Air Cooling vs. Liquid Cooling: The Ultimate Showdown (feat. Noctua NH-D15 vs. NZXT Kraken X72)

The best air cooler vs. the best liquid cooler - analyzed, benchmarked, noise and temperatures tested, and final winner(s?) chosen.
Products in This Video
NH-D15: amzn.to/47Elcmq
Kraken X72: amzn.to/3qxlxXf
Gloves: amzn.to/3P1P98k
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases made with product links.
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I hope this video helped you make better consumer decisions. Thanks for all your support!

[@HardwareScientist]

I realized I mispronounced Kraken after I made the video! Oh well, it sounds better my way anyway ;) Timestamps below: Price 0:45 Installation 1:14 Compatibility 2:44 Power 4:13 Looks 4:31 Performance 5:52 Warranty, Maintenance, Safety 9:55 Conclusion 10:56

[@nevinjoya3596]

Your a very great KZbinr for 800 subs

[@nathanielsett118]

I suggest not saying then so much, but great video none the less!!!

[@HardwareScientist]

@@071miniman Thanks appreciate your feedback. I have a couple videos planned that should address your concerns - one where I test some extra scenarios like long term heat loads (1 hr+), and another where I go over my full test procedure in detail. As far as testing in the open air, I don't believe that is a realistic scenario and it will lead to unrealistic results.

[@HardwareScientist]

@@071miniman The problem is an open air test is only applicable to people who use their computer in the open air - almost nobody. While using a case with a standard layout will be much more applicable to the average user. You want to test in a scenario that will be closest to how the user will use the product.

[@lukelanderer1451]

Hardware Scientist great video it was very straight toward. I’m building an ryzen 7 3700x build with a 2080 ti. What do you suggest an air cooler or aio??

[@sumanth3036]

Final verdict: air cooler wins, but liquid cooler is the winner

[@boytheodore]

It's not fair. The number of fans for Liquid Cooling is more (even it's 120mm), and it takes up the spaces for case fan. If both cooling take the advantages of full fans chassis, air cooling will definitely be better.

[@OriginalMergatroid]

@@boytheodore Actually, 120mm take one or two fans. Pray tell how that is more than the 2-fan cooler used here? Also, the weight of that air cooler is insane. I would not want that hanging off my motherboard, especially considering my CPU is delidded. I used to be a big air fan, but since switching over I will never go back to air, and all the gaming builds I do for customers have the first choice of an AIO Water Cooler over air, and every customer has told me what great job I've done. So far I have been lucky and none of the water coolers I have installed have leaked. AIO coolers have been a great boon to PCs. I wuld use them in everything that isn't just using a stock cooler. Even if you're not overclocking, a $50 120mm AIO water cooler adds a lot to the build.

[@MooKyTig]

@@OriginalMergatroid "not want that hanging off my motherboard" is a fair statement if you've never used a noctua cooler... but this ain't your daddy's hyper 212 :) The noctua mount is so damn SOLID you'd have no fear. And yes even with a delidded cpu. Look if you build for customers who are demanding top end cooling, well yeah, I think most people prefer the look of water cooling - especially the RGB freaks. I'm sure you did a great job, but lets be honest, since you're building a computer for them they have zero f-ing clue if its better than air. :) And I agree leak fears are overblown - but broken pumps are not. But one place I will disagree, is on 120mm AIOs. They are GARBAGE. Give me an NH-U12 or any other decent single fan air cooler over the crap tier 120 AIOs. Better performance, cheaper or same price, single point of failure, direct passive cooling. Wins across the board.

[@mryellow6918]

@@boytheodore No thats the point, like the entire point in water cooling you can move your heatsink anywhere in a case. you can use them as actual case fans the review should really be using the most of the coolers so nh15 2 fans and push pull on the x72.

[@sirfracture616]

Air cooling is ugly and sucks ass

[@yosharian]

NH-D15 Chromax Black that is all

[@MitchSoda]

I'm building a new PC, and want the NH-D15 Chromax Black, just not sure on sizing...will it interfere with the first PCIE slot on the X570 AORUS Xtreme mobo? And Ram clearance is a problem, although you can raise one of the fans up...but by how much? Will it fit Trident Z Neo Ram in?

[@yosharian]

@@MitchSoda Uhhh I highly doubt it will cause any problems with the PCI-E slot. RAM clearance is another matter, try contacting the motherboard manufacturer. I would guess that you should be OK with the RAM but it's worth checking.

[@sexyjura]

@@MitchSoda the trident z rgb sticks are 45mm. If you dont use the 2nd fan then you get 64mm of ram clearance instead of the 32mm with the 2nd fan on. The 2nd fan is not even required if you have good airflow because all it does is spit air on the middle fan really just streamlining the process, but i wouldn't recommend having the 2nd fan on because of the problem of ram clearance.

[@krys421]

Gtx 1080 Ti I’ve read that the second fan only takes away about 1-3 c is this true?

[@thetable4638]

@@MitchSoda For ram clearance you can put the second fan in the rear of the cooler.

[@711jastin]

everyone gangsta until the AIO starts leaking

[@ulungrinjanidharma8609]

Yes, one advantage of NH-D15!

[@JustChill_TV]

@Smelly Revolutionary same lol my cousin ruined his $3000 pc cause of a leak from Corsair cpu cooler and leaked on his GPU

[@GhostAcez]

@@JustChill_TV Did corsair pay for a new PC as a lot of people claim they will?

