AIOs have worse noise performance.
Phoenix__Wwrong@reddit
Man, my first PC was with water cooler, and it was Corsair h110i. I simply went with the quiet profile, but it got really loud when I was gaming.
But I guess the issue was more on the fan? The included fans would ramp up to 2300 rpm. I guess I should have just set it at low rpm?
Well, I switched to air cooler when I upgraded my CPU though.
DptBear@reddit
In my experience AIO systems are quieter than comparable air coolers
Eastern-Professor490@reddit
tower coolers actually do not cool vrm's better especially not if compared to artic freezer 2 & 3. top down coolers do cool vrm better but tower coolers especially tje big ones often cover it and actually reducing airflow to the vrm
cpu cooler megachart from gamers nexus it ncludes vrm thermals
Routine-Lawfulness24@reddit
“Make less noise“ isn’t that the main selling point of aio over air?
Powerful-Ad2869@reddit
where im from only Liquid coolers work, Its too hot that Air coolers are obsolete.
Kepler_Jokke@reddit
Where's that?
0Winter_Soldier0@reddit
I usually say to go AIO if you don't have that many fans since they come with fans which usually offsets the cost of being more expensive in my opinion
CatalyticDragon@reddit
Exactly.
You will be hard pressed to find any benchmarks showing an AIO to provide better performance over a decent air cooler (provided the cooler is rated for the respective part - don't stick a 65w rated cooler on a 250w rated Threadripper for example).
And honestly I would almost never recommended liquid cooling, AIO or custom loop, as they have higher failure rates.
Tessiia@reddit
It's hard to find actually statistics on this, but you can find plenty of anecdotal evidence, especially from suppliers (not manufacturers) based on return rates, or from repair shops. The failure rate MAY be higher, but when the rate is (random numbers) 2% instead of 0.5%, does it really matter?
People always make this argument, but in reality, it just doesn't seem valid. Also, out of the AIOs that do fail, how many of those failures are leaks? Because if it's not a leak, and is therefore not damaging other components, again, does it matter if you understand this going into it? Most AIO failures are pumps, and as long as you keep an eye on temps, which you should do from time to time anyway, it's not going to cause damage to anything else.
Substantial-Zone-989@reddit
Aios provide more rapid cooling and better temperatures due to heat being conducted better in water than air. It is also more susceptible to failure due to there being more parts involved.
Air coolers are better in terms of lifespan and cost. The 2 major downsides is that it is limited in terms of how cool it could get your pc to and how noisy it could get when running at max performance.
That being said, if you want better performance for your pc, aios are better. If you do not need the performance and don't mind the noise, air cooler is better.
mad_dog_94@reddit
It depends. A good air cooler can cool as well as some aios and don't run the risk of leaks or need replacing nearly as often, and with inherently less noise
A good aio is still gonna cool the best though and some processors just need it (most threadrippers and Intel cups mainly)
If you're open air like me though then you can do basically whatever you want and you'll be fine (not an option for furry friend houses)
SeafoodDuder@reddit
The difference is minimal unless you have a super high end CPU and AIO.
Your air cooler is more than enough and requires less maintenance/care after you've installed it compared to AIO. You also saved a good amount of money.
I'll never plan on using an AIO.
tonallyawkword@reddit
yours if it works.
can't tell if bot, troll, or srs.
Superdryeffect@reddit
AIOs giving slightly cooler temps generally, but choosing the right AirCooler can be also as good! In your case, the Thermalrighr Peerless Assassin is one of the best air coolers on the market, and not only in price. It can beat many liquid cooler as well in performance! Its brother is the Phantom Spirit which is excellent as well!
DEVOmay97@reddit
The best AIO's are better than the best air coolers, but the best air coolers are better than the majority of AIO's. Generally speaking if you get the best air coolers, such as a noctua nh-d15 or a thermalright peerless assassin 120 (I actually have this one, it's been great) you're fine. You don't need the most cooling performance possible, you only need enough to keep your CPU from thermal throttling at the clock speed you're attempting to achieve. Air coolers will do this in 99% of examples. Air coolers also provide secondary cooling for the motherboards power delivery components that a water cooling system simply can't match without adding in extra accessories. If an air cooler can do it, I recommend them. They Are simpler and therefore there is less to go wrong, simpler is always a plus. I only recommend an AIO or a water loop if an air cooler literally can't do the job. If an air cooler can get the job done the only reason to go water cooling is for the aesthetic.
t90fan@reddit
no
good air coolers are better than shitty AIOs
Unless you get really big AIOs they aren't worth it compared to a decent dual tower cooler
They are also somewhat noisier.
Karyo_Ten@reddit
Arctic Liquid Freezer III 360 is 20€ cheaper than a NH-D15 in Europe.
Rayquaza2233@reddit
Yeah, but no one should be buying the D15 at this point because there's so much competition.
Jaybonaut@reddit
What do you recommend instead
Psyko_sissy23@reddit
The peerless assassin 120 is the one I just bought for my build i just completed a few weeks ago. My cpu and gpu temps don't go over 55C. I have 3 fans in my case. They are around $35-$45. I can't hear my system while gaming.
Jaybonaut@reddit
Oh, your heaviest load is gaming - no wonder. What CPU? Gaming is a freaking joke compared to what I do with a CPU.
Psyko_sissy23@reddit
You OK? You asked for a recommendation and I gave you one.
Jaybonaut@reddit
What CPU is your recommendation for? You gave me half a recommendation. I'm not kidding about CPU load either, gaming is a freaking joke in comparison, like laughably so.
goodnames679@reddit
You don’t seem very fun to have a conversation with.
