Cpu air cooler benchmarks 2022: Best CPU Coolers 2022: Air and Liquid Cooling Picks

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CPU Cooling Product Benchmarks

Choose First Productbe quiet! Dark Rock 2 (100%)be quiet! Dark Rock 2 (PWM)Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (100%)Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (PWM)Cooler Master Seidon 240M (100%)Cooler Master Seidon 240M (PWM)Corsair h200i (Balanced)Corsair h200i (Performance)Corsair h200i (Quiet)Corsair H80i (Balanced)Corsair H80i (Performance)Corsair H80i (Quiet)Noctua NH-D14 (100%)Noctua NH-D14 (PWM)Noctua NH-L12 (100%)Noctua NH-L12 (92mm 100%)Noctua NH-L12 (92mm PWM)Noctua NH-L12 (PWM)Noctua NH-U12S (100%)Noctua NH-U12S (2 Fans 100%)Noctua NH-U12S (2 Fans PWM)Noctua NH-U12S (PWM)Noctua NH-U14S (100%)Noctua NH-U14S (2 Fans 100%)Noctua NH-U14S (2 Fans PWM)Noctua NH-U14S (PWM)NZXT Kraken X40 (2 Fans Extreme)NZXT Kraken X40 (2 Fans Silent)NZXT Kraken X40 (Extreme)NZXT Kraken X40 (Silent)NZXT Kraken X60 (Extreme)NZXT Kraken X60 (Silent)SilverStone Argon AR01 (100%)SilverStone Argon AR01 (PWM)SilverStone Argon AR02 (100%)SilverStone Argon AR02 (PWM)SilverStone HE-01 (100% Perf)SilverStone HE-01 (100% Quiet)SilverStone HE-01 (PWM Perf)SilverStone HE-01 (PWM Quiet)SilverStone Tundra TD02 (100%)SilverStone Tundra TD02 (PWM)SilverStone Tundra TD03 (100%)SilverStone Tundra TD03 (PWM)Swiftech h320 (100%)Swiftech h320 (PWM)Thermaltake Water 3. 0 Extreme (Extreme)Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme (Silent)Thermaltake Water 3.0 Performer (100%)Thermaltake Water 3.0 Performer (PWM)Thermaltake Water 3.0 Pro (100%)Thermaltake Water 3.0 Pro (PWM)Zalman Reserator 3 Max (100%)Zalman Reserator 3 Max (PWM)

Choose Second Productbe quiet! Dark Rock 2 (100%)be quiet! Dark Rock 2 (PWM)Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (100%)Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (PWM)Cooler Master Seidon 240M (100%)Cooler Master Seidon 240M (PWM)Corsair h200i (Balanced)Corsair h200i (Performance)Corsair h200i (Quiet)Corsair H80i (Balanced)Corsair H80i (Performance)Corsair H80i (Quiet)Noctua NH-D14 (100%)Noctua NH-D14 (PWM)Noctua NH-L12 (100%)Noctua NH-L12 (92mm 100%)Noctua NH-L12 (92mm PWM)Noctua NH-L12 (PWM)Noctua NH-U12S (100%)Noctua NH-U12S (2 Fans 100%)Noctua NH-U12S (2 Fans PWM)Noctua NH-U12S (PWM)Noctua NH-U14S (100%)Noctua NH-U14S (2 Fans 100%)Noctua NH-U14S (2 Fans PWM)Noctua NH-U14S (PWM)NZXT Kraken X40 (2 Fans Extreme)NZXT Kraken X40 (2 Fans Silent)NZXT Kraken X40 (Extreme)NZXT Kraken X40 (Silent)NZXT Kraken X60 (Extreme)NZXT Kraken X60 (Silent)SilverStone Argon AR01 (100%)SilverStone Argon AR01 (PWM)SilverStone Argon AR02 (100%)SilverStone Argon AR02 (PWM)SilverStone HE-01 (100% Perf)SilverStone HE-01 (100% Quiet)SilverStone HE-01 (PWM Perf)SilverStone HE-01 (PWM Quiet)SilverStone Tundra TD02 (100%)SilverStone Tundra TD02 (PWM)SilverStone Tundra TD03 (100%)SilverStone Tundra TD03 (PWM)Swiftech h320 (100%)Swiftech h320 (PWM)Thermaltake Water 3. 0 Extreme (Extreme)Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme (Silent)Thermaltake Water 3.0 Performer (100%)Thermaltake Water 3.0 Performer (PWM)Thermaltake Water 3.0 Pro (100%)Thermaltake Water 3.0 Pro (PWM)Zalman Reserator 3 Max (100%)Zalman Reserator 3 Max (PWM)

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Bench Results

Load Noise Levels
Measured in ~dB from 1′ Away

Product Ratings & Comparisons

Noctua NH-U12S (PWM)
30

Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme (Silent)
30

Noctua NH-U14S (PWM)
30.4

Corsair H80i (Quiet)
30. 4

NZXT Kraken X60 (Silent)
30.5

Noctua NH-U14S (2 Fans PWM)
30.5

Noctua NH-L12 (92mm PWM)
30.7

Noctua NH-L12 (92mm 100%)
30.7

Noctua NH-U12S (100%)
30.7

Noctua NH-U12S (2 Fans PWM)
30.9

Noctua NH-U14S (100%)
31.1

NZXT Kraken X40 (2 Fans Silent)
31.2

Noctua NH-L12 (PWM)
31.3

Noctua NH-L12 (100%)
31. 3

NZXT Kraken X40 (Silent)
31.4

Corsair h200i (Quiet)
31.4

Noctua NH-D14 (PWM)
31.5

SilverStone HE-01 (PWM Quiet)
31.9

SilverStone HE-01 (100% Quiet)
31.9

be quiet! Dark Rock 2 (PWM)
32

be quiet! Dark Rock 2 (100%)
32

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (PWM)
32.4

Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (100%)
32.4

Noctua NH-D14 (100%)
32. 5

Noctua NH-U12S (2 Fans 100%)
32.9

Noctua NH-U14S (2 Fans 100%)
33.3

Swiftech h320 (PWM)
33.6

Swiftech h320 (100%)
33.6

SilverStone Argon AR01 (PWM)
33.7

SilverStone Argon AR02 (100%)
33.7

SilverStone Argon AR02 (PWM)
33.9

SilverStone Argon AR01 (100%)
34.3

Cooler Master Seidon 240M (PWM)
38.4

Corsair h200i (Balanced)
38. 5

Corsair H80i (Balanced)
38.7

NZXT Kraken X40 (Extreme)
39.1

Zalman Reserator 3 Max (PWM)
39.4

NZXT Kraken X40 (2 Fans Extreme)
39.8

Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme (Extreme)
40.5

Zalman Reserator 3 Max (100%)
41.1

Corsair H80i (Performance)
42.4

Cooler Master Seidon 240M (100%)
42.5

Thermaltake Water 3.0 Pro (PWM)
43

SilverStone Tundra TD03 (PWM)
43. 5

Corsair h200i (Performance)
43.6

SilverStone HE-01 (PWM Perf)
43.9

SilverStone HE-01 (100% Perf)
44.2

SilverStone Tundra TD03 (100%)
44.3

Thermaltake Water 3.0 Pro (100%)
44.4

Thermaltake Water 3.0 Performer (PWM)
44.4

Thermaltake Water 3.0 Performer (100%)
44.7

SilverStone Tundra TD02 (PWM)
44.7

NZXT Kraken X60 (Extreme)
44.8

SilverStone Tundra TD02 (100%)
44. 9

The best AIO coolers for your PC in 2022

An all-in-one (AIO) liquid cooler not only ensures quieter cooling than a traditional air cooler, but it might even lower temperatures enough to let you overclock further. AIOs are a super simple way to water-cool your PC without any mess or the headache of choosing components. We also recommend investing in a liquid cooler if you have or are planning to buy a high-performance processor like the new Intel Core i9-12900K or AMD’s Ryzen 9 5950x.

Most builds call for a 240mm AIO. To that end, we recommend the Corsair iCUE h200i RGB Pro XT, thanks to its slew of lighting options, excellent included fans, and good price tag. You can jump up or down depending on your PC build size or cooling needs, too, with various options available.

Note: Before diving in, you’ll need to take note of your CPU socket before picking up an AIO water cooler. Every CPU cooler is a little different, so you’ll need to know what CPU socket your motherboard has to see if the cooler supports it.