[@skadia6413]

@@GhostAcez ıdk about Corsair but i heard that if you send your bill and proof to coolermaster they'll do something about it.(Maybe they'll change your damaged components idk)

[@wilihey1425]

That might happen after 8 years of non stop use and changing the radiators place every year

[@vertigoalopolus]

You didnt cover the fact that the Noctua coolers (all of them) can be upgraded to any CPU slot configuration, past, present, or even future - Noctua will send you a mounting kit if you ask for one, for free, and they pledge to do so for all slots in the future.

[@MidWitPride]

And the fans they use aren't specialized CPU fans built for that exact model of heatsink, but uses regular 140mm Noctua case fans. So if your fan breaks, replacing it won't be an issue even 10 years from now. Some CPU cooler fans have these notches in them that are used to attach them to the heat sink, which means you can't just strap a case fan in there if the original one breaks, but need to find a fan with those specific notches, which might become impossible/expensive at some point in the future.

[@DolceArdore]

Yep it’s true... Noctua sent me a free mounting kit for AM4 when I upgraded my motherboard & CPU a couple of months ago.

[@reeepingk]

I can attest to this. I bought a noctua cooler USED, and it didn't have the mounting kit I needed. I called up noctua, asked if I could buy it off of them, they said "What's your address" and sent it to me. (For free.) Noctua is a cool company. *(Get it?)*

[@Red_PlaysYT]

Incredible value with that reason

[@nonplusultra18]

Me too, when i bought my noctua nh-d15 it didn't have the am4 mounting bracket (the am4 model was more expensive at the moment on amazon) and they sent it for free.

[@maximilianlindner]

I would have been satisfied with two simple numbers to compare between the coolers. This guy: Graphs, Math and Quantum Mechanics!

[@NoneofyourBusiness-gy9yw]

simple minded or educated idiot ? pick one. the price tag is also numbers, so are the amount of items. its a entirely two different thing. the temperature numbers for air cooling will never beat liquid cooling and that has remained the same for the last decade or rather since liquid cooling came into existence. besides at the end of the day liquid cooling still requires air to cool it so even at best it will not be lower then room temp.

[@WhoAmIWill]

Take a shot every time he says krayken

[@bahamut149]

What is this? Advertising for minigun?

[@peopleauctioneer]

Huan Bui advertising for an a-10 warthog

[@bahamut149]

@@peopleauctioneer happy BRRRRRRRRRT noise!

[@BrianYYH]

I couldn’t watch till the end with him saying Krayken

[@JamesMacey]

Take a shot every time he takes a breath in!!!

[@DualityV2_]

and the NH-D15 will last for life... no pump to replace, just the fans and thats a quick swapperino and noctua prolly upgrades the mounting brackets along the way.

[@shanenelson6932]

then again the x62 is an AIO so its much harder to replace the pump

[@Oliver-bn7jt]

@@shanenelson6932 lmao replacing the pump inside the aio is going to be a hell of a task.

[@shanenelson6932]

@@Oliver-bn7jt yeah thats kinda what I was thinking. I don't even know how you would go about that.

[@shanenelson6932]

@Taylor Green I doubt the temps are as good or better but I do agree, you have a better price to performance ratio.

[@Ebani]

@@shanenelson6932 They probably are if he isn't oc'ing, spikes might be a lil' worst but that'd be about it.

[@Templesdarkest]

NH-D15 gives you 95% of the performance for 60% of the price. That being said if i was gonna have a TG case I would have gotten and AIO

[@reeepingk]

(And 0% of the maintenance issues.) Air cooling will NEVER fail. You cannot say that about water cooling. In my opinion, water cooling just... isn't... worth it. It looks cool, sure, absolutely. I'll give them that. It frees up a bit of space in the case. It's just.... not worth it.

[@Felale]

You had major positive pressure in the D15 setup and negative pressure for the Kraken setup. The Kraken had the better airflow. You should have put 3 120mms on the top during the D15 test.

[@rafars2246]

Negative pressure sucks, rather have less airflow

[@FallenLight0]

@@rafars2246 when does it happen? And how can I avoid it?

[@tapeab1e]

@@FallenLight0negative pressure is more air going out than coming in.

[@FallenLight0]

@@tapeab1e thanks

[@davidbrandenburg8029]

you should have added the third fan to the nh-d15 then you might have had a solid win across the board, after all the kraken has three fans.

[@kotekzot]

@ on the back of the heatsink, duh. Still costs less than the Kraken.

[@dazedledzep3891]

Will it really make much of a difference though

[@CrysisLuckyShot]

That's a great point! Didn't even consider a 3rd fan. I think you just solved my dilemma between the two options. Thank you David

[@charliek9394]

Fantastic video! But i have to say the fans on the Kraken arent that good. I replaced mine with Fractal fans (the white ones that are as good as noctua fans) and it became more silent and cooled better. I had the X62 btw. Still tho, the D15 is just less hassle and cheaper. so i agree with your statement

[@李世民-z7n]

We got the same cooler ! I was thinking to switch the fans that comes with the x62 cooler but does the fan u replace fit ? And how do you control the fan? You plug the fan using a fan controller or straight on motherboard?

[@tureldragoon3667]

Damn man you sound like solid snake, love it! Edit: Your content helps me very much thanks for that. Third video, thumps up!

[@St0RM33]

Kept you waiting, huh?

[@deivisony]

Nothing like David Hayter... Maybe you were talking about the enthusiasm in guns

[@LilmanGaming]

@@deivisony is that a persona reference I see?

