Liquid cooling will run you about 20º cooler, quieter, keep you running full speed for longer, and not block your RAM slots. Therefore I recommend.... air cooling! Liquid cooling does not run 20deg cooler. As heat dissipation is relative to surface area, watercooling with a rad about the same size as an air cooler with perform about the same as well. Water cooling does not defy the laws of thermodynamics. Water cooling is not quieter, you're literally using the same 120mm/140mm fans to dissipate heat through a heatsink, and you're also adding a pump which is not silent. You get "quieter" by oversizing the cooler, whether it's water or air cooler. By increasing surface area, you can decrease the fan speeds while maintaining same amount of dissipation. You should run at full speed for equally long. This only wouldn't happen if you were thermal throttling for some reason, and at that point the issue is an undersized cooler, not air vs water. Water does take longer to reach equilibrium due to higher specific heat and density, but that's it. The fitment issues is about the only thing correct in that statement. Air is generally recommended here as this is a help forum, where most of our advice is getting you the most out of your money (best value). This doesn't mean going with water cooling is wrong by any means, people can justify their builds however they want. We aren't going to talk you out of anything, we exist to give our opinions, advise, and provide information. Answer from -UserRemoved- on reddit.com
Reddit
reddit.com › r/buildapc › first pc build, why is liquid cooling not worth it? someone talk me out of it.
r/buildapc on Reddit: First PC Build, why is liquid cooling not worth it? Someone talk me out of it.
December 7, 2020 -
If I were to sum up what I've read online about air -vs- liquid cooling, it goes something like this:
"Liquid cooling will run you about 20º cooler, quieter, keep you running full speed for longer, and not block your RAM slots. Therefore I recommend.... air cooling!"
Huh!?
The closest thing on here I found in the FAQ is the liquid -vs- air guide in the sidebar, but that is TEN YEARS old and the arguments mostly consist of "If you build it yourself as a newb, it will leak". This seems to be before AIO coolers were a thing.
So, why does everybody recommend air cooling? It seems like it'll just block a RAM slot and be loud just to save me $20. Am I missing something?
People usually say you don't need liquid unless you're going to be running it hot for a long time, but it seems to me like gaming and rendering are both going to do that...
Related:
If we decide liquid cooling is the way to go, does it then make sense to purchase this hybrid liquid cooled EVGA 3080? https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=10G-P5-3898-KR
Intended use:
Building a Valve Index PC (in USA). Budget roughly $2k. Going to pair zen 3 Ryzen 7 or 9 with a RTX 3080. Will be used for gaming and Houdini/3D renders. Being a PC build newb I don't intend to overclock beyond what's here.
Rough draft build (open to any other suggestions here): https://pcpartpicker.com/list/spN6qp
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Liquid cooling will run you about 20º cooler, quieter, keep you running full speed for longer, and not block your RAM slots. Therefore I recommend.... air cooling! Liquid cooling does not run 20deg cooler. As heat dissipation is relative to surface area, watercooling with a rad about the same size as an air cooler with perform about the same as well. Water cooling does not defy the laws of thermodynamics. Water cooling is not quieter, you're literally using the same 120mm/140mm fans to dissipate heat through a heatsink, and you're also adding a pump which is not silent. You get "quieter" by oversizing the cooler, whether it's water or air cooler. By increasing surface area, you can decrease the fan speeds while maintaining same amount of dissipation. You should run at full speed for equally long. This only wouldn't happen if you were thermal throttling for some reason, and at that point the issue is an undersized cooler, not air vs water. Water does take longer to reach equilibrium due to higher specific heat and density, but that's it. The fitment issues is about the only thing correct in that statement. Air is generally recommended here as this is a help forum, where most of our advice is getting you the most out of your money (best value). This doesn't mean going with water cooling is wrong by any means, people can justify their builds however they want. We aren't going to talk you out of anything, we exist to give our opinions, advise, and provide information.