Contents

• Corsair iCUE h200i RGB Pro XT
• Arctic Liquid Freezer II
• NZXT Kraken X53 RGB White
• Corsair H80i v2
• Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L v2
• EK-AIO 240 D-RGB
• Corsair h200i Elite LCD
• Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora
• Frequently Asked Questions

Corsair iCUE h200i RGB Pro XT

Best 240mm AIO cooler

Jump to details

Arctic Liquid Freezer II

Best 360mm AIO cooler

Jump to details

NZXT Kraken X53 RGB White

Best AIO cooler for white builds

Jump to details

Corsair H80i v2

Best 120mm AIO cooler

Jump to details

Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L v2

Best 240mm AIO cooler on a budget

Jump to details

EK-AIO 240 D-RGB

Best AIO cooler for RGB lovers

Jump to details

Corsair h200i Elite LCD

Best AIO with LCD display

Jump to details

Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora

Best refillable AIO cooler

Jump to details

Corsair iCUE h200i RGB Pro XT

Best 240mm AIO cooler

Pros

• 240mm radiator plus two fans
• iCUE support
• Excellent socket support
• Great configuration options
• Reasonably affordable

Cons

• While socket support is great, may not be compatible with your build

Socket compatibility: Intel: LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA1150, LGA1151, LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA1366, LGA2011, LGA2066
AMD: AM5, AM4, AM3, AM2, sTRX4, sTR4

Dimensions (length by width by height): 277mm by 120mm by 27mm

Included fans: two Corsair ML120 fans

Fan speed: 400 to 2,400 rpm

The Corsair iCUE h200i RGB Pro XT is the result of Corsair’s years of making AIO coolers. Thanks to the iCUE software, you can sync up all of your various RGB accessories for a unified look inside your build. Additionally, the software allows you to check on your CPU and coolant temperature to make sure everything is running smoothly.

In addition to a 240mm radiator, the kit comes with two Corsair ML120 fans. They have a massive range that you can control with PWM, from 400 rpm up to 2,400 rpm. In iCUE, you can also configure a profile to turn the fans off when temperatures are low.

The Corsair iCUE h200i RGB Pro XT is an easy AIO to recommend. The company is behind some of the best desktop CPU coolers, and the cooler clocks in at only around $120. Socket support is excellent, too, with mounting options for all recent Intel and AMD processors, including Threadripper. You should be able to get a free upgrade for an LGA 1700 socket too.

Corsair iCUE h200i RGB Pro XT

Best 240mm AIO cooler

Arctic Liquid Freezer II

Best 360mm AIO cooler

Pros

• Hefty 360mm radiator for extra cooling cooling power
• Great value for price
• Automatic adjustment based on CPU performance

Cons

• No RGB

Socket compatibility: Intel: LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA1151, LGA1150, LGA1555, LGA1156, LGA2011-3, LGA2066
AMD: AM5, AM4

Dimensions (length by width by height): 398mm by 120mm by 38mm

Included fans: Three Arctic 120mm fans

Fan speed: 200 to 1,800 rpm

When it comes to raw thermal performance, the Arctic Liquid Freezer II is the best 360mm AIO cooler on the market. It reaches similar performance to competing coolers from NZXT and Corsair while being very inexpensive. Currently selling for about $140, the price is comparable to and in some cases lesser than most competitive 360mm AIO coolers out there.

The pump on the AIO is controlled by PWM, allowing it to modulate with the workload rather than run at full speed all the time. The Liquid Freezer II also includes a 40 mm fan next to the pump, set to sit over your motherboard’s VRM chips. In more extreme overclocking sessions, this may improve stability. Otherwise, it includes three Arctic 120 mm fans to keep air flowing.

This cooler is all about performance and price. It gets those two bits right, but not without some concessions. It doesn’t feature any sort of lighting, and the design may not be to everyone’s tastes. Still, the Arctic Liquid Freezer II hits a sweet spot that other coolers can’t compete with. Socket support is a little limited, but the Liquid Freezer still supports most recent chips. On AMD, it supports AM4 CPUs, and on Intel, it supports all LGA115x sockets, as well as 2011-3 and 2066 with a square Independent Loading Mechanism (ILM).

Arctic Liquid Freezer II

Best 360mm AIO cooler

NZXT Kraken X53 RGB White

Best AIO cooler for white builds

Pros

• Excellent thermal performance
• Compact, stylish design with mirror pump cap
• Good warranty

Cons

• May be too pricy for some buyers

Socket compatibility: Intel: LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA1151, LGA1150, LGA1155, LGA1156
AMD: AM5, AM4, sTRX4, TR4

Dimensions (length by width by height): 230mm by 123mm by 30mm

Included fans: Two Aer RGB 2 120mm fans

Fan speed: 500 to 1,500 rpm

NZXT’s third-generation Kraken X coolers are well worth the asking prices. The cooler is now available in an all-white finish with two 120mm Aer RGB 2 fans making it perfect for your next white PC build. This 240mm model clocks in at around $145, which still isn’t too expensive. The design is much more appealing than Arctic’s offering while achieving similar levels of thermal performance.

For looks, the Kraken X’s infinity mirror pump cap is a showstopper. It bounces light around inside the cap to create the illusion of infinite LED rings. Like nearly all NZXT products, the Kraken X53 is fully integrated with CAM, allowing you to monitor temperatures and tweak your lighting settings. Over the X52, the X53 also includes an NZXT Hue 2 connection on the pump, offering power for up to six Hue 2 accessories. If you want to trick out your rig with synced-up RGB, the NZXT Kraken X53 is for you.

Socket support is excellent, with support for TR4 and AM4 on AMD, and LGA115X, 1700, and 1,200 on Intel. NZXT rates the Kraken X53 for six years of continuous use — 60,000 hours, technically — which is around what we’d expect for most AIO coolers. NZXT offers a six-year warranty, though, so you’re covered from any defects for the rated life of the cooler.

NZXT Kraken X53 RGB White

Best AIO cooler for white builds

Corsair H80i v2

Best 120mm AIO cooler

Pros

• Best 120mm AIO you can find
• Extra thick radiator for more cooling power
• Dual fan design

Cons

• May require an AM4 bracket for some builds

Socket compatibility: Intel: LGA1200, LGA1150, LGA1151, LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA1366, LGA2011, LGA2066
AMD: AM4 (requires CW-8960046 bracket), AM3, AM2

Dimensions (length by width by height): 154mm by 123mm by 49mm

Included fans: Two Corsair SP120L 120mm fans

Fan speed: 2,435 rpm

120 mm AIOs usually aren’t very good, but the Corsair H80i v2 is the best 120 mm AIO around. Without proper surface area on the radiator, most 120 mm coolers just aren’t up to snuff when it comes to cooling power. The Corsair H80i v2 solves that problem. The radiator is twice as thick, clocking in at 49mm compared to the standard 25mm. The H80i v2 doesn’t match the cooling performance of a 240mm radiator, but it gets a lot closer than a standard 120 mm one.

To get through the extra thick radiator, Corsair includes two SP120L PWM fans, so it’s easy to set up a push-pull configuration, but you’ll need to factor in the extra thickness of such a configuration when mounting.

As for support, the Corsair H80i v2 comes with Intel mounting hardware for socket 1366 up to LGA1200 (Intel’s redesign of LGA1151, designed for Comet Lake CPUs). Basically, if you have an Intel processor introduced after 2008, you’re fine. AMD support is a little sparser. The cooler technically supports AM2 up to AM4, but the box only ships with mounting hardware for up to AM3. You’ll need a separate AM4 bracket. Thankfully, Corsair sells them for only a few dollars. There’s no RGB on this one, either, though you can control fan speed and monitor temperatures through Corsair’s iCUE software.

Corsair H80i v2

Best 120mm AIO cooler

Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L v2

Best 240mm AIO cooler on a budget

Pros

• Great budget pick
• Incredible socket support
• Affordable RGB options

Cons

• Thermal performance isn’t great

Socket compatibility: Intel: LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA1151, LGA1150, LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA2066, LGA2011-3, LGA2011
AMD: AM4, AM3+, AM3, AM2+, AM2, FM2+, FM2, FM1

Dimensions (length by width by height): 157mm by 119.6mm by 27.2mm

Included fans: Two Sickleflow 120RGB 120mm fans

Fan speed: 650 to 1,800 rpm

Cooler Master offers a range of «lite» AIOs, which are basically previous iterations of Cooler Master’s MasterLiquid line with increased socket support and double FEP tubing. At around $85, the Cooler Master ML240L v2 is the best budget AIO available. It comes with a 240mm radiator, two RGB fans, and a small RGB controller. Thermal performance isn’t great, and the noise level is higher than some more costly options. However, the ML240L clocks in around $50 cheaper than most competing 240mm AIOs. Plus, you can always swap the fans out later for more lighting options and slightly better noise levels.

