AIO or Air?

jbh110tdi

New member
what would you're preference be?

Ive currently got an H80i but im really tempted on either the Phanteks PH-TC14PE or the Noctua NH-D15

my current set up
Phanteks Enthoo Pro M
i5 4690K @ 4.5Ghz
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI
Gainward GTX 970 Phantom
16Gb corsair vengeance 1600Mhz @ 1866Mhz
Samsung 120gb ssd system
Seagate 2tb storage
Lg bluray drive, writer
corsair cx750m
corsair H80i
WP_20151103_15_08_05_Pro_zpsz6ffxoof.jpg
 
Custom loop would be best, but of the two choices I go AIO. As long as I can put a different fan on them than what comes in the box.
 
Both the Air coolers you mentioned are great but for the price you're going to pay compared to the performance gain (if any) is totally not worth it.

If you're not happy with your H80 then you could sell it but I'd be going with a 240 or 280 depending on the fit AIO to replace it.

There are plenty of reviews and graphs on this site so have a look and see how they compare.

The only time I'd go air now is to be completely silent or passive for a system I need to sleep next to.
 
OP I would suggest you go with an AIO over the air cooler if you move your PC or the PC isn't always stable.

The air coolers are indeed quite decent and can potentially be quieter, however the sheer weight of the coolers themselves do put strain on the M/B.
 
Im needing to buy another cooler for a pc I'm building. so my thoughts was I would upgrade my own machine and use the H80i in the machine im building.
I am after something a bit quieter for this machine as the H80i can get a bit noisy.
Im running the 4690k @ 4.5Ghz with 1.25 volts on the core. Ive no plans on going any further with it.
I am still tempted to try an air cooler but im also open to suggestions
 
I used to be an advocate for air coolers, Cooler Master Evo 212 being my go to cooler, but ever since I went AIO I have to say I'll never put an air cooler on my CPU again, AIOs are just brilliant plain and simple, cooler and quieter nuff said.
 
There are a lot of worse AIO's than the H80i, pump noise is a big problem in the pursuit of silence. If you want something that will idle truly quietly go with the air cooler.

If you want something that can deal with continuous and demanding heat load like heavy overclocking then look to an AIO. If you want both then a custom loop with PWM controlled DDC or D5 is the way to go. I'd love to say there was a fantastic AIO that had a great pump, but right now I don't think there is. The Kelvin isn't bad at 7V but it's not as quiet as a stealthy air cooler.

JR
 
i have nzxt x41, pump makes no noise and got 2 pwm noctua fans on it, really quiet. Fans that came with it make annoying hum when low rpm.
 
Normally I would say custom waterblock or failing that AIO.

With a GTX 970 though I would be inclined to stick with the air cooler as these cards don't use a lot of power and don't produce massive amounts of heat.
 
looks like im going to be the odd one out here..
I would go good air cooling over AIO. looks like its just me.. but the redundancy of a HS out weighs the benifits of an AIO for me.
It does not however out weigh a custom loop.

custom loop>hs fan>AIO "IMO"
 
looks like im going to be the odd one out here..
I would go good air cooling over AIO. looks like its just me.. but the redundancy of a HS out weighs the benifits of an AIO for me.
It does not however out weigh a custom loop.

custom loop>hs fan>AIO "IMO"

I agree 100%, a heatsink will last forever, if the fan dies you can replace it or even run without it completely at stock clocks until you can replace it, not so with an AIO if dies after warranty your out of luck, also people say weight as a con for air cooling but people have been using these for allot longer with almost no issues soooo yea.
 
looks like im going to be the odd one out here..
I would go good air cooling over AIO. looks like its just me.. but the redundancy of a HS out weighs the benifits of an AIO for me.
It does not however out weigh a custom loop.

custom loop>hs fan>AIO "IMO"

Well an air cooler is better than an AIO if you have a sabertooth board. since the armor needs a down draft for air flow under the armor. Certainly would stop the little assistance fan going crazy all the time.
 
I know theres still a lot of folk saying stay AIO but I do agree with the few above and have read a few good reviews that do state a top end Air cooler is on par with a AIO and even some of the tests have the Air coolers coming out on top.. as I say im torn between the phanteks ph-tc14pe and the noctua nh-d15 both are good coolers. I prefer the look of the phanteks cooler so this may be the deciding factor.

Posts merged - Please don't post multiple times in a row

Normally I would say custom waterblock or failing that AIO.

With a GTX 970 though I would be inclined to stick with the air cooler as these cards don't use a lot of power and don't produce massive amounts of heat.

Ive also got a good case for Air flow which helps. it doesnt have the HD bays or loads of ODD bays to restrict air flow.
 
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so I went for the phanteks ph-tc14pe and got it fitted lastnight.. after a play with my fan setting today heres the results.

phanteks ph-tc14pe
ph%20max%20fans_zps7aby21u4.png


H80i
Capture_zpsovujogy9.png
 
the H80i was set to performance on that test so I set the phanteks fans to max during the test.
Ive set a custom curve for the fans and they'll go to max at 65c bt I should never see that during normal usage
 
with the difference in voltages i would be inclined to think they are about the same performance wise "something i have said about AIO vs HS/F for a while"
But the HS/F setup does have built in redundancy.
Id always "given the option" go for a large custom loop as the rad space available and the volume of liquid in the loop does make a difference.

After all it takes a lot more energy to heat up a bucket full of water than it would take to heat up a cup full of water.
 
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