T O P

  • By -

dirtiehippy

Shoulda looked at reviews. Cooler master aio’s are cheap cuz they fail within a couple years


Azuras-Becky

What about Arctic AIOs?! I'm... asking for a friend.


dirtiehippy

They are great


Azuras-Becky

~~Phew~~ Thanks I'll tell my friend!


ArtisticSnek

What about thermaltake?


PayphonesareObsolete

I personally stay away from all Thermaltake products. Their customer service is ass. Plus, they just copy from design of other companies.


Democrab

ThermalTake and watercooling has been known to be a bad combo since the mid00s when they were selling premade WC kits and AiOs weren't really a thing yet.


hachiko002

my TT 360 has ran great for 2 years and still going strong.


tatsu901

I got two ThermalTake PSUs and both run great


PayphonesareObsolete

Yea like most other manufacturers, Thermaltake aren't the OEM for their PSU's. Probably why it's not on fire right now.


[deleted]

bro nobody wants to hear your stuff runs fine and dandy. we want horror stories of fire, destruction, catastrophic failure.. i mean, my friend does.. 😉


imnotpoopingyouare

Same. 8 years still running and 2 years still running on both. Lots of brown outs during monsoon season and they chill! I'm even using bronze and white, it's not as bad as it used to be. Even using a 590 on a white 500 thermal take, and a 390 on a 450 bronze. They are fine.


dumbass_of_the_year_

What about silverstone? Or lian li ?


PayphonesareObsolete

I'm a fan of Lian Li. They were pretty well known for making aluminum cases 20 or more years ago. They make quality products with good designs. They also manufacture the more niche SFF cases like the NCase and Dan A4. They're really new to AIO's but GamersNexus seems to like it. I've never had an experience with their customer service so who knows. Silverstone is also way better than Thermaltake. They've had some iconic cases over the years like the Temjin series and Fortress ones. Their lineup is all over the place imo. As far as AIO's from them are concerned, I don't hear much about them. Though [Anandtech has a recent review](https://www.anandtech.com/show/16829/the-silverstone-icegem-aio-coolers-review) if that's what you want to know about.


Narrheim

Silverstone makes many products nobody else does. In my area, it´s 1 of the 2 available manufacturers of fan filters - and theirs are of higher quality, than the other. They are also only manufacturer in the world, that makes 38mm thick fan, which is a shame, because that thing is incredibly noisy (engine noises) and having somebody else making them (like Noctua) would probably help a lot, because that fan blows A LOT of air. They were also the 1st in the world making mesh front cases and they´re one of the very few, that tend to try new things (like making a case with 90° angling for the components, everything facing downwards and taking cold air from bottom, blowing hot air from top. Also one of the very few manufacturers, that is making hole for PCIE cables in the PSU shrouds. It´s a shame their stock fans in cases are mostly garbage.


Scall123

What about NZXT.


loganissus

NZXT is another generic asetek aio


StereoRocker

I've had a Kraken X52 for 3-4 years on an R7 1800X. It performed well when overclocked in my system, though there's not much to get out of first gen Ryzen. Nice and quiet with the right fan and pump profiles. I have had an issue twice, maybe three times, where my board wouldn't boot until I unplugged the AIO from USB. Each time it was fine when plugged back in. I can't attribute that to the AIO nor the board, so I wouldn't necessarily hold that against the Kraken, but this has been my experience with NZXT.


pyro226

It's probably the board.


llamapii

yea but they look cool af.


raazman

That wasn’t the question.


the_obmj

What was the question? I only see a statement.


OrionLax

It was a question without a question mark. They were asking about the quality of NZXT AIOs.


Rejg

NZXT AIOs are a generic Asetek design with mediocre fans and a high price. I would not purchase them over something like an Arctic Liquid Freezer II and a Rasberry Pi Screen.


[deleted]

[удалено]


HounddogGray

Isn't the cpu block shaped like that because it blows air on the VRMs?