The Cooler Master ML240L comes with nearly universal socket support, too. On Intel, it supports LGA1200, LGA20xx, LGA115x, and LGA1366, and on AMD, it supports AM2 to AM4, as well as FM2 and FM1. For the price, it’s hard to beat the ML240L.

Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L v2

Best 240mm AIO cooler on a budget

EK-AIO 240 D-RGB

Best AIO cooler for RGB lovers

Pros

• Designed for maximum RGB
• High max fan speed
• Affordable

Cons

• Limited AMD support

Socket compatibility: Intel: LGA1200, LGA1150, LGA1151, LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA2011, LGA2011-3, LGA2066
AMD: AM5, AM4, AM3, AM2, sTRX4, sTR4

Dimensions (length by width by height): 275mm by 120mm by 27mm

Included fans: Two EK-Vardar S 120ER D-RGB 120mm fans

Fan speed: 550 to 2,200 rpm

If you want the best RGB AIO cooler, the EK-AIO 240 D-RGB goes off the deep end. Short of a small black strip where the tubes connect, the mounting block has a translucent, slightly diffused surface, washing out the lights inside into a beautiful display of color. EK is the place for custom water cooling, and the EK-AIO 240 shows why.

When it comes to raw thermal performance, EK beats the Corsairs and NZXTs of the world. It includes two EK-Vardar S fans that run from 550 rpm to 2,200 rpm and includes support for other RGB PC components through Asus Aura Sync, Gigabyte RGB Fusion, MSI Mystic Light, and ASRock RGB Sync for the fans and pump.

The EK-AIO 240 is a better option due to the fact that it’s inexpensive. Selling for about $125, it’s similarly priced as the 240mm counterpart at NZXT, as well as Corsair’s h200i. But you can get is for about $108 on EK’s own website. Like a lot of the other options on this list, it’s available in 120mm and 360mm variants, too. On Intel, the EK-AIO 240 supports LGA115x and LGA20xx, and LGA1200. On AMD, it just includes an AM4 bracket. You can control the fans directly through your motherboard, but if you’re short on spots, you can pick up an EK-Loop Connect controller for another six PWM connections.

EK-AIO 240 D-RGB

Best AIO cooler for RGB lovers

Corsair h200i Elite LCD

Best AIO with LCD display

Pros

• Sharp LCD panel
• Excellent thermal performance
• Support for iCUE software

Cons

• Expensive

Socket compatibility: Intel: LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA1150, LGA1151, LGA1155, LGA1156, LGA1366, LGA2011, LGA2066
AMD: AM5, AM4, AM3, sTRX4, sTR4

Dimensions (length by width by height): 277mm x 120mm x 27mm

Included fans: Two ML Elite Series 120mm fans

Fan speed: 450 – 2000 rpm

This is Corsair’s first all-in-one liquid cooler with a built-in LCD on the pump block. The iCUE h200i Elite LCD is a step beyond the older h200i RGB Pro XT and an excellent choice if you care about RGB lighting and customizations. The bright 2.1-inch panel comes with a 480×480 resolution making it sharper than most AIO LCD displays. It can be used to showcase a variety of things including system temperatures, custom artwork, GIFs, videos, and more. This can be done with Corsair’s iCUE software which also offers additional information about the cooler.

The AIO comes with two 120mm Corsair ML RGB ELITE magnetic levitation fans for great cooling performance while maintaining quiet operation. There is also support for a zero-RPM cooling profile that allows the fans to stop entirely at low temperatures thus eliminating any fan noise. Expect excellent thermal performance thanks to the custom cold plate that features a high-density stack of 128 micro-skived fins per inch providing highly efficient cooling.

Apart from the 240mm option, the Corsair Elite LCD AIO is also available in 360mm and 420mm configurations and there is support for all modern CPU sockets including the latest Intel LGA 1700 and AMD’s upcoming AM5.

Corsair h200i Elite LCD

Best AIO with LCD display

Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora

Best refillable AIO cooler

Pros

• Refillable design for long-term upgrades
• Copper components for extra cooling
• Expansive RGB options

Cons

• No official support for Threadrippers

Socket compatibility: Intel: LGA1700, LGA1200, LGA775, LGA1056, LGA1155, LGA1150, LGA1151, LGA2011, LGA2011-3, LGA2066
AMD: AM2, AM2+, AM3, AM3+, FM1, FM2, FM2+, AM4

Dimensions (length by width by height): 400mm by 124mm by 30mm

Included fans: Three Alphacool 120mm PWM fans

Fan speed: 800 to 2,000 rpm

The Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora is a CPU cooler that you can refill. Unlike other AIO liquid coolers, you can swap out the fluid, upgrade the hoses and fittings, and even expand the loop. The most recent model supports digital RGB on the fans and CPU block, too, allowing you to trick out your lighting however you want.

The looks are right, but Alphacool didn’t sacrifice thermals with the Eisbaer Aurora. The radiator is made out of copper for a little extra cooling potential, and the nickel-plated copper CPU block has been slightly enlarged compared to previous versions. For CPU support, the Eisbaer Aurora supports most modern processors, though it doesn’t officially support Threadripper chips.

Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora

Best refillable AIO cooler

Frequently Asked Questions

What should you look for in an AIO cooler?

The most important part of an AIO CPU cooler is the radiator size. A larger radiator offers better cooling performance, but you need to make sure it can fit inside your case. Otherwise, look at the socket support to make sure you can use the cooler with your motherboard and buy from a reputable brand.

How reliable are RGB AIO coolers?

Most AIO coolers have a lifespan of six years, regardless of if they have RGB or not. You can expect an AIO cooler from a reputable brand to run for six years without issues, but every cooler is a little different. We recommend looking up individual AIO cooler reviews to see if others have had issues with reliability.

What should you know before you buy an AIO cooler?

Before buying an AIO cooler, you need to know about the risks it may pose to your PC. Although failures are few and far between, every AIO cooler is still putting water dangerously close to your precious PC components, so there’s always a risk that the cooler could leak or fail and damage your parts. The fact that AIO coolers are closed makes matters worse because you can’t open the loop to see if there are any problems.

The best way to mitigate risk is to keep an eye on your cooler to see if there are any signs of leaking and to monitor your CPU temperature to see if the pump is failing. As long as you keep an eye on both, you can find most problems before they do any catastrophic damage.

Are AIO coolers better than air coolers?

In a typical setup, yes, liquid cooling is simply better at capturing and dissipating heat than an air cooling system alone — however, they aren’t necessarily better than the best air coolers.  AIO coolers are a popular option to add liquid cooling because they offer the whole cooling system in a premade package that’s relatively easy to set up, and they tend to be very quiet.

That being said, AIO coolers may not be the best choice for every gaming station. As we mentioned above, not all PC cases have a lot of room to add a radiator, pump, and tubing. If you aren’t interested in overclocking and your current system manages temperatures just fine, you may not see a lot of benefit from switching to an AIO cooler, either.

Are AIO coolers noisy?

That depends on several factors. The pump that moves the liquid in the cooler is typically silent or at least inconsequential compared to other PC noises. AIO models usually have fans, which will get noisy if they operate at high speed or are dirty. You can decrease fan noise by keeping them free of dust and monitoring their settings via the BIOS if possible. The good news is that, with liquid cooling, fans usually don’t have to work as hard and are less likely to make lots of noise.

Another source of noise can be gurgling from the liquid as it flows, especially at higher pump speeds. If your AIO cooler is chilling your PC just fine at lower pump speeds, you can easily keep noise levels down this way. If annoying gurgling noises persist, there could be air cycling in the system. Proper installation and pump placement can often help avoid bubbling issues like this, so it may be time to take a look at your mounting choices. You can also run the cooler through a process to clear out air bubbles.

How do you mount an AIO cooler?

If this is your first time installing an AIO model, you should find and follow a guide closely or use the included instructions and pay attention to the details. Corsair has a clear-cut guide on the two most effective mounting choices for the radiator (on the front or at the top of the case). The radiator should be at a higher position than the pump to help avoid air bubble problems, which means you don’t want to install it at the bottom of the case.

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Which Cooling Type Is Best? [2022 ]

It seems as though PC enthusiasts around the world have been debating this topic forever. Half believe that a CPU is best cooled with an air cooler, while others believe that an all-in-one closed-loop liquid cooling system is superior.

The latter option is a bit of a mouthful, which is why we’ll use the term AIO throughout this article.

Even after many years of both sides presenting their arguments, it is still unclear which option is better.

