*** AMD "Zen" thread (inc AM4/APU discussion) ***

[David Bisset]

small AIOs get beaten on temps & noise vs. equivalent cost air coolers. Big AIOs cost more, take more space and are only marginally better than big air coolers.

The case where I would argue for them is in a case that gets taken to LANs where you don't want a heavy cooler hanging from a mobo and getting moved around.

I personally favour air as it's got less things to go wrong (one or two fans, easily replaceable and can go totally silent) vs having a pump that must always run, seals that can go and still having the same fans. Full custom water or big AIOs kinda have a point as at least they are good for temps/noise but it's too much money for the gains for me personally.

 

[Mauller]

AIO isnt that good.
more moving parts, more risk for failure.
sis kid bought an aircooler as I told him, its the better option.
dropped the temp with 30c and could OC to 4ghz and have a better computer.

How does an AIO have more moving parts? you have the pump and 1 fan which just replaces a case fan in the position the radiator would go.

 

[DragonQ]

AIOs are still like double the cost of air coolers though, right? I don't see a need to replace mine, which was £50 I think 8 years ago. Also, heat hasn't really been the limiting factor to overclocking since CPUs got down to 32 nm processes. Well, maybe with crappy TIM heatspreaders, I have no experience with that.

 

[humbug]

I can run Handbreak all day long @ 4.7Ghz at sub 75c with very little fan noise with a nicely compact 120mm AIO.

When gaming my GPU remains quiet at around 60c with a 30% overclock because the air being pulled in by a 200m fan at the front can pass over it and up out the top of my case because its not obstructed by a huge lump in the middle of my case.

 

[~>Dg<~]

the top end air coolers are close to 60-70 quid.

you can get decent aio coolers for that . they also are generally cooler also.

my antec has a 5 year warranty.for £60.no air cooler can match temp wise.

 

[Harlequin]

^^ and weigh 1 kg or more!

 

[edscdk]

How does an AIO have more moving parts? you have the pump and 1 fan which just replaces a case fan in the position the radiator would go.

the pump has moving parts? or are you using a gravity fed system with the cold water tap left on 24/7?

 

[mmj_uk]

How does an AIO have more moving parts? you have the pump and 1 fan which just replaces a case fan in the position the radiator would go.

His point is the cooling unit itself. With an AIO you have a fan, fluid and pump which could all be points of failure somewhere down the line and you'd need to buy a whole new unit or mess around with RMA. With a heatsink you have one or two fans which can be easily replaced, although reliability of fans is generally not a problem.

Rather than going the AIO route I'd sooner just buy a 120mm rad and do it all custom personally, you can better maintain it and buy replacement parts should any issue arise.

 

[AllBodies]

small AIOs get beaten on temps & noise vs. equivalent cost air coolers. Big AIOs cost more, take more space and are only marginally better than big air coolers.

The case where I would argue for them is in a case that gets taken to LANs where you don't want a heavy cooler hanging from a mobo and getting moved around.

I personally favour air as it's got less things to go wrong (one or two fans, easily replaceable and can go totally silent) vs having a pump that must always run, seals that can go and still having the same fans. Full custom water or big AIOs kinda have a point as at least they are good for temps/noise but it's too much money for the gains for me personally.

This.

For me big air coolers trump AIO water.

Big airs are quieter and have essentially nothing to go wrong. Also you could run the PC at idle clocks to surf the net and order new fans if the fans broke. Shouldn't turn on an AIO cooled PC if the pump/fans break.


Also have you seen reviews of the Alpenfohn Olymp? (this https://www.overclockers.co.uk/alpe...h-performance-cpu-cooler-140mm-hs-054-al.html )

It's quieter and cooler than the Noctua NH-D15, which itself was beating most AIO's.

 

[Harlequin]

I no longer like the idea of a 1.2KG lump of metal hanging off my motherboard anymore....

 

[jigger]

The question isn't what offers the best performance it's what offer the best performance at what cost and sound level.

A closed loop water cooler with the right fans will out perform just about any heat sink and fan combo across a wider range of heat loads. Usually at lower fan speeds too.

 

[ubersonic]

Anyone got any thoughts on AIO's for the Zen CPU's? obviously we have not been told yet which will or wont provide adapters / brackets etc for them as yet

As they are pretty much all rebranded Asetek, CoolIT, etc units with other peoples names stamped on them I would guess pretty much all of them.

Even today you can get socket 754/939/775 brackets for your brand new Corsair H105.

A closed loop water cooler with the right fans will out perform just about any heat sink and fan combo across a wider range of heat loads.

I paid £76.99 for my Noctua D-15 in my air cooled rig. You cannot get an AIO for that price that matches performance/noise levels (not including refurbs or specials obviously).

 

[jigger]

As they are pretty much all rebranded Asetek, CoolIT, etc units with other peoples names stamped on them I would guess pretty much all of them.

Even today you can get socket 754/939/775 brackets for your brand new Corsair H105.



I paid £76.99 for my Noctua D-15 in my air cooled rig. You cannot get an AIO for that price that matches performance/noise levels (not including refurbs or specials obviously).

Any el cheapo all in one with a pair of high RPM fans will cool better.

 

[xs2man]

For me it'll be about performance vs price. And for that, the air cooler will do the job grand.

As Relentless said, I'll probably see what like the stock cooler is for a while first, then possibly upgrade. I have a H60 AIO in my current rig, and it's ok. But I'm sure, for the money I spent, I would have had a lot more performance out of an air cooler. And the pump noise is beginning to grind my gears.

 

[DragonQ]

Any el cheapo all in one with a pair of high RPM fans will cool better.

How much better? I'd take an extra couple of degrees of heat for silence.

 

[ubersonic]

Any el cheapo all in one with a pair of high RPM fans will cool better.

So will a stock HS/fan if you take the side off the case and point an industrial extractor fan at it. That's why I specifically said "performance/noise levels".

 

[jigger]

Depends on the heat load and the rest of the cooling. I've got a 120.1 loop with a single 180mm silverstone fan and it's a very good combo. Offers great cooling and very low sound.

 

[jigger]

So will a stock HS/fan if you take the side off the case and point an industrial extractor fan at it. That's why I specifically said "performance/noise levels".

Possibly read my full post instead. In short water>air/end

 

[SiDeards73]

Well having owned an Antec 920 that leaked but luckily did not cause any damage, was replaced by Antec with a 950, which i am currently using, ive had positive experiences with AIO's.

I also run a Phantek cooler for a while with 3 fans, it was very quiet and efficient, but i just did not like the look of it hanging there, seems a huge weight to be putting on the motherboard in my Enthoo Primo case, so i went back to AIO.

Only thing putting me off that EK is the reported issues with leaks, so i will probably end up with a 280mm Kraken in its place.

AIO look better in the case, they look cleaner and neater, im a sucker for the nice customizable coloured glow you can have on many of them too as my case has a window on the side etc.

 

[jigger]

With Intel chips I've found you hit a wall and lowering temps makes very difference. If Zen responds to cooling it might be worth spending a little money and time looking at cooling.