[@TheAirJordan1994]

Isn't it pronounced Kra ken, not kray ken? Like the ocean monster the kraken

[@ubberJakerz]

0:38 did my guy just say "kray-ken"

[@LegendaryWizardPS]

This is a great video, but please move back from your mic a bit. I can hear you breath after each sentence

[@ZambonieDude]

Sagacious Glad I wasnt the only one to think that. Lean back some and maybe turn up the audio in your video editor.

[@HardwareScientist]

Thanks I'm working on the audio. Will try to do some fixes in the video after the next (next video is already done and coming soon).

[@bulletn3ctar]

@@HardwareScientist I think your breathe sounds beautiful. Don't listen to them.

[@internettroll2028]

@@bulletn3ctar and we think it's not so why should he listen to you

[@bulletn3ctar]

@@internettroll2028 cuz I vury special. Unlike you normies.

[@kadan_gustafson6609]

“But if you’re not a reasonable person”

[@seanmatthewking]

That part made me LOL Well, technically it only made me SAS: smirk and sniffle

[@philm94]

The difference in noise profile is quite understated here. The Db scale is logarithmic, so the difference between 39 and 48 is just shy of 10x louder. I swapped a faulty AIO that hit ~50Db for a D15, and the difference in sound profile was extremely noticeable. Also, as others have stated, after you've been gaming for an hour+ two things happen. 1 - AIOs lose their cooling lead as the water temperature increases 2 - AIOs must keep the fans ramped up for several minutes after the load has decreased to lower the water temperature again. This means you can turn your game off to do something else, then need to wait as it sits there burring away at 50Db for what feels like no reason.

[@hujeta6851]

Just want to correct you slightly on the dB scale, each 3dB increments represent a 100% increase in SPL (Sound Pressure Level) so the difference between 39 and 48 is not 10x, it's 3x

[@aliefr2984]

@@hujeta6851 db is log 10 right ? So from 10 to 20 should be 10x

[@matrixmodulator]

@@aliefr2984 Hujeta is right. A 3 dB change yields a 100% increase in sound energy and just over a 23% increase in loudness. 10 dB increase sounds like 2x percieved loudness. Loudness and Sound energy is not the same thing. Also if you use your common sense, there is no way one cooler is 10 times louder, that would be crazy loud...

[@suspiciousdoge9yand104]

I didnt build a PC for it to look good. I want to play great without harming my budget too much

[@-Kerstin]

lol, I've had both of these coolers. I had the Kraken X72 first but then realized that I hate it and got the Noctua NH-D15 and I'm very happy with it now.

[@-Kerstin]

This was a very well made video. Bravo! I hope you make more. I should clarify that the reason I disliked the Kraken was that I absolutely hated the CAM software that I had to have running at all times for the AIO to respond to CPU temperature changes. Also I was playing Assassins Creed Origins at the time I had the Kraken and after playing for a few hours the liquid temperature would be above 60°C which I've been told isn't good for the life time of the AIO. The NH-D15 just does what it's supposed to do

[@Cunning_Jester]

Thank you for the great video. I especially love seeing all the graphs with the in depth breakdowns. Looking forward to seeing more of your content!

[@Smedleydog1]

Custom loop cooling the CPU & GPU. Better temps and looks "cooler". (pun intended)

[@julianangell342]

And costs a whole lot more and requires extra maintenance plus the risk of water and electronics

[@mryellow6918]

@@julianangell342 theres like not much extra maintenance also just tighten the seals like its not an issue if you test properly.

[@rayzimmermin]

@@mryellow6918 just more fans to clean larger surface area with smaller holes to clean on the rad as compared to the fin stacks a yearly water change pump replacements when they go out oh and don't forget to check your seals for rot during water changes or they might leak other then all that not much more extra maintenance LOL then there's the fact a pump going out on a custom loop is worse for the CPU then a fan going out on a air cooler because no pump no fresh cool water and therefore no cooling as ware if a fan goes out on an air cooler it's still cooling passively so what are you realy getting for all that extra money spent on cooling 55 on water VS 65 with air more maintenance with water then air and it weighs more than air when moving your PC around

[@M1szS]

id preffer the NH-D15 because getting like 3 degrees lower temp for multiple times the sound isnt rlly worth it for me, also air coolers usually have higier lifespan even if both are long

[@DefMunkyYT]

This pretty much mirrors my thoughts on the subject. It's less about which is better and more about what the user wants. I'm an air cooler kind of guy but there is absolutely nothing wrong with liquid cooling if that's what floats your boat. Both have pros and cons and neither is perfect.

[@junkiexl86]

The funny part is NXZT's own X62 is not only cheaper, but it also outperforms the X72 across the board lol

[@lmo613]

that's what I have x62 :{

[@junkiexl86]

@@lmo613 Same. Good stuff.

[@lascaustefan4087]

@@junkiexl86 Thank you! the past 2 days I was researching a cooler for my future 3900x build and I wasn't sure what to pick, either X73/72 or X62/63. With X73, I would have to put it in front and reduce airflow cause of the radiator but if X62 does better, than I can place it on top and keep a good airflow with some Noctua front vents in the case. So thanks again!