If you are also struggling to decide which type of cooling is right for your processor, we have gathered all the necessary information and considered factors such as noise, thermal performance, ease of use, and others to provide you with the final answer to this question.

Table of ContentsShow

Why Does Your CPU Need Cooling?

A fan CPU cooler with dual heatsink

Before we can discuss which type of cooling you need, we first need to explain exactly why CPUs require cooling.

The central processing unit (processor or CPU) handles the most important logic and arithmetic operations of the computer while also controlling and coordinating with every piece of hardware connected to the motherboard. To put it simply, it’s the brain of a computer.

To process and manage such complicated tasks, processors consume large amounts of electrical energy.

This wasn’t always the case. In the past, CPUs were much simpler and slower, requiring only a basic heatsink without any kind of active cooling. In fact, some models could even run without a heatsink. If you tried that today, your PC would probably melt through the table.

In 2022, consumer CPUs can have clock speeds of up to 5.0GHz (or more) and come with up to 16 cores and 32 threads. To put this into perspective, 15 years ago, processors had no more than 2 cores.

A great example is today’s high-end Intel processors, which can consume up to 300W of power during very heavy loads. Such a large amount of electrical energy has to be dispersed and dissipated in the form of heat.

Because of this huge leap in clock speeds, cores, and threads, processors require a lot more help for heat dissipation, hence the increased demand for AIOs and air coolers.

With a better understanding of why your CPU needs to be cooled, we can now look at the different factors that will help you choose the perfect cooling option.

Thermal Performance

One of the main elements that must be considered when choosing any kind of air cooling is the product’s thermal performance.

Before buying a cooler, it is essential to do your research to determine whether it will be sufficient to keep your CPU cool. That should help you decide whether to go for an AIO or an air cooler.

Here’s an example. AMD’s mid-range 6-core processor, the Ryzen 5600X, is rated with a TDP of 60W. Its maximum power consumption is about 140W, which would only happen in extreme cases.

Cooling this type of processor is much easier than cooling Intel’s 8-core processor, the i11900K, which peaks at almost 300W power draw. Again, this is only in extreme cases, but it is still much more power-hungry.

Which cooler you should get depends on the CPU in your PC.

Usually, high-end liquid coolers provide much better thermal performance than even the best air coolers, such as the Noctua NH-D15. Keep in mind that the temperature difference is unlikely to be more than 5 degrees Celsius.

This might not sound like a lot, but those 5 degrees can make a significant difference.

You should also consider that AIOs take five times as long to reach a steady state in comparison to air coolers. In other words, it would take about 400 seconds for a high-quality AIO to reach max temperature while its air equivalent would achieve that same state in 80 seconds or even less. In this case, longer is better.

All-in-all, liquid coolers can provide better cooling, but the thermal performance of air coolers is nothing to scoff at either. Still, we give this point to AIOs.

AIO 1 – 0 Air Cooler

Noise

Another factor that could be even more important for many PC enthusiasts is noise. Or, to be more specific, the lack of it.

Both air coolers and AIOs can come with one, two, or sometimes even three fans. The role of these fans is to maintain the air circulation in the case, effectively helping the heatsink (or radiator) dissipate heat more efficiently.

Without these fans to improve circulation, both types of coolers would become essentially useless during heavy CPU loads.

Fans automatically adjust their RPM (revolutions per minute) to minimize noise based on the processor’s temperature and fan curve. As the temperature rises inside the PC case, the fans start to speed up, pushing or pulling more air but also generating more noise.

The amount of noise generated depends on the quality of the fans and the efficiency of the heatsink/cooler itself.

Liquid coolers produce far less noise during a session of heavy gaming in comparison to an air cooler, thanks to the increased time taken to reach that steady state. Air coolers quickly start increasing the fan speed to keep up with the sudden rise in temperature.

This is another point in favor of AIOs.

AIO 2 – 0 Air Cooler

Installation/Ease Of Use

Air Cooler Installation

By now, you might be convinced that AIOs are clearly the superior option for cooling processors. They are quieter and provide better thermal performance, but it wouldn’t be fair to make a decision based on those factors alone. Let’s take a closer look at the practicality of these products.

When buying a cooler, consider that you might need to install it yourself unless you ask a more experienced friend or pay a professional.

Installing an air cooler is usually very straightforward. You only need to add the necessary brackets on the motherboard, apply thermal paste, align the heatsink with the CPU and attach it to the brackets, add the fans to the heatsink, then connect them to the motherboard. That’s it.

Even if it is your first time and you need to follow instructions, it shouldn’t take more than five or ten minutes. It is simple, practical, and fast.

Other than that, there isn’t much you need to do. If you want, you can experiment with the fan curve in your motherboard’s BIOS, but that’s about it. There’s no need for any additional software.

Liquid Cooler Installation

AIOs, on the other hand, tell a completely different story. Even users with extensive experience sometimes have trouble installing these things into a case.

First, you will have to sort through several different brackets to find the ones that match your motherboard. You then need to screw the fans into the radiator, ensuring they face the correct direction while also making sure that the cables are positioned properly.

Once the brackets are installed, and the fans have been added to the radiator, you can start screwing in the pump. While working, the radiator will be in your way, making this task even more complicated. Screw the radiator into the case, and you are finally done.

No, wait, there’s more. You must also plug in the cables for the pump and the fans. If there’s RGB, you will need to plug in those cables in the relevant headers. If you want control over the RGB and other features of your AIO, you will also have to plug in a USB2 header.

This whole process can take hours. Once you are done, you may have to download the AIO’s software and do some optimizing there too. NZXT’s CAM software allows you to edit the fan curve, the RGB lighting, etc. Unfortunately, software like this is often buggy or broken.

This is one area where AIOs are seriously lacking. They are very unfriendly toward the user, so air coolers earn a point here.

AIO 2 – 1 Air Cooler

Reliability/Longevity

You may have heard rumors about the dangers of using an AIO, particularly the dangers of a leak. Those aren’t only rumors. There is indeed a higher possibility of failure, which could ultimately result in a leak.

That isn’t the only problem. A leak has the potential to damage some of the most valuable parts of your computer, including the GPU, motherboard, hard drive, SSD, etc.

Liquid coolers have several parts susceptible to failure. The pumps, tubes, radiators, and fittings can fail after long-term use. The liquid inside the closed-loop could permeate, reducing the product’s thermal performance.

Air coolers, on the other hand, have only two points of failure. The fans can fail, but they are also easily and inexpensively replaced. The other point of failure is the cold plate (the plate on the AIO in direct contact with the CPU). It could chip, break, or have production errors that result in bad performance.

It’s important to note that the failure rates for high-quality AIOs today are very low. Fears of a possible leak are not supported by any concrete evidence or statistics. If maintained properly, pumps could last for 6-7 years or more.

Still, air coolers have fewer points of failure and can last much longer. When it comes to reliability and longevity, air coolers get another point.

AIO 2 – 2 Air Cooler

Price

When shopping for an air cooler, budget is definitely a factor you should keep in mind.

The consensus here is that air coolers are always the cheaper option. You could purchase a be quiet! Pure Rock 2 for around $50-60, and it will be more than sufficient to keep most high-core count CPUs cool.

If you want the best of the best, Noctua’s NH-D15 is what you need. You could grab this air cooler for less than $100.

On the other hand, most high-quality AIOs are priced over $100. For example, the Kraken X62 is one of the better liquid coolers on the market, but it comes at a cost of around $140. Corsair’s Hydro Series h200i Pro is another great option with a price tag of $120.

Keep in mind that you will ultimately get better performance and a quieter PC with these premium prices. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide whether spending the extra money is worth it.

Still, air coolers deserve a point here too.

AIO 2 – 3 Air Cooler

Aesthetics

Designs, styles, and overall PC aesthetics are purely subjective. We can’t tell you what you should like or dislike.

However, we can’t ignore the fact that a lot more thought goes into the design of an AIO. Its features can include black braided tubes, RGB fans, a pump with RGB LEDs or an LED display, etc. Overall, these products are made using high-quality materials that are easy on the eyes and smooth to the touch.

Air coolers, not so much. Take the NH-D15 as an example. It’s a huge block made of aluminum combined with the default dark and light brown fan, and it could look incredibly out of place.

We understand that some people don’t care about aesthetics and only want the best price per performance, but it’s still a factor we can’t ignore.

Unsurprisingly, liquid coolers get the point here.

AIO 3 – 3 Air Cooler

Air or Liquid – Which One Is Best For Your PC?

