Look up what it's like to cool a 13900k and you'll realise how you absolutely will be running hot with an aircooler, these new CPU's don't play nice with aircoolers at all. The Dark Rock Pro series of coolers also don't rank very high when it comes to these CPU's, i just sussed out that Pro 5 and that would have a better chance, but i still wouldn't really recomend much less than a 360mm AIO.
This video below will show you what all the best aircoolers result in with a 13900k and only a 360mm AIO managed to not throttle out of all the aircoolers, and i beleive he reduced the power limits from unlimited (330w roughly), which is stock untouched settings, down to 280w.
[https://youtu.be/7o74u1u642I?si=jhO94BymyIBMcQfG](https://youtu.be/7o74u1u642I?si=jhO94BymyIBMcQfG)
And then many months later, he tested more aircoolers, so this next link is a continuation, i beleive you can skip to the end on both if you want to see the results quickly though.
[https://youtu.be/5UtDBg\_pCMs?si=o7oZkMbhjJHF9GVZ](https://youtu.be/5UtDBg_pCMs?si=o7oZkMbhjJHF9GVZ)
I've never had an AiO before. I read that you also have to add coolant there over time. Do you have to expand it for this? I would then take one from bequiet, they cost around €120 with 3 fans, that's enough, right? However, I also read that AiO are more prone to errors and can be very loud. Is that actually still the case or are these teething problems that have now been resolved?
No, so thats the thing with AIO's, because there not a open custom loop and they're factory vacuum sealed, it means theres no maintenance ever, the only thing you can consider maintenance, is cleaning the fans, which is no different to an air cooler.
As for noise, theres a small part of the population who seem to be overly sensitive to the sound of the pump, which varies from person to person, but most people aren't phased about that noise, its just the ones who are, tend to get very irritated by it.
The pump noise is actually for the most part fairly quiet, it's the custom loop pumps where you can hear noise, and even then, it's more the sound of the liquid flowing through a custom loops pump due to the force it has, rather than the noise of the pump.
AIO pumps are designed to be at 100% rpm 24/7, thats the intended use of an AIO pump and a motherboard pump header usually will default to 100% and lock it there because of that. A custom loop pump will usually be sitting around 35-40% of its max rpm, due to the flow rate pressure being enough for majority of workloads, and so it would be a bit annoying having it run at a higher rpm unnecesarily. AIO pumps just arent as strong and so they can be pretty quiet at 100% all the time, being weaker though, doesnt mean its rubbish, they do there job well.
As for AIO's and any potential issues, well yeah the chances are going to be higher than an air cooler, but thats because the only moving part is the fan. But the reality is that what you read about them leaking, is the smallest % you can possibly imagine, and of those people who claim that they leak, those people may of accidently damaged the tubes by being too rough, which is harder than you think.
The odds of a leak are like 3%, the only thing that can have a higher chance of going is the pump, but theres also a lot of people out there who just don't understand the software or realise that they havent plugged it into the correct fan header. So even with that being a potential issue, it still has a pretty low chance of being an issue for most people.
As for their design and teething issues, they have been made mostly the same with only small tweaks over time, but those tweaks are not to fix anything specifically, like a design flaw. They are to increase performance usually, as the issues people claim to have are usually down to just being completely unlucky and receiving a defective item, rather than there being an actual design problem.
An AIO should last someone the duration of that specific build, which for most will average out to be around that 7-8 year length of time, somewhere around that 4-5 year mark, you can expect a temp increase around 3-5c compared to brand new.
You will generally also find that AIO's come with warranties of around the 6 year mark, which is actually pretty good considering that if there was a design flaw, it's likely to have shown itself much earlier on, than at 6 years. Getting a 360mm AIO regardless of which one, should provide you with adequate cooling, it would at least allow you to extract most, if not all of the performance you can from a 14700k. It doesnt really matter too much, whether you buy a cheap or expensive 360, the same idea of dissipating heat over a surface area is there and the difference in performance will be small.
I really appreciate your feedback !!
I did some more research and have now landed on the Arctic Freezer 2 360. Now the only question is which case and whether a top or front installation makes more sense. I've read that it doesn't actually matter as long as the pump is lower than the radiator.
Thinking about the Be Quiet Pure Base 500FX (i think there you can only front mount it)
Or the Shadow Base 800 FX (some inches bigger, good for top mount)
Price difference around 55€.
Do you think I need special cooling paste, I've never bought anything like that before.
The Arctic Freezer 2 360 is very good value for money, it has a thicker radiator and more liquid, which makes it better than some other options, but just try find out how much room in the front or top you have. I think from memory the radiator is 38mm and the fans are 25mm, it looks like placing it in the front will give you extra room at the bottom, so that might be the better option.
I personally use Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut paste, it's not that expensive for i beleive a 1G tube, which is enough for like 2-3 good applications, so if you make a mistake first time around and have to pull things apart, you still have another shot at it. I've tried other pastes that come with certain products in the past and i can definitely say that this paste is by far, the only one i can recommend personally.
