Lets Settle This - Air Coolers vs AIOs

[@rmking_beats]

Thermalright’s price to performance is insane.

[@petermilian4455]

Probably why Noctua keeps delaying the D15 v2 😂

[@YudaHnK]

It is. Doesn’t make sense to buy D16 coming out. But I’m buying it, omg I’m hype for it!!!

[@Stackali]

yeah it is. thats why i went with one. its half the price of noctua and its pretty close to its performance.

[@Bullinthehouse]

What thermalright you talking about?

[@ikram2512]

Pearless assassin ​@@Bullinthehouse

[@MadridistaFrieren]

I love how a decade old noctua stil here in a cooler debate lol. Waiting for the 2nd gen

[@beaureddington4039]

U gonna keep waiting 😂 but me too bro

[@FrodeBergetonNilsen]

It has a horrible fan, and it is rather amazing that even with that fan, it hangs in there.

[@vahvelpoiss]

I remember when I tinkered around with NH-D14 and Thermalright Silver Arrow. I had both of them with lapped contact plates and lapped the CPU aswell, it was i5 2500k. 5.1GHz ez mode lol

[@S0ggyW3tW4t4r]

@@FrodeBergetonNilsenDoesn't Noctua have some of the best performing low noise fans?

[@korg47237]

I ordered my D15 in March 2016, and I'm still using it today eight years later after ~3 CPU upgrades. Very worthwhile investment if you ask me.

[@emeraldphoenix6331]

The real optimal cool method was the friends we made along the way

[@cjpowretired]

youre god damn right

[@thecatfish2132]

Based

[@8020Alive]

Cringe 😬

[@GeneralS1mba]

Wait, so if I get a friend I will drop my cpu temps from 79 to 69? I've never had one, I'll see if this works. Cheers.

[@vsm351]

Nah, my temps get high when my friends btch in-game when they can't see their own faults when we're losing!!!!!!

[@YungAntoine]

I bought the D15 almost 10 years ago now, and I'll still be sticking with it

[@cheezy2455]

and if you get a new motherboard with a new socket. they will sell you new mounting hardware! this thing is build to last, unlike the water coolers 1-3 years most need maintenance.

[@Ludak021]

@@cheezy2455Arctic will send you new mounting kit for free.

[@JustGaming24]

noctua is just nuts bought a d15 when i built my pc back in 2019 still have it they offer free mounting kits for new mobos and cpus not changing it till the new gen comes out

[@iamthemobey]

Solid investment. Especially impressive in the world of computers where components are redundant far too quickly.

[@latteARCH]

I have the D14 with an AM4 mount. Still strong.

[@gabber_]

I've been using D15 for about 8 years. It has been used in many different builds, possibly the best investment I've ever made for my PC. All I had to do was to buy an AMD kit for the new Ryzen. If you can afford one, it wont disappoint, and it has zero percent chance to leak.

[@alisioardiona727]

I have a NHC14 and noctua sent me a free mounting kit when I swapped to lga17000, 8 years into ownership. I didn't even buy the cooler, got it from a friend.

[@mvhdsk1122]

@@alisioardiona727 Arctic Cooling does the same for you if you ask them to send u a mounting kit. When I did that some years ago, they even sent me a new fan without me asking for it. That was for a Arctic Freezer 13CO - look up that price and just awe at THAT customer service. I'd bet, Thermalright would do the same for you. I used a TR Macho for many years, until I had to switch it for size reasons when changing to another case. In the meantime, TR almost vanished from the market despite having top performance coolers all the time. That AC Freezer 13CO was my cooler BEFORE the Macho btw. And this Freezer is still in use today. After switching the Macho, I used a Scythe Mugen 5 for some years which never disappointed me and would still work today, if used. Now I am using TR again (Phantom Spirit), and since they will be forward compatible, I am confident I can stay on that one "forever". I give it to Noctua for being top of the charts or at least close with their coolers for long, but just as long they were so expensive, that any other air cooler with decent performance would have been a better buy, price/performance wise. So, you guys using yours for 8-10 years should be standard and is nothing to brag about, imho ;)

[@LionTheTeacher]

aio i s better

[@21stcg17]

You guys always have amazing thumbnails for cooler reviews

[@HardwareCanucks]

Oh thanks!

[@Lukiel666]

Easy decision for me. Bought TR Peerless Assassin ARGB and used the money I saved to buy a better GPU. It was $42 Canadian. Used Arctic MX-6. Ryzen 5600X. Shout out for Spring weather being here! So tired of the cold.

[@theredpineapple9485]

Very smart decision!

[@Guy_that_exists]

how much did the phantom spirit cost for you?

[@BlazeBullet]

Hey man! What are your temps? I have a Vetroo U6 thinking of getting this if temps are much better.

[@Lukiel666]

@@BlazeBullet My temps will not be your temps unless you have identical hardware. My case is a Mastercase H500 with two 200mm front intake fans. Arctic MX-6 shaves about 3C off as well. Gamers nexus did a great video on this cooler.

[@BlazeBullet]

@@Lukiel666 ok but the temps? I'm curious. Thanks.

[@66racer]

I am glad you touched on CPU variation. Like there is an overclock silicon lottery, the same happens with temps on some of these CPU within the same generation and model number.

[@gabrielcotrim574]

air coolers have a huge advantage when we talk about maintenance and simplicity

[@donkeysunited]

@@morgan3625An AIO is only expected to last 2-3 years and should be replaced after that.

[@craig9365]

​​@@morgan3625realistically none. Maybe replace a fan. Some you can add more water back into it as over time it will permeate through the tubes. And that's overall the biggest issue especially on a sealed aio. Lack of water can mean the pump is now running dry which will kill it, the water no longer gets through the loop anymore. You will never need to replace a high end air cooler (especially a noctua as they will even supply mounting brackets for future upgrades so you don't even have to buy a new cooler. I did it for the new cpus. Showed them proof of the new CPU and I owned their product and they sent me the new mounting kit free)

[@123TheCloop]

@@donkeysunited I mean what AIO? corsair offer minimum 3 years on there older Hydro series which are pretty much outdated now, there current Pro and Capellex stuff are 5 years minimum and the new iCUE Link stuff is 6 years so maybe stop chatting shit out of your ass, ive had AIOs last 4+ years before I changed them due to permeation which is a natural thing btw. If you have to do maintanence on an AIO other than cleaning the fans (which air coolers have to as well) then you either have a faulty product or user error. but air coolers are not exempt from issues, the copper piping they use can burst, leading to improper cooling trasnfer or improper block mounting to the copper pipes on the cold plate (which i do recall some air coolers a few years back having this issue) both are very much equal to maintanence

[@Under_the_Iceberg]

@@morgan3625 I've been running AIOs for the last decade and I've had to replace 3 of them over that time due to water pump failures. It's not like it's a horrible failure rate but if I got something like the D15 back then, I'd still be using it today.

