Help me choose AIO

[fusseli]

It's time to retire my trusty old Lian Li PC60 Plus II. My gtx970 heat pipes are too wide so I can't fit the side 120mm fan anymore, my last few gpus have been too long so I had to take out the HDD bay, and I have a hodge podge of adapters and junk to fit my ssd. And it has old 80mm fans that are loud. And most importantly, there's no place to put an AIO cooler that I've decided my i7 would like to have. I like the looks of this Phanteks Enthoo Pro M or P400 case, and pcpartpicker.com says it fits the H110, presumably in the top area.

I am leaning towards the Corsair H110i 280mm AIO. It's cheaper than the H115i and I thought the slight advantage in cooling is worth the marginal price increase over the H100i. Are there any AIOs that are cheaper but similar performance? I would rather not piece together a custom water system, I've never had water before and always avoided it.

Is a 280mm going to fit where a 240mm normally would? Any good cases to recommend for the 280mm? Is a 280mm really going to perform better than a 240mm?

 

[Rehmanpa]

Whatever you do replace the stock fans on an aio, they're loud as hell. A 280mm will not necessarily got a 240mm slot.

If I were you I'd look at the scythe fuma. Techpowerup did a review and the thing gives almost the same performance as a noctua nhd15 which can beat or tie 240/280mm aio coolers and the thing will be quiet so no need to spend money replacing the stock fans. It's less than 50 dollars, tske the extra 50 to 100 you save and get a nice case. The phanteks menthol pro is a really nice case, and I think you'll enjoy it. The one I'm using for my upcoming build is the rosewill b2 spirit full atx case, it's awesome especially for large builds, in case you wanted a large build (no pun intended).

 

[fusseli]

Why aren't 360mm AIOs more popular? I see Thermaltake has one but there are virtually no 360mm included in the AIO reviews and roundups. I mean, the Tt Water Ultimate 3.0 is the same price as an H110i but 360mm and has the third fan! Some guy tested it on an overclocked 6600k at 1.34v and it did well.

The Phanteks cases appear to be very water-friendly so I'm leaning towards them.

The Silverstone TD-02E, 280mm, looks great for the price https://www.overclock3d.net/reviews...92bb5f1c6356ba7&at_ab=per-2&at_pos=1&at_tot=5

 

[Rehmanpa]

Why aren't 360mm AIOs more popular? I see Thermaltake has one but there are virtually no 360mm included in the AIO reviews and roundups. I mean, the Tt Water Ultimate 3.0 is the same price as an H110i but 360mm and has the third fan! Some guy tested it on an overclocked 6600k and it did well.

The Phanteks cases appear to be very water-friendly so I'm leaning towards them.

The Silverstone TD-02E, 280mm, looks great for the price https://www.overclock3d.net/reviews...92bb5f1c6356ba7&at_ab=per-2&at_pos=1&at_tot=5

Most cases don't support 360mm rads and you get diminishing returns, it's also really overkill for 1 gpu. The Silverstone one looks good, I'd still replace the fans with either cougar 120mm or noctua nf-f12s because aio stock fans suck. That will add a other 35 or 40, but that's liquid cooling over air cooling, cool looks and a lot of money. Stay away from the corsair fans, I've used an and they're loud as hell. Like really, really loud.

 

[peche]

Why aren't 360mm AIOs more popular? I see Thermaltake has one but there are virtually no 360mm included in the AIO reviews and roundups. I mean, the Tt Water Ultimate 3.0 is the same price as an H110i but 360mm and has the third fan! Some guy tested it on an overclocked 6600k at 1.34v and it did well.

The Phanteks cases appear to be very water-friendly so I'm leaning towards them.

The Silverstone TD-02E, 280mm, looks great for the price https://www.overclock3d.net/reviews...92bb5f1c6356ba7&at_ab=per-2&at_pos=1&at_tot=5

own a thermaltake water 3.0 pro (120mm single rad) and also have had 2 Thermaltake's water 2.0 and 3.0 extreme (240mm dual rad,) and both perform exactly the same, also in some scenarios water 3.0 pro has won the battle, yes a single rad unit, i did choose Tt ones due several reasons,
if you need to know moar please ask !

Regards

 

[fusseli]

own a thermaltake water 3.0 pro (120mm single rad) and also have had 2 Thermaltake's water 2.0 and 3.0 extreme (240mm dual rad,) and both perform exactly the same, also in some scenarios water 3.0 pro has won the battle, yes a single rad unit, i did choose Tt ones due several reasons,
if you need to know moar please ask !

Regards

Is the performance of the Water 3.0 worth the cost? I would not want to spend that much and then have to replace the fans. Based on what I've seen, I think it would do the trick without needing the fans to be at 100%.