Jaybonaut@reddit
Why
goodnames679@reddit
Well you asked someone for help and immediately started belittling what they said, even though you’re also factually incorrect in your belittlement. Even if you’re pushing a 16 core CPU to the max for extended times of rendering/compiling, there are gamers whose systems can push nearly as much heat as what you do.
It just rubs me the wrong way to see someone actually offering you a good part recommendation and you to go off and belittle their response while being confidently incorrect.
Jaybonaut@reddit
Even though you agree with me completely, you try to make it sound like you don't. I know what I am talking about - gaming is a joke compared to transcoding if we are talking about heat generation under load.
What belittling did I do? He gave me half a recommendation - he suggested an air cooler - FOR WHAT CPU? ALL of them?! ANY of them?!
goodnames679@reddit
I don’t agree with you completely, and I’m not sure how you could possibly interpret it that way. Somebody gaming at high FPS 1080p in certain titles for extended periods might be putting out very close to the same heat you are, pushing their system to the point of thermal throttling with any air cooler.
The cooler he suggested is a very affordable cooler that very very few air coolers can outperform. You could spend triple its price and get a cooler that’s 1-3% better than it, technically, but that would be a ridiculous waste of money no matter what you’re running. So yes, it actually is a reasonable recommendation for any and all CPUs that can’t be run off stock coolers.
If you wanted a cooler recommendation for a specific CPU, the onus was on you to specify what CPU you wanted recommendations for. You did not, somebody recommended the best possible air cooler they could have given your lack of direction, and then you got mad.
Unfortunately my hunch seems correct; you are not fun to have a conversation with.
Jaybonaut@reddit
You agreed that when compared it can't reach the same level of heat, and I quoted you saying exactly that - which is agreeing with my statement entirely. You then just agreed with me again with your 14900k statement.
I realize that you wish I wasn't completely correct, but that's no reason to make personal insults.
goodnames679@reddit
You said that gaming heat output is a joke compared to your heat output. I said that gaming output is very close compared to your heat output.
Those two things are not the same.
Jaybonaut@reddit
73°F and 22.7778°C are two statements that are not the same thing... or are they?
Fresh-Ad3834@reddit
Dude is right, you seem insufferable.
Jaybonaut@reddit
Why
Psyko_sissy23@reddit
You asked for a recommendation on an air cooler. I gave you one. You didn't ask for any other recommendations. I gave you a full recommendation. What do you do that causes a heavy load on the cpu?
Jaybonaut@reddit
Oh ok, I didn't realize your recommendation is for every chip. Transcoding.
Cpenny1@reddit
But the Thermalright Phantom Spirit/Peerless Assassin is cheaper than a Liquid Freezer 3 360 (and a lot cheaper than the NH-D15). I can't see a reason to suggest an NH-D15 over a Phantom Spirit/Peerless Assassin. Maybe the Noctua fans? Although I've not had any issues with the Thermalright fans included with my Phantom Spirit.
The_Cat_Of_Ages@reddit
i think the peerless assassin 140 will be my go to
Psyko_sissy23@reddit
I love how cool and quiet mine is.
The_Cat_Of_Ages@reddit
i love loud fans though, but, my case can't fit a rad, so a really good air cooler it is if im overclocking a 5600x
Psyko_sissy23@reddit
Well, it does cool very well. I guess it depends on how much you are overclocking it. I'm not familiar with that chip and over clocking it.
cyri-96@reddit
And well if someone really wants noctua fans, then they can easily replace the fans of a Phantom Spirit, those are completely standard 120mm fans after all
wordfool@reddit
Hardware Canucks tested alternative fans on the PS120 Evo and found the Silent Wings 4 Pro outperforms other options, including the stock fans
Ok_Awareness3860@reddit
This is a good answer if not a bit biased. The best AIO will still be better than any regular air cooler. Water cooling is best. But that doesn't mean you need it. Like you said, sometimes air cooler s outperform water cooling, it depends on budget and what case you are using.
cyri-96@reddit
Yep is really silly to see AiOs on sub 100W chips outside of vers specific SFF builds
Actuary_Beginning@reddit
B-but the aesthetics for my 4060ti build bro!!! /s
mrlolelo@reddit
Mfs on their way to buy a $200 fulltower, with 12 custom Lian Li fans for their 3060 build
PirateRob007@reddit
No. Air coolers last more or less forever and no down time(keep a spare fan or two) when they fail. The top air coolers typically perform within a couple degrees of AIO's.
AIO's are a different look though, and allow easier vertical GPU mounting which can also look good.
Fresh-Ad3834@reddit
Air coolers are better. So no, AIOs are really not better than air coolers.
They are both typically very reliable these days, but AIOs have several more points of likely failure (pump, hoses, fans, etc.) than an air cooler.
RenderFaze@reddit
It depends what your cpu is. Ryzens tend to run more efficiently, so the 7800x3d in my system stays very cool with the peerless assassin evo. If you’re running an intel chip I would recommend an aio
davekurze@reddit
I run an AIO because I think it looks cleaner and works better with a vertical GPU mount. You’re fine with a good air cooler bud.
BaronB@reddit
Generally air coolers are worse than AIOs, but there are a wide range of air coolers and AIOs.
Good dual tower air coolers are roughly on par with a decent 240mm AIO.
The Peerless Assassin 120 SE is one of the best air coolers on the market today.
The CoolerMaster MasterLiquid 240 is one of the worst 240mm AIOs on the market.
The PA120SE actually wins in this match up for cooling performance, noise, and price. The only place the AIO really wins is in aesthetics, and that's highly subjective.
AIOs are also generally better for systems that will be moved a lot, as most of their weight is attached to the case rather than just to the motherboard.
dudewitbangs@reddit
Sure this is true with infinite money, but at equal price points aren't air coolers almost always better unless you expect crazy instant spikes in heat (over short periods of time)? And i believe air coolers are shown to have less depreciation over time. It's been a few years since I have researched this but general consensus seemed to be that under realistic conditions you should go air cooling, and if you are in the niche that should have an AIO you will know it.