[@CatSovietski]

@@morgan3625 Algae

[@ralkros681]

I feel most people do not realize just how nice a quiet pc is. I replaced all the fans, inclduing my aio fans, in my case even adding some with just dirt cheap arctic p12 fans. Not hearing a mini turbine while enjoying content is crucial and highly underrated.

[@ryanreynolds2401]

^ this. In the video they only tested 240mm AIOs. Put a 280 or 360 in there and it would blow the doors off everything in the chart. You likely don't need that thermal headroom, but what it buys you is silence.

[@jesperburns]

If I'm just watching content, I hear no fans, if I start gaming, I put on a headset anyway.

[@cemsengul16]

@@ryanreynolds2401 Yeah seriously a 360 mm aio with an i9 is silent bliss and this video did not cover it.

[@fdimb]

the pwm or the common ones?

[@Adierit]

I run an air cooler and I can't hear my PC fans ever as is. Especially if you have AC, your PC won't run the fans that high if you're in a climate controlled room.

[@canoeshoe]

this takes a LOT of work to do. Appreciate you guys

[@MSiAventador]

My Arctic Liquid Freezer 240 has been running for 8 years at 2500K@5GHz/8700K@5GHz and still OK. This is a matter of longevity. 😎

[@dustinthomlinson3859]

But we could also implement price in that argument as you could buy three new air coolers at the price of one liquid cooler. I know of air coolers that have been running for 8-10 years. If you're buy a new air cooler every 5 years, your longevity to money spent is much better with air coolers

[@rwarren58]

Entropy is at work. Be ready.

[@DarkSession6208]

@@dustinthomlinson3859 The Liquid Freezer III tested in this video is currently 62€ in Germany, since months!. You get a quieter and cooler running cooler for less money than the highest end aircooler. If you still buy a Noctua you are fucking dumb, sorry.

[@alextomczak9152]

Dude im literally thunking of buying the 3rd gen arctic AIO is it worth it? I have a i5 13600kf and rn im using an air cooler but its not doing well in benchmarks thermal throttling me a bit

[@SarthakNarnaulia]

@@alextomczak9152 for and i5 just go for a good mid range air cooler

[@todash19]

The problem with this is it is not air coolers vs AIOs, it is air coolers vs 240mm AIOs. The biggest advantage of AIO over air coolers is in the temp soak. They can keep a lower temp for much longer than an air cooler does. I'd love to see you compare the Arctic Freezer III 360mm and other 360 or even 420mm AIOs along with this. I'd wager to guess they would be a good amount better at the full load situations. That said for general use on the vast majority of systems I don't think you can beat the price performance of the TR Phantom Spirit and Peerless Assassin. And while I currently have a 420mm I might move back to air on the next build, we will see.

[@AnotherViewBot]

I've run a noctua air cooler for a couple years now and never hit anything over 60c while running games like cyberpunk and star citizen, so I don't agree with your claim that they can't keep lower temps for as long. It's all gonna boil down to proper airflow regardless of cooler type.

[@dannyfenton9335]

My biggest problem is that with the power level of computer parts these days, I'm kinda looking for parts that'll last 12-20+ years with little maintenance. Buying a 1-250$ aio every 2-7 doesn't really work with that model.

[@glmchn]

Answer to that question, Saison 69 Episode 420 : IT DEPENDS ! Wow.

[@ritwikbanerjee4968]

The second chart says intel am5, just found it funny so pointed it out. 1:20

[@HardwareCanucks]

Yeah sorry for the misprint.

[@holmiumh]

Reminds me of the days when AMD uses Intel socket, kids nowadays don't know what are they missing.

[@ritwikbanerjee4968]

@@HardwareCanucks no issues, the amount of data required is staggering. On a second note, do you think a contact frame would change these results for intel?

[@datboi8140]

@@HardwareCanucks better watch out for GamersNexus! you're gonna get cancelled!

[@ResumedPausing]

Curious to see how the next gen Noctua D15 will hold up given it'll have 8 heatpipes instead of 6. Plus it'll be coming with their new 140mm fans

[@fungalgrowth]

Fantastic video with great data and analysis, definitely looking at Thermalright air cooling for future builds. PS the timer on the sponsor spot is an incredible touch

[@AirGunWeb]

Hey there.. I love these videos that you all do, which clearly show the reality of things. It's so easy to chase a needle to your detriment and waste time and money on something that doesn't matter. I wish I had known more before jumping into 12th gen with a 12900K. I've spent more trying to cool it (unnecessarily so) than the darn chip itself. I finally landed on a 420mm artic liquid freezer II in a massive Thermaltake case. I could have just tossed on a good air cooler and then stopped running r23 chasing "higher" performance that was just a waste of time as I never run that kind of workload. I just thought that I "had" to get the bigger number better going. Anyway, my dad always said that education costs money, and he was certainly right. Thank you for putting in the effort and delivering a dose of "real world" reality for us all. Cheers Rick

[@garricksantos]

Your previous reviews on coolers helped me choose the TR Phantom Spirit for my AMD build. The PS is so consistent on all your tests. Biggest bang for my buck from my experience so far!

[@HardwareCanucks]

Glad you like it!

[@deaddis]

I bought my Noctua D15 10 years ago and still use the same one. Don't think a single AIO-cooler could do that, hence why I will probably be getting the D16 when I'm upgrading next time.

[@henry3397]

They make a D16?

[@dannyfenton9335]

​@@henry3397 I think he means the next generation, which will still be called the D15 😂

[@bigbrainb4662]

I've recently upgraded from an air cooler to a 420mm Liquid freezer 3 which is absolutely overkill for my 6-core cpu but this way I can play without headphones and not get blasted by the noise.

[@CC-gu3ze]

Noise is not really relevant to Air vs liquid, as it is all about the quality of the fans, and both cooling methods use fans. These days it is pretty easy to get near silent air cooling.

[@noefvon]

What are u talking abou bruh even cheap arctic fans are quiet..

[@tanguy_]

@@CC-gu3ze You forgot the pump noise. Air cooling is generally preferred over liquid cooling for ultra-quiet PCs.

[@DarkSession6208]

@@tanguy_ The pump is so quiet its the quietest part. Your GPU is always louder than any aircooler or AiO and general consensus is that pretty much all decent AiOs are INCREDIBLY quieter than the best air coolers because the air coolers fan run at around 1400-1800 rpm while the AiOs run at 800. And no this can not be midgigated with better fans on a aircooler because you need more static pressure than on a radiator. Sincerly someone who had 3 AiOs and 5 custom loops and currently a NH-15 Chromax which is way too loud. I did the experiment myself and i will do another custom loop because its just junk for a 12900k in terms of temps and performance. May be sufficient for lower end cpus.

[@tanguy_]

@@DarkSession6208 I really disagree about the noise of the AIO pump. I'm talking about ultra-silent PCs, where you can't tell if the PC is on or off from over 2 meters away. Most Asetek pumps (I don’t have experience with others) make a slight high-pitched buzz. In a typical PC, this buzzing is masked by fan and GPU noise. But in a PC designed to be silent, it becomes the only sound you hear, and it's unpleasant. With an overkill air cooler for the processor, you can easily achieve near silence. I’m obviously talking about non-gaming use here, as it's clear that the GPU becomes the loudest component when gaming. But unless you're gaming at 720p with an RTX 4080, that's inevitable anyway. As for custom water cooling, I admit I’m not an expert in that field, and I trust you on that point. I’m simply comparing AIO to air coolers.

