AIO newbie, advice?

deviation

deviation

deviation

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Hi all,
thought I'd make an account and ask on here as it seems pretty active :)

I've never had watercooling before, so I'm very tempted to take the plunge!
Am I right in thinking that the Artic Freezer III Pro 360mm is the most efficient and quiet on the 360mm market, even beating those twice the price?

I really am after silence more than anything or as close to it as I can get, I have tried many best of the best air coolers and it simply isn't quiet enough for my liking.
I'm happy to switch out the fans if needed, but from what I've red, the AFIIIP seems to very quiet already?

The one thing I am worried about, is that I only have a pump and cpu header on my motherboard, so I do not have the VRM header, so thus would have to use the 'all in one' cable option of the 2 supplied?
I take it I cannot simply not plug the VRM header in but still have pump and cpu control independently? I'm not personally bothered by the VRM cooler and it looks like a bit of a gimmick, yes it's a bonus for free, but I would rather sacrafise it, if it means that I can control my pump and fan speeds seperately, as I am scared that I will end up having too much noise versus being able to say run the pump faster but the fans slower? Or vice versa?

Thanks :)
 
Value for money wise it can't be beat.

You'll have a spare case fan header surely? just use that if you want the VRM cooling but personally I take the fan completely off
 
Rob_B said:
Value for money wise it can't be beat.

You'll have a spare case fan header surely? just use that if you want the VRM cooling but personally I take the fan completely off
Click to expand...
Awesome, I was tempted by the NZXT Kraken 360mm non RGB with the 1.75" display not the bigger 'Pro' version - as the screen isn't really a factor to me, I just like the brand, but I've red that everyone complaints that it is very loud and seen it get destroyed temp wise by the AFIIIP!

Ahhh, brilliant, thanks mate, :cry: I didn't even think of that, yes I'll be removing my 2 existing 140mm intakes for the 360mm setup to live up front, as my roof only supports 240mm AIO's!
So I'm guessing it isn't some 'clever' header that is specific to the VRM cooling, i.e. only works on that header to function etc? So it's literally just a fan controller input then? Just like you'd use for any case fan, if so awesome that's me sorted!

Thank you so much if so, that's made my day, I'm glad I asked now!
 
Any of thermalrights numerous aio
May beat it for value
Though the artic does have the advantage of
A thicker radiator (38mm instead of the usual 28--30mm)

Though that extra 8--10mm can cause installation problems
If its front mounted and you have a very long gpu
For one example
Used it in the front on my stepsons latest build
And had to remove the middle fan
And replace it with a 15mm thick fan instead
Because of gpu length
The artic is definitely good Though
But as with current air coolers it's still hard not to
Recommend a thermalright based on price and performance

Just because they are cheaper doesn't mean they have
Sacrificed performance and quality
It's simply because they own their own factories and tooling
So it cuts out the cost of outsourcing to other companies
 
I have used a AF III 420mm for a few years, very good value and impressive results.
However, I do not like that is using on an Intel 1700 / 1851 board you need to remove the socket retention bracket and fit their own.

On my latest build I have just bought a Corsair Nautilus 360mm.
Very good AIO, easy to fit and no changing the bracket.
In the few reviews I watched it seemed to be as good or better than the AF III I have.
You do need to fit the fans to the raditor.
IIRC the radiator is thinner than the AF.
 
Mcnumpty2323 said:
Any of thermalrights numerous aio
May beat it for value
Though the artic does have the advantage of
A thicker radiator (38mm instead of the usual 28--30mm)

Though that extra 8--10mm can cause installation problems
If its front mounted and you have a very long gpu
For one example
Used it in the front on my stepsons latest build
And had to remove the middle fan
And replace it with a 15mm thick fan instead
Because of gpu length
The artic is definitely good Though
But as with current air coolers it's still hard not to
Recommend a thermalright based on price and performance

Just because they are cheaper doesn't mean they have
Sacrificed performance and quality
It's simply because they own their own factories and tooling
So it cuts out the cost of outsourcing to other companies
Click to expand...
To be honest, the price isn't really a factor for me, it was more the 6 year warranty I really wanted, and the fact it beats what I was going to buy, at twice the price, the NZXT Kraken 360mm non Pro at both temperatures and noise.
Then seeing that beat pretty much every AIO at doing that bar a 420mm, which would be Arctic's own :cry: which was a nice bonus for a AIO half the price of what I nearly bought haha!

Yeah I've measured up my case clearances and luckily the thicker rad will squeeze in I'm 99% sure ;) It will be tight though, ha!

I have a Phantom Spirit 120SE currently, it seems to preform best when the 2 140mm front intakes are going 75-100% and the HSF around 75%, at that point it's not fun to have infront of you, I hate the idea of 'having' to wear headphones to game, I'd much rather enjoy my speakers in peace :cry:
That is honestly the only reason I'm whiling to jump on the AIO train mate :)
 
Vimes said:
I have used a AF III 420mm for a few years, very good value and impressive results.
However, I do not like that is using on an Intel 1700 / 1851 board you need to remove the socket retention bracket and fit their own.

On my latest build I have just bought a Corsair Nautilus 360mm.
Very good AIO, easy to fit and no changing the bracket.
In the few reviews I watched it seemed to be as good or better than the AF III I have.
You do need to fit the fans to the raditor.
IIRC the radiator is thinner than the AF.
Click to expand...
Nice, yeah I saw people in the reviews not having fun with the AFIIIP when mounting to AMD as well :( I suppose, 'once it's on there, it's on there' though, so I will just have to bite my lip until it behaves :cry:
I would definitely have gone for the 420mm if I had the case real estate, as why wouldn't you :)
 
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