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Air cooling: + Cheaper + More robust + At lower (<80$) prices beats liquid cooling + Safer in short and especially long-term (no liquid, less parts to break) + Is compatible with more cases overall - Has a limit of how cool can you get (NH-D15 being kinda the flagship of air cooling) - Heats up faster than liquid (with liquid cooling it will take some time before the parts start to actually heat up) - RAM generally less compatible - Dissipates heat to the case, meaning you gotta have good case ventilation to blow that air out Liquid cooling: + Takes longer to actually heat up + Has an extremely large range of cooling (R3 to 3990X, 30$ to 5000$) + Often quieter + Directs hot air straight to outside of the case, allowing other parts to stay cooler - Costs quite a bit more to get to similar performance levels (even then many 160$ AIOs don't match NH-D15) and can cost ridiculously much at higher levels (custom loops) - More prone to failure and damaging other parts (due to them having liquid inside and has moving parts like pumps) - Less compatible with cases overall (360mm radiators and up take a lot of space, some cases don't even support 240mm) Probably missed many points, but those are some of the ones that popped to my mind. I prefer aircooling as it's less hassle, great performance for the money and is practically impossible to break. But watercooling is almost always preferred when using a high-end, and by that I mean like 5950X + 3090 and more, so custom loop stuff.
How much better is liquid cooling compared to fans and is it worth the risk? Jan 5, 2025
r/pcmasterrace last yr.
PrimoChill
primochill.com
PrimoChill Home of Premium Computer Water Cooling – PrimoChill - KEEPING IT COOL
This is the home of Primochill.com. We are a Premium Computer Water Cooling company. Our selection includes Coolants, Tubing, Fittings and Water Blocks
Is their a secret liquid that's better than water?
Oh boy my friend, let me introduce you to two phase flow . Imagine, all the extra energy it takes to boil water over just heating up the water to boiling, but in cooling your PC. Coolant boils over CPU block, removing quite a lot of heat, more than just flowing water. Obviously, you can't use water, because the boiling point is too high, but there are fluids out there designed for cooling in the range a CPU might run at. Of course, these are all industrial coolants, and come with a whole host of downsides, the biggest usually being cost, but other things like corrosiveness, hazardous waste disposal, ozone depleting, environmental damage, and so on. Its starting to be a thing in datacenters as better, less hazardous coolants are developed, and at some point, it will be available for consumer market. Of course, even with the best possible cooling system, you still have all the thermal resistance between the transistors and the top of the heatspreader, as well as the move to super power dense chips, which all adds up to virtually uncoolable CPUs. More on reddit.com
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September 6, 2023Could someone explain exactly how liquid cooling works?
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/liquid-cooled-pc.htm More on reddit.com
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August 5, 2011Is liquid coolant a necessary part of a PC?
Liquid coolers are not necessary. But CPU needs a cooler specific to it regardless if you have zero or 10 fans in the case. More on reddit.com
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May 14, 2024Is water cooling worth it
It's a money sink. More on reddit.com
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January 6, 202401:16
Water Cooling Explained for PC Building Rookies - YouTube
19:14
Water Cooling a Desktop PC - YouTube
14:51
I Built a Liquid-Cooled Monster in This Strange PC Case - SSUPD ...
04:47
PC Cooling Submerged in 3M LIQUID? - YouTube
09:51
Every PC Cooling System Explained Simply! - YouTube
17:54
Liquid Cooling Systems - CompTIA A+ 220-1101 – 2.14 - YouTube
EKWB
ekwb.com › shop › kits
PC Custom Water Cooling Kits – EK Webshop
EK custom water cooling kits are a perfect solution for those who are entering into a world of high-efficiency PC cooling and also for those who would like a fast solution.