[@Pyroglyphid]

AIOs, my Corsair H100i has seen an intel 4790k, an AMD 2700x and now an AMD 5950x, and its still going! I'm sure I'm lucky in some ways but the fact all those CPUs stay between 60 and 65°c while rendering and summer gaming, inside my Corsair 750D Airflow, for the past 7 years... AIO all the way for me, and I'd recommend it

[@morgan5941]

The only real question is whether your chip thermal throttles or not. Modern CPU's are made to run hot. Who cares whether it runs 5C hotter than the competition if it is still within acceptable temperature range.

[@Pyroglyphid]

@@morgan5941 I've it set to throttle at 85°c 👌

[@IamR3D88]

Yea, I have a corsair H115 on my 8600k that started on a 4760k, both heavily overclocked and always ran cool.

[@CapnSnackbeard]

Air: quieter, smaller, more convenient, easier to clean, less potential for catestrophic failure. AIO: better potential cooling? Eh. Feels like LARPing at the cutting edge. For most people this is putting a spoiler on their Honda Civic.

[@norkris8729]

AIO: looks better, quieter, can do all CPUs.

[@clark9822]

I've built atleast 12 Pc's for myself, friends, and family since 2014. I have OCD and have been through so many rabbit holes in this journey, learned so much, and also learned what not to worry about when building. I have always used air cooling as having water in the case and more parts are variables I preffered not to risk, as small as they are, because when I set my pcs up for other people I know they WILL not know if something is wrong. All my builds have 0 failure and have been 100% excluding my first 6700k when I was tinkering with overclocking ( damn thing did not like pushing ram speeds). The only parts I've had fail were stock case fans or crappy ones and a few psu's (pretty sure I didn't leave enough head room or they were given to me from someone else, so since I use a 20% psu headroom rule no failures). I've updated bios and that can cause some issues and weird ones at that. I don't talk in forums but I sure do observe, and I don't leave reviews. But recently I've been considering throwing an EK nucleus aio in mine just as an experiment but alas I think it's not time. Here's my experience. I run a 13600k on lite load #5, Mobo MSI MAG z790 Tomahawk WIFI, GSKILL trident running at 6400 DDr5, and MSI 3080 3 fan, and a Lian Li 216 I believe (it has the 2 big 160mm infront and a 140 in rear), and 1tb western digital sn850x OS drive with a second 2tb one for gaming. The phantom spirit from thermalright just came out when I built it so I rolled the dice. On hell Divers 2 with ultra settings 1080p I average between 140 and 160 fps. My gpu never breaks 68c, I do run msi afterburner withi a modified custom fan curve that Ive used for years on 6 different gpus with the same temps, never will break 70c. I also run dual monitor (2 sceptre 165 ips 27" panels). The 13600k never breaks 70c, except for 1 core that sometimes gets to 71c. On average it sits in 50c - 65c. I've not ran into any bottlenecking, but if theres any its probably more on my gpu side which i intend on throwing a 4070 super ti in soon. I built an identical system for my nephew but with a 4070 on ddr4 at 3600 (budget issue for him) and mine outperforms that one slightly on the cpu/ram side. The mobo for that one was an asus z790 and the undervolt is not as good, I would 100% recommend the MSI mobo as the lite load settings are a dream and work perfectly. After almost a year on this setup its had 0 issues and has run like a dream. This processor is incredible and I'm still very happy with the 3080s ability to perform well (it was a refurbished one from amazon i got for $640 2 years ago). If anyone wants and fan curve or setting info I will provide it gladly. Most of this stuff is very fresh in my mind as I've build 4 builds this year. 2 13600ks, a 5700x3d for the old lady, and I slapped together a 6700k build for my niece that was lying around. Oh also, on the 13600k's I use the thermalright replacement contact metal frame. Its like $15 and make a difference. Looks neat too. TLDR: Thermalright is the real deal. The temps are incredible as I sit under 70c 98% of the time. My cine-bench 20,23, and 24 temps stay under 75c. DO NOT QUESTION THERMALRIGHT JUST DO IT. The one issue I have with it is that its chunky. It will sit over your ram, my work around was to slightly raise the fans so they would clear the ram. Be precise, take your time, minimize variables, and make the results reproducible. Sure it might take 3x longer than the youtube tutorial you watched, but if you never have to crack the case again, job well done. PS: Oh and that word future proof, in most senses will delude you into spending to much money and more than likely your shit will be obsolete when everyone else's is. These developers will target the largest average of people and if you make an outlier choice with the guise of "future proofing" (unless you have a circumstance where you have unique needs from your pc) your shit will be obsolete faster than everyone elses and get less attention. That's my tree-fiddy on the topic, use it or loose it but hopefully it helps someone. Love you all.

[@TheBrianNova]

I appreciate your in depth comment. What’s your fan curve for the air cooler? What’s your fan curves for your case fans and how many do you have?

[@isaywat]

Aaaand he's gone haha he came here to deliver a very thorough comment and just disappeared lol

[@windroid_user]

​@@isaywat "When the world needed him most, he vanished."

[@outsidethepyramid]

@clark9822 yeh it helped. love you too. no homo

[@SlN-]

@@isaywattragic

[@NGreedia]

AIOs are more about the coolness factor in terms of the aesthetics. It's not for a bang for buck. I have a number of air coolers, but still considering an AIO, possibly thermalright or Arctic in the future.

[@jtland4842]

Will you guys be able to test at lower noise levels soon? I primarily value lower noise levels as I play with open-back headphones so lower noise levels are what I shop for

[@cenciende9401]

What kind of insane environment are you in? Fully sound proofed studio? Open cans aren't rare, it's the only type I use with a 2k endgame setup, noises from the PC have never been an issue for me, there's just no way it's an issue while you're mid-game

[@bronstet]

Good summary. I loved liquid AIO coolers -- until the tube in one of mine leaked and fried my B350 motherboard. We all know that's a risk, but we never really think it will happen to any of us until it does.This mishap converted me into a permanent air cooler enthusiast. But honestly to each their own. The sight of a large ungangly heatsink through your tempered glass panel may not appeal to you visually. AIOs definitely have more aesthetic appeal, and when there are no mishaps they work beautifully and look even better. Prior to the mishap, my AIO flawlessly and silently cooled my CPU to below 60 degrees Celsius. Do what's right for you, you can't go wrong with either.

[@HYDRAdude]

Let's not act like tower coolers don't come with their own risks involved, such as warping the motherboard.

[@bronstet]

@HYDRAdude Very fair point. I just bought a Thermalright Assassin, which is a large double heatsink tower cooler in anticipation of my next build, and that is a valid consideration.

