3 ms·
AIOs don't seem to me like they're worth it, because most CPUs can be cooled by a good tower cooler just fine, and those that don't really only thrive on a cust
by formerly_proven 5y ago
AIOs don't seem to me like they're worth it, because most CPUs can be cooled by a good tower cooler just fine, and those that don't really only thrive on a custom loop instead of a 240 mm rad. For gaming - well CPU thermal load tends to be modest, so it doesn't matter.
AIOs for GPUs largely don't exist, and that's the component I'd watercool first, not the CPU. So we're back to custom loop there.
- RamRodification 5y ago> most CPUs can be cooled by a good tower cooler just fine Water coolers are definitely still an enthusiast part in my opinion. If you're satisfied with "just fine" then no, it's probably not worth it. It will give you better cooling per decibel but probably worse per dollar, at least on stock clocks. If you want to mess around with overclocking the advantage seems to become a bit bigger for AIOs as you crank up fan speeds.
- jrockway 5y agoEvery AIO I've ever owned has stopped working not too far into its life. I remember being shocked and dismayed the first time I had one fail, and simply upset when the second one failed. After the second failure, I bought a Noctua NH-D15S and that heatsink has happily survived 4 builds. (Only getting replaced after I switched to Threadripper, which required a different Noctua heatsink. But don't worry, the NH-D15S still lives on in a friend's PC.) In my opinion, there are two viable cooling solutions: a high-quality heatsink and fan, or a custom water loop. AIOs just don't have the performance to make the failure rate acceptable.