Titan Rig
titanrig.com › home › water cooling › coolants & additives
PC Liquid Cooling Coolants and Additives for PC Water Cooling
PC Liquid Cooling Coolants and Additives for PC Water Cooling are available at TITAN RIG from all the top brands
CORSAIR
corsair.com › home › hydro x series custom cooling
PC Custom Cooling | PC Liquid Cooling | CORSAIR
A custom cooling loop moves heat away from a PC’s central components to radiators positioned where airflow can cool it more effectively. Coolant is pumped through water blocks attached to parts like the CPU and GPU, where it absorbs heat. It then flows to one or more radiators, where fans disperse that heat, allowing the cooled liquid to circulate back through the system.
Thermaltake
thermaltakeusa.com › collections › custom-liquid-cooling
Custom Liquid Cooling – Thermaltake USA
Thermaltake is a Taiwanese manufacturer of PC case designs, power supplies, cooling devices and peripherals
Micro Center
microcenter.com › home › air and water cooling - current
CPU Coolers: Air and Water Cooling Kits | Micro Center
Liquid cooling is an excellent option for those who want to push their PC performance to the limit. In all-in-one liquid cooling systems (known as AIO coolers), an enclosed water block on top of the CPU absorbs heat from the processor.
Published June 22, 2026
Koolance
koolance.com › cooling-systems-computer-desktop-pc
Ambient Liquid Cooling Systems for Computers - Koolance
Home • Cooling Systems • PC Computer Cooling · These are liquid cooling systems specifically designed to handle personal computers. They are pre-programmed to control temperature based on a standard range, and accept an ATX power supply input. For adjustable temperature set points or higher ...
Crucial
crucial.com › articles › pc-builders › water-cooling-vs-air-cooling
What is PC water cooling and how does it work?
Tubing: Attached to the block, pump, radiator and components to transport the liquid · Coolant: Circulates through the system to dissipate heat and specifically formulated to cool, inhibit corrosion, prevent microbial growth, and improve thermal conductivity · Water dyes: Adds color to your coolant and beautify your PC build
Asetek
asetek.com › home › liquid cooling › asetek technology › how liquid cooling works
How Does Liquid Cooling Work? - Asetek
July 22, 2024 - Liquid cooling is a system used to lower the temperature of a computer or other electronic device by circulating a coolant through its internal components. The coolant, which is usually water or a water-based solution, absorbs heat from the ...
Newegg
newegg.com › home › components & storage › fans & pc cooling › water / liquid cooling
Water Liquid Cooling (AIO) | Newegg.com
June 22, 2026 - Upgrade your computer’s cooling system with Newegg advanced water liquid cooling devices (AIO) and cooling fans. They offer protection against overheating components and maintain optimal performance. Our AIO providing unmatched reliability for your LGA 1700 and AM5 Ryzen 9000 processors and ...
Amazon
amazon.com › Best-Sellers-Water-Cooling-Systems › zgbs › pc › 3015422011
Amazon Best Sellers: Best Water Cooling Systems
Thermalright Aqua Elite 120 V3 Liquid CPU Cooler, 120 Cooling Row Size, 120mm PWM Fans, S-FDB Bearings,for AMD/AM4/AM5, Intell LGA1150/1151/1155/1156/1200/1700/1851,Desktop CPU Cooler 120mm AIO ... Thermalright Peerless Vision 360 ARGB Black CPU Aio Cooler,PC 360 Specification Water Cooler ...
Intel
intel.com › gaming › how to build a gaming pc › cpu cooler: liquid cooling vs air cooling
CPU Cooler: Liquid Cooling Vs. Air Cooling - Intel
June 22, 2026 - If you want almost silent operation, the most efficient cooling, and don’t mind a potentially higher price tag, liquid cooling will fit the bill. If you’re looking for a solution with more entry-level pricing and simple installation at the potential expense of peak performance or acoustics, air cooling is an easy recommendation. Consider how you use your PC, and how you plan to use it in the future when making your choice.