[@chanod4060]

Thanks for the horror story, I'm doing my first build and AIO breaking and frying everything it's all I been able to think for the past 4 days... Fk it I'm going with air, it doesn't matter anymore if it covers everything inside

[@chanod4060]

@@HYDRAdude new fear unlocked

[@deyeatdapoopoo7582]

@@chanod4060 Not really. That never actually happens in real life. I used to work selling computer parts and building PCs and sold thousands of air and liquid coolers. Never did someone have this be an "issue" with air coolers.

[@teanam6496]

My biggest gripe with AiO (or full custom watercooling) is the - - constant - - noise. It doesn't matter when you're gaming, but when you use your PC for anything else like just browsing the web or simply working in silcence, there's - always- the pump. With air cooling you won't be hearing anything in those situations.

[@Dew4lk]

Yeah thats why i hate my own AIO, wish i'd rather had went with air cooling. Will do so the next time around.

[@trulsrohk1]

this really depends on the pump Have a frozen edge 240 and the pump is super quiet. Even at full bore the pump generates less noise then the fans at 50% (which are also pretty quiet at the RPM)

[@LupusAries]

@@trulsrohk1Same I can't hear the pump on my Corsair H170i Elite Capellix (420mm) either. I usually only hear the GPU fans kick in, or when I actually start working the Harddrives or that Blu-Ray Drive that I still keep. (I have a combined Simulation Gaming/Photo workstation pc, so that's why there are still HDDs in there. Aside from storage space for drivers, mods, tools etc. I don't really like to needlessly burn write cycles on my SSDs. And for ye olde Spinny bois, the WD Golds aka rebranded HGST Ultrastars have insane performance.) I the cooling overkill, probably, even with my 5800X3D, but it has another advantage, In the summer I can sometimes do very short, low workload runs without using the fans. Essentially using the liquid to store and slowly move out the heat instead immediately releasing it to the room.

[@IrrelevantPlease]

I have a lian li galahad 360 and the pump is drowned out by the fans which are themselves very quiet.

[@TheBanjoShowOfficial]

like you're next to an aquarium

[@Beanlipe]

I wish more videos focused on testing in different ambient temperatures. I wonder in a scenario where its 34C outside on a summer day if the results are different

[@HardwareCanucks]

That's an interesting question.

[@rightwingsafetysquad9872]

The temperature delta from ambient is purely additive. If a CPU is running at 80C in 24C ambient, it will run at 90C in 34C ambient. So in that environment basically everything will thermal throttle on all core loads. I suppose testing would be needed to find how much throttling.

[@aaromtaar]

@@rightwingsafetysquad9872 Well, not quite, if humidity wouldn't be temperature dependent, yes, you could summarize that. Environmental conditions make all the difference in cooling systems and testing.

[@iam4740]

Sensible vs latent heat is non-linear.

[@feeterican]

Personal rig, I'm using a 14900K for gaming only and a BeQuiet Elite and when pre-loading shaders it caps out at 85C. When in the lobby I'm getting around 60C and when I'm in a map it fluctuates between 65c to 75C. When I ran 3D Mark Time Spy free all P-Cores stayed at 5.7GHz with a max temp of 80C. When running Cinebench R23 it does go right to 100C for a few seconds and then drops down to 92C with a clock speed of 5.3GHz all P-Cores. I know I should be using liquid but I'm gaming on it and I don't want to have to maintain a liquid cooler. With air it pretty much set it and forget it and only maintenance is blowing out the fins and if a fan dies or even both fans the heatsink will keep the CPU in check at idle while I'm not home. I do keep my PC's running 24/7 and for context I'm still using my 4790K on air and it's been on 98% of that time for 10 years. Power outages and upgrades/downgrades is the only reason it was ever turned off.

[@Shadow_Banned_Conservative]

I'm just getting back into PC building after more than 25 years and was quite shocked to see what kind of power and thermal requirements newer Intel CPUs have. What really shocked me is seeing how expensive GPUs have become ($2k for top of the line, really?) and what kind of power requirements they have today. WOW! I picked up an open-box pre-built game system with a 13700KF and an RTX 3070 that came with an AIO. I ended up, upgrading the AIO to an Asus Ryujin III because I wanted the LCD for system info along with latest generation Asetek pump, and I saw it was still running quite hot. I have a smaller case that only came with a thin 240mm aluminum radiator, so I hacked it up and put in another 240mm radiator, but this time a 65mm thick (original was 30mm IIRC), in copper vs aluminum and it does run cooler but will eventually get hot and the CPU I think is throttling, but it takes longer than the stock AIO. I'm thinking about moving to a larger case and adding a second radiator and extra pump because I think low volume for the stock AIO pump might be hindering me. One thing I like about the more expensive AIOs was the tunability in the pump and fan speeds. And I actually found my Ryujin III on Amazon for around $160 on a limited special deal. One thing I can't seem to find is anyone who modifies a stock AIO, everyone tells me just to go all out on a custom system. I think the AIOs have potential, they just need a little help in a bigger, copper radiator to aid in heat transfer and an extra pump for more volume through the CPU block. I haven't run any official tests as I don't have that kind of time to dedicate, but I do know the modified AIO is letting the CPU run under stress testing several minutes longer than the unmolested AIO was able to manage.

[@_DigitalCam]

I’ve been an AIO fan boy for years because I exclusively build mini ITX systems but I build all of my friends PC’s as well. I’ve always selected their components but they usually want mid tower cases. I went with AIO’s for them but I will definitely be trying out some air coolers now. I hadn’t done much side by side comparison research so this definitely helped me!

[@qwormuli77]

Yup, one of the biggest (and IMHO one of the only true) advantages with watercooling is the malleability in radiator placement. If you're looking to build very compact or eccentric shaped systems, the lack of such a static radiator attachment is a godsend.

[@sig3ldunc4nI]

If you need a budget air cooler go for the Arctic freezer 36 black. Is on the same level as a nh-d15 performance for less than 30$ last I checked.

[@_Wake_Up_If_U_Can]

I switched to EKWB aios when we got 3090s. The 3090 backplates were soo hot they were heating up the CPU air coolers like an extra 10 degrees. Have currently (4) or (5) EKWB AIO's in use in our house for years now. So far we have been lucky and not had a single issue. Still have multiple Noctua D15s sitting in ziploc bags for when one of the AIO's eventually fails. Enjoyed the video. Thanks for making it.

[@TheGameBench]

I've been hoping you'd test some more of these smaller coolers. The IS-55 was awesome, but ID-Cooling now has the IS-67-XT and it would be cool to see how it compares, but I can't really find any good testing like yours on it. Plus there's these awesome looking 135mm coolers like the Thermalright Peerless Assassin Mini, the Thermalright Silver Soul 135 and the ID-Cooling SE-207-XT as well as the even smaller dual stack Silver Soul 110.

[@HardwareCanucks]

Yeah I get that but more SFF cooler testing isn't in the cards right now unfortunately.

[@TheGameBench]

@@HardwareCanucks Bummer. Regardless, I appreciate the work you guys do on these videos.