After going through all the points above, we ended up with a tie. Each type of cooler excels in different areas.

So, which type should you go for? It depends on what you are looking for.

If you want the best thermal performance to cool a high-core count chip such as the 11900K or the Ryzen 5900X, you should absolutely go with a liquid cooler. AIO is also the ideal choice if you want a silent-running system and one that looks aesthetically pleasing.

However, for people that are on a tight budget for a PC build, an air cooler is highly recommended. It’s also a great choice for those that are building a PC for the very first time.

Six 92mm CPU cooler test or cockroach run

This content has been written by a website visitor and has been rewarded.

• Introduction
• Packaging and contents
• Radiator
• Fan
• Installation and compatibility
• Test configuration and test procedure
• Test results
• Totals

Introduction

, Cryorig M9A, BeQiet! Pure Rock Slim, Titan TTC-NK35TZ/RPW KU, GreatWall G400, Scythe Katana 3 and Deepcool Gammax 300. Yes, the author is aware that the Gammax has a 120mm fan, BUT its brackets are designed to install 92mm fans, which is why it will perform in this category.

recommendations

Very often people ask questions about which cooler is better to take for Ryzen 5 3600 (5600) in a case with a cooler height limit of 135-155mm. There are also limitations of mini-ITX boards, when you end up having to re-measure more than a dozen coolers in search of «the one». Let’s hope this little article helps make your choice a little easier.

Packaging and contents

BeQuiet! Pure Rock Slim

Packed in BQuiet standard dark colors. On the front side there is a 3D image of the cooler, the company logo and the model name. On the right side is a QR code.

On the left side — the address of the official site, the maximum TDP of the cooler and a table with the TTX of the cooler.

On the back there is a photo of the cooler installed on the motherboard and a brief description of the features in English and German.

From above, the cooler is fixed with heat pipe caps in the stamped holes of two sheets of corrugated cardboard.

Cooler with pre-installed mounts for Intel 115x/1200 and a rocker mount (for installation on AMD platforms) + 2 leaflets with a manual in English and German — that’s the whole gentleman’s set of this kid.

Cryorig M9A

The box is black and white. On the front side there is a company label, platform type, model name and a partial 3D image of the cooler. On the right side, the cooler model is marked in big black letters.

Features of the cooler are printed on the left side — excellent RAM compatibility, high efficiency, easy and fast installation (4 min).

On the back side there is a schematic representation of the cooler with dimensions and performance characteristics.

The cooler is available in three versions

M9i and M9a have a mount for a specific platform only (Intel or AMD), M9Plus — in addition to 2 fans, it has mounts for installation on both platforms (and a higher price).

Inside the box, the cooler is enclosed in a protective cardboard box, accessories are located in a pocket.

Complex:

-radiator with the installed QF90

fan -filler set of brackets and silicone isolators for installing the second fan

-plastic backstage for installation for 775/115x/1200/am3+

—

-Roads for Roads of Roads mounting on AM3+ (4pcs)

— fixing nuts (4pcs)

-Installation frame AM3+

-User manual

-Registration card (not required from 2019)

-Syringe with CP15 thermal grease

Radiator

5 Pure Rock Slim

Top view — the radiator is covered with a decorative aluminum plate with plastic caps for heat pipes. The plate is fixed with 4 hex screws.

Radiator, top view with the plate removed — the radiator plates are simply crimped on the heat pipes, they have the shape of a «butterfly». The heat pipes are arranged trapezoidal, with the base towards the fan.

The cooler is optimized for mini-ITX boards — the bottom 6 ribs are shortened in the back.

Cryorig M9A

M9 is the smallest tower cooler in the Cryorig line.

The radiator is stacked with 40 plates 0.4mm thick on three 6mm nickel-plated U-shaped heat pipes, the distance between the fins is 1.6mm, between the long fins is 3.6mm. The fins are crimped on heat pipes.

The radiator is bent on the sides in two places — both to increase strength and to direct the air flow. The decorative plastic cover rests on four plastic latches.

The central heat pipe is located below the extreme ones at the base — the heat pipes are tightly pressed into the base. The thickness of the aluminum base at the place where the screws are fixed is 4.5mm. The nickel-plated base is even in the longitudinal plane

But in the diameter there is a small hump that can be felt with a finger.

GreatWall G400

GreatWall G400 overview.

This cooler has the most «monstrous» heatsink of all six participants — its dissipation area is 2 times smaller than that of Titan. A more detailed review of this cooler is at the link above.

Scythe Katana 3

Katana 3 is a slightly unusual cooler. Its heatsink has a slight slope, thanks to which it allows you to simultaneously blow over the VRM area of ​​​​the motherboard. Also, part of the air flow enters the radiator located on top of the heat pipes. The radiator is assembled with 50 plates 0.2mm thick with 2mm interfin spacing on 3 curved U-shaped 6mm heat pipes. At the base of the cooler, the heat pipes are flattened to an oval shape — this increases the heat exchange area.

The central heat pipes are arranged in a row, but the outer one is at a slight angle back.

The base of the cooler is even, nickel-plated in a mirror.

Titan TTC-OK35TZ/RPW Ku

Coler radiator has a square shape (almost like the ninja family coolers) and allows you to rearrange the fan where you need. There is only one set of brackets included. The fan is non-standard — with a 80mm mount. The radiator is simply molded on 3 x 6mm U-shaped heat pipes.

You can install a second fan on the cooler, for example, using zip ties.

The cooler has a direct contact, the heat pipes are simply pressed into the aluminum base.

Fan

Designation	Be Quiet! Pure Wings 2	Cryorig QF90	GreatWall G400	Scythe Kaze Flex 92 PWM	TTC-NK35TZ/RPW KU	Deepcool GammaxX 300
Size mm	92x92x25	92x92x25	92x92x25	92x92x25	95x95x25	120x120x25
Number of blades	9	7	7	7	9	9
Speed ​​100%	1900	2200	2400	2300	2600	1700
Flow, CFM	33. 15	48.4	42.5	48.88	39.19	55.5
Pressure mm H 2 O	1.65	3.1	N/A	2.03	3.3	N/A
Noise level, dB	19.6	26.4	30	28.83	27	21

Installation and compatibility

Be Quiet! Pure Rock Slim

On the AM4 platform, this is the only working position of the cooler. Pure Rock Slim 2 also has only one working position on the AM4 — perpendicular to the RAM slots. Installation is very simple — we install the cooler on the processor and snap the «rocker» fasteners onto the plastic fasteners.

The print is not perfect, but very good.

Cryorig M9A

To carry out the test, I bought an upgrade kit — AM4kit, since the cooler is still from the first production series and did not have optional support for AM4.

We screw the bushings into the backplate of the motherboard

We fasten the mounting frame onto the cooler (you can, of course, screw it onto the studs — this is your personal choice). I will immediately answer the question why I didn’t cut holes in the old mount — I sawed them, but the quality of the frame is very mediocre — it is made of cheap stamped steel. And it’s worth a little overdoing it with the applied effort — the frame immediately bends in the most bizarre ways and a fun quest awaits you to give it its original shape with a mallet.

Install the cooler (frame) on the studs and fix with complete nuts.

As you can see, the cooler does not really conflict with the RAM installed in the first slot, it simply does not interfere with its installation.

Deepcool GammaxX 300

Installation is very simple — «click the two rocker mounts». The cooler also does not conflict with the RAM.

The print is almost perfect.

GreatWall G400

Installation is simple — using the «rocker». The front fan cooler limits the height of the installed RAM.

True, this drawback is compensated by a rather beautiful cooler backlight.

Scythe Katana 3

Apply thermal paste to the base

Install the cooler and snap the clips onto the mountings.

The cooler does not conflict with the RAM, but unfortunately it will not work to install RAM with high radiators, especially in the first slot.

The print is almost perfect.

Titan TTC-NK35TZ/RPW KU

Installation is simple — snap rocker onto AMD mount. This cooler has the «thickest» heatsink, which imposes its own limitations. And most importantly — to the height of RAM. Unfortunately, it is not possible to install memory with high heatsinks, especially in the first slot.

The print is very good, almost perfect.

Test Configuration and Test Method

Test Configuration

, L3 — 32Mb) 3.6-4.4GHz, PBO — Enabled

RAM : 2x16GB 3200MHz CL16 Crucial Ballistix Sport LT Red (BLS2K16G4D32AESE)

Disk #1: Samsung 860EVO 250Gb SATA-3

Disk #2: Samsung 860EVO 1Tb m2

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 580 Nitro+, 8Gb

Driver: Adrenalin 22.05 Optional 9 (0Q0.2) PSU Zalman ZM850-ARX (80 Plus Platinum)

case: open test bench

Operating system: Windows 10 LTSC with latest updates

Thermal interface: Arctic MX-4

Cooling systems: BeQuiet! Pure Rock Slim, Cryorig M

ForHonor (Uplay) — Knights campaign, first and second missions, 1080r/High (at 900rpm)

Cyberpunk 2077 (GOG) 1080r/Medium (900rpm) testing — 22-23°C.