 

[peche]

Is the performance of the Water 3.0 worth the cost? I would not want to spend that much and then have to replace the fans. Based on what I've seen, I think it would do the trick without needing the fans to be at 100%.

also original fans for that kit are brutal but noisy and have no led at all, i did replaced the fans with some Tt riing 12 blue led, my processor is delidded, max temp is like 51C and lower one 25-29c, even at max load, with the older or stock fans on it the temps were like 32c min and 58-65 max, note that i7 are quite hot chips when loaded,
i keep the 120mm one cuz was easier to fit on my older case, i gotta confess that always wanted to use 240mm dual rad with 4 fans in a push / pull setup to see how it performs, but stock Water3.0 pro against its big brother 240mm or extreme unit, the results arent that far, in some scenarios like my delid chip temps were almost the same on max load with a minimal difference at iddle or lower temp,

if you look for the RGB unit the price might rise,

 

[claes]

Whatever you do replace the stock fans on an aio, they're loud as hell. A 280mm will not necessarily got a 240mm slot.

If I were you I'd look at the scythe fuma. Techpowerup did a review and the thing gives almost the same performance as a noctua nhd15 which can beat or tie 240/280mm aio coolers and the thing will be quiet so no need to spend money replacing the stock fans. It's less than 50 dollars, tske the extra 50 to 100 you save and get a nice case. The phanteks menthol pro is a really nice case, and I think you'll enjoy it. The one I'm using for my upcoming build is the rosewill b2 spirit full atx case, it's awesome especially for large builds, in case you wanted a large build (no pun intended).

^^^This

If you've been avoiding water cooling and don't want to go custom, I'd keep avoiding it. Most dual-tower and monolith air-coolers will perform as well as a 240/280/360 AIO at a lower cost and with significantly less noise OOB (and with none of the problems/risks).

I imagine once you move out of that super-restrictive, low-airflow chassis that (whatever your temperature problem is) will be resolved. P400 and Pro M are both nice choices

 

[Rehmanpa]

Finishing returns plagues the realm of water cooling. 360mm aio vs 240mm won't make that big of a difference unless it's on something like an r9 290x pulling 250w (even then it's still negligible). Its genrrally for mulyiple components. Hell my 290x with a 140mm h90 aio runs at good temps (never gets past 62c).

 

[fusseli]

I just want to cool this 7700k, and my case is nice, but ancient. From a time where parts were shaped differently LOL

So maybe a high end air cooler and new case would get me the same or similar results? Curious. Cool and quiet are both highly desirable.

My push-pull 120mm single tower air cooler isn't enough for this 7700k as high as it wants to overclock.

 

[Rehmanpa]

I just want to cool this 7700k, and my case is nice, but ancient. From a time where parts were shaped differently LOL

So maybe a high end air cooler and new case would get me the same or similar results? Curious. Cool and quiet are both highly desirable.

My push-pull 120mm single tower air cooler isn't enough for this 7700k as high as it wants to overclock.

Water cooling has 2 real purposes:
1. Aesthetics
2. Bragging rights
The scythe fuma is the best cooler I can think of for the price to performance and silence factors. The noctua nhd14 or nhd15 you can't go wrong with. Just be prepared to easily drop and extra 35 to 40 on fans for the aio.

 

[fusseli]

I was thinking the AIOs, especially with the larger radiators, would perform better than conventional air coolers. Easy comparison, a dual tower 120mm air cooler would be similar area to a 240mm AIO. So, a 280mm or 360mm should be able to do much better and with more fans, thus quieter.

 

[Rehmanpa]

I was thinking the AIOs, especially with the larger radiators, would perform better than conventional air coolers. Easy comparison, a dual tower 120mm air cooler would be similar area to a 240mm AIO. So, a 280mm or 360mm should be able to do much better and with more fans, thus quieter.

http://www.relaxedtech.com/reviews/noctua/nh-d15-versus-closed-loop-liquid-coolers/2

As you can see the Noctua NH-D15 is at 68C, while the best liquid cooler is at 64c, and the worst is at 73. Noise at fulll load however, 45db vs the x61 at 61 db. It's a huge noise difference. the nh-d15 is $88, the liquid coolers you're looking at are generally far more expensive than that (often $100+). The noctua comes with the good fans so no need dropping an extra $40 on fans.
The Scythe Fuma is ~$49, and is within 2 degrees C of the NH-D15.

The Scythe Fuma At PCPP:
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/dVwqqs/scythe-cpu-cooler-scfm1000

Scythe Fuma Techpowerup review from just earlier this month:
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Scythe/Fuma/

 

[peche]

I just want to cool this 7700k, and my case is nice, but ancient. From a time where parts were shaped differently LOL

So maybe a high end air cooler and new case would get me the same or similar results? Curious. Cool and quiet are both highly desirable.

My push-pull 120mm single tower air cooler isn't enough for this 7700k as high as it wants to overclock.

thats why im trying to open your eyes with water 3.0 Pro, single rad 120mm, great pump and decent fans,
can used on almost all cases, all you need is the rear 120mm exhaust panel ....

Water cooling has 2 real purposes:

give me a breaaaaaaaaak ...

 

[Aenra]

Roughly put and if you're only talking about you CPU?

The difference between a 240/280 and a 360 rad is noise; you'll have less of it the larger your radiator.
Temps-wise, the difference is so minimal, there actually isn't any. You can find good 240/280 AIOs that actually outperform most of their 360 siblings.

