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What Do I Need To Know About Aio Coolers?


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#1 LordNothing

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Posted 13 September 2018 - 07:00 PM

going to be building a ryzen 7 2700x build, 16 gigs ram, mini itx mobo. will use my existing m.2 ssd, elite 110 case, 600w modular sfx psu and 1060.

now this machine currently runs a 4790k, earlier this year i had heat problems that required adding another 80mm fan to the system (using a power drill and hole saw of course). the elite 110 is a very tiny case and the clearance between the cpu and psu isnt enough for the stock cooler that comes with the 2700x. also im going to be increasing the tdp by 10 watts (95 to 105). the one thing the case does have is the capacity to mount a 120mm radiator and fan, so an aio cooler is definitely an option, and its that or one of those low profile noctua fans.

the side fan will be retained though replaced with a quieter model (the only fan i had at the time was a loud ball bearing server fan, and that will be replaced with something less loud). i will investigate the possibility of either enlarging the hole for a bigger fan or running 2 of them. the sfx power supply gives the required clearance.

now the problem is that using water to cool electronics sounds quite absurd, especially with the horizontal mobo mounting, so if it leaks its going to get all over the mobo and fry about $800 in hardware. ive watched a lot of videos on the subject, googled everything that would pop up. but i want to hear from real people who have actually used one. what should i expect and what do i need to know?

#2 LordNothing

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Posted 18 September 2018 - 06:39 AM

after some research (and a lack of responses from any of my threads on various gaming forums) i decided i would not get an aio cooler after all. i think im going to go with the i7 8700, its 65w tdp and comes with a fan that will fit in my case. i considered the 8700k but i was in the same boat with the ryzen chip, needed a cooler (the ryzen cooler wouldnt fit in my case at all and the 8700k doesnt come with one). it actually came out a little cheaper and i was able to splurge for an nvme m.2 ssd and a better brand of mobo with the resulting savings.

whether it blows my 4790k out of the water or not is up for grabs. mostly upgrading because the system is getting old and you cant get 1150 socket boards with new fangled gizmoes like m.2 and usb 3.1 at all right now, dispite how much i got out of that beast. it will find a new home in my lab.

Edited by LordNothing, 18 September 2018 - 06:44 AM.


#3 Davegt27

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Posted 18 September 2018 - 08:31 PM

sorry wish I knew
it's hard to distinguish between actual knowledge and a monkey see monkey do mentality

when I redid my system after a lightning strike I just used my old fan
been working fine for a year

Edited by Davegt27, 19 September 2018 - 07:17 AM.


#4 LordNothing

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Posted 19 September 2018 - 06:19 AM

everything either screams too good to be true or corporate gimmick. mostly its the lack of data about the coolers. what kind of coolant (especially conductivity and how corrosive it is), how much heat they can actually move, power requirements, what kind of bearings are in the pumps, type of pump, etc. even things like the thickness and stiffness of the hoses leads me to question their structural properties.

air coolers and fans on the other hand are very detailed things, specifying bearing types and hard numbers on cfm, power consumption, noise levels, etc. i guess the evil you know.

#5 Davegt27

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Posted 19 September 2018 - 08:00 AM

I used to work on Radar transmitters off jets and it had it's own pump and cooling system

it used coolanol

for the fan in the car world a curved bladed fan is the better fan

that all I know
I wonder where the pump is located, I would not want it mounted on my main CPU chip

so not enough info

Edited by Davegt27, 19 September 2018 - 01:43 PM.


#6 LordNothing

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Posted 20 September 2018 - 06:42 PM

seems some of them have the pump in the block and others have it in the radiator. it varies from brand to brand. but ive never used one so im not 100% sure. i dont think they use water but some kind of coolant. but there are horror stories of it shorting things out and corroding things. are these ham fisted idiots installing it wrong or is the product just bad? its kind of a minefield. i dont see a whole lot of 100% positive reviews on coolers < $100.

Edited by LordNothing, 20 September 2018 - 06:49 PM.


#7 Y E O N N E

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Posted 21 September 2018 - 08:41 AM

An AIO cooler will not necessarily cool better than a good air cooler, but it will be quieter. But that all depends on how big of a radiator you are willing to run.

I have the Intel-branded, Asetek-sourced AIO cooler on my machine. I don't overclock, but temps have historically sat at around 54 under load, and 45 at idle. No regrets on that purchase.

Addendum: I have had this thing for 7, almost 8 years now. No leaks, no fuss, just remember to clean the radiator fins every now and then.

#8 LordNothing

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Posted 21 September 2018 - 08:47 AM

think a single fan cooler would work? if i do go with the aio i could only get a 120mm single radiator (single heat sinks, lol). im very space limited between the psu and cpu and aio coolers would definately help. but the thing that bothers me is the mobo mounts horizontally rather than vertically in my case, so if there is a leak its going to end up all over the mobo.

i dont see any well designed low profile air coolers. something like dense fin wind tunnel type coolers like they use on rackmount servers or those massive copper blocks they use in laptops. but the ones i can afford probibly couldnt handle the k varient.

e:

found this bad boy

https://www.newegg.c...=9SIA4UF6HN5537

so it looks like im getting the 8700k after all. i could in theory use it for the ryzen build i was originally going to do, but i think i like the mobo better for the intel option.

Edited by LordNothing, 21 September 2018 - 10:33 AM.


#9 Gen Lee

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Posted 21 September 2018 - 12:07 PM

It's times like these I with I could point you to my buddy DarthBeavis (Richard Surroz) for questions like these, but I'm not sure if he's active on any forums these days. I'm not really into the whole water-cooling stuff, but I can tell you I would rather use it on a vertical tower rig, with a case bigger than one for mini-itx. If you're just cooling the CPU, you shouldn't need too expensive of a cooling system. Be sure to test for leaks or flow problems before installing in the rig.

#10 LordNothing

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Posted 21 September 2018 - 02:56 PM

my case is an elite 110 heavily modded. im going to 3d print shrouds for the video card and power supply so they all get cold air from the outside of the case. i drilled out the side of the case so i can mount a 92mm fan (perhaps 2) in order to go for positive pressure. the main intake on the front has a high cfm140mm fan, and that cryorig c7 copper cpu cooler with a big 92mm fan on it. leaving the aio out this time.

i might get an aio for my 4790k and overclock the hell out of it, use it for rendering/compiling/logic synthesis/visual sfm and all the other cpu intensive tasks i do and also double as the 3d printing computer. i could probably get a double length radiator for it too. that is of course if i have any money left. i also have to get a cat fixed, improve my wardrobe reload the pantry and buy weed.

Edited by LordNothing, 21 September 2018 - 02:56 PM.


#11 Jackal Noble

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Posted 29 September 2018 - 09:22 AM

Hey I’d stick with the 2700x, it’s much more of a workhorse and overall more versatile in the long game

Just... just stick it in your freezer.

#12 Davegt27

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Posted 29 September 2018 - 11:48 PM

so what would be a list of things you would want in a cooler set up
water/liquid and or air

sort of check off items

being ex military type/Car guy
I have some ideas that I would like to see but they might mean I just have rocks in my head and totally not unnecessary

for example I would want double wall cooling lines with swivel quick disconnects

thanks for any help

#13 Gremlich Johns

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Posted 05 October 2018 - 12:59 PM

I use this one. sometimes I hit 40 deg C

https://www.arctic.a...reezer-240.html

https://static.arcti...zer_240_f01.jpg





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