Of course if you like the aesthetic or sound or case size restrictions or whatever it's really not going to make or break your build either way.
BaronB@reddit
I was talking in terms of pure performance, and ignoring things like how well different coolers work with different CPUs.
In terms of Intel 14th gen for example, if you have a 14900k, there isn't a single air cooler on the market that can keep it from thermal throttling for all core workloads. Not even the $160 NH-D15 G2 HBC, the current best air cooler on the market for Intel CPUs.
But you can buy a $55 Thermalright Aqua Elite 360mm AIO that will keep it from thermal throttling.
You don't need a $300 AIO with an OLED screen larger than your phone and $70 ARGB fans.
redditapilimit@reddit
Most of this advice is solid, but the part about better cooling dumping more heat into the room isn’t correct. If your CPU draws 100W, that’s 100W of heat going into your room regardless of whether you’re using an air cooler or AIO. Better cooling just means lower CPU temps, and a faster change in temperature not more heat output.
ronan88@reddit
Yes, but if that heat is concentrated in the components, it can't also be in the air.
If you game in a small room, a more efficient cooler will transfer that air from inside the case to outside the case sooner and your ambient temperature will be warmer. The faster the ambient air temp raises, the less time the natural dissipation of heat from your gaming space will be able to cool your environment.
LOSTandCONFUSEDinMAY@reddit
Once the system reaches equilibrium it's the same.
100w is 100w and once the cooler is heated up (which under load would be ~10) all of that 100w is being dumped into the room at the rate of 100w.
Maybe if all your gaming sessions are 20 minutes long that matters but I'd wager that's not the case.
TuvixHadItComing@reddit
Counterpoint: my computer room doesn't have a heating vent for some reason, and the door stays closed to keep the cats out, so if my PC isn't dumping heat into the room, I would be cold and/or have to wear a sweater.
Drevway@reddit
Counterpoint? The amount of heat generated by your PC is only dependent on the amount of power it uses, the cooling solution makes no difference.
TroyMcC2@reddit
Unless it runs into thermal throttling.
Drevway@reddit
If it's throttling it's using less power to not go over the temperature limit.
thrownawayzsss@reddit
They're going to displace the exact same amount of heat, your cooler isn't magic. So liquid, custom loop, tower cooler, doesn't matter. It's going to heat up your room the same amount.
RettichDesTodes@reddit
As long as the parts use the same amount of energy. Some parts may boost higher and lower temps and actually use more power then
CrewmemberV2@reddit
The type of cooler you are using doesn't change the amount of heat being out into your room.
TheBioethicist87@reddit
Depends which one. A big-ass dual-fan air cooler can cool better than a 120mm AIO, and some can keep up with your average 240mm AIOs.
I like my Noctua NH-D15 because it cools very well, and if a fan fails, it’s still going to cool ok. If the pump on your AIO goes, you’re in trouble.
9okm@reddit
How old are your friends?
smackythefrog@reddit
Sound like middle schoolers who pair a 14900 with a 3050ti and then want to cool the 14900 with a Ryujin III
So basically dum dums
el_americano@reddit
His friends are mermaids
GeneralLeeCurious@reddit
Mer-MAN, Dad! Mer-MAN!
Buffunder@reddit
You just reminded me that wetness is the essence of the beauty
TimmmyTurner@reddit
if you have something like 14900k, air coolers are bad.
but if you have something like a 7800x3d, it doesn't really make a difference.
it's rather subjective. I would always pick a thermal right aircooler over any AIO just because of lower failure rate.
TimeZucchini8562@reddit
Why do you say bad? They’re not bad.
PlzDntBanMeAgan@reddit
They're bad for a chip that runs hot such as the 14900k. If you have anything less than a 360mm non poverty spec liquid cooler on a 14900k you're not doing it right.
TimeZucchini8562@reddit
Way to edit your comment to completely reverse what you said
PlzDntBanMeAgan@reddit
I didn't edit no comment wtf u talking bout
mostrengo@reddit
To be honest, things got of the rails when buying the 14900k in the first place...
PlzDntBanMeAgan@reddit
I wouldn't say I regret buying my 14900 but I had to RMA it after less than a year of ownership so that wasn't fun. But I don't know what you mean by your comment?
FunBuilding2707@reddit
Your mate is a dickhead and will have a clogged AIO in the future while you still have a cooler.
ClerklierBrush0@reddit
My aio is quieter. That’s all I care about. The temps can do whatever the hell they want I just want silence. The air cooler was noisy as crap. I lock that aio at 40% speed and if my poor cpu has to suffer at +80° then so be it.
untoastedbrioche@reddit
yes and no is the answer to every question you can think.
looks better? yes but no.
functions better? no but yes.
cheaper? no but yes.
easier to install? no but yes
personally I've just always thought "liquid cooling" and the aio themselves looked and sounded cool and fun.
but in my youth I enjoyed the simplicity and plug and play of air coolers.
N3opop@reddit
I'm just going to copy my comment far down some thread in here which you most likely won't see.
If you want to have good cooling. Put your focus on proper air flow in your case. You want a slighlt positive pressure. More air coming in, than coming out, otherwise it won't circulate properly, and hot air will get trapped inside.
Fan curves. Get a software like Fancontrol, which is free and very easy to use. Watch a short guide on how to set proper fan curves in fancontrol.
For gaming you can pretty much set fans to not go above 40% as your hardware won't sit at full power 100% of the time.
Amazingawesomator@reddit
with a pro-watercooling bias, it sounds like your friends are gatekeeping because they want to feel superior. air coolers work just fine (especially the one you have - its a good one). your friends dont really know much about computers if they are solely basing thoughts on your build off of it having an air cooler.