[@junkiexl86]

@@lascaustefan4087 My 3900X is cooled by the X62 actually. 4.4ghz all core OC, never goes above 65c, Games between 42-60c. I have to hit it with a CB20 loop for a long time for it to finally hit 70c. imgur.com/5xLkH6Q

[@lascaustefan4087]

@@junkiexl86 those are great temps! How dose CAM software behave for you? I couldn't find anyone to tell about the latest versions. Also, I was thinking going with X73 tbh, even though they have almost same performance (compared with X62, from reviews)

[@CH-vb5kr]

My current PC has a liquid cooler - but I think the pump is dying. Just because the pump dies, the entire cooler (CPU-block, pump and radiator) all need to be replaced. With the NH-D15, hopefully the heat pipes will last longer than the rest of the PC, so if a fan dies, it can hopefully be replaced, so you don't have to remove the cooler from the CPU and risk bending any pins.. But that's just my personal opinion.

[@RojasTKD7]

When it comes to Maintenance the Air Cooler wins in my book. The AIO has a limited life span of 4 to 5 years (usually less) before it will need to be replaced. The air cooler can work indefinitely at worse it might require a fan swap if it fails. I recently had to retire an 280 AIO that had started to loose it ability to cool my 6700K. Just shy of two years my max temps started to clime by more then 20 degrees. I opt for a large air cooler most of the time, the Noctua's are just so much quieter. unless I absolutely need MAX cooling or case size eliminates the possibility of fitting a large air cooler. Currently non of my three PC are air cooled because of such constraints.

[@johnhighway9397]

4-5 years, usually less? I've been rocking my h80i since mid 2014 and it still works flawlessly.

[@overnightdelivery]

@@johnhighway9397 My PC had water cooling for over 10 years. Never leaked or had increased temps. The pump was a little loud and annoying but I probably could have gotten quieter ones. This time I opted for air cooling because I didn't want to take the time and expense of a water cooling system. But if you have the time and money it's undoubtedly the most cool.

[@calebhohneke8482]

AIO's tend to last 7 years or longer if you take care of them and orient them properly. The highest point of the radiator HAS to be higher then the pump. As the fluid evaporates over time air pockets get introduced and can get pulled into the pump (frying it out) IF the pump is at the highest point.

[@JaiJaiDoVFX]

Just got my NH-D15. Never regret.

[@alosius7066]

Thitikorn Boontiam hi , i was wondering if the D15 cooler was too big and heavy that would pull or damaged my whole system ( main , cpu)

[@epicskylegend7501]

@@alosius7066 I've NEVER heard anyone say they've experienced damage cpu because of the size of the cooler.

[@ninjargbassassin7650]

@@alosius7066 That's why the big coolers come with a mounting system, although it's still attached to the motherboard, so if you're moving your computer around a lot a water cooled system might be safer.

[@rc5924]

Yeah your build looks like shit now gj

[@wingnut4200]

EXCELLENT vid, dude. I have been looking for this kind of comparison and there you were!! Doing my first build with AMD parts and want simplicity with lower risk of part failure. And Noctua and Be Quiet both come in BLACK so I just need to compare those two, size for size and I am an air cpu cooler guy!! Keep at it. You have a good voice and no comic affectation so that makes it nice as well. And you don't speak at two hundred miles per hour like one famous you tuber parts reviewer. Now, do an AMD build in a Fractal Design Meshify 2, white, using an atx board and the black cpu cooler of your choice!!! (kidding, sort of)

[@micks_match7353]

I enjoyed this video man. You could have used the kraken x62 and probably got the same results seeing as a 360 rad is IMO overkill for just cooling the cpu. This would give it a little better case compatibility while still keeping the performance. In my experience even with older school Intel fireboxes that extra 120 mm on the rad gives you diminishing returns seeing as you can't get below ambient. Just wanted to throw that out there awesome video man.

[@righteousone8454]

3 years later - 12900k says hello, and laughs at 360aio

[@davidbrennan5]

I love dealing with pump failures while I am gaming.

[@BonusCrook]

I hate falling down that's why I never run, you and I think alike.

[@AMNHM]

you are the guy who dosen't drive because he might die

[@davidbrennan5]

@@AMNHM No, I like to play games, not work on my rig because I made a bad decision building it. I used to buy the best of everything, newest tech in every area but my experience showed me that all the failures were not worth having the BEST gear. I go for Great gear with Great reliability and I am happy.

[@violetsther3739]

@@davidbrennan5 I'd like to see your NH-D15 cool my overclocked Intel Core I9-10980XE. Actually, I'll spare you the effort. Paled in comparison to my NZXT Kraken Z73. I'd like to see you game on a thermal throttling CPU.

[@davidbrennan5]

I heard the KRAKEN Z series had MAJOR compatibility problems with a lot of common boards, (ASUS and ASROCK) Their fix was to give customers a USB 2.0 hub lol as far as the I9-10980XE. Intel had to slash the price in half of their last gen because they can't compete with AMD.

[@ElectricityTaster]

My pc is watercooled without radiators. It uses my toilet's tank as a reservoir. Whenever the water heats up, chances are I'm taking a shit or pissing, so the water gets replenished once I flush. Yes, I had to drill some holes into the bathroom, but I get a 100% silent system and it's cheaper than buying a radiator + fans.

[@SekretZdzicha]

What did i just read XD

[@MrHeHim]

How long were the tests? I ask because the AIO has a much higher specific mass to absorb heat but will eventually equalize to where you can see how much heat it can actually move away They advantage i see in liquid coolers is that you're able to displace the size of the radiator and fan to another area where it can be either larger or draw from cooler air, which is what i see in the Kraken X72

[@kennethshores8547]

This is something I like to know myself. another thing the video did not talk about is dependability. like if the pump goes out on a liquid cooler it could destroy your CPU if you're not lucky in a CPU shuts self down first where the air cooler has two fans if one goes out another fan still be running which will prevent you from destroying your CPU and you can still run your system. you just may have to dial back some of your overclocks where the water cooler you can not until you replace it and not everybody has a spare just laying around... liquid cooler usually last roughly around 5 or so years before the pump goes out and or start leaking. The air cooler will last forever just as long as you don't drop it and it can last you through multiple system builds

[@HardwareScientist]

5 minutes at each fan/pump speed level for a total of about 30 consecutive minutes under heat load.