Performance summary

Product name	Be Quiet! Pure Rock Slim	Cryorig M9A	Deepcool GammaxX 300	GreatWall G400	Scythe Katana 3	Titan TTC-NK35TZ / RPW KU
Radiator dimensions, mm	125x97x82	125x102x87	144x121x40	150x110x115	143x94x108	135x92x105
Radiator weight, g	300	375	315	230	395	425
Fan size	92×25	92×25	92×25 120(92)x25	92×25	92×25	92(80)25
Radiator material	Aluminum	Aluminum	Aluminum	Aluminum	Aluminum	Aluminum
Number of fins	44	40	40	2×36	50	33
Fin thickness, mm	0. 3	0.4	0.4	0.3	0.2	0.5
Intercostal distance, mm	1.6	1.6/3.6	2	2	2	2
Number and size of heat pipes	3x6mm	3x6mm	3x6mm	4x6mm	3x6mm	3x6mm
Heat pipe material	Copper	Nickel-plated copper	Copper	Copper	Copper	Copper
Base material	Nickel-plated copper	Nickel-plated copper	Copper + aluminum	Copper + aluminum	Nickel-plated copper	Copper + aluminum
Release price	30$	30$	30$	60-75$	28$	26$
Relevance	Retail	Retail/Avito	Retail/Avito	AliExpress/Avito	Retail/Avito	Retail/Avito

Test results

Testing in Prime95 and Sinebench identified two leaders — Katana 3 and M9.

Testing in games identified 2 outsiders — Pure Rock Slim and GreatWall G400. In the first place, suddenly, broke M9A.

Summary

Cryorig M9A is a well-assembled and well-designed cooler with high performance. It has an excellent price/performance ratio. Probably the best choice for compact systems, especially in cases with height restrictions up to 130mm.

Be Quiet! Pure Rock Slim is a high-quality cooler, which is still significantly inferior to the test leader in terms of price/performance ratio. Also one of the coolers of choice for compact systems. At the moment, it has been replaced by the Pure Rock Slim 2, but the first revision can still be bought in retail.

GreatWall G400 is more of a cooler for themed assemblies, when performance takes a back seat, and aesthetic qualities come first.

Deepcool GammaxX 300 is a budget cooler, which turned out to be a little better than its 92mm opponents in stock condition.

Scythe Katana 3 is the second leader in today’s testing, a cooler that is almost 13-14 years old. Of all the «cockroaches» it turned out to be the only cooler that could pull Prime95 with a load of 150W for 14 minutes (then the processor overheated). It has a good price/performance ratio.

Titan TTC-NK35TZ/RPW KU is the most controversial cooler in the current testing. Unfortunately, at the moment it does not have the best price / performance ratio, but it will be a good solution for cooling blocked 4/8 and 6/12 Intel processors (1151-2/1200) and AM4.

In general, these coolers will be a very good choice for locked 6/6 and 6/12 processors, as well as for AMD APUs. And perhaps not the worst choice for an HTPC build.

Feel free to write your opinion about the participants of the «cockroach» race.

This material was written by a site visitor and has been rewarded.

Test Method for 2020 CPU Coolers

Foreword

The first and obvious step in testing coolers is measuring the temperature of the processor during its maximum load. In the case of passive coolers, this could be limited. However, coolers with active cooling elements — the fan(s) for air coolers plus the pump for liquid cooling systems — are noisy. Therefore, at the second stage, we measure the noise level when the cooler operates in various modes. Accordingly, in the same modes, the temperature of the loaded processor, as well as its real consumption, are measured. In order to transfer the obtained results to other conditions, namely to various combinations of ambient temperature and the maximum allowable processor temperature, we calculate the total thermal resistance of the processor-cooler system. This allows you to determine the maximum allowed power consumed by the processor for a given noise level. For example, in the article we present such a dependence for conditions of air heated to 44 °C and 80 °C of the maximum processor temperature. In addition, the article provides a link to a page with interactive graphs, where the reader can enter their values ​​for these parameters and see the maximum power values ​​obtained, as well as compare the selected cooler with others tested in similar conditions. Unfortunately, the results depend on the type of processor used in the tests and (to a lesser extent) even on a specific processor instance, so we do not get full portability of the results, but at least you can compare coolers with each other if they are tested using the same processor .

Test conditions and tools

The cooler model under study (or rather, its fan(s)) is connected to an external PWM controller and a controlled power supply. The applied PWM controller allows you to set the duty cycle (SC) in the range from 0 to 100% with a frequency of 25 kHz and an amplitude of 5 V. The supply voltage is adjustable in the range from 0 to 15 V (only up to 12 V in tests). At the same time, the real voltage is recorded (it differs from the set one by no more than 0. 1 V), the current consumed by the fan, the fan speed (the readings of the sensor built into the fan are taken) and the air temperature (remote sensor). For the specified parameters, the operator is shown the current value, minimum, maximum and average for the period of the current registration cycle. On command, this data is saved to a file or copied to the clipboard.

In cooler tests, PWM control is mainly used, if PWM is not supported, then the fan supply voltage is changed. Sometimes, as an additional test, a combined control method is used, both using PWM and voltage, which in some cases allows you to further reduce the fan speed.

In the case of liquid cooling systems, load testing is usually carried out at maximum pump speed (12 V supply, short circuit = 100%, or maximum speed is set in the control software). If, under these conditions, the noise from the pump alone exceeds 25 dBA, then testing, primary or secondary, is performed at lower pump speeds, at which the noise level is well below 25 dBA, so that the overall noise from the system in low fan speed modes is not higher 25 dBA. In some cases, only pump noise is measured for several pump speeds.

ASRock X99 Taichi:

Motherboard also features of the layout of processor crystals and their area. Therefore, initially, to test processor coolers that support installation on Intel processors with an LGA2011 socket, we used a stand consisting of an ASRock X9 motherboard9 Taichi and Intel Core i7-6900K processor. The processor has Turbo Boost turned off and all cores are set to a multiplier of 35, which means that all cores run at a fixed frequency of 3.5 GHz.

Core i9-7980XE Extreme Edition Processor Test: New 18-core LGA2066 Peak at an Impressive Price0009 Intel Core i9-7980XE on Skylake-X (HCC) core using ASRock X299 Taichi motherboard. Test results show that the Intel Core i9-7980XE processor cools much better than the Intel Core i7-6900K, that is, the former heats up a little more, but consumes much more power than the latter. This fact can be explained by the difference in the area of ​​the crystal, for the Intel Core i9-7980XE (Skylake-X (HCC)) it is much larger: 484 mm², while for the Intel Core i7-6900K (Broadwell-E) it is only 246 mm². The negative point is that when switching to testing cooling systems using Intel Core i9-7980XE does not preserve continuity, meaning the results cannot be compared with those obtained on the Intel Core i7-6900K processor. In tests, all cores of the Intel Core i9-7980XE processor run at a fixed frequency of 2.6 GHz (multiplier 26), 2.8 GHz (multiplier 28) or 3.2 GHz (multiplier 32). To set the frequency, use the A-Tuning program of the motherboard manufacturer.

AMD Ryzen 7 1800X Processor:

To test CPU coolers that support installation on AMD processors with socket AM4, we use a bench consisting of an Asus Crosshair VI Hero motherboard and a 9 processor0009 AMD Ryzen 7 1800X . The processor has a function that automatically reduces the frequency in case of a strong increase in temperature, which greatly hinders us when testing coolers. This feature is disabled when using some non-standard multipliers. Also, this processor under load has a high consumption and, accordingly, heat dissipation, which coolers of poor performance cannot cope with. As a result, for powerful coolers, we set the multiplier slightly higher than the standard one, namely 36.25, that is, the processor cores operate at a frequency of 3.625 GHz, and in the case of weak coolers, the multiplier is 25, and the frequency is 2.5 GHz.

