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The widely lucrative AIO Water Coolers has become a very heated topic in 2019. Brands like Corsair, Cooler Mastre, Thermaltake, Deepcool and NZXT have shot up to the moons. The much more aesthetic option, the custom loop and the few brands on the top of this like EKWB, Corsair and their newly proclaimed 'Hydro X Series' have also shot up to the moons, with many customers deciding to go for custom loops. And whilst all of this 'fancy' tech stuff in the 21st century may be innovative and efficient, is it the right decision for you? Or, would you just prefer the much more simplistic and schematic ways of air cooling? Let's talk about some basics of water cooling first.
What is an AIO?
AIO stands for All-in-one. This is a common term when referring to water coolers, but not custom loops. AIO liquid coolers include: a radiator, fans, tubing, and a CPU block. We'll get to explaining all that in a minute. These coolers are provided by brands like Corsair, NZXT, Deepcool, Thermaltake, Coolermaster, and many more. The above listed are the leading brands.
What components are there to a custom loop?
A custom loop should consist of: Radiator(s), CPU Block, Optional - GPU Block, Optional - RAM Block, Fans, Pump/Reservoir Combo or a seperate pump and reservoir, Coolant, Soft/Hard Tubing and fittings/adapters.
What is a Radiator?
A radiator is primarily to cool the coolant in the loop. The radiator does this by absorbing the heat in its fins, which is cooled by the fans. The amount of fins that a radiator has is measured in FPI - Fins per Inch. The more FPI, the better because they will absorb more heat which keeps your system cooler.
What is a Pump/Reservoir, and what is a Pump/Reservoir Combo?
A Pump does what its name suggests - it pumps the coolant through the system. The reservoir holds extra coolant so any air bubbles in the system will be slowly replaced. A Pump and a Reservoir are usually found in a combo, where they are basically attached to each other. You can have seperate pumps and reservoirs as well.
What is Coolant?
Coolant is the 'water' that runs through your system. It is made to absorb heat, and it is cooled by the radiators.
What are CPU, GPU and RAM Blocks?
The CPU, GPU and RAM blocks take the heat from the CPU/GPU/RAM and allow the coolant to take the heat, which cools the system.
Why should I purchase an AIO?
Now that the basics are covered, let's get onto the main topic: Why should I purchase an AIO? An AIO is known to efficiently cool any system's CPU. It is equivalent to a CPU block and a radiator with tubing in the middle that is not see-through. An AIO may be worth investing in because it is consistent and quiet.
Pros
- Quiet Performance
- Consistent
- Lower Temperatures
Cons
- Expensive
- May leak which can cause components to break
Why should I not get an AIO?
The main setback to AIO coolers are that they are expensive. Usually $60 more that air coolers, the AIO cooler is very expensive. The cheap ones do not function as well as the good one due to the radiator's FPI, CPU Block quality, etc. which means that you will have to settle in on a decent Corsair, NZXT, etc. AIO cooler.
Furthermore, an AIO Cooler always has the possibility to leak. This can ruin your system components, and we all know that breaking that new 2080 Ti... or that RTX Titan wouldn't be so good...
So, why don't I just stick with Air Cooling?
Air cooling is noisy. Air cooling can be up to 50% more loud than AIO Water Coolers. Air cooling is also slightly less efficient and when compared with an AIO water cooler, gives slightly higher temperatures.
Pros
- Cheap
- A good solution to people on a budget
Cons
- Loud
- Takes up a lot of space in the case
- Compatability Issues
So, if those aren't optimal, why don't I just make a custom loop? It shoudn't be that hard, right?
The opposite. A custom loop is expensive. Expect to spend $700 USD as a minimum. It is extremely efficient, aesthetically pleasing and all that, but the whopping price tag, homework to find out what components to use, heatgun required for hard tubing, and everything else like doing something wrong can be daunting for most people.
Pros
- Extremely efficient
- Least Noise - Literally less than 20 Decibells
- Aesthetically Pleasing
- Customisable
Cons
- Expensive
- 'Homework'
- Can leak
- Lots of mistakes for first-timers
Verdict
If you are looking for a simplistic, but functional build, go for air cooling. If you don't mind a little bit of noise, and slightly higher temperatures, though your PC won't break down, go for air cooling. If you do not want to break the bank for a custom loop, but you still want efficient yet silent cooling, get an AIO Cooler. If you want to go all-out and you don't mind spending more money on cooling than your system, go ahead and go for a custom loop.
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