Ostrovsky95@reddit
Both are fine in most cases. If one is using 240 AIO this is only for personal preference.
If you really need an AIO then you need 280 and bigger.
Don't know your CPU but most probably you are fine with Assassin 120Se.
reddituserzerosix@reddit
ignore them and enjoy your air cooling supremacy, never worrying about leaks
PrimetimeCP23@reddit
I think unless you’re overclocking it probably doesn’t matter. I’ve been using the Ryzen fan that came with the cpu for like 6 years
epical2019@reddit
Air coolers make less noise in most cases and do a perfectly fine job of cooling your Cpu even with overclocking. Your friends are just being assholes.
BluDYT@reddit
If your PC is being adequately cooled than it's not really better or worse. People like to overspend on dance aios for a bit of extra cooling that will likely make next to no real difference in performance.
dr_reverend@reddit
No, unless you have space issues where you cannot fit a proper air cooler. Other than that they do not provide any real significant improvement in cooling, are way more expensive and should be replaced after 5-6 years due to water loss.
GonstroCZ@reddit
You will tell this back to them when their AIO breaks in a 3 years
Mopar_63@reddit
Better is a relative term. AIOs "potentially" have the ability to run quieter and cooler. However a well designed air cool build can be very competitive with an AIO and often do it for less money. AIOs can be "prettier" as they can have fancy displays on the pumps and then add all those ARGB fans filling fan areas on a case.
AIOs however also have a higher risk of failure due to more points of potential failure. In a catastrophic failure an AIO "could" actually damage other parts of a PC.
The Peerless Assassin is an excellent air cooler and for pretty much any of the new Ryzen chips 7xxx and 9xxx you will be fine.
thespool@reddit
For >150W CPU yes. Otherwise no.
infiniteliquidity69@reddit
I still have the 1st gen nzxt AIO changes been 5 years no issues lol
Mental_Swimmer_8300@reddit
I got a about 3 degrees cooler with the AIO. I just stick with my hyper 212 evo. I don't over clock, so temp wise it was a wash for me.
keijisama@reddit
only pro point for AIO is that they look fucking sick.
But otherwise they dont have any advantage over Air coolers, expecially ones like this.
The peerless assassin keeps my 5,2ghz OC´ed 12400 almost always at 50-60 C
mighty1993@reddit
My advice to inexperienced people usually is to stay away from AIOs and stick purely to air cooling. AIOs are simply more complex and have more or less the same parts of an air cooler plus a bunch more. So more parts that could fail, cause problems, be hot, loud or generally badly manufactured. If you have half my decent heat sink in an air cooler all you have to do is exchange for better fans. But so many people don't even get the measurements for their GPU right so why confront them with radiator sizes, positioning, failing pumps, dripping coolant AND potentially loud fans? You very often neither have a heat nor a noise advantage so if your use case does not desperately yearn for it you don't need an AIO. Those are also usually multiple times more expensive than current top level air coolers.
TheSpiderDungeon@reddit
Air coolers dump heat into the case to be vented, AIO dumps heat to the edge of the case to be vented.
My GPU makes enough heat as is and I don't want to add to that with my CPU. Unfortunately I have an air cooler so there's nothing I can do lmao
goodnames679@reddit
The best AIOs can cool more than the best air coolers, that much is true.
The best air coolers can still cool almost any CPU very well, don’t have pump noise, and are more reliable. They also outperform some of the mediocre AIOs.
phenom_x8@reddit
Im never imagined using AIO due to my friends experience using AIO and leaked. It cost him his 1080 and i7 7700K back in 2017
Cumcentrator@reddit
here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VzXHUTqE7E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ3c0kspOb8
alphagusta@reddit
Air coolers are good. Simple, cheap and if a fan dies its a $20 replacement part.
AIO's are good. Complex and expensive, a tiny leak, evaporation and dead pumps give them a certain lifespan that will leave you $100-$300 down the drain.
For most people it's best to stick with air coolers. If you just want to stick your chip in the board and want to run it completely stock that's absolutely valid.
For those who want to overclock it's best to go with an AIO, their much more active heat disapation and sinking capacity allows you to dump more power into the chip and keep it the same temp as a stock on air.
There are some chips where AIO is basically almost mandatory however, 13th and 14th gen i9 processors run agressively hot straight out the box, you need the largest dual tower air cooler to keep it somewhat stable in the first place.
120mm radiators are basically pointless. Dont bother.
240mm radiators are pretty damn good, they can dump a lot of heat and are will fit virtually any case made in the last decade.
280mm radiators are a bit rarer to find cases that allow them, but having 2 larger 160mm fans over 2 120's allows for quieter operation.
360mm radiators offer the most cooling capacity for agressive overclocks on the hottest chips. Most cases you find today allow for mounting in either the front or top.
There are larger radiators like 420mm, 480mm, and even 560mm but those are for highly specialised custom cooling loops, not found on AIO's.
beirch@reddit
More like a $7 replacement part.
Medwynd@reddit
"Complex and expensive, a tiny leak, evaporation and dead pumps give them a certain lifespan that will leave you $100-$300 down the drain."
I feel like this is a non issue. Ive had something like 5 aios. One still running 10 years almost 24/7 since it was installed and it works just fine.
Im sure some breakdown because they are mechanical but it isnt even a consideration when I get one.
ouwenbelg@reddit
You might have been lucky. I’ve used multiple h2o setups in the past 25 years, and eventually they all fail.
Last one to fail was a NZXT Kraken M22, evaporation I think because air bubbles caused the pump not to pump liquid around. Motherboard reports that everything is working well, but temps were >80 degrees.