[@reppy0757]

@@kennethshores8547 Modern CPU's will never kill themselves. It'd be mighty rare for them to overheat and die. They have many fail safes.

[@edm3184]

Just found your channel and subbed - good luck and looking forward to seeing more!

[@tnetroP]

Surely the enthusiast looking for ultimate performance and looks will skip the AIO and go for a custom loop?

[@HardwareScientist]

True, but hard to do a useful comparison with a custom loop because each one will be different.

[@junkiexl86]

@@HardwareScientist And honestly there isn't that much to be gained with an open custom loop over a top-end air or AIO. It's purely aesthetics despite what the fanboys will shill. Now 5-6 years ago different story, but AIO's have come a LONG way in that time with really good pumps and blocks now.

[@OLucasQueJoga]

very good video! thank you for the simplicity on how you explain things!

[@DenofLore]

Kraken. Pronounced Crack-en. Not cray-ken

[@makegaminggreatagain3907]

Great video, I would have used the 240mm or 280mm radiator Kraken for a video like this over the 360 as the 360 radiator doesn't provide any more cooler eff over the 280 or 240 and would be a little bit more case compatible friendly. A good follow up video to this would be the D15 v Kraken v a dedicated custom cpu loop.

[@dominus_salis9064]

WOW! What a great Video. I was looking for a video like this for such a long time. Thank you very much. Subscribed :) (I usually dont comment on videos but this was amazing :D)

[@spyder000069]

Now unplug both coolers simulating a failure. Which do you trust your cpu to? :^)

[@kotekzot]

The odds of an air cooler failing are significantly lower than the odds of an AIO failing, and AIOs can fail catastrophically.

[@popoybakal]

Have you tried running tests on warmer room temp? Just wanted to know since im from a tropical country and the reason im looking for a cooler is to lessen my electric bill since i always need my AC on to reduce temp

[@bobtart12]

Theoretically the kraken would be able to move the most heat away from the computer, but it uses more energy to do it, as he showed in the power draw numbers.

[@cbq1232006]

solid content and attractive voice. thx a lot

[@IngoGarza]

You should edit out when you take deep breaths and smack your lips. It's anxiety inducing. Its not meant to be a rude remark. Just a tip!

[@BradKarlovec]

^very strongly second this please! I love the content but the sound...

[@Wardson]

This debate has an extremely simple answer. If you're gonna go full gaming, do some web surf or just gonna upgrade your regular pc with some parts, go for Air coolers. If you're 3d designer, taking out heavy HQ renders, texturing and doing a lot of high computional stuff like me, go for Water cooling (AIO ones. Custom full rig water cooling is so complicated and only experts should do it. So AIO is great). Because even at test its very clear that air coolers simply fails at overclocked cpu that are running at max speed in renders. Tho AIO's dont. So yea. Gamers = Air Coolers. Designers = Water Coolers (AIO)

[@NickG40]

But, did you let the AIO equalize in it's liquid temps?

[@amorgan20111]

probably not... anyone who has stress tested a system for an hour or longer on an AIO knows that it looses its cooling lead quickly in longer loads such as gaming or stress tests

[@ScrewUserNames6587]

@@amorgan20111 I can tell you from his temps, he probably at the very least didnt actually have a decent thermal paste setup, I have the x52 on a gtx 1080 and it keeps it under 50C max load.

[@amorgan20111]

@ no I am not (sadly), but have you stressed tested an AIO on a 200W+ TDP CPU for over an hour? I have, and I've seen how over time the water temps increase to the point where they become less efficient than a effective air cooler.

[@ScrewUserNames6587]

@@amorgan20111 um. No. That's not how liquid cooling works. If the cooling capacity of your rad is lower than the tdp than yes. But if you're rad and airflow and setup is efficient no. Just no. As long as you're not feeding hot air back into your system, and your ambient are low and constant, you temps will reach a thermal equilibrium and stay stable. That's coming from someone that's done 24hr stress tests and never seen above 65C on 240mm aios. Set your rig up better and you'll have better thermals.

[@ScrewUserNames6587]

@@amorgan20111 only time I get higher than 65C is if my fan curve is bad, my pump is dying, or my voltage is way to high. Like when I was testing the limit of the cooling capabilities between a kraken x52 and a Cooler master m240L

[@TheDidiwolf34]

Most people seem to overlook the fact that both coolers are way overkill for the vast majority of us

[@Haddley333]

this was an excellent video. I love how AIO's look, but always going with Air because having a quiet PC is very important to me.

[@RedNineTeen]

I really don’t care for quite.. why you ask ... because kids I hear them more than the aio fans lol

[@Pyracantic]

If you say KrayCan one more time pal

[@bw8992]

Hey not bad you keep this up you are going to be like like Linus

[@dgillies5420]

Best video on youtube on this topic.

[@shanepresnal5528]

Yeah but the kraken wins the only brackets that matter , performance and visuals

[@EbikeRyder]

good video man, breaks down all the important areas well, and proves liquid coolers are only about aessthestics with minimum cooling improvement over air cooled for more thann double the price and a lot more work and hassle.