If:
i) you have the space for a 360 rad (meaning you have the space not only for the rad itself, but also for the additional intake case fans you'll need to add to the case so as to continue to have positive airflow?)
ii) and noise is a factor (and it usually is for hot CPUs, especially if OCing)

Then go for it.
Just don't do it expecting it to actually affect your temps.

 

[Rehmanpa]

Roughly put and if you're only talking about you CPU?

The difference between a 240/280 and a 360 rad is noise; you'll have less of it the larger your radiator.
Temps-wise, the difference is so minimal, there actually isn't any. You can find good 240/280 AIOs that actually outperform most of their 360 siblings.

If:
i) you have the space for a 360 rad (meaning you have the space not only for the rad itself, but also for the additional intake case fans you'll need to add to the case so as to continue to have positive airflow?)
ii) and noise is a factor (and it usually is for hot CPUs, especially if OCing)

Then go for it.
Just don't do it expecting it to actually affect your temps.

Noise is dictated by fans, not radiator. You are right about 360mm vs 240mm for a single component. Using multiple components however, the temperature difference will be more noticeable, but OP is only cooling CPU, so there's not even much point of using an AIO unless he wants to essentially throw money at the thing.

 

[Aenra]

Noise is dictated by fans, not radiator

... and here i was, thinking radiators make all the noise!!!! Wow dude, thanks!

Seriously, read my post again, connect the dots.

 

[Rehmanpa]

... and here i was, thinking radiators make all the noise!!!! Wow dude, thanks!

Seriously, read my post again, connect the dots.

More like connect the fans

 

[crazyeyesreaper]

For an AIO,

Alphacool Eisbaer 240,

Fractal has some new units as well as Be Quiet both if memory serves me right now are made by Alphacool

All three tend to be quieter than the competition while offering decent performance. Meanwhile unlike larger air coolers they do not cause memory clearance issues. For CPU cooling only as long as temps remain below the throttle point its all good. People worry to much.

 

[Rehmanpa]

For an AIO,

Alphacool Eisbaer 240,

Fractal has some new units as well as Be Quiet both if memory serves me right now are made by Alphacool

All three tend to be quieter than the competition while offering decent performance. Meanwhile unlike larger air coolers they do not cause memory clearance issues. For CPU cooling only as long as temps remain below the throttle point its all good. People worry to much.

Just get cheaper memory that works equally fine as ram with larger coolers. Save even more money, plus the cpu fans airflow will benefit the ram more than the little heatsinks on them.

 

[jboydgolfer]

ive used several different branded AIO's with different OEM's. I like the corsair H110iGTX (280mm). the nzxt Kraken series' are nice , & the appearance is FAR nicer than Any other i have seen hands down.

 

[fusseli]

http://www.relaxedtech.com/reviews/noctua/nh-d15-versus-closed-loop-liquid-coolers/2

As you can see the Noctua NH-D15 is at 68C, while the best liquid cooler is at 64c, and the worst is at 73. Noise at fulll load however, 45db vs the x61 at 61 db. It's a huge noise difference. the nh-d15 is $88, the liquid coolers you're looking at are generally far more expensive than that (often $100+). The noctua comes with the good fans so no need dropping an extra $40 on fans.
The Scythe Fuma is ~$49, and is within 2 degrees C of the NH-D15.

Wow, now that's an eye opener. I was thinking Silverstone TD02-E for the better price/performance, but that Noctua is the same price and crazy quiet.

It makes sense, I guess, the dual tower 140mm is about the same area as a 280mm AIO. The benefit is the really nice Noctua fans are already on it. Interesting.

It is counter intuitive, I would have thought a 360mm or even 280mm AIO would have been clear winners.

 

[Rehmanpa]

Wow, now that's an eye opener. I was thinking Silverstone TD02-E for the better price/performance, but that Noctua is the same price and crazy quiet.

It makes sense, I guess, the dual tower 140mm is about the same area as a 280mm AIO. The benefit is the really nice Noctua fans are already on it. Interesting.

It is counter intuitive, I would have thought a 360mm or even 280mm AIO would have been clear winners.

Lol I get it. But unless you're going for a really pretty build, air cooling is great. I find that my old h100 before I replaced the fans was about 55db, then it dropped yo like 35 and is a lot more quiet (at least I can't hear it from all the way upstairs). The noctua nhd14 or nhd15 you can't go wrong with. If you want to save some extra money and still have noctua performance, the scythe fuma I've repeatedly mentioned is good. The noctua has good warranty, good customer support, and great quality.

 

[fusseli]

I'm not worried about looks. Function, performance, and price matter more.

I should have gone with the bigger Phanteks TC14PE back when I got my TC12 Looks like it's as good as the Noctua D15 and costs even less.

Right now:
Phanteks TC14 dual 140mm air - $75
Noctua D15 dual 140mm air - $90

Corsair H100i 240mm AIO - $105
Thermaltake 3.0 360mm AIO - $120
Corsair H110i 280mm AIO - $125

 

[hv43082]

Get Arctic Cooling Liquid Freezer 240 - $83 on newegg.com now. I strap it on my GTX 1080 Ti with max overclock and over volt, the gpu temp max out at 45C during gaming. This AIO has thicker rad and included 4 fans for push and pull config. HardOCP review.