The act of switching from air to liquid cooling represents a personal milestone in one s computer building life.
Liquid vs air cooling computer.
The cheapest aio liquid cooling setups can cost as much as the best air coolers on the market.
The pros and cons of liquid cooling a cpu.
Ekwaterblocks a water cooled pc.
However liquid cooling a pc can also be dangerous if water leaks onto hardware.
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.
So back to the original debate.
This one is a wee bit complicated.
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.
Liquid cooling also makes your pc run quieter because you won t have fans constantly running at a high rpm.
If price is your concern in this battle then water cooling vs air cooling isn t even a competition.
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.
Air cooling wins in pretty much every way here.
Air cooling always wins.
While the idea of placing liquid anywhere near your computer sounds a bit counterproductive at first water cooling is actually much more efficient than air.
Five things to consider before you choose.
The answer depends on how you use your computer and the performance and workloads you expect to encounter.
You young pc padawan are now a desktop jedi.
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.
Liquid cooling is the best way to cool a cpu because water transfers heat much more efficiently than air.
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.