What follows are my remarks to an inquiry from a youtube post evaluating a Cooler Master Air Maker 8 Air Cooler. The inquiry posited by the Evaluator asks the viewers general questions about Computer Cooling Systems. Question like what type of Cooling System do you prefer and which you will be using on your next build. Along with what did you think of my video. Here are my responses.
My next build is coming in the next 6 months. I have already decided on the Ryzen 1700. As to a Cooler I'm in the processing of evaluating. Regarding the type definitely an Air Cooler. My criteria for evaluation is 1) Performance 2) Durability 3) Maintainability . The last two criteria receive little or no treatment in most product reviews. Topics that should be covered is the construction and type of bearings used in the fan. This makes a big difference in the life time of the fan. I have seen manufacturer lifetime ratings range from 20,000 hours on some of the cheaper brands to 200,000 hours on fans manufactured by the high end manufacturers like Noctua and Be Quiet. If you use your computer for 18 hours per day for 364 days a year that comes out to 6600 hours per year. The afore mentioned numbers translate to 3 years of service before replacement to 60 years. To my way of think 40,000 hours between failures is the minimum I will accept if I am spending 50 dollars or less on a cooler. 40,000 hours is 6 years of use between failures. Above 80 Dollars I would expect 80,000 hours between failures. That's 12 Years of use. Above 100 Dollars I would expect 100,000 hours or better. That 15 years of use. Air Cooler fans should be easy to remove to allow access for Radiator Cleaning. Cooler Master had a good idea with the Quick Release Mechanism for the fans on the Maker 8. Too bad they didn't implement it correctly. Water Cooled Systems are impractical. They are not user maintainable. If they fail you wind up sending them back to the manufacturer to be repaired while your computer remains out of service. With an Air Cooled System you blow the dust out of them once a year as routine maintenance. If a fan conks out you can run down to your local Computer Store or Electronic Supply House to pick up a replacement. Even if you can't find a satisfactory fit you can find something close enough to keep you going while your replacement is shipped to you
The Vapor Phase cooling is another interesting idea that Cooler Master did not follow through on. The overall performance of the cooler is pedestrian. It appears CM has elected to gussy up the appearance of the Cooler with LEDs and Plastic skirts rather than make the cooler do what it is supposed to do cool the CPU. Have you ever noticed the one thing held in common by all of the brands of cooler manufacturers with elite reputations is the lack of frills and fluff ? I'm talking about the Noctua(s), the Silverstone Tek(s), the Scythe(s), the Phanteks, and the Be Quiet(s). There isn't an LED to be found on any of them much less extraneous plastic.
It's time to get down to basics. The computer industry business model was based consumers outgrowing and replacing their machines every 4 to 7 years. Technology has accelerated way ahead of personal need over the last 10 or so years. People now have a reasonable expectation of building up the last computer they will ever need. But we need a smart consumer base and core cadre of equipment evaluators to get the word out on who is pushing the bleeding edge and who is peddling useless trinkets. BTW I am very impressed with the quality of many Cool Master Cases, but little else of what they sell.