[@Kaesarx]

Funnily enough I was just thinking the same as I've been researching all of those coolers for a mff build.

[@TheGameBench]

@@Kaesarx I have the Silver Soul 135 and the ID-Cooling SE-207-XT, as well as the IS-55 and IS-67-XT. All I need it the Peerless Assassin Mini and Silver Soul 110... but I'm not equipped to do the testing on the level that they do.

[@Kaesarx]

@@TheGameBench I'm looking at the SS135, SS110 or the SI-100. Do you have any opinions from your experience with those? I know the SI-100 is probably better than any of the ID downdraft coolers, but not sure how it compares to the smaller/mini towers.

[@retrorevival1]

cooling solutions are so good across the board (for the most part) that my choice these days is purely an aesthetic one - does the thing look good in my case. simples.

[@joshuasterling2144]

That's why AIO is the way for me. A nice air cooler eats up space in the case and I can't stand the way it looks. To me if your on air you might as well not even have a glass panel. You can't see anything else in the pc case. Not to mention noise benefits and a giant tower cooler putting lateral force on your board along with the giant new GPU's. Last bonus, having an AIO really lets you get into the components of your pc such as the ram and NVME slots with ease which can be huge if you need to swap components. Its just more convenient.

[@Elvyne]

​@@joshuasterling2144 The less convenient part would be the maintenance as it fails. As a first time builder, there is no way I'm going with AIOs/watercooling yet. Too afraid to kill my entire rig if the thing decides to get loose

[@alisioardiona727]

I'm the third owner of a 12 years old NH-C14. The builds of the first two owners are e-waste but the Noctua cooler is still going strong and silent. And when I built my lga1700 PC Noctua sent me a mounting kit free of charge.

[@jasonburnside3626]

No one ever seems to factor in the fact that the AIO coolers basically take care of having 2-3 case exhaust fans for your case and of course are removing the cpu heat from the case so your GPU doesn’t have to deal with the added case heat. Since everything about Air cooling is price to performance no one mentions this side of it

[@hananas2]

Oh yeah right, I guess you get to choose if you want maximum CPU cooling (radiator as intake) or maximum GPU cooling (radiator as exhaust) Even though I don't think I'll ever buy a water cooler, that would be super interesting to see how the CPU and GPU affect eachother in either scenario

[@KonglomeratYT]

If you're inputting enough air to feasibly exhaust that much air, then air pressure will mostly handle that all by itself It's not worth mentioning because of that. CPU air coolers cool things AROUND the CPU too though. And, if you're not inputting enough air, but trying to exhaust several more fans worth of air? Well now your PC is gonna suck dust in through every nook and cranny. So...no...it's not worth mentioning lol.

[@LELnipz]

It also works other way around. I have a GPU with a "Flow Through" cooler and a tower cooler on my CPU. All the hot air my GPU releases, air cooler on my CPU catches. In a GPU stress test my idle CPU reaches 50-55 C. I think new cards with "Flow Through" coolers are desinged with AIO's in mind.

[@snackman94]

Kinda limits your case options a bit, since you’d have to make sure to pick case that can accommodate a 360 radiator either on the top or the bottom so you can avoid either having a negative pressure setup or trying to cool your PC with hot air.

[@Boz1211111]

This is my main reason that i left aio i got with used pc in. New is too expensive to buy but since i got this, i like that it cools case at the same time. My biggest problem with aio is idle noise level, where air cooler can basically passively cool aio has pump running which is noticable even if regulated. If i had to buy now i would probably choose air because of price but otherwise its so hard to decide

[@zeus_281]

Can I just say that the thumbnail is sick

[@HardwareCanucks]

Thanks!

[@masterkraft4746]

after using 3 water coolers, I'm back to air with the new air dual fan with big dissipator ones. Water cooled die faster ( two years ) , they start getting hotter with time and they are messy in the case. Really happy to be back at these huge dual fan dissipators

[@AcidGubba]

Nobody talks about that. I bet the positive comments on AIO are new systems.

[@oooooo7821]

My old systems aio from 2017 still works with my new ryzen 7000 cpu No maintenance just changed the fans for argb and thats it Currently at gaming my temp is 50​@@AcidGubba

[@AlfaStation1]

I went from the Arctic III 240, best liquid cooler money can buy today, back to air cooling. Something most reviewers seem to forget is temperature of your other components, especially in smaller cases. What good is -15°C on the cpu if everything else is +5°C ??? Here's my max. results during 5hrs of gaming on a 5600x with 3080fe in a mATX case (first value is the Artic III, second temps are with the Noctua L12S downdraft air cooler: CPU 55 / 71°C GPU 76 / 74 GPU mem. 98 / 96 Mobo 61 / 54 M.2 4tb 71 / 65 M.2 2tb 65 / 51 4xDimms 54 / 49°C Disclamer: the Arctic 3 has a much, much thicker radiator then normal liquid coolers, making it impossible to install as exhaust on top. I was missing 8mm on top and had to mount it in front (pulling air in) which clearly chokes half the airflow in the case. I also made sure noise levels were similarly low on both systems.

[@hoseinxxxx9884]

One question, if this test is done in 1 hour instead of 30 minutes, how different will the result be?

[@onkard.7523]

Requesting a series of videos where all the coolers/fans from any one of the top brand are put against each other, allowing us to choose the best product from that brand. Best of thermalright, deepcool etc. :)

[@CryptoJordanVR]

Bro what about the TR Frost Spirit and DC Assassin III? I thought those outperformed the Noctua and other Thermalright coolers before in your previous videos?

[@HazelCaden]

Thanks very much for your excellent (bling-bling) AIO vs AirCooler comparison. Helped me a lot to keep my 6 years old BeQuiet Dark Rock Pro 4 from a previous System for my new 7950X :-)

[@simonb.8868]

Air cooler is more than enough if you are not obsessed with temps

[@mrbobgamingmemes9558]

True, unless for some reason you need to run cpu hog apps

[@crazyeyecarl]

I picked up a Scythe Fuma 3 on release for a 7800x3D. I kinda wish I would have waited a bit, but I'm still happy.

[@dubboy08]

My Corsair H100i is 10 years old and still working. 🤷‍♂

[@ecru_dlh8327]

I wanted to build a mini Itx system, cpu cooling is a big limitation especially with air cooling. Since air coolers can’t keep up with all core loads vs Aio’s the difference would be made worse in itx builds, due to smaller heatsinks so going to have to find a way to fit a aio in the build This content is a massive help when researching a build thanks!

[@protator]

SFF builds are fun and all, but a liter or two of additional case volume will spare you a lot of headache. If the system will include a dedicated GPU make sure there's enough space for two intake fans to cool mainboard components. Since all-core boost clocks seems to be important to you, VRM cooling is going to require extra attention, especially with a gfx card dumping all of its heat into the case. IF it's within the budget, a gpu water block and some 3d printed guide vanes or ducts that direct air from a case opening to the VRM and from there to the AiO would solve that.