Ryzen Threadripper 2950X and 2990WX (Ryzen Threadripper 2nd Gen)

Processor Test For coolers capable of cooling AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors, we originally used the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920X processor. The tests were performed at a fixed core frequency of 3.7 GHz. However, this processor is notable for not very high consumption (for its platform) and extremely high instability in the temperature sensor readings. As a result, we abandoned it and began testing on processor AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX . The tests use the specified processor and Asus ROG Zenith Extreme motherboard. All processor cores operate at a fixed frequency of 3.5 GHz (multiplier 35).

As an additional test, we sometimes check how the cooler will cope with the cooling of the AMD Ryzen 9 3950X processor. The processors of the Ryzen 9 family are assemblies of three crystals under one cover. On the one hand, increasing the area from which heat is removed can improve the cooling capacity of the cooler, but on the other hand, the design of most coolers is optimized for better cooling of the central area of ​​the processor. Apparently, because of these features, there is an opinion that it is not very easy to choose an air cooler for the top new generation Ryzen processors. The tests use the specified processor and ASRock X570 Taichi motherboard. All processor cores operate at a fixed frequency of 3.6 GHz (multiplier 36). To set this frequency, use the motherboard manufacturer’s A-Tuning program. Subsequently, the motherboard was replaced with Asus RoG Crosshair VI Extreme, and the motherboard manufacturer’s ASUS Dual Intelligent Processors 5 program is now used to set the frequency to 3.6 GHz.

Review of Asus Crosshair VI Extreme motherboard for AMD AM4

platform The powerMax program (using the AVX command system) is used as a stress test.

The ambient temperature is maintained at approximately 24°C during testing. In warm weather — with the help of an air conditioner with an inverter compressor, which minimizes temperature changes. In cold weather, central heating batteries and periodic ventilation of the room are usually sufficient. In order to better equalize the temperature in the room, and in particular in the area of ​​the cooler being tested, in addition to the air conditioning fans, we use a household fan operating at minimum speed and directed at the stand from a distance of about 1.3 m. To take into account the inevitable temperature fluctuations in the air surrounding the stand , for each measurement, we subtracted the actual air temperature from the processor temperature, and, in order to make it more convenient to compare with previous cooler test results, we added the base temperature value of 24 °C.

Initially, we created the load on the processor using the Prime95 program (version 28.4). It stresses the processor more than AIDA64’s Stress FPU test, but there are short dips in load when running Prime95, making it difficult to accurately measure consumption. Therefore, we abandoned this program in favor of the Stress FPU test from the AIDA64 package. Also, in some cases, for the load, we use the powerMax program, in which we select a test option based on the AVX command system.

Processor temperature is monitored using the System Stability Test utility from the AIDA64 package. Since in the case of multi-core processors, the utility shows the temperature for each of the cores, the arithmetic average of the average temperature values ​​for all cores for the measurement period is taken as the processor temperature. Initially, the fan(s) of the cooler under test are turned on at maximum performance and the processor is kept under maximum load for at least 30 minutes, which is enough for the temperature to stabilize. The readings are averaged for 30 seconds, then the cooler fan speed is reduced, usually by reducing the PWM short circuit by 10%, 5 minutes are given to stabilize the temperature, 30 seconds are taken, and so on, until the system is disconnected from overheating, the processor reaches critical temperature and will not go into skip cycle mode or the fan will not stop. The operating mode of the pump in the case of liquid cooling systems is negotiated separately, usually this is the maximum performance mode for the duration of the entire test. Special programs of manufacturers of cooling systems, if possible, are not used or are used only to evaluate their performance.

Processor consumption is determined by measuring the current from one or two additional 12V sockets per mat. board. The total and 10-second averaged current is multiplied by the 10-second averaged 12V bus voltage. tests are not taken into account. For example, the table below shows the power consumption values ​​for various combinations of processor, type of load, frequency of operation and temperature of the processor.

Processor	Frequency, GHz	Processor temperature, °C	Load	Consumption, W
Intel Core i7-6900K	3.5	52/80	Stress FPU	131/143
Intel Core i7-6900K	3. 5	50/90	Prime95	150/170
Intel Core i9-7980XE	2.6	54/80	Stress FPU	197/203
Intel Core i9-7980XE	2.8	54/94	Stress FPU	218/233
Intel Core i9-7980XE	3.2	69/95	powerMax	273/289
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	2.5	46/69	Stress FPU	41/45
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X	3.625	56/77	Stress FPU	156/178
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920X	3.7	40/71	Stress FPU	160/185
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX	3.5	63/88	Stress FPU	266/291
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X	3.6	66/92	powerMax	153/166

It is far from always possible to get by with the original thermal paste applied to the surface of the cooler heat sink or supplied separately (usually in the form of a syringe). For example, the thermal paste may have already been used up in previous tests, or the thermal paste layer may have been damaged, or the supply provided may not be sufficient to apply to processors with a large cover area or multiple retests with different processors. Therefore, now in the tests we use a third-party thermal paste with fairly good characteristics. For small processors (in terms of cover area), thermal paste is applied to the center of the processor cover in a volume of about a pea, after which the cooler is installed on the processor, with no preliminary distribution of thermal paste. For Intel Core i9 processors-7980XE and AMD Ryzen Threadripper use multi-point thermal paste application:

After the load tests are completed, the cooler is removed from the processor, and the surfaces of the processor cover and cooler heat sink are photographed, which makes it possible to document the distribution of thermal paste.

Noise level measurement is carried out in a special soundproof chamber with increased sound absorption. The Oktava-110A-Eco sound level meter microphone placed on the cable is located 50 cm from the center of the processor socket at a height of 50 cm from the motherboard plane, so that the distance to the processor in a straight line is about 70 cm.

The microphone is aimed at the center of the processor socket. This location was chosen in order not to be tied to the dimensions of the tested cooler. In the case of liquid cooling systems, the noise level from the pump with an integrated heat sink is measured in the same way, while the fans on the radiator are turned off (if possible). When measuring the noise level from fans on radiators and / or from remote pumps of liquid cooling systems, 50 cm up and sideways are counted from the center of the lower plane of these parts. The fans are always positioned so that the airflow they generate is perpendicular to the direction towards the microphone. The test computer is turned off during measurements, the controller is controlled via USB from a computer located outside (measuring chamber) with passive cooling. The current readings of the sound level meter are recorded using a webcam. The result is the minimum noise level (averaged over one second) for the current measurement period. Noise readings are taken after initial stabilization for 30 minutes at maximum cooler capacity. The readings are averaged for 10 seconds, then the fan speed is reduced, a pause is maintained until the readings stabilize, but not less than 30 seconds, and the measurement cycle is repeated. If possible, noise level measurements are carried out in the same operating modes of the cooler as in the case of tests under load. If this is not possible, noise levels for the required fan speeds are calculated using non-linear interpolation to compare results.

Separately, it should be noted that the noise level measured by us may differ significantly from that indicated in the manufacturer’s specifications. We also do not claim that values ​​less than 20 dBA are reliable, but the obtained values ​​from the background level to 20 dBA at least correlate with the real change in the noise level. According to our measurements, in the absence of obvious noise sources, the sound level meter in our chamber can drop to 16.2 dBA. Subjectively, the noise level is so low that it is perceived by the average person as complete and “oppressive” silence. It depends, of course, on individual characteristics and other factors, but somewhere from 40 dBA and above the noise, from our point of view, is very high for a desktop system, from 35 to 40 dBA the noise level is tolerable, below 35 dBA the noise from the cooling system will not stand out much against the background of typical non-noisy PC components — case fans, on the power supply, on the video card, as well as hard drives, and somewhere below 25 dBA the cooler can be called conditionally silent.

Presentation of results

To move away from the test bench conditions to more realistic scenarios, let’s assume that the temperature of the air taken in by the cooling fan(s) can rise to 44 °C, but the temperature of the processor under maximum load cannot be increased above 80°C . Restricting these conditions and using the data obtained earlier, we can construct the dependence of the real maximum power ( P _max (we used the notation TDP _max ) consumed by the processor, on the noise level. Taking 25 dBA as a conditional noiselessness criterion, we get the approximate maximum power of processors corresponding to this level in the case of the tested cooler. Calculation steps:

1. Based on the experimental data, we calculate the total thermal resistance of the processor-cooler system: W; T _cpu — processor temperature, °C; T _room — air temperature, °C; P — processor consumption, W.
2. Then we perform the reverse recalculation: for the given value of air temperature (44 °C) and processor temperature (80 °C), we calculate the maximum power:
   P _max = (T _cpu ′ − T _room ′) / R _th , where T _cpu ′ is the set processor temperature,  °C; T _room ′ — set air temperature, °C; P _max — maximum power, W.

