Five things to consider before you choose.
Liquid vs air cooling computer.
If price is your concern in this battle then water cooling vs air cooling isn t even a competition.
By matt safford 18 september 2020 here are the best cpu cooler solutions air and liquid aio for a range of systems from small form factor builds to overclocked big rigs.
The act of switching from air to liquid cooling represents a personal milestone in one s computer building life.
The cheapest aio liquid cooling setups can cost as much as the best air coolers on the market.
You young pc padawan are now a desktop jedi.
Before we even get into the pros and cons of both liquid cpu coolers and air cpu coolers first we need to discuss some factors you ll need to consider before you can determine which style cooler is right for you.
In comparison to air liquid cooling is 2 10 times more effective in transporting heat away from a source to a secondary cooling surface where the ratio depends on the way it is utilized.
Liquid cooling vs air cooling.
Air cooling wins in pretty much every way here.
This one is a wee bit complicated.
Water transfers heat more effectively because of its high thermal conductivity which means the water works to diffuse heat from various components in your gaming computer build.
Ekwaterblocks a water cooled pc.
Liquid cooling is the best way to cool a cpu because water transfers heat much more efficiently than air.
An ideal coolant has a high thermal capacity low viscosity and low cost and should be non toxic and chemically inert not causing corrosion in the cooling.
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.
Liquid cooling vs air cooling.
So back to the original debate.
Air cooling always wins.
The pros and cons of liquid cooling a cpu.
Liquid cooling also makes your pc run quieter because you won t have fans constantly running at a high rpm.