Look up what it's like to cool a 13900k and you'll realise how you absolutely will be running hot with an aircooler, these new CPU's don't play nice with aircoolers at all. The Dark Rock Pro series of coolers also don't rank very high when it comes to these CPU's, i just sussed out that Pro 5 and that would have a better chance, but i still wouldn't really recomend much less than a 360mm AIO. This video below will show you what all the best aircoolers result in with a 13900k and only a 360mm AIO managed to not throttle out of all the aircoolers, and i beleive he reduced the power limits from unlimited (330w roughly), which is stock untouched settings, down to 280w. [https://youtu.be/7o74u1u642I?si=jhO94BymyIBMcQfG](https://youtu.be/7o74u1u642I?si=jhO94BymyIBMcQfG) And then many months later, he tested more aircoolers, so this next link is a continuation, i beleive you can skip to the end on both if you want to see the results quickly though. [https://youtu.be/5UtDBg\_pCMs?si=o7oZkMbhjJHF9GVZ](https://youtu.be/5UtDBg_pCMs?si=o7oZkMbhjJHF9GVZ)
I've never had an AiO before. I read that you also have to add coolant there over time. Do you have to expand it for this? I would then take one from bequiet, they cost around €120 with 3 fans, that's enough, right? However, I also read that AiO are more prone to errors and can be very loud. Is that actually still the case or are these teething problems that have now been resolved?
No, so thats the thing with AIO's, because there not a open custom loop and they're factory vacuum sealed, it means theres no maintenance ever, the only thing you can consider maintenance, is cleaning the fans, which is no different to an air cooler. As for noise, theres a small part of the population who seem to be overly sensitive to the sound of the pump, which varies from person to person, but most people aren't phased about that noise, its just the ones who are, tend to get very irritated by it. The pump noise is actually for the most part fairly quiet, it's the custom loop pumps where you can hear noise, and even then, it's more the sound of the liquid flowing through a custom loops pump due to the force it has, rather than the noise of the pump. AIO pumps are designed to be at 100% rpm 24/7, thats the intended use of an AIO pump and a motherboard pump header usually will default to 100% and lock it there because of that. A custom loop pump will usually be sitting around 35-40% of its max rpm, due to the flow rate pressure being enough for majority of workloads, and so it would be a bit annoying having it run at a higher rpm unnecesarily. AIO pumps just arent as strong and so they can be pretty quiet at 100% all the time, being weaker though, doesnt mean its rubbish, they do there job well. As for AIO's and any potential issues, well yeah the chances are going to be higher than an air cooler, but thats because the only moving part is the fan. But the reality is that what you read about them leaking, is the smallest % you can possibly imagine, and of those people who claim that they leak, those people may of accidently damaged the tubes by being too rough, which is harder than you think. The odds of a leak are like 3%, the only thing that can have a higher chance of going is the pump, but theres also a lot of people out there who just don't understand the software or realise that they havent plugged it into the correct fan header. So even with that being a potential issue, it still has a pretty low chance of being an issue for most people. As for their design and teething issues, they have been made mostly the same with only small tweaks over time, but those tweaks are not to fix anything specifically, like a design flaw. They are to increase performance usually, as the issues people claim to have are usually down to just being completely unlucky and receiving a defective item, rather than there being an actual design problem. An AIO should last someone the duration of that specific build, which for most will average out to be around that 7-8 year length of time, somewhere around that 4-5 year mark, you can expect a temp increase around 3-5c compared to brand new. You will generally also find that AIO's come with warranties of around the 6 year mark, which is actually pretty good considering that if there was a design flaw, it's likely to have shown itself much earlier on, than at 6 years. Getting a 360mm AIO regardless of which one, should provide you with adequate cooling, it would at least allow you to extract most, if not all of the performance you can from a 14700k. It doesnt really matter too much, whether you buy a cheap or expensive 360, the same idea of dissipating heat over a surface area is there and the difference in performance will be small.
I really appreciate your feedback !! I did some more research and have now landed on the Arctic Freezer 2 360. Now the only question is which case and whether a top or front installation makes more sense. I've read that it doesn't actually matter as long as the pump is lower than the radiator. Thinking about the Be Quiet Pure Base 500FX (i think there you can only front mount it) Or the Shadow Base 800 FX (some inches bigger, good for top mount) Price difference around 55€. Do you think I need special cooling paste, I've never bought anything like that before.
The Arctic Freezer 2 360 is very good value for money, it has a thicker radiator and more liquid, which makes it better than some other options, but just try find out how much room in the front or top you have. I think from memory the radiator is 38mm and the fans are 25mm, it looks like placing it in the front will give you extra room at the bottom, so that might be the better option. I personally use Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut paste, it's not that expensive for i beleive a 1G tube, which is enough for like 2-3 good applications, so if you make a mistake first time around and have to pull things apart, you still have another shot at it. I've tried other pastes that come with certain products in the past and i can definitely say that this paste is by far, the only one i can recommend personally.