At least with air cooling you can always fix it.
abrahamlincoln20@reddit
Just a small correction, 420mm AIO's exist (and they're awesome).
CommodorePuffin@reddit
I think the big difference is that water cooling is a lot quieter, so if fan noise bothers you, then water cooling might be the way to go. That said, if water cooling fails (which usually means a leak) it can be absolutely disastrous whereas it's virtually unheard of for every fan to die at the same time in a computer, and of course, fans don't leak.
Speaking about fan noise, does anyone remember the Vantec Tornado? That thing was loud!
kovu11@reddit
According to source, ML240 is 5% stronger, 17% louder, 30-300% more expensive (if you have double fan PA). If you are not overclocking or using hugh core count cou then you got better deal.
Tight-Ear-7368@reddit
Just installed my first aio, its way better than an air cooler. During gaming a 2x120mm fan air cooler ramps up to 2k rpm the aio is comfortable at 1k. Temperature 70c on air 50c on the aio. The pump on the Arctic liqud freezer III is only audible on 100% rpm but never goes higher than 50% normally.
liaminwales@reddit
I like air coolers, they just work and never fail.
AIO's are more 'cool', they do have a limited lifetime unless you buy one you can repair. 3-5 years I think?
Both are fine, both will work and you dont need to keep you CPU under 40C all the time.
ValuableEmergency442@reddit
Nah as long as it's cool it's fine.
meteorprime@reddit
The only time in AIO is interesting if can regulate its fans based on water temperature
if it’s responding to the CPU temperature, you aren’t getting the real benefits because it’s just gonna ramp it up immediately like an air cooler
My_Legz@reddit
You can, and should, approximate the air cooler to the medium anyway. It's just that almost no one does that out of the box. Ramp the fans very, very slowely until high temperatures will produce a similar result. For dbest result, make sure to match it to the temps of the medium.
ScornedSloth@reddit
Your cooler is likely going to perform as well as theirs in most situations.
mostrengo@reddit
This is wrong on so many levels.
GeT_EmBaRRaSSeD@reddit
Went through 2 aio in a year. Switched to air, cheaper similar temps no problems
Antenoralol@reddit
The difference between an AIO and Air cooler in terms of performance is negligible.
The ML240 is a budget AIO and the PA 120SE is a budget tower cooler that has similar performance to a Noctua NH-D15 which is 3x the price of the PA 120SE.
The PA120 SE is the better cooler.
lifesucks63@reddit
From all the test videos I've watched, a 240mm aio is trash in terms of money / performance. 240mm aio won't get you any better performance than a double fan air cooler.
280mm is a lot better performing while 360mm is better but more expensive. Unless the 280mm price is insane or you have case restrictions, the 360mm will be best.
Air coolers can compete with any 240mm. Once you go bigger the air coolers start to fall behind.
Biggeordiegeek@reddit
Depends
A high quality AIO is gonna hands down best a cheapo basic air cooler made by some fly by night abzye company on Amazon
But at the same time, there are air coolers that are highly competitive with AIOs
I would say it’s gonna depend on your individual setup, what you are trying to do and things like airflow in your case etc
But something like a Peerless Assassin for the average gamer, is gonna be more cost effective that most AIOs
But if you are trying to run a 14900k, I would probably go for a AIO because they run really really hot
pceimpulsive@reddit
240mm AIOs are generally at best equivalent to higher end air coolers...you need to go up to 280mm or 360mm to see gains (generally in noise level, not so much cooling effectiveness) vs a good air cooler.
Depending on your CPU the peerless assassin vs a 240mm AIO will functionally make little to no difference.
Yes AIOs are more resilient against short spikes in temperature (and keep the CPU cooler for longer), but that's neither here nor there for a long gong sesh..
Ultimately.. you will be laughing at your friends when their AIO craps the bed in 5 years and your air cooler is still purring along without a sign of failure for a decade to come.
AIOs have the potential to be quieter.. but often people don't tune the fan curves so end up just as loud as any air cooler...
When I build machines for people I generally opt for air cooling due to the higher reliability vs an AIO which have a pump, tubes and radiator as potential failure points vs an AIR coolers fan or two..
When an AIO fails you need to replace the entire thing which is a lot more expensive vs an air coolers fan failing being far far cheaper to replace...
Overall the cooler type does not dictate the worth of your PC providing it keeps the CPU cool enough to operate effectively... People who think AIO or bust are honestly a little bit stupid..
sakata_gintoki113@reddit
lots of misinformation in this thread, AIOs dont cool better on avg, pure misinformation
ItsSevii@reddit
Fym they don't it's basic science that water transfers heat better than air.
sakata_gintoki113@reddit
just look at gamers nexus and compare the celsius
pasausti@reddit
An aircooler and an AIO both transfer heat via air
Acoma1977@reddit
Upgraded my CPU to 5800X last year and my CM Hyper 212x couldn't handle the beast. Had to replace it with a Artic Liquid Freezer II 280mm AIO. My CPU is now running at 72 to 75 degrees while playing Warzone.
BoltaVS@reddit
That depends on CPU you want to cool. Which one are you using?
Psychological-Bed990@reddit
You buy the cooler for the CPU you have. Eight cores are less you can get air and it works just fine 12 cores or more get liquid.
Heat dissipation is relative based on hardware and you get what you need you don’t just buy to buy
hamsik86@reddit
Only scenario where AIOs are nominally "better" (a more correct definition would be "better suited") than air coolers is very high TDP and wattage CPU with overclocking to squeeze the highest possible amount of performance.
psylo21@reddit
Well that depends on your build. Can you be more specific?
Jlt230@reddit
Your mates are wrong.