[@zachgamingzone]

this is exactly why watercooling is so stupid. you should honestly never buy an AOI unless you cant fit an air cooler. they are higher risk, harder to install, more likely to have defects, and significantly more expensive. in all seriousness they are the inferior technology.

[@oscar21781]

Thermalright is the only manufacturer I've been buying coolers from. They all perform really well and at a really good price VS all the bigger named brands. My Thermalright Frozen Prism 360 AIO with Antec 30MM fans in push pull, Thermalright TFX thermal paste, and Thermalright contact frame can dissipate 330W+ on my OC'd 14700K without throttling. I paid about $120 for all 4 things on Amazon back in June '23. Insane price to performance!

[@pituguli5816]

The main attraction of AIO's is being able to exhaust the hot air out of your case when running higher core count higher wattage processors. I was on Air and still am on 2 of my systems but my 7950x since it can run quite hot I had to install a 360mm AIO due to the heat being recirculated around my case which made my GPU run at above 84*c which caused it to thermal throttle down to 1750mhz. The Air cooler was doing the same job keeping my temps under the TJMax I set 85*c but it was recirculating the heat around my case, since swapping to an AIO my GPU sits at 80*c and runs at above 1900mhz. If you are running a 7600x, 7700x, 7800x3D etc then you don't need an AIO since the heat they give off wont effect your GPU temp but running a 14900k or 7950x you need an AIO to exhaust all the heat out of the case unless you are happy with your GPU running at 84*c and thermal throttling. As I said the DRP4 was doing the same job as the 360mm AIO its just the heat was being recirculated around my case. If I put my hand on top of my case I can feel the heat coming off the rad but when I touch the side panel glass its only just warm but with the Air cooler the side panel glass was really hot to the touch. Its the only reason moved to an AIO, that and not having to run my case fans at 80% to exhaust the hot air being recirculated around my case.

[@aiirmax7800]

I used the D14 (D15 previous gen) for 8 years, but for my new rig I wanted to challenge myself and a rig I could feel proud looking at. So I went a D14 to custom hardline WC. Sure it’s more silent and perform a bit better. But man the convenience of the air cooling is sure missed. Not sure I’ll stick with WC for my next rig

[@TalooshDaBoss]

why not use the liquid freezer iii 420 mm? its only $92 right now too wouldn't it be better

[@cenciende9401]

VERY FEW cases can fit a 420mm, it would be irrelevant, and diminishing returns over 360mm so pointless too

[@TalooshDaBoss]

@@cenciende9401 nah thats not true plenty fit 420 even some $60-70 cases nowadays, 480 are the real tough fits but even those are pretty easy to get cases for. Also with 16 core ryzen and especially 14th gen intel chips they all get crazy hot and at their max 250-300 watts can max out a 360 for cooling and hit their 95 deg C limit.

[@omegajvn1]

Still waiting for you guys to check out the Thermalright Phantom Spirit EVO 120. I got one at $42 USD, slapped a single Phanteks T30 in the middle gap and called it good. Performs better than my old Noctua NH-U12A by a few degrees while being quieter, AND it can ramp up to 3000 RPM in case the CPU needs it. Even so, with the default 2 fans it comes with, $42 USD is an AMAZING price to performance ratio, considering I paid $119 USD back in 2019 for the Noctua cooling. BIG Thermalright fan now! Keep up the great work Hardware Canucks!

[@Mildly_Amused]

With the Arctic Liquid Freezer III 280mm AIO costing only $86 and the Arctic Liquid Freezer III 360mm AIO $90 US from Amazon I don't know why you didn't include 280mm and 360mm AIOs in this. They are price competitive, especially when you consider the NH-D15 is $109.95-$119.95.

[@Ludak021]

There are also air coolers that outperform D15 and cost half the money. The answer to your question is probably -bias.

[@ACE112ACE112]

maybe not for amd air cooling with thermalright phantom spirit 120se

[@henry3397]

240 AIO is similar surface area to 2X 120 mm coolers and fans, so it’s much more comparable. Could have made a case for 280 but 360 would surely blow any dual tower out of the water (air?)

[@poopoppy]

They don't fit in allot of cabinets.

[@markomus1]

This is perfect. I'm working on a build for a client who's a game dev. Intel based. Definitely going with a good, high end AiO. I'm a huge fan of air cooled, but for his applications (running multiple accounts for testing purposes), he'll need that extra.

[@petermilian4455]

Could you take a look at how GPU temps compare with Air vs AIO on the CPU? You'd only really need to look at the most popular two top tier options - PS120SE and Arctic Liquid Freezer III? For me the primary benefit of using an AIO is the ability to optimize for CPU *or* GPU temps by leveraging intake / exhaust flexibility. Installing my AIO in the case top and exhausting CPU heat directly out of my case has significantly dropped my GPU temps and improved my GPU frequency while gaming. On the other hand if I wanted to optimize my setup for CPU temps I could move my AIO to the front of the case to ensure it reliably gets the coolest intake air possible (ie. prevent the CPU from eating GPU exhaust while under combined CPU / GPU loads like an air cooler does).

[@Ludak021]

actually, mounting it in front is better for GPU. There are videos testing this here on YT.

[@henry3397]

Good points! I’d like to just see a comparison of GPU temps with an air cooler, vs top mounted AIO. For best longevity of your AIO, it’s important to mount the pump down low, since any air in the system will rise, and air in your pump is the worst place for it to be. That makes top mounting ideal, and front mounting less ideal. If you do mount on the front though, the tube inlet/outlets should be oriented towards the bottom of the case, not the top. Jay two cents has a great video on this if you’re interested

[@johnt.848]

All myth. With a tower air cooler, you can turn it to draw air from the GPU and exhaust out the top.

[@tarno_bejo_]

I guess, not many people mention that overweight air tower cooler might kill your mobo. Thats my main reason to migrate to AIO so far.

[@frikkievuiltrens]

The NH-D16 is going to own.

[@jamesdebroy344]

These comparison videos are ridiculously good

[@RedSliceGaming34]

Now same test but with a cpu contact frame. See if theres any significant moves everywhere

[@kasarnfla]

Contact frame can out last year, before that everyone was doing just fine. It helps but not night and day. I rock the thermal grizzly. Thats all Micro Center had at the time.

[@slikjmuzik]

On top of the prices you mentioned, a 240 AIO is going to be exact in fan coverage to what you'll get on some of the most common air coolers. Fyi, I had a Noctua U12a since 2021, I just transferred those black fans onto my white Peerless Assassin. I'm on an x570 Taichi Razer edition with 5950x. Loving the results. Currently just using a Thermal Grizzly Kryosheet.

[@iamjogun]

I got dual AIOs for no fan noise. It also happened to drop my 3080 temps by 15c but that's just a bonus for me.

[@DORAEMON-bw8jk]

I only go with air coolers. Easy to install and keep clean.