Each calculated value of P _max has its own value of the noise level, this allows you to build the dependence of P _max on the noise level. Below are links to pages with interactive charts where the reader can enter their values ​​for CPU temperature and air temperature and see the resulting maximum power values, as well as compare the selected cooler with others tested in similar conditions.

Archive:

Comparison of tower coolers with four direct contact heat pipes and one 120mm fan (load: AIDA64 Stress FPU, Intel Core i7-6900K processor (35×100, 3.5 GHz))

Comparison Dual 120mm Fan FLU (Load: AIDA64 Stress FPU, Intel Core i7-6900K (35×100, 3.5GHz)) processor Intel Core i7-6900K (35×100, 3.5 GHz))

Dual 140mm Fan Cooler Comparison (Load: AIDA64 Stress FPU, Intel Core i7-6900K (35×100, 3.5GHz))

AMD Ryzen Threadripper (1920X) Cooler Comparison (Load: Stress FPU from AIDA64 package, AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920X processor (37×100, 3. 7 GHz))

Current updated data:

Air cooler comparison (Intel Core i9-7980XE processor, load: Stress FPU from AIDA64 package, frequency 2 .8 GHz (28×100) or powerMax (AVX), 3.2 GHz (32×100))

Liquid Cooling Comparison (Intel Core i9-7980XE Processor, Workload: AIDA64 Stress FPU, 2.8 GHz (28×100) or powerMax (AVX), 3.2 GHz (32×100))

Air cooler comparison (AMD Ryzen 9 3950X processor, load: powerMax (AVX), frequency 3.6 GHz (36×100)) 3.6 GHz (36×100))

Cooler comparison for AMD Ryzen Threadripper (CPU 2990WX, Load: AIDA64 Stress FPU, 3.5 GHz (35×100))

Test Steps

1. Determination of cooler fan(s) speed versus PWM duty cycle and/or supply voltage. The result of the stage is one or two graphs: rotation speed from short circuit and / or voltage. Optional: determination of the supply voltage and short circuit at which the fan starts rotating and at which it stops. Similar tests are carried out for the pump in the case of testing the LSS.
2. Detection of the dependence of the temperature of the processor when it is fully loaded on the speed of rotation of the fan(s) of the cooler. The result is one graph: temperature versus rotation speed.
3. Determining the noise level depending on the rotational speed of the fan(s) of the cooler. The result is one graph: noise level versus rotation speed. A similar test can be carried out for the pump in case of testing the LSS.
4. Plotting the dependence of the noise level on the temperature of the processor when it is fully loaded. The result is one graph: noise level versus temperature.
5. Plotting the real maximum power P _max as a function of the noise level. The result is one graph: power versus noise level and determining the power limit to maintain the conditional noiselessness of the cooler.

To clearly demonstrate what we end up with, here are the results we got when testing the Cooler Master MasterAir Pro 4 cooler. Read the full version of the article discussing the results at the link above.

Step 1. Determine how cooler fan speed depends on PWM duty cycle and/or supply voltage

P, Q and S are the three operating modes of the cooler fan. The fan stops when the voltage drops to 3.3 V and starts from 3.6 V.

Stage 2. Determine the dependence of the processor temperature at full load on the cooler fan speed

Stage 3. Determine the noise level depending on the fan speed cooler

Stage 4. Plotting the dependence of the noise level on the temperature of the processor when it is fully loaded

Stage 5. Plotting the dependence of the real maximum power on the noise level

Taking 25 dBA as a criterion for relative noiselessness, we get that in the case of the Cooler Master MasterAir Pro 4 cooler, the approximate maximum processor power corresponding to this noise level is 140 W.

Conclusion

Note that this technique is hardly presented in its final form — most likely, it will continue to be improved. In our opinion, any cooler must ultimately meet at least two main criteria: firstly, it must be able to cool the processor at maximum load, and secondly, it must be quiet. If a cooler meets these two criteria, then it doesn’t matter what the fan speed is, what airflow it creates, etc. Therefore, when testing coolers, we focused on measuring and comparing exactly these two characteristics — cooling efficiency and the level of generated noise.

Which cooler is better, liquid or air? Everything you need to know before buying a liquid cooler-TEAMGROUP

As we know, in a computer, the CPU cooler is an essential part that helps the CPU to dissipate heat. When buying an INTEL or AMD processor, a regular processor cooler is usually included. Many people wonder if we already have the original, do we need to buy another CPU cooler? Do I need to choose a water cooler?

1. What is a CPU air cooler?
First, let’s define what the difference is between the two types of coolers. The principle of air cooling conduction is to use «air circulation» to dissipate heat. Whether it is top down or tower type, the heat from the CPU will pass through the thermal paste to the metal junction of the cooler, and then the heat will be directed to the metal fins on the CPU cooler by the metal pipe, and finally the fan will dissipate the heat.
Since heat is dissipated by airflow, the size of the case and the size and number of fans on the cooler will have a greater impact on the CPU air cooler. In other words, under the same cooling and environmental conditions, a larger case will have a better cooling effect. Of course, the larger the CPU air cooler, the more layers of metal fins are used for heat dissipation, which naturally increases the total heat dissipation area and results in a better cooling effect.
Air CPU coolers are divided into «top down» and «tower». As a rule, the original processor comes with a cooler from top to bottom. We will not discuss going into details, but if you are interested, write to us and we will reveal this topic in more detail.

Source: https://news.xfastest.com/news/2993/2993/
2. What is a liquid CPU cooler?
The heat conduction principle of liquid cooling is mainly to use the liquid circulation to dissipate heat. Of course, it needs to be used with a fan to dissipate heat.
The processor also uses thermal paste to conduct heat to the metal junction of the cooler, and then through the coolant, the heat source is piped to the water cooling row. Finally, a fan is used along with the water cooling to remove heat from the coolant. After cooling, the coolant will continue to circulate, repeating the steps above to achieve a cooling effect. The following illustration is based on the operation of the T-FORCE SIREN GD240E All-in-One ARGB liquid cooler as an example:

Liquid CPU coolers are divided into «All-in-one» and «Open loop». It is obvious how difficult it is to install an open loop cooler just by looking at the details, and of course there will be a difference in price. Interested in a detailed comparison of these two liquid CPU coolers? Leave a comment below!

~Reminder~
Do not taste the coolant for the cooler as it is a chemical liquid. If it is ingested, you should seek medical attention immediately.

3. Air or liquid cooler?
Before deciding whether to purchase an air or liquid cooler, you need to know that the heat dissipation effect of liquid cooling is better than air cooling. Of course, the price will also be more expensive.
1. What is the typical temperature range?
You can use software like Core Temp or HWMonitor to check what range the CPU temperature is in for a long time in your current usage habits. The normal operating temperature is around 40℃~65℃. If you play 3A games, the temperature will fluctuate between 70℃~85℃. If it is above 85℃, then you need to check if there is a problem with your cooling system!
So you might want to consider whether you need to multitask, play 3A games, or use video editing software. Such usage will put a high load on the CPU, which in turn will cause the CPU to generate a lot of heat, and a liquid CPU cooler with better heat dissipation will be required to reduce the chance of overheating.

2. Chassis space limitations and budget
Next comes the internal installation space of the computer case. Tower air CPU coolers can easily cause problems due to their high height or large size that interferes with the installation of memory, making it impossible to smoothly install it into the case.

Source: https://www.pcgamesn.com/aio-vs-air-cooling
Looking for the best cooling solution and on a budget, it is recommended to choose an all-in-one liquid CPU cooler. There are many types of all-in-one liquid coolers on the market. You can choose the style with or without RGB lighting effects according to your personal preference. The water block of the T-FORCE SIREN GD240E All-in-One ARGB Liquid Cooler is a textured mirror finish when the backlight effect is off. When the RGB lighting effect is turned on with an RGB fan, you can enjoy high cooling efficiency and RGB visual enjoyment at the same time!
SIREN GD240E ARGB: https://www.teamgroupinc.com/ru/product/siren-gd240-all-in-one-argb-cpu-liquid-cooler
4. What should I pay attention to before buying a cooler?
Compatibility issues when installing a CPU cooler
When choosing a CPU cooler, first check if it supports CPU pins, which is the key to knowing if you can install it without problems or not!
Take TEAMGROUP T-FROCE’s SIREN GD240E All-in-One ARGB Liquid Cooler for example, there will be a CPU socket in the product specification list, which clearly states which pins support INTEL and AMD respectively. You just need to look at the pin information on your CPU packaging and check if the CPU cooler has them.

Conclusion
If your computer will be used for gaming or if you usually have a need for multitasking, it is recommended that you choose a liquid CPU cooler.