AbsolutlyN0thin@reddit
At the top end, yes AIOs are better than air. Most people probably don't have one of the few chips that actually produce enough heat that air can't keep up though. Personally speaking, I have a 14900k and air simply won't cut it, I have a beefy 360mm AIO to cool it.
But you probably know if you have one of those chips that are known to use a lot of power. If you don't it basically doesn't matter which you use.
Taeloth@reddit
Most air coolers yes. Not likely a 120mm radiator. Either will serve 90% of gamers on pc. Fringe cases where they won’t.
erryonestolemyname@reddit
Nothing wrong with AIOs till the pump fails and your shit overheats, thermal throttles, then thermal protect kicks in and shuts your shit down.
Never getting another AIO.
Mine wasn't a cheapo either, it was a 360mm NZXT Kraken and it was under 3 years old.
BrokenDots@reddit
For cooling aio is better. Some prefer the aesthetic of aio too. But air cooler is better for reliability and cost
slimejumper@reddit
i had a cooler master 240 aio, man i hated the sound of those 120mm fans. they were particularly annoying.
Cpenny1@reddit
I was recently building an Mini itx with a liquid cooler. However, even after researching parts etc. The liquid cooler didn't fit. I ended up getting an matx case and went with the Phantom Spirit air cooler.
I have no complaints with this air cooler, and I much prefer it over an aio. I have an older pc with an aio that il also change it for a Phantom Spirit.
If your building in a small case, maybe an aio would have an advantage. But my 7800x3d is running pretty cool with the Phantom Spirit. I have even just kept the fans running at 40% so I don't really hear them. No issues or complaints whatsoever. The only part that can fail really on an air cooler is the fans, which can be replaced easily. Compared to an aio which has multiple points of failure.
sharku95@reddit
Nah. In most cases you’ll do fine with aircoolers. Cheaper, easier to clean, last longer. Put that extra money on better components. AIO’s are overhyped and the extra cooling performance you MIGHT get (if you choose a good one) doesn’t apply to most people.
As long as your PC is cool enough and quiet enough it doesn’t matter
Kohlob@reddit
From what I understand (keeping in mind that both the air cooler & AIO are quality, and not random junk) air coolers CAN cool "colder," but AIOs are more consistent in their cooling and better at keeping that consistent temp. They really aren't far off though.
I use an AIO because they look nicer to me, also I just don't care much because they both cool your CPU just fine.
TimeZucchini8562@reddit
99% of the comments saying aios are bad, unreliable and noisy have never had an aio. There are pros and cons to each but both will adequately cool your system if you’re running amd. An air cooler will not cool i7s/i9s 13th and 14th gen.
Air coolers are more reliable and can be quieter than aios. Though reliability can be a moot point. Aios typically can last 5-7 years with some outliers in either direction. It is unlikely they will catastrophically fail and leak water all over your system. Most likely the pump gets noisy for a couple months and then dies. Plus, aios look better. Thermalright now even has a $50 aio that cools almost as well as the top aios. It’s just a little loud
MGSSC@reddit
No.
HandmadeMaker043@reddit
No that is a great air cooler and very reliable seeing as only the fans can brake from regular use. So 20 bucks worth of fans when it goes bad in like 10 years, or 100+ every time an AIO goes bad in like 5 years. What CPU are you running, the thermal right coolers can handle most modern 8 core CPUs
candiedbunion69@reddit
I prefer an AIO in most aesthetic ways, but some air coolers can also be nice to look at.
rochford77@reddit
Define better
Atheist-Gods@reddit
AIOs outperform air coolers at the top end but that’s 280+ size AIOs, smaller AIOs like a ML240 do not.
DryMathematician8213@reddit
It depends! Which air cooler and which AIO?
Noctua D15 is very nice - that was my last one. But I replaced it with two AlphaCool 280 Extreme, in one look and a custom Treadripper cpu plate (not sure that is how you say it) but on a normal day 23 degree room temp The cpu is around 42c and VRM’s are 38c
This is a 270w cpu with 24 cores
Noise wise, it’s under my desk and it is humming. I have 6 140mm fans in the case as well, just moving the air quietly.
You can go all out but it depends on what you are doing and what you are trying to achieve.
Value for money - I’d go with the Noctua fan!
lcirufe@reddit
I prefer the reliability and idle noise of air coolers. When an air cooler fails, it’s just a simple fan swap. When an AIO fails, best case scenario you’re gonna have to replace the whole thing. Worst case scenario, you get water all over your components.
AIO’s technically perform better in general, but there’s not much you would actually gain from that.
Suby06@reddit
especially when running a 65w cpu either is just preference. My x3d cpu is well cooled by a dual tower single fan air cooler
akera099@reddit
Everytime any reviewer or tech person does testing about this, the answer is always the same: air cooling is generally as good as AIO and the latter isn’t worth the price for the vast majority of users.
Relative-Pin-9762@reddit
AIO looks nicer
Teardownthesystem@reddit
Usually the stats are the same, but I will always be skeptical about putting anything with the word “liquid” in its name inside of my computer.
owlwise13@reddit
It just depends, what processor are you running. Things like a 12600, 12700, 13600, 5800x, 5600x and 7600, 7700 can comfortably run with a dual tower, dual fan tower cooler. The higher end chips need an AIO. tower coolers tend to have pretty long life and most AIOs get about 5 yrs depending on brand or quality. As long as the cooling solution is sized correctly for the system.
elliotborst@reddit
That kind of blanket statement from your friends is wrong.
In most cases it doesn’t matter, like the majority of the time it doesn’t matter, get what you want from a quality brand.
Your peerless assassin is a good air cooler and you don’t have anything to worry about I’d say.
In the most extreme cases AIOs do perform better, air coolers max out and can’t control the temp any longer at high sustained loads and on the hot Intel CPUs, but most people won’t experience this.