[@marcosvictor4935]

Even when AIOs are better, air coolers are still better. (As in cheaper to buy and cheaper to maintain, along with lasting forever and absolutely being enough for any end user)

[@blinddarm8478]

While retail price in europe of nhd 15 or nhd 15s is pretty high, i found MANY of them second hand for around 50€. Given the heatsink itself is basically indestructable and the noctua fans are INSANE quality and even have warranty for several years. I think buying an air cooler from noctua second hand is the best decision. Super high quality, and even if one of the fans might fail the replacement is about 20 bucks. AIO have alot more wear and tear, i would never buy those second hand. The rubber tubes wear out, the fittings might fail, the coolant might have to be replaced (if even possible) and the pump wears out too. So for me its either spending 50 bucks on the BEST air cooler or paying retail prices for AIO - easy win for the noctua air coolers.

[@TheMaztercom]

Bro Settled nothing 💀

[@BBMorti]

I almost don't care about price to performance. I care about performance to noise levels. I am not interested in saving 15 bucks and then spend the next 8 years sitting and listening to a louder fan.

[@j3m638]

That's a lot of wild numbers there, as well as an insane amount of testing to get them. Many thanks for this vital info!

[@Rakadis]

Lost a (then) 4000 USD system to a hose fitting that leaked in my system around 2010. The only thing that was not fried in that system was two harddrives. I will never water cool anything ever again.

[@zakkeith1508]

If it was a custom loop that is entirely user error lol

[@donkeysunited]

@@zakkeith1508 Doesn't matter. His PC was destroyed because of water cooling. It's a factor that needs to be considered in deciding which way to go.

[@qwormuli77]

@@zakkeith1508Not necessarily.

[@Rakadis]

@@zakkeith1508 It was an AIO unit that was top mounted in the case. It had been running without issue for 15ish months. No idea how it failed.

[@NinjAsylum]

@@donkeysunited Thats losers mentality. You dont stop doing something just because you had a single bad experience. No one does that.

[@eriklamelakillingspree7690]

Love my Phantom Spirit. Thanks for confirming my bias.

[@SevereMkII]

Air all day every day. Liquid looks neat, but it's not as reliable as an air cooling solution

[@handlemonium]

Well for some dense/low profile builds, running at a high overclock sustained, or cases designed a particular way a low-profile AIO does have its place. Otherwise 95% of the time air cooled all the way! 🌬️💨👌

[@ALLAHALLAHism]

You're right, they're way more reliable than air coolers. Because that's how physics works.

[@ShaneMcGrath.]

AIO's dump heat into the room, Only as good as the radiator and fans(air cooling) attached to the pump, That's how physics works! Also the biggest problem with both is controlling ambient room temp, Both just dump heat into your room, Air conditioner FTW.

[@ALLAHALLAHism]

@ShaneMcGrath. Right but water is more efficient at removing heat and air coolers don't have the benefit of not only removing heat but also adding a cooling medium to the CPU at the same time.

[@Dubulcle]

Untrue

[@RoweAndrade]

I've been thinking which cpu coolers I needed. Now I got my answer after watching this video. This is insightful. Thanks!

[@RJ-pb1qx]

Air will always be better. Less moving parts, no pumps to burn out or leak.

[@Ludak021]

That's your opinion.

[@aaromtaar]

@@Ludak021 An objective fact, as it stands. Reminds me of an old test we young engineers use to do - early noughties - driving HVAC flex ducts out of the window in or even in horizontal freezers. The results were staggering and mind you, all on air. The bottom line is that you're exchanging heat and work with the environment, the assumption being that water - having a higher heat capacity - is more 'efficient' in pulling direct heat; but you'll eventually have to discharge that heat in the environment though, which more often than not is, provided all conditions are identical, the only relevant bottleneck. Pair up a decent cooler with a capable high static pressure fan and the results will be better if not negligible - and all that without having to add extraneous thermal mass.

[@Dubulcle]

​​@@aaromtaarNo, it's not. Saying the "pump burning out" or "breaking" is a valid argument against AIO's is like saying an AC exploding is a valid argument against using AC's. And the rest of what you said is irrelevant and doesn't even make sense here.

[@aaromtaar]

@@Dubulcle More components, more mass, higher consumption - ergo higher complexion - more failure points and modes.

[@rodiculous9464]

Idk my gigabyte waterforce 1080 still running strong well into end of life, I'll probably even run it in my new system for a bit while I wait for rnda4/blackwell

[@shredder3034]

Well done! What about noise differences?

[@Regexion]

Read the graphs.

[@sidewinder86ify]

I prefer Air cooler for silent build, no humming buzzing pump sound.

[@lukesullivan6922]

they are better than they used to be cant hear the pump on my EK at 100% over a sp120 fan at 65%

[@jamesm568]

It varies per brand.

[@Nokamigg]

I had a Kraken X73 for a week and the pump was not audible ever, it's probably just older AiOs that have this issue. Still, I returned the Kraken as the improvement over my DH-15 was not worth the price. I had around 2-3*c difference in favor of the AiO, which is obviously not something to pay €150+ for. But I was still relatively impressed how far AiOs have come, that thing was really silent.

[@DarkSession6208]

@@Nokamigg They were silent 7 years ago already on my fractal s36 360mm aio... my current nhd-15 is way louder than the whole AiO lol.

[@avirtualworld4U]

Helpful thanks. I have always been air cooler and after saving for a year to build my dream I am in a huge pickle over the debate as I want to have only the best for my buck!

[@greenleaph5145]

This was already settled years ago

[@Deathscythe91]

i agree you want safety and almost zero chance to fck up your system get a air cooler you care more about temps than chances of failure go for aio they all are good these days

[@NethanielBee]

also air coolers are just as good as AIO's now if you're not using a high end intel cpu@@Deathscythe91

[@HardwareCanucks]

No, it wasn't. It used to be settled due to cost. Now we're looking at less expensive AIO's and hella expensive air coolers. So essentially one less factor in favor of air cooling.

[@dragonproductions236]

@@HardwareCanucksWhy did you choose a $200 AIO against the NH-D15 when there was a comparably priced (currently less, same price at msrp) option with the 420mm liquid freezer III? Your argument in the video is price, why overspend for a 240mm when they're limited by design?

[@TheNorwegianDronePilot]

I have a 'Phanteks EVOLV Shift XT' Mini-ITX case where I only have space for a CPU cooler up to 72mm in height. Because of that limitation, I can only get some OK air coolers with that. So, I went from a 'Noctua NH-L9x65' air cooler (65mm high) and over to the 'EK Waterblocks EK-Nucleus AIO CR240 Lux D-RGB'. My clock speed on my 'AMD Ryzen 7 7700' CPU (CPU Core Ratio: 'AI Enhanced' & OC: 'Curve Optimizer' @ -40 & 'PBO2' @ +200 MHz) went up by like 300 MHz under a Cinebench R23 benchmark by going over to this AIO. So, there is basically no point to go for another new air cooler in my case. My plan was originally to get the 'Phanteks Glacier One T30 V2' AIO (the new one), but that one is barely available now, so didn't want to wait for it to arrive in stores that might take forever.