[@Siren_Jin]

So far this has got to be the most descriptive review I’ve seen yet, thank you! Fortunately, I bought this air cooler (NH-D15) and my temperatures drop right away at least by 10 Celsius. I was using a Artic freezer 12 air cooler and could only push my CPU (i7 8700k) to 4.2Ghz anything after that would overheat and crash, now that I’m using the NH-D15 air cooler I’m able to render much quicker due to a stable over clock of 4.8Ghz without overheating and crashing thanks to the new air cooler (NH-D15) however it does peak to 87 Celsius when rendering a project on (Sketch Up, V- Ray plugin). This was an easy install for me, but I did have to move my GPU card down a slot as it is very wide.

[@CaseyHardman]

Silksteam21 Take a look at the D15s. It’s made for GPU clearance.

[@Siren_Jin]

@@CaseyHardman I'll definitely look into this for future builds. cheers buddy!

[@stephon972]

what are your specs for rendering

[@Siren_Jin]

@@stephon972 at the time of the post I had a GTX 1070 and 32GB RAM

[@badtupram]

There's a NH-D15 black now I think.

[@DreckkedUp]

Yes

[@cartoonhead5819]

Black Fans & a nice cooler cover available for the NH-D15 now too for anyone who want it to look nice. Great video

[@axelolord]

Or you can go with bequiet Dark Rock Pro 4. Similar to nhd15 but full black, even cheaper, and only around 3% lower efficiency. The noctua black accessories are quite expensive for just making it look good with no added improvements

[@13n1304]

And now it's fully available in a black version with black fans included :)

[@pedrosoares7273]

@@axelolord Dark Rock Pro 4 is better in that regard yes, but Noctua's mounting kits mean you can use this CPU cooler with any future motherboard or cpu. That's simply amazing.

But it covers most of the mother board you can't see your rgb ram.

[@rc5924]

Im sure the color is gonna make that fat piece of shit look better

[@EpicRivers1]

8:30 out classed? Na, it's well with in the same class, it's barely a few degrees different lol. Fewer moving parts is always the win.

[@lokibau]

performance per cost ratio destroys the nzxt.

The D15 Is WAY hotter, and would melt your CPU. And don't bother to overclock the CPU with a D15.

[@lokibau]

@ no, it wont, dont be a fanboy

@@lokibau I'm not, you're the fanboy, i'm looking to the future, and the future is AIO coolers, just look how hard it is to find a good air cooler. Majority of coolers now are AIO coolers. I dare you to push your air cooler to the limits.

[@kotekzot]

@ you posted cringe, bro. AIOs are inherently too expensive, dangerous and prone to failure to compete with high-end air coolers.

[@bantrump9594]

They have a huge price difference. You can buy a couple of more case fans with NH D15. Add 3 case fans to the top and do another experiment.

[@MrE1981]

That breathing between sentences, ...you're killing me man.

[@artemisai5957]

I can't watch the video because of it

[@livebig6414]

Artemisai for real, fucking annoying

[@Voornaz]

@@artemisai5957 u can

[@artemisai5957]

@@Voornaz yea, for like a minute and a half

[@Voornaz]

@@artemisai5957 I watch fully Not even annoying breathing

[@CrimsonTrauma]

When I bought my Ryzen 1800x a couple of years ago, AM4 sockets didn't exist. Noctua sent me a well packaged AM4 mounting kit for the cooler. That is some impressive customer service!

[@jaymolina2779]

Dude you have a KZbin calling...... I generally sub to the KZbin gurus but with your effort and detailed analysis in your videos You gained a sub in me. Keep on bringing the awesome material. I am currently putting together the parts for my 1st PC build an i9-9900k, RTX 2080 Video editing 60%/gaming 40% build. The NH-D15S and the NZXT Kraken 72 was on my list. Im leaning to the Noctua because of the reliability. Feel free to throw any suggestions my way. Keep up the good work.

[@HardwareScientist]

Thanks! I think the NH-D15S will work great. It performs very close to the NH-D15 and has even better compatibility.

[@JustinCrediblename]

quietness should help with your focus while editing video; go with the Noctua. Also will save you some cash, which you can put back into other PC parts

[@andymofoincross]

Great in depth comparison! However you might consider putting a strobe/epilepsy warning prior to 5:23, you never know who might be watching.

[@HardwareScientist]

Thanks! I added a warning.

[@rc5924]

Wow the gay police have shown up

[@faisalamir1928]

Did you saturate the heat in the liquid of the AIO?

[@Aglai76]

What do you mean?

[@faisalamir1928]

​@@Aglai76 Water takes much longer to heat up, so in a short stress test AIOs always provide better CPU temps vs air coolers. Run it for an hour and the results could be very favorable for the air coolers. I was using a corsair h115i on a delidded 7700k 5Ghz. During long stress testing the CPU averages 85 degrees C, and peaks about 95 degrees C. This was in a push/pull config with 4 noctua NF-A14 fans with performance fan curves. Changed to the noctua NH-D15 and temps lowered to around 70 degrees C with peaks of 80 degrees C. In the context of this video, the kraken x72 performed better than the nhd15 for CPU temps. I asked the question earlier to verify if the reviewer had given a fair shot to the nhd15 by running a longer stress test for the AIO.

[@Aglai76]

@@faisalamir1928 ahhhhhh makes sense. I too am curious

[@DaroffApFire]

Exactly. They clearly didn't run an extended stress test on the system and then review the results. Linus Tech Tips did a video on air coolers vs all in one liquid coolers and the D15 beat them all by a fairly large margin.