This is a good video on the topic
https://youtu.be/lxf4ZXJTNpI?si=Y9ns2HqSY-7dmD54
ShubhamGurjar1999@reddit
i never use air cooler but i have AIO so when im on gaming my temp is 50 to 54c temp before amd stock cooler i get easily 70c to 79c
AvarethTaika@reddit
air coolers are generally better, especially for single cooling situations like just your cpu. i have an nhd15 and, yeah, it's more expensive than similar air coolers, it's extremely quiet, can work passively at reduced efficacy if the fans die, and has more or less the same cooling power as a good aio.
JesseCuster40@reddit
I dunno which is better, but anyone who says anything is "bad" because they own an alternative may not have an accurate opinion.
Susman22@reddit
I’ve had issues with air coolers and no issues with AIOs. So that’s why I use them. However both have their downsides and upsides.
VOIDsama@reddit
I've have pmps fail and this need replacements after a few years. Air coolers don't really fail. Their fan might die but that's a cheap replacement.
I personally just swapped back to air. I had picked up the 12$ hyper 212 for prime day and put that in after some issues with my aio. I have a 5700x3d, runs 40s idle, 70s when gaming. Sure it could be cooler, with better coolers, but it's a reasonable temp to run at. I'm not overclocking either so nothing is necessarily pushing me to need more cooling. I even only have a single fan on it.
GiveMeMangoz@reddit
It’s just preference at this point. Good AIOs and good Air coolers are both going to perform at marginally different levels and it’s just choice. That being said, I’ve used air coolers all my life but am going to try an AIO when I upgrade to the new x3d series in the next week or so. Mainly because I just don’t love all the room it takes up in my case but again it’s just a preference thing.
dragonsamus@reddit
Only if it's not keeping your CPU within range. What CPU do you have and what temps are you seeing?
Ben_Kenobi_@reddit
All that matters is if your cooler can handle your cpu's tdp. Beyond that, it looks and which ones fit in your case. There are plenty of great aios and air coolers.
I generally get 360 aios because they look cool, fit in my case better because it's double chambered, so relatively skinny and can't handle a fat air cooler. I also like going overkill on cpu cooler so the fans can stay super low and quiet even under load. Those are more of luxury wants rather than it really mattering much. I'd be fine with a smaller mid range air cooler.
fiero-fire@reddit
It's debatable depending on your aio and fans. Personally I run an aio these days because it's a lot quieter after I swapped fans and it fits in my case nicely. I built this PC this summer with an air cooler but I goofed and it was too tall. So I ran without a side panel. I spent more than I expected on my aio and went with nzxt model because it fit my case was little thicker and could handle the cooler master fans I wanted.
My build is basically zero LED lights just horse power per dollar and now keep said power tame
Lucian3Horns@reddit
These days there’s basically no difference between the two, other than aesthetics.
T-REX-780@reddit
Big aircoolers are heavy (could look saggy) and can stick out too much for smaller cases. I still use air cooler tho. Just not the massive ones.
xxPoLyGLoTxx@reddit
Air coolers will never break. My Noctua DH15 has been working flawlessly for many years. It just works and if you look at benchmarks, it often keeps up with big AIOs.
NewestAccount2023@reddit
Depends on the CPU which you didn't mention what you have
themcsame@reddit
I mean, better is subjective. Entirely depends what you're going for.
The only major difference is that when AIOs fail, it tends to be a major issue (leaks or a pump failure) because you don't even have the passive cooling that a busted air cooler would (though YMMV depending on the specific cooler).
It's a question of 'when' they fail, though. It really depends on the specific model and whether you like to reuse your coolers. Air coolers will generally be more reusable because your limiting factor is basically just damage and corrosion. A duff fan is a bit easier to replace.
A decent AIO will last the PC... Personally, I've only ever had one fail at the 9 year mark (Enermax Liqtech something or other). But the longevity of the air cooler simply makes it the more practical option.
As for performance, I'll be honest, I've not really kept up with AIOs, Was generally the case that a decent air cooler outperformed a decent AIO, but I'm working with knowledge that's from the Haswell Refresh days here (That's 4th gen, 10 years ago, just in case anyone wanted to feel old) Could be the case that AIOs have gotten better since then, but I'd imagine the difference are largely marginal, maybe AIO coming out on top when you start throwing triple/quad rads in?
MakimaGOAT@reddit
Not by much
StayProsty@reddit
What is your processor? You wouldn't want an air cooler for, say, a 14900K, but for the vast majority of processors the Peerless Assassin is fantastic. You also get the added bonuses of 1) not having to replace the entire AIO if its pump dies, 2) not having liquid in your PC (which is not a huge deal with AIOs and is mostly a custom watercooler concern), and 3) if one of your cooler fans dies, you can replace that for like $15.
Anthrobotics@reddit
Other factors being equal, AIO has superior aesthetics but air coolers have superior safety and longevity.
Automatic_Pianist_93@reddit
Peerless Assassin is on top as one of the best air coolers out there, especially for cost. I’m running it in my system. For most systems AIO probably aren’t needed except for higher end/hotter chips
BlastMode7@reddit
It depends on a lot of variables. The biggest one being what CPU you have, but it can even be dependent on the case. Also, what AIO and what air cooler? There are a lot of inexpensive air coolers that will out perform lower end AIO's, possibly even some mid tier. Regardless, If you have a Ryzen 5, you're likely not going to see the difference between a good air cooler or an AIO. It just doesn't produce enough heat to really tax the air cooler enough to show the difference, even if the AIO has better cooling capacity.
b-maacc@reddit
Your mates are bellends.
ghostfreckle611@reddit
Cheaper and no worries.
A bunch can compete or bear some AIOs.
