The performance of a top-of-the-line air cooler will be at par with a 240 or 280mm AIO liquid cooler depending on their build quality. You can’t replace the liquid if it permeates and you can’t replace the pump if it dies on you. Corsair H100i Pro– Best CPU Cooler 5. EVGA CLC 240mm – Best Liquid Cooling***Recommended 7. Some people like the cleaner look that a 120mm AIO cooler offers, while other prefer the looks of a nice-looking air cooler. Customer water loops or open loops are a method of cooling components within your system by putting the parts together yourself. After you’ve picked your processor to run your new build, you must now pair it with an AIO or AIR cooler that will keep it cool whilst running. AIO cooling is a form of liquid cooling where it contains pressurized coolant inside of the loop. Furthermore, when it comes to transportation, a large air cooler has an increased chance to damage the motherboard as the moving weight has more of an effect on the board. The liquids can also evaporate resulting in less cooling potential. NZXT Kraken X52– Advanced Liquid Cooler***Overall Best 4. Leaks happening is a common occurrence if you’re inexperienced in creating your own custom loops. With air and AIO coolers, you don’t have much customizability, you maybe have the ability to change the RGB lighting on the CPU block and the fans but that’s about it. But still, if … Most motherboards shouldn’t have a problem if you’ve installed the large air cooler correctly and didn’t screw it in too tight. 120mm AIO are a huge waste imo. Otherwise, stick to AIO’s and air cooling methods, they are just as viable. Dual-Chamber Pump. You design the tubing, you design the color of the solution, and you decide what color the RGB lights should be. AIO’s will always be more prone to failure than ANY air cooler on the market, period. The CORSAIR iCUE H100i RGB PRO XT is an all-in-one liquid CPU cooler built for both low noise operation and extreme CPU cooling, with a 240mm radiator, two CORSAIR ML120 PWM fans, and 16 RGB LEDs. © 1999-2021. Best Liquid CPU Cooler with a Display. One fan simply isn’t enough to cool a CPU effectively and performs on par with stock CPU coolers. AIO water cooling is considered the best for cooling efficiency short of a custom loop, but is it really? The best air coolers on the market barely touch the $100 mark, and they perform on the same level as 240MM AIO’s. Since our previous cooling reviews prior to November 2016, we have decided to update the method accordingly for better and consistent results. This one is… a wee bit complicated. NZXT Kraken Z63. Liquid coolers use a liquid (usually water) to carry thermal heat away from the CPU. Here’s a buyer’s guide for the best Air and AIO coolers for the I7 9700K. Your email address will not be published. On the other hand, entry-level air coolers are not even close to the AIO cooling system. This method transfers heat away from the CPU via the coolant, and the coolant returns back to the radiator to get cooled off. I’d say never go for a 120-140MM AIO unless you’re going for an SFX Build, they rarely beat even the most basic air coolers on the market. Best CPU Coolers 2021: Air and Liquid (AIO) By Matt Safford 01 January 2021. However, if you’ve purchased a cheap flimsy motherboard, it may bend or worst-case scenario, it may snap. This is my 3700X against my 2700. So, a single CPU installation will need at minimum a 120mm AIO, and that grants us about 150W of thermal capacity. That being said, Asetek controls a large part of the AIO cooling solutions available, so apart from aesthetics and software, many of the trending AIO solutions will perform the same. Thoughts on my parts selection for new Intel + NVIDIA-based gaming PC? Beginners to PC building shouldn’t attempt to create their own custom loop. Many of these AIO coolers come equipped with RGB lighting and are fully customizable via the software that is provided to you. This is a common problem among the large air CPU coolers. Liquid cooling vs Air cooling: Size. Which CPU/GPU combo for the highest quality settings at 1440p 144Hz. AIO Coolers look much cooler than a block of metal hanging from your motherboard aka air coolers. And, while a higher-end air cooler will outperform most similarly-priced 120mm or 140mm AIO coolers, aesthetics will also play a role in what CPU cooler type will work best for you. Air cooling is a simple but effective way to cool your processor. I wanted an Cooler Master MasterLiquid Lite 240 again since i know the pump is min 99% inaudible,quiet,silent, it's the most affordable 240 mm aio, despite that i had luck lowering the pump speed so much it was min 99% inaudible,silent,quiet Use the form below to submit a question for Ask the Experts. This problem can be avoided by planning ahead and researching which parts are compatible with each other. This test was performed using the NH-U12A and an IC Graphite … Compared to the massive air coolers, like 280mm and 360mm the 240mm AIO coolers occupy limited PC space allowing ample room to install taller RAM modules for maximum performance. For a complete buyers guide on CPU coolers, follow this link. To make your journey easy, we are here presenting thelist of 7 best 240mm aio: 1. Custom water cooling loops price ranges from $300-$3000. 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