Best Buy
bestbuy.com › best buy › computers & tablets › computer cards & components › fans, heatsinks & cooling › water cooling
Liquid Cooling System Computers - Best Buy
See all Water Cooling ... A powerful black gaming desktop featuring AMD Ryzen 9, 32GB RAM, RTX 5070, and 2TB SSD. See all Gaming Desktops ... A high-performance black and red liquid CPU cooler with triple 120mm ARGB fans and wide compatibility.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/watercooling › is their a secret liquid that's better than water?
r/watercooling on Reddit: Is their a secret liquid that's better than water?
September 6, 2023 -
I have a pre-built with a 240 aio and it's pretty good but I want to push more watts and keep the i91300kf under 100°
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I prefer Pepsi or Whiskey. Oh wait, you ment "in" the loop. Distilled water is the best, if you go with a glycol based coolant you will get mixed metal protection and is generally a good thing. If you are using PETG tubing, then you'll want to watch the concentrations, provided you are mixing the fluid yourself. Pre-mixes are just fine, been running the C1000 in my loop going on 5 years now without an issue or coolant swap. IF, you want to get really crazy you can hook up a chiller to your loop instead of a radiator. For that setup you will want to use something like 100 proof vodka, it is cheap and will allow you to get your loop down below zero. Since a chilled loop is typically only done for benchmarking runs you can set the Vodka loop up for drink mixing after your record breaking runs to celebrate. (provided all age appropriate laws are followed ;) ) I did a video about it on my YT channel, I felt it was pretty good though seems to have gotten lost in the YT algorithm based on the view count, Lemme know if you wanna check it out.
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Oh boy my friend, let me introduce you to two phase flow . Imagine, all the extra energy it takes to boil water over just heating up the water to boiling, but in cooling your PC. Coolant boils over CPU block, removing quite a lot of heat, more than just flowing water. Obviously, you can't use water, because the boiling point is too high, but there are fluids out there designed for cooling in the range a CPU might run at. Of course, these are all industrial coolants, and come with a whole host of downsides, the biggest usually being cost, but other things like corrosiveness, hazardous waste disposal, ozone depleting, environmental damage, and so on. Its starting to be a thing in datacenters as better, less hazardous coolants are developed, and at some point, it will be available for consumer market. Of course, even with the best possible cooling system, you still have all the thermal resistance between the transistors and the top of the heatspreader, as well as the move to super power dense chips, which all adds up to virtually uncoolable CPUs.
Amazon
amazon.com › Water-Cooling-Liquid › s
Amazon.com: Water Cooling Liquid
Explore a wide range of PC water cooling liquids. Discover pre-mixed solutions and concentrates engineered for maximum heat transfer and system longevity.
CyberPowerPC
cyberpowerpc.com › hyper liquid ii - water cooled gaming pc | cyberpowerpc
Hyper Liquid II - Water Cooled Gaming PC | CyberPowerPC
With HyperLiquid you have your choice of the best cpu cooling options, that will keep your pc cooler. Both CPU cooling and GPU cooling options are available, choose from the best cpu coolers available. You also can customize which water cooler fans you would like in your build. HyperLiquid II is the perfect option for gamers seeking the best liquid cooling available in custom gaming pcs.
YouTube
youtube.com › mr matt lee
Air Vs Liquid Cooling: Which is Best For YOUR PC? CPU Coolers Explained. - YouTube
#gamingpc #pcbuild #howto - PC Cooling isn't the most exciting of topics, but realistically, there's a lot to learn and know. It's time to revisit the age ol...
Published November 11, 2024 Views 121K
ModMyMods
modmymods.com › liquid › colored-liquid.html
Colored Liquid - Liquid ModMyMods.com - PC Watercooling Parts and Accessories
Colored Liquid is great for PC water cooling. We carry Colored Liquid from Alphacool, Aquacomputer, Mayhems and Phobya. 1 and 5 liter sizes are available.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/buildapc › could someone explain exactly how liquid cooling works?
r/buildapc on Reddit: Could someone explain exactly how liquid cooling works?