Dragonstar914@reddit
Your air cooler is basically on par with your friends AIOs. There isn't really much difference besides maybe with some tuning a 240mm can run a little quieter at medium and low load.
PersnickityPenguin@reddit
The current state of the PC building "industry" is focused around extracting money from uninformed, non-tech savvy people with more money than sense.
op3l@reddit
It doesn't matter because no one is doing serious overclock and whatever benefit you'd get from having a slightly lower temperature you won't really notice in real world use.
All a cooling solution needs to do(air or water) is keep the CPU at a temperature that it doesn't thermal throttle, other than that it really doesn't matter.
skrukketiss69@reddit
A good AIO is going to be better than a good air cooler, but you don't need an AIO.
I have an AIO myself but it's mostly for aesthetic reasons. I would be perfectly happy with an air cooler.
North-Income8928@reddit
Shitty AIOs < decent to good air coolers < good AIOs < custom loops
jjcanadian69@reddit
AIO's are great for sustained workloads. As they have a massive heat capacity. For short, intense loads, there should be almost no difference. As it stands with everything being equal an air cooler will hit its max temp faster than a good 240 aio.
itchygentleman@reddit
No, most AIO's arent better. Only the very best will out perform top air coolers.
RedLimes@reddit
You have a badass air cooler for only $33. Just wait until their water coolers break and laugh at them. Or even better, invite them to your house and run benchmarks side by side and see who wins
SteamDeckard-BLDRNR@reddit
Yes, they are. There can be performance differences between brands and models, so get a good one.
Elitefuture@reddit
Air coolers are better imo.
Water coolers are louder, break easier, and only last 5-7 years. I'd rather not deal with it.
ovO_Zzzzzzzzz@reddit
It does not really let people feel reassurance when something has lot of water inside their a thousand dollars pc.
dweller_12@reddit
AIO has the ability to move more heat away from a CPU to a large radiator, at the expensive of slightly louder operation under light loads (the pump always has to run).
What CPU do you have?
sakata_gintoki113@reddit
not even true what you are saying lol
sakata_gintoki113@reddit
no, AIOs are marketing scams really. theres aroind 1-2 good ones like the arctic freezer 360 but thats about it
Ariiawa_@reddit
yeah liquid coolers are technically better at cooling
I'd never get one tho, a good air cooler is plenty enough and I'm way too paranoid/irresponsible to have one
Maleficent-Bee-7023@reddit
If your PC is quiet and cool then there's nothing wrong with either. Your mates probably think RGB makes the PC better as well
Siliconfrustration@reddit
You already have a reallly good air cooler. I've used both air coolers and now a 240 AIO - the only size that would fit in the top of my case - which I installed just for appearance. It may do a slightly better job than the air cooler it replaced but your cooler is better than the one I had. Unless you just want the look of the air cooler I'd recommend you save your money. Besides, eventually, the water in my AIO will have permeated through the hoses enough that my cooling will suffer. It takes a long time but your air cooler will never change unless the fans break and if they do it's simple to replace them.
Archelaus_Euryalos@reddit
It just moves the heat outside the case and lowers the internal temp, a good air cooler and a well ventilated case will do the same.
Only really the large water coolers outperform the better air coolers but the price it different too. Ahd for the most part, unless you overclock there isn't much difference in performance, heat ends up in different places and noise levels are a little different, but the stats are the same to within 1% or so.
Unless you undercook your air cooler, or under ventilate the case, then an air cooler get's choked off.
winterkoalefant@reddit
Of course having an air cooler doesn’t make your PC bad. Your friends are rude.
The best AIO liquid coolers can cool better than the best air coolers, especially when dealing with high power draw CPUs. But there’s a big range of sizes and quality. Peerless Assassin 120 is probably similar to the ML240.
No-Answer4609@reddit
A Lexus might drive better than a Toyota but at the end of the day for every day use, you can't go wrong with either. Same case here
TheKitler@reddit
Your friends are just jealous of your PC's airbending abilities.
frodan2348@reddit
The best liquid coolers on the market have more cooling ability than the best air coolers on the market. This does not mean liquid coolers are always better.
Your Peerless assassin is one of the best air coolers on the market. It performs about as well as a nice 240mm AIO. In your case with your friends specific cooler, odds are your cooler actually performs better considering AIO's become less effective as they age for reasons such as the cold plate on them getting build-up from the liquid, air bubbles forming reducing efficiency, etc...
For the vast majority of people, air coolers are good enough - especially ones as good as yours. There are only a few circumstances where a liquid cooler actually serves a real benefit, most of which being when the cpu in the system is something like a 14900K or 7950X where the power draw is so high that the best air coolers are not actually able to keep those cpu's cool enough in truly demanding workloads.
The other (and most common) reason people go with liquid coolers is because of aesthetics - they look cool. I'm a fan of the liquid cooled look, but my 5700X only pulls about 135w with the overclock I run - I could go with a Peerless assassin and have identical performance and thermals, and any liquid cooler as good as a peerless assassin is going to be double the price of that cooler.
Your friend is a goofball, but he's not wrong in the sense that the best AIO is better than the best air cooler for raw cooling performance - I doubt that either of you need that level of cooling though, and having it doesn't benefit you if you don't need it. As long as your CPU doesn't go past 85c no matter what you do, you have lots of thermal headroom at all times. 95c is where CPU's start to slow themselves down to stay cool.
Key_Salary_663@reddit
It's better, but it doesn't mean AC can't do the job almost as well. It's just the matter of price. If you have some extra money, it's gonna perform a bit better, and it's gonna look a lot cleaner. If not, the Peerless Assassin will definitely do the job
Pumciusz@reddit
240mm AIO will perform about as well as a dual tower, or maybe even worse. If you want something actually better than an air cooler, then you need a 280/360mm or bigger.