[@JetSe77er]

I think Noctua's next gen NH-D15 will change things up a little.

[@timcesnovar978]

I got the Peerless Assassin in the end. I thought of getting the Phantom Spirit, but I couldn't find a white variant of it on Amazon so I went with the Assassin. Now I'm just waiting for some more parts to arrive and we'll start building.

[@badmoose01]

I wish you also recorded the acoustic performance of each cooler. Would’ve put things much more in perspective.

[@mrbobgamingmemes9558]

I think he mention it on previous video

[@BobBobson]

Sometimes the optimal method is whatever fits. Built my old lady a rig in a Fractal Terra. Nothing here would fit in the case. Sometimes the "optimal" method is to make it fit. Got a modern rig in a Dell T7500 case. I had to dremel out the side panel to fit the radiator. Good times.

[@justeddm]

Aios are not as quiet as people think, only offer a clean look if you into that

[@kirikotone]

AIOs are much quieter than people think.

[@HardwareCanucks]

This is correct. They need to get loud to get significantly better performance over air coolers but they are indeed superior at lower db's as well.

[@mister_dzija4161]

Did you ever used Arctic bro?

[@justeddm]

@@mister_dzija4161 bro I bumped into a video and shockingly it was arctic freezer 3 240 Vs thermalright peerless assassin ..was surprised 🙃. Kinda bearable noise , but definitely noticeable from this new Aio.

[@qwormuli77]

@@mister_dzija4161Pump noise is always a variable in favour of aircooling. You often need to go into custom loops with huge radiator arrays on minimal RPM fans for it to override that disadvantage.

[@AJKammerer]

Been running a coolermaster 212 with various fans in different configs for years on different CPUs, and it works great, stays pretty quiet, and keeps those CPUs cool! Plus it was like 25 bucks.

[@ziem0witt]

Wait, where is AiO 360 (420)? Where is the comparison of the GPU temperature, because it will be a few degrees higher with air coolers. I am disappointed with this test, as if it was made with a predetermined result.

[@cenciende9401]

One of the dumbest comments ever written.

[@ziem0witt]

@@cenciende9401 If you don't see any flaws in this test, great, I'm happy for you.👍

[@HYDRARMOR]

I've bought deepcool assasin IV and very happy with it

[@QuintinHowell]

360mm or 280mm AIO. Why waste time with a 240mm?

[@KonglomeratYT]

He answers this literally in the beginning of the video. Wtf is wrong with you?

[@QuintinHowell]

@@KonglomeratYT what is wrong with you? He said he was comparing 240mm to air because the price, well that's a different story. Small aio is a waste of time because air is about the same, air cannot beat large air. Air fanboi much?

[@tiltshiftvis]

7950x + Arctic LFIII 360 [with P12 Max upgrade] + Kryonaut Extreme checking in here at 80-82c under a full load. No matter how hard/long I push the cpu it refuses to go above 82c. Just to give anyone a reference, I paid $116 for the AIO and about $50 for the 3 fans. Really good AIO option for 7950X/X3D combos if anyone is wondering looking for irl experiences.

[@tiltshiftvis]

*this is with fans at max 3300rpm, on a more tame curve the temps are still astonishing compared to the NZXT X73 I had on there before which would easily hit the 95c max

[@alias5152]

This is so wrong.... 240mm AIO's .. RGB... Fish Tank cases with screens... i getting old 😔

[@TheRealName7]

Ew, everything I don't like and that is not optimal, vertical gpu mounts on fishtank cases are terrible for GPU airflow, shit will starve your GPU of air

[@khashaiar1975]

I recently had my Corsair 180 mm AIO fail. My computer basically started crashing with an over temperature warning. I did not know that it was my cooling system so I had to have a repair shop do a diagnostic. Since I use it for both work, and I had to get it up and running as soon as possible, even if having a repair cost of premium. They replace the system a corsair air cooler and my computer is back to functioning. I don’t follow temperatures or micromanage them. For me functioning is good enough. Because the gradual decline in my system, I didn’t notice that performance was going down due to a failing cooler. Once I had it replaced, I noticed that my computer function better, so I’m assuming it was throttling until it could not function without proper cooling. There is something to say about air cooling. If it should ever fail, you just need back up fans and good to go again. on the other hand, if I want to performance CPU for work, like you said, air cooling is not sufficient. The question is how to have redundancy when your computer is your livelihood

[@xhogan89x]

This is just a propaganda video for air coolers. Whats the point of this review? No normal person would run an i9 or 7950x on a 240mm aio.

[@Syphirioth]

I run 7900X on 280. No problems at all. My 7900X doesnt even know what is being hot when keeping boost.

[@l.i.archer5379]

I've had a Corsair H60 120mm AIO go bad with the coolant becoming contaminated and clogging the pump block. Fortunately, they sent me a new one, but it's still sitting brand new in the box, because I replaced it with Cooler Master's 120mm AIO. I have had zero issues with Cooler Master AIOs (120mm and 240mm) in all of my PC builds.

[@valkasolidor6727]

Great report! Your episodes are most often the ones most relevant to me, thanks!

[@HollowTechStuff]

It would be nice to have a video that covers some of the most popular Thermalright market coolers. As right now, Thermalright is kinda in a league of their own with their price-performance rate. I'm saying this as in a previous video you've had Frost Spirit 140 doing wonders on the intel platform, but I have no idea where to place it when I compare it to Phantom Spirit (from the current video). And as prices being so close to each other sometimes, it would be great to have a HW Canucks Thermalright coolers tier list. So we'd know for sure where to place our moneys. PS: Amazing work on the coolers reviews. Really appreciate the effort put in for all these numbers.

[@guerrinlove69]

I have been using Hyper 212s for the dozens of computers I've built over the past decade and have never had temp issues with them at all. I just installed a phantom spirit + TG Kryosheet in my personal rig and I'm fully convinced this is the new best budget air cooler out there and will be using them from here on out. Imo even if you are overclocking, theres just no point in getting an AIO unless youre going SFF or just wanna be that guy that says "muh PC so pareful it got uh radiator"

[@Zyoszone00]

as someone who was very skeptical of AIOs, i’ve changed my tune and have it in my new build for aesthetic reasons (deepcool ls520 se) that’s cooling my r5 7600, and i’m 100% satisfied with my choice

[@ajsupanatp.4314]

Why not the Phantom Spirit Evo?

[@102728]

12:12 I've been looking for appropriate phrasing for exactly this argument, thanks I'm stealing it :D

[@BadBeardDude]

I began with an Intel build in 2018, equipped with the Noctua D15, which was amazing then. In 2020, I switched to AMD and, although I lacked the bracket for the motherboard, Noctua provided one at no cost. I have no intention of retiring it and it will be part of my next build. They're a fantastic company with an excellent product.

[@ralphmiranda2077]

I bought the DeepCool LT520 for my 7800X3D build last year and _both_ fans started making the death scream and I had to replace them both (bought Cooler Master Mobius Loop fans to replace them)-real PoS EOM fans. The setup/AIO works great now tho 😏