August 5, 2011 -
Is it like a tube filled with cold water that physically touches components in the PC? I have no idea.
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==If you get why your computer is hot, skip this part== When electricity moves through a wire, there is a level of inefficiency. This means not all the electrical energy that was at the beginning of the wire will be making it to the end. Some of this energy will be released as heat. Any part of your computer that uses electricity will be generating heat. The more watts it uses, the more likely it will be releasing heat. Your power supply, which brings power from the wall to the computer, (hopefully) is listed 80 bronze or something similar, which means that the power supply is always using at least 80% of the watts moving through it (for power, etc) meaning it only releases twenty percent or less of the energy it uses as heat. How does it become more efficient? Materials and design play a big role. Different materials will absorb and conduct heat at different rates. Some pick up heat easily and hold on to it for a long time, some materials don't like to pick up heat but release it quickly, and everywhere in between. So, you've got a processor, and it is hot. The processors will be getting really hot because of the clock speed - they are going from having lots of electricity flowing through to nothing and then back again many times each second. ============ Typically, processors come with some form of stock cooling. This will be the heatsink you are familiar with, where there's a bit of thermal paste between the top of the processor and the included cooling "sink". Heatsinks are made of materials that are very heat conductive, so they pick up heat easily (such as from next to the processor) and conduct it to the cooler parts of itself (like the ends of the fins). Many heatsinks will use a different material for the part where it is directly touching the thermal paste, such as copper. This material absorbs heat even better, and conducts it around (moves the heat from the copper part near the processor to the attached, less-warm copper parts), but doesn't hold as much heat. These copper parts are usually heatpipes. They are like the highway heat must travel on, you can move really fast but you can't exactly leave whenever you want to. That's where the "blades" come in, or the part that looks like the back of your air conditioner. These (typically aluminum) fins conduct and release heat very well, not as well as copper, but they can hold more heat. In more difficult engineer jargon, Copper has a better thermal conductivity, but a lower thermal mass than aluminum. This heat leaves the aluminum through conduction. Air that is near the aluminum will absorb a bit of heat. Air is not dense at all, and is a horrible conductor. Only very small bits of heat leave with each atom of air. By adding a fan, we can up the mass flow rate, or how much air is moving by the fins. More air by the fins, more heat conducted away. WHAT MAKES LIQUID COOLING DIFFERENT All this heat conducting we've been talking about has been taking place inside your case. The air that is absorbing heat from your processor might have just absorbed some heat from your RAM, or your hard disks or anything else! That pre-heated air can't hold as much heat and won't do as good a job. Sadly, it wouldn't be very easy to set up copper pipes that ran from inside the case to outside the case as cases come in many flavors and styles. What would fit in my computer might not fit in yours and vice versa. There are fans on the case itself, to pump cool air in and hot air out. Easy. Less hot, stale air and more fresh, cool air, more heat that can be removed. When liquid cooling, you typically have a heatsink like the one that came on your processor on the edges of the case (such as inside top), outside the case but still "attached" (outside top), or potentially even relatively far away (in your basement). This heatsink might be aluminum fins and a fan, or it could dwarf your stock cooler and be a whole bank of aluminum fins with three or more fans. Since the heatsink for watercooling doesn't need to be inside the case, not only can there be a lot more surface area to release the heat, but that heat isn't put back into the case at all. So the case will be cooler this way, before we even get to the liquid. The "water" in watercooling is not necessarily "water" or "cold". What is important is that whatever fluid you are using (air is a fluid too!) has a higher thermal conductivity and higher specific heat than air. More atoms (liquids are denser than air) can hold more heat. It is going to be hard to beat the thermal conductivity of, say, copper with a liquid, but easy to beat air. There is still a copper (or some other metal) "block" in liquid cooling, so in the longest way possible to answer your question, the liquid does not touch any of the computer parts directly. The liquid flows through the block, picks up heat, and is pumped away. Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions
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http://computer.howstuffworks.com/liquid-cooled-pc.htm