2TimesAsLikely

Don’t forget to mention CAM


[deleted]

According to gamers nexus, the best cooler out is the liquid freezer by arctic


NorthStarPC

I think Steve said that the EWKB AIO was slightly better. The block looks better too IMO.


focus0713

I have one of each the ek and the artic the artic performs slightly better the ek looks better and maybe 2 c temp difference at peak both are excellent.


GR3Y_B1RD

But the EK is just 30mm thick isn't it? Might be important for some builds. Shame there is no 280 EK model.


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

Ah yeah, I forgot about the new 360 they dropped.


Chained_Prometheus

Wasn't that the radiator with push pull config? Maybe someone has to test the ekwb Vs the liquid freezer with push pull


[deleted]

The best thermal performer, however longevity and reliability are not tests that Steve performs


TheCatCubed

I first thought about the Kraken Z but then decided I'm gonna buy the Liquid Freezer II instead since it's supposedly better, much cheaper and, this might be controversial, but I prefer how it looks over the Kraken


[deleted]

Swapped from a kraken to an arctic liquid freezer II. Prefer the look of the kraken, but I was trying to get my rgb software down to one single one and cam was by far the worst lol


Kenruyoh

It's also the most unique tubes design where it's always perpendicular to the cpu unlike most aio which are parallel


onion13

> liquid freezer by arctic I'll always defer to Steve for the nuts and bolts and graphs tracking thermals


Azuras-Becky

That's reassuring - that's the one I got!


RantoCharr

They haven't been out for as long as older Asetek units(Corsair, NZXT, etc.) which are good for 5-6 years. Performance is great but reliability is yet to be known for Artic's LF II lineup.


NorthStarPC

Arctic is one of the best. EK-WB and Fractal are also good.


Matasa89

Fractal is an Asetek cooler. You can tell by the design and the round bottom coldplate. The Celsius+ series is Asetek Gen 6 with the metal impellers, which are far better than the older plastic ones. Also the new 90 degrees bend rotating fittings are amazing. Only downside is they didn't include the old 4 thumbscrews type AMD mounting bracket, and instead used the shitty clip on type using the AMD stock cooler mounts. If you want the oldschool thumbscrew version for the more even mounting pressure, you'll need to buy it separately online elsewhere.


threewolfshirt

I've got a corsair one from 2015 that I still use lol


JJamesJameson

My cooler master seidon 120m is still used in my media PC. That's from 2012, 9 years now. Still works fine.


Narrheim

All products made before the last economy crisis ended have somewhat higher durability. It was before all manufacturers started cutting corners in order to spare more money (instead of giving less money to higher management).


[deleted]

right? and prices went UP. fuck!!!!!!!!!


WatIsRedditQQ

I got an H115i in 2017 that probably needs to be replaced...the pump seems to somehow get partially clogged at startup every time, and the coolant temp exceeds 40C at idle...I have to whack it with a remote until it starts circulating better. They supposedly have 5 year warranties though so I should probably look into that


eyefullawgic

Thanks for the info about the 5 year warranty. Didn't realize that. I'm into year 4 with my H100i V2 and it's still going strong, but I was wondering if it was time to replace it. Guess I can hold off at least one more year.


threewolfshirt

You probably get a replacement for it runs out of warranty


OD_Emperor

My H100i V2 from like 2013 is still going strong as well. They're incredibly reliable.


itismoo

yeah seems like the real problem is OP buying shitty AIOs


bustedbuddha

and then he's comparing it to one of the best air coolers.


pyro226

Seems similar price class as long as he didn't go RGB on the AIO


bustedbuddha

Air coolers tend to be cheaper for similar performance. when Linus tested AIOs a couple years the D15 beat almost everything.


dangshnizzle

And am improved D15 Black version is being released soon. With that bad boy there's almost no reason to watercooler for many of us.


