Deepcool Infinity LT520 vs ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 240 vs Lian Li Galahad 240

[xagonyx]

Hello! I'm currently looking for a replacement AIO for my main rig (i7-9700k) and an air cooler for my backup setup (i7-4770k). Recently, my Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240 stopped working, the pump was making rattling noises and I had to move the case around to get it to start. It's quite dissapointing that it failed after just two years, particularly because this is the first time I've experienced an AIO cooler dying before the 5-year mark. I've started the RMA process (I believe the new 6-year warranty is retroactive) but they haven't responded yet (it's been 4 days) and I can't wait two months for it to finish since I use that PC for heavy workloads.

Anyway, after checking the CPU Cooler Tier List, I found the following models available at local stores:

AIO Tier 1:

• Deepcool Infinity LT520 240 - $127.06
• Deepcool LS520 240 ARGB - $142.88

AIO Tier 2:

• Cougar Aqua 280 ARGB - $83.83
• EVGA CLC 240 RGB - $113.40
• ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 240 - $124.40
• Lian Li Galahad 240 Black ARGB - $129.71
• ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 280 - $143.86

Air Tier 2:

• DeepCool Assassin III - $119.07

Air Tier 3:

• Noctua NH-D15 chromax.Black - $155.97

I have read only positive reviews about the DeepCool LT520, so I'm considering it. However, the prices of the Cougar Aqua 280 and EVGA CLC 240 have caught my eye. Since there's a possibility of having a spare Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240, I'm interested in trying something different, like the Lian Li Galahad 240. As for my backup PC, I have heard that Noctua is releasing an update this year, so I am leaning towards the DeepCool Assassin III.


Are there any important details about these models that I should know, such as pump quality or warranty information? What would you recommend? Thank you in advance!

 

[mattyfez]

For the air cooler have a look at the thermalright peerless assassin..
It's half the price and arguably performs just as well.

 

[Brizzles]

Arctic Liquid Freezer II is the pick of the AIOs'

Wouldn't use one by Cougar or EVGA as they are just branding them. ( though EVGA make some of the best mobos and gfx cards you can get )

Lian-Li want to suck you into their world of non standard connectors and controllers and encourage you to buy their matching fans for your case ( they do make great cases though ).

Arctic have a history and track record in cooling, along with a 6 year warranty ( longer than any other AIO that i can see ) .

 

[clone]

Artic freezer all the way.

 

[Doug2507]

Artic - 280.

 

[Hostile_18]

Only problem with the Artics is they look awful, if that matters to you. In every other respect there great.

 

[clone]

They are different but as others reply on flashy gimmicks the artic out performs them in doing the job of cooling, my 420 cools the 13900ks very well and though I've built a new white build I've stuck with the artic.

 

[doyll]

What mattyfez said. Thermalright coolers are all good quality and their high wattage coolers like Peerless Assassin 120 SE (PA120SE), Phantom Spirit 120 SE (PS120SE), Frost Commander 140 (FC140), Peerless Assassin 120SE (PA120SE), Frost Spirit 120 (FS120), etc. are all 250+watts of cooling. This means they will cool as well or better than the CLCs you listed. Google will show where you can get one. Keep in mind most cooler reviews only test for 15-20 minutes, often less, thus giving CLCs inaccurate maximum CPU temperature. Air coolers saturate / stabilize in 6-10 minutes for max CPU temp, but CLCs take 20-40 minutes to saturate / stabilize coolant temp to give maximum CPU temp. A few CLCs with big rads (280 & 420mm) can match and even beat best air coolers, it's a proven fact CLCs' cooling diminishes over time .. mostly because of pump wear but also because of coolant loss. So even if your CLC is better for first 4-6 months than best air cooling, as it gets older it becomes as good, then worse than air cooling .. finally failing. For all practical purposes air coolers never wear out. Sure, fan/s will need replaced but coolers last longer than they have been oldest out ther. Several of us air cooling users have coolers from early days of heatpipe cooling still cooling systems.

 

[gbgt2]

If you want reliability then go air cooling but the Artic 280 will outperform any air cooler if max performance is more important.