[@junkiexl86]

@@DaroffApFire It was only 2-3 degrees and that was over 5 years ago lol. AIO's have improved since then, esp the pumps and blocks. J2C did a recent and better experiment in the worst and best case scenario environment. NH-D15 no longer holds the crown, but it's not a bad cooler either. Really, AIO vs Air just comes down to personal preference, style and sometimes budget. I switched to AIO's mainly due to ease of use, install and aesthetics. I did run a NH-D14 for many years. Were in the age of full glass side panel cases and things like my Kraken X62 with its infinity mirror pump housing looks amazing vs a big ugly tower esp one as big as the NH-D15's.

[@isahak8644]

the kraken isn't for enthusiasts, it for normal gamers who spend a lot more on their pc. A few more screws, a couple more minutes and compatibly isnt whats wrong with the kraken, its just the price. this review is stupid. enthusiasts would rather go for custom hard tubed loops. ps, having hot air from your cpu going to the gpu is obviously gonna heat up your gpu and as the reviewer you should outline your variances when recording the data. this review was just lazy.

[@chenshilongsun1581]

This is such a detailed yet easy to understand comparison test. I’m glad to have purchased Noctua instead of AIO. Only downside is the color and size, but I suspect I’ll grow to love the aesthetics of the classical beige Noctua

[@amorgan20111]

Other downside of the AIO that air coolers don't have is that in extended workloards and stresstest (such as an hour long gaming session or an artificial 100% load in AIDA64) the water will slowly begin to heat up to the point that the heat transfer is no longer efficient. After about an hour or more, a good air cooler will be as good as a large rad AIO or even better. I've proven this before with my NH-D14s and my Coolermaster Masterliquid X-D36m

[@eivojc6241]

power consumption = I like that, most of the reviewer does not include power consumption. Good job now ordering "NH-D15 chromax.black". Thanks HS

[@Onebadchevy]

Great video, very in depth and easy to understand.

[@SwaggMessiah69]

I will always go for air cooling, but air coolers are a bitch to clean. You can use pressurized air, but without a full wipedown, it will slowly build up dust that thinly cements itself, needing it removed to be soaked/scrubbed down, whatever, while an aio can just have the rads unscrewed to deep clean the fins easily.

[@bomapenguin]

The NZXT logos on the fans were upside down...you...you....YOU MONSTER!

[@GForceIntel]

I tried to the nzxt 240mm and the performance was worse by 2 to 3 degrees. I'll just stick to my nh-d15

[@_Davepocalypse]

This was fantastic, you had graphs I hadn't even dreamed of. That GPU temp graph was especially good. You deserve a sub.

[@mantra_lab5578]

for me liquid cooling is winner, i'm hifi audio producer and gamer, so i need high end pc but silent!!! my condenser can even get my slow breathing so of course fans can ruin it for me, liquid winner :D (for me)

[@CashmereSky]

Don't forget the Noctua products DO have visual upgrade options, fans and cover plates. You can make them look nice now, at a premium fee obviously. Great review!

[@demon6937]

That's the issue, another cost for an expensive air cooler already

[@kotekzot]

@@demon6937 still cheaper than an AIO. Also, there are air coolers that offer 95% of NH-D15's performance at half the price.

[@demon6937]

@@kotekzot yeah I actually prefer air cooler than aio

[@Wolf_1775]

I wonder what the difference in performance and noise would be with a 240mm radiator, as opposed to 360. Nice overview for the high end, definitely subscribed.

[@gerrygregor4531]

I have said nocty big boy on my 5950x and it barley keeps it under tmj at peak load. Will water help or lol 16 cores was too much ? 😅

[@raijinmadapaka]

We can hear you breathing during the entire video. Maybe you can move your mic further next time or use a windscreen.

[@TheBrennanSchafer]

and some water. His mouth sounded super dry.

[@danielgreen5803]

So if understand correctly you should go with water cooling if you are a low testosterone virgin nerd who wants the inside of his PC to look like a mini strip club for everyone to see and you should choose the Noctua if you are a real man that knows what's important in life and can grow a thick masculine beard and chest hair. got it, Thanks man

[@Brillymister]

Wow your videos are great can’t believe u only have 1.3k subs

[@scottmiller7284]

Been using the Noctua DH-15 Chroma black for about 4 months now. Incrediblely impressed with how well it cools my 5800x3d in the NZXT H9 Flow case.

[@Ash_H_Green]

another great review -keep up the great work - Hope you get more subs to keep you going

[@HardwareScientist]

Thanks! I'm slowly gaining more subs. But I have fun making the videos, so it's not too important :)

[@majorbud4207]

You do not need software to run the AIO. Only if you want to control the RGB lights. Otherwise you can plug the fans and pump to the motherboard fan headers.

[@saad8029]

You really need to stop smacking your lips.

[@JohnnyPeacock90]

Hahahah

[@jacktran960]

His problem is that we can constantly hear him breathing.

[@Matt561]

The NH-15 is a beast and great if you just don't want the risk of liquid in your PC And thankfully it now comes in black

[@suicidetorecovery9775]

I like having full access to my "parts."

[@suicidetorecovery9775]

@@Glorious_Kim_Jong_Un Perhaps, but he did love it.

[@seanmatthewking]

11:33 You

[@MrPilotRose]

Damn man. Most underrated PC channel on KZbin.

