Liquid cooling is just for hobbyists and for show.
CorruptDictator
My issue with liquid cooling is purely possible point of failure. A fan and heatsink is just simple, fan fails, replace it. AIO adds a pump to the mix, something I cannot just replace, or the possibility of leaking (which in a sealed AIO does not worry me that much but I do not have enough confidence in myself for a custom loop).
No-Upstairs-7001
Full water is needless exuberance, AIO, especially a big one is more than adequate
LunaticCross
Air cooling for me.
Still running a Hyper X 212.
FewAdvertising9647
Cavil’s own PC uses an AIO though, literally filmed himself building it.
StygianStrix
The performance gain with liquid is so minimal I don’t think it’s worth the risk
Even if you don’t get a leak, those pumps are way more prone to failure than a good ol aircooler which can last forever pretty much
Great_White_Samurai
Noctua air coolers ftw
utezzi
Reasons for AIO could be many, I went with liquid because i was planning a build with glass panel and it just looks way better aesthetic-wise than putting a giant, usually ugly brick that takes so much place.
hipdashopotamus
Took me a long time to realize I don’t give shit about liquid cooling or even overclocking
Ryboe999
Air baby! $40 cooler that cannot leak fluid and does as good as a $300 cooler that can leak fluid.
W air!
0riginal-Syn
Honestly, I use AIO simply because I hate having to work around the big air coolers in an already crowded area. Cooling wise, why the AIO did improve the temperatures, I would not have changed it just for that. I get why many prefer the air cooling. It is simpler and fewer points of failure.
Legitimate_Earth_
Cringe childish meme
Miat4Life
Screw both of them./s I want to see someone try liquid metal cooling (imagine using liquid metal as a coolant).
djwikki
Got an AIO for my first build. It looks cool, but I will definitely be switching to air cooling my next build.
My hot take with air cooling tho is that stock coolers and SFF coolers with the cooling fan parallel to the CPU look way better than those blocky dual tower coolers. And with Ryzen’s lower power consumption I can get away with those coolers in eco mode.
Nidus11857
I mean….AIOs are a blessing in SE Asia. I live in India, got a Deepcool AIO, it’s much much better lol.
I mean when the ambient temp is 35-40°C. Air cooler just can’t sometimes.
Mousettv
Got a 360mm AIO for $50 at 50% off during a black friday sale. Still kicking out great temps after 3 years.
100% using AIO from here on out.
TheVermonster
Liquid cooling should only be seen as a solution for niche problems. Some mITX, COU, SFF case, and GPU combinations really do necessitate using a cooler that doesn’t take up so much space on the motherboard.
But it’s still only a solution when you refuse to change those other components. Maybe a 9950x isn’t the right CPU for a case that has a 65mm height restriction.
QlimaxUK
I don’t like liquid in the rig
Brief-Watercress-131
Love my big air and noctua fans
Donnyy64
AIOs should not be in the same conversation as custom loops. Custom loops are a whole different beast
PreviousLingonberry4
Ive been wanting an AK500 black edition or a AK620 for a while, shame theyre always out of stock though
VisualGuidance3714
Air cooling 100% if you want the most reliable, cheapest, it just works solution. Depending on what you buy, you can get better performance from an AIO. They are a nice to have but unreliable, you’ll get a few years out of one and then they start getting aerated or the pump fails. Radiators are a really good dust trap and more work to clean. If you want solutions that are cheap, only require cleaning and work well, air or AIO.
Custom loop water cooling is awesome, but has a price tag and maintenance costs. Can’t beat the performance, but the cost is a MAJOR factor. If you’re a tinkerer and you have the budget, they are a perfect solution.
dont_kill_my_vibe09
I don’t get what people find so attractive about Cavil. I guess he’s more attractive to men than women too cause of the excess “masculinity”.
foomongus
When I got a 3060TI and ryzen 5 5950X it kept overheating with just air cooled, had to upgrade to AIO
Kushman0018
Noctua NH-D15S Chromax Black for the win!
H0vis
If your CPU is going to run hard enough to need decent cooling, and you don’t want to hear a peep out of it, then an AIO is the answer.
That being said, not many CPUs really need that level of cooling. It’s really only necessary if your house gets hot and you’re having to air cool with warm air all through summer, that can be a bastard.
Kilometer98
The only reason my current rig uses an aio is because I didn’t have room for a tower cooler. The three other pcs in my apartment are air cooled.
areyouhungryforapple
Me, an enjoyer of both. Depends on the build and needs of the user.
Don’t limit yourself just to fit in a box determined by chronically online people.
smaguss
I like the aesthetics of the AIO or custom loops.
Aesthetics pretty much drove that decision for me.
De-lidding and other risky shit would have followed regardless.
I miss the wild designs zalmann used to make 🙃
PastaVeggies
False. Never heard of an air cooler outperforming an AIO.
RomeoBlackDK
I used an aio for 13 years. Never an issue.
Ok_Shopping_55
Isn’t is all just Air cooling in the end?
BenderIsNotGreat
Water cooling is just cool as hell though. Im using an air cooler since my AIO went out but its pretty //cool// slapping a radiator on a pc
MotanulScotishFold
Engineer rule says that the more complex a part is, the more expensive and easy to break is.
Go Air Cooling.
ItsDemiBlue
my Noctua NH-D15 leaning proudly against my front panel
Wasabi_Beats
Everyone’s got their preference. I went AIO and had one for 4 years without any problems before I switched out to another one for aesthetic purposes.