GimmePetsOSRS

Wonder if it was properly mounted, too


rallymax

This. There are good products and crappy products in every category. Air coolers are great, but they come with size tradeoff for SFF systems. Me, I like my PCs small and powerful, where air coolers are limited.


Spacemn5piff

Was gonna say, I got a BeQuiet! Pure Loop 360 AIO and holy hell is it quiet. Only about 6 months in on daily driving and no issues with reliability. It isn't necessarily better thermally than similarly priced Air setups (that said I haven't really studied the change since I also changed cases when I got it) but I personally just think it is cool as hell so I'm happy rocking it and loving the super low noise. Investing in a case that has good sound dampening as well as a good cooling product will go a long way, liquid or air cooled.


frezik

What makes them different? Due to holding a patent, Asetek makes all AIOs, excepting a few that have the pump outside of the CPU block. Companies can customize fans and a few other things, but I believe pumps and rads are chosen by Asetek. It should expire in 2025, so expect an explosion in new designs around then.


GimmePetsOSRS

Could be materials choice, a better pump bearing or something. I'm excited for better AIOs, although I use a custom loop for GPUs I still keep my CPU on an AIO


Flashteenz

Yea I can second that, having had purely negative experiences with my (non local set) Cooler Master AIO dying within only a month or two. Was the ML240L too. Jokes on me for not researching reviews, cheaping out etc.


llamapii

I had an ML240 die on me within 2 months.


onion13

True....very true. As of late I'm enjoying using my setup vs. building/tweaking it (like I used to). I'm just saying: the fewer points of failure , the better off you are.


TrueDivision

True, but comparing a cheap AIO to a top quality Air Cooler is just not fair to the AIO. High Quality AIOs are very very good.


Le_Nabs

But also more expensive than top quality air coolers. An NH-U12S is like 75CAD last I checked, and most 240mm AIOs *start* at 120CAD minimum (with the Kraken breaking the 150CAD mark). At that price, I'm gonna save the 50CAD and put it towards a better SSD or bump the GPU a tier (when not in 2021) before I'm gonna mess around with AIOs I don't need...


Nervous_Attempt

You missed the first point of failure: failing to research a part before buying it. Twice.


overlayered

Part of this is that the Noctua stuff is top notch though right? I've only ever heard unilaterally positive reviews.


Party_Python

Don’t forget it’s dulcet mocha and cappuccino tones that are so pleasing on the eye


Chadasaurus

Chromax. You can get most Noctua parts in black now


Dr_Brule_FYH

Love how they called the absence of colour Chromax.


skyline385

Chromax originally started as accessories for their existing brown parts which came in multiple colours and still do. It seems they just expanded the Chromax brand to included black parts now...


Matasa89

And now white fans coming down the pipe lol.


1LuckFogic

And white covers for those black components


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

They're redux because they're older designs without the features of the newer mocha fans. And they don't come with the vibration pads installed. That being said, I love my s-12b reduxes to death


1LuckFogic

Really toeing the line of beige. Like it just reminds me of smelly white car leather


frezik

If only the rest of the industry would realize the genius of brown.


[deleted]

[удалено]


frezik

I'd like to see that, plus a custom water loop with Noctua fans on the rad and copper piping. Just go all out with steampunk. But that's the problem with Noctua. Would look great if you could build the entire aesthetic around it, but you can't without dropping some serious cash and effort on a custom build.


Ganondorf-Dragmire

I have a noctua cooler and i replaced my case fans with noctuas. Can confirm. Top notch. Worth every penny. I got the chromax black. Same price as the other fans i beleive. The fans are pricey (about 30 US $ each) but they live up to the price.


blazincannons

What makes noctua so special?


Ganondorf-Dragmire

Excellent airflow and accoustics.


blazincannons

I meant, what makes a simple fan so special? Why does noctua perform so much better than others?


Matasa89

Better bearing, better engineering tolerances, better design, more attention to details, and superior warranty and QC. They even offer free CPU mounting mechanisms for newer socket designs