[@sternkrieger1950]

Actually, the NH-D15 is very customizable in appearance. Noctua offers Chromax covers with exchangeable inlays in various colors for the heatsink, and you can replace the fans with black versions, with also exchangeable corners in various colors. I'd say when you add the Chromax covers and black fans, the NH-D15 looks pretty slick, maybe even better than the Kraken X72. Unfortunately, doing this adds another $100 or so to the cost.

[@CliffArmijo]

With having to spend money on the replacement fans and covers, I would of just gone with a liquid AIO. I see the argument for Noctua's lasting much much longer, but looks are really big component at higher priced builds for some people for sure. If Noctua made the same cooler with black fans out of the box for say 25-50 more...I would probably go with that over the AIO. But ultimately, I will most likely get a Corsair Elite Cappelix Xt because the price ends up being cheaper if you factor in those changes you suggested. I just can't handle the brown color. Super ugly imo. But I get you are not getting it for looks. Plus the Corsair AIO im getting not only goes with my Corsair memory, but also all the fans in my setup that are also Corsair. You can also get an upgrade for the Cappelix that allows you to replace the pump header with an LCD screen for 80 bucks. Which looks awesome with the images you can put on it. I do get why people choose this cooler over alot of AIOs....the performance speaks volumes. Especially at that price point.

[@feilox]

can you do a push/pull config and also maybe ones with exotic fans like the 120x38mm or the delta fans thanks!

[@deyeatdapoopoo7582]

Absolutely amazing review. Very detailed and objective. Excellent conclusion too. I myself have a beefy air cooler (Thermalright HR-02 Macho 140mm) because the bang-for-buck is unbeatable, I think it looks way better than Noctua's coolers, like the D15 it's quieter than AIO liquid coolers and I don't have to worry about a pump failing. Subbed. :)

[@wayneosman8971]

I loved your video and it explained a lot. I still need to ask, using a MSI MEG B550 Unify X and PC4000 RAM has shown me just how easy it is to overclock an AMD Ryzen 9 5900X Vermeer 3.7GHz normal to 4.7GHz. At that point I decided to search KZbin and Google to answer a question, will a 240mm watercooler be good enough to cool this setup. The answer came back, NO , I would need at least a 280mm water cooler specifically NZXT Kraken 280 or better a 360mm watercooler as you have shown. Noctua's D15 was listed also as a good choice. yet no one took into account overclocking. With todays latest GEN processors AMD 7700X thru 7950X3D series and Intel Core i7 and i9 12th/13th and now 14th GENthat run even hotter at stock I use both a Nocua D14 (for a 5700X not overclocked) and D15 (for an Intel 13700K not overclocked yet) The motherboard for this 13700K is an ASUS Maximus Z690 Hero DDR5 so I might overclock it. I'm not showing off or trying to impress anyone. I've worked on computers since the late 1980's and have 2 40+ year old sons that share or give me their hand me downs. So what I am asking and I noticed you used the latest GEN Noctua D15 ( I'm still using several original model D15's that don't have as many heat pipes) Do you believe these latest Noctua D15 would be good enough, taking into account using a computer case allowing for good cooling either for water or air cooling examples of cases are Fractal design Meshify 2 XL, Torrent, Corsair 5000D or an original Lian Li Lancool II MESH with the MSI MEG UNIYY X well vented. I "Subscribed", Clicked the "Bell" and chose "All" your video's hoping to get more on this. I know I'm asking alot still your advise would be greatly appreciated.

[@HardwareScientist]

If you are overclocking I’d definitely go for a good liquid cooler like the NZXT 360 or Arctic 360.

[@NicksStuff]

I'd love to see a thermal paste comparison afterwards

[@NicksStuff]

Including the cheap but apparently capable GD900 from China

[@junkiexl86]

Not really much of a comparison these days. It's either Kryonaut or GC Extreme chart-topping by a mile. The rest are meh in comparison.

[@guerillagardener2237]

The main downside to nh-d15 is ram clearance. My front fan is proud of the the cooler because of this.

[@brodyk6431]

*Breath, lick* bahaha, great video though!!! Just what i needed to know!

[@gm4307]

Can’t believe you think I care which needs more screws.... fucking hell.

[@qwertyui5086]

Glued 2 Noctua fan on my gtx 1070ti, temp dropped 10degs on full load.

[@informitas0117]

Get a Morpheus 2 next time, it works perfectly with noctua fans.

[@jiren9822]

So it's better The Air cooling or The Aio liquid ???? I don't know what to choose...

[@YomHus]

"it is not about budget builds" few moments later, air cooler wins cus it is cheaper! Nice logic

[@kylez9094]

Think he meant top of the line in their respective categories

[@danielhu6485]

I mean doesn't mean you have a high budget build means that you should waste money... If the noctua is almost half the price the of the kraken, and the kraken performs worse when considering gpu load and only marginally better in the cpu test, why would you get the kraken?

[@cytrus3427]

@@danielhu6485 size, and aestheics.

[@cytrus3427]

@Johndrei Petriel Co Laparan Tru

[@johnathanera5863]

@@cytrus3427 so.no real reason. Air cooling is superior.

[@habanerat]

Noctua has the nice black ones now! No more hideous brown and whatever. Regular fans in black also.

[@a.ffirmative]

People usually buy the 240 and 280 mm radiator for the kraken

[@MStein01]

A person who calls himself a hardware scientist should not rate asthetics.

[@MrZriael]

Well he rated price, and aesthetics is a large factor in price. It would be improper to not take it into account after rating for price.

[@fubartotale3389]

Computer esthetics? LOL! Computers are tools, form should follow function.