I like the clean look of AIOs and I also like that I can have an easier time accessing the CPU and ram
y33tus_f33tus
God I love the shit show I’ve started 🤣
Cloud_N0ne
AIO looks so much nicer imo.
Eric_Olthwaite_
AIO all the way.
AndrosAlexios
All of you who swear by air cooling. Do you understand that you are actually a shrinking minority.
41 Comments
Air cooling all day
Liquid cooling is just for hobbyists and for show.
My issue with liquid cooling is purely possible point of failure. A fan and heatsink is just simple, fan fails, replace it. AIO adds a pump to the mix, something I cannot just replace, or the possibility of leaking (which in a sealed AIO does not worry me that much but I do not have enough confidence in myself for a custom loop).
Full water is needless exuberance, AIO, especially a big one is more than adequate
Air cooling for me.
Still running a Hyper X 212.
Cavil’s own PC uses an AIO though, literally filmed himself building it.
The performance gain with liquid is so minimal I don’t think it’s worth the risk
Even if you don’t get a leak, those pumps are way more prone to failure than a good ol aircooler which can last forever pretty much
Noctua air coolers ftw
Reasons for AIO could be many, I went with liquid because i was planning a build with glass panel and it just looks way better aesthetic-wise than putting a giant, usually ugly brick that takes so much place.
Took me a long time to realize I don’t give shit about liquid cooling or even overclocking
Air baby! $40 cooler that cannot leak fluid and does as good as a $300 cooler that can leak fluid.
W air!
Honestly, I use AIO simply because I hate having to work around the big air coolers in an already crowded area. Cooling wise, why the AIO did improve the temperatures, I would not have changed it just for that. I get why many prefer the air cooling. It is simpler and fewer points of failure.
Cringe childish meme
Screw both of them./s I want to see someone try liquid metal cooling (imagine using liquid metal as a coolant).
Got an AIO for my first build. It looks cool, but I will definitely be switching to air cooling my next build.
My hot take with air cooling tho is that stock coolers and SFF coolers with the cooling fan parallel to the CPU look way better than those blocky dual tower coolers. And with Ryzen’s lower power consumption I can get away with those coolers in eco mode.
I mean….AIOs are a blessing in SE Asia. I live in India, got a Deepcool AIO, it’s much much better lol.
I mean when the ambient temp is 35-40°C. Air cooler just can’t sometimes.
Got a 360mm AIO for $50 at 50% off during a black friday sale. Still kicking out great temps after 3 years.
100% using AIO from here on out.
Liquid cooling should only be seen as a solution for niche problems. Some mITX, COU, SFF case, and GPU combinations really do necessitate using a cooler that doesn’t take up so much space on the motherboard.
But it’s still only a solution when you refuse to change those other components. Maybe a 9950x isn’t the right CPU for a case that has a 65mm height restriction.
I don’t like liquid in the rig
Love my big air and noctua fans
AIOs should not be in the same conversation as custom loops. Custom loops are a whole different beast
Ive been wanting an AK500 black edition or a AK620 for a while, shame theyre always out of stock though
Air cooling 100% if you want the most reliable, cheapest, it just works solution. Depending on what you buy, you can get better performance from an AIO. They are a nice to have but unreliable, you’ll get a few years out of one and then they start getting aerated or the pump fails. Radiators are a really good dust trap and more work to clean. If you want solutions that are cheap, only require cleaning and work well, air or AIO.
Custom loop water cooling is awesome, but has a price tag and maintenance costs. Can’t beat the performance, but the cost is a MAJOR factor. If you’re a tinkerer and you have the budget, they are a perfect solution.
I don’t get what people find so attractive about Cavil. I guess he’s more attractive to men than women too cause of the excess “masculinity”.
When I got a 3060TI and ryzen 5 5950X it kept overheating with just air cooled, had to upgrade to AIO
Noctua NH-D15S Chromax Black for the win!
If your CPU is going to run hard enough to need decent cooling, and you don’t want to hear a peep out of it, then an AIO is the answer.
That being said, not many CPUs really need that level of cooling. It’s really only necessary if your house gets hot and you’re having to air cool with warm air all through summer, that can be a bastard.
The only reason my current rig uses an aio is because I didn’t have room for a tower cooler. The three other pcs in my apartment are air cooled.
Me, an enjoyer of both. Depends on the build and needs of the user.
Don’t limit yourself just to fit in a box determined by chronically online people.
I like the aesthetics of the AIO or custom loops.
Aesthetics pretty much drove that decision for me.
De-lidding and other risky shit would have followed regardless.
I miss the wild designs zalmann used to make 🙃
False. Never heard of an air cooler outperforming an AIO.
I used an aio for 13 years. Never an issue.
Isn’t is all just Air cooling in the end?
Water cooling is just cool as hell though. Im using an air cooler since my AIO went out but its pretty //cool// slapping a radiator on a pc
Engineer rule says that the more complex a part is, the more expensive and easy to break is.
Go Air Cooling.
my Noctua NH-D15 leaning proudly against my front panel
Everyone’s got their preference. I went AIO and had one for 4 years without any problems before I switched out to another one for aesthetic purposes.
I like the clean look of AIOs and I also like that I can have an easier time accessing the CPU and ram
God I love the shit show I’ve started 🤣
AIO looks so much nicer imo.
AIO all the way.
All of you who swear by air cooling. Do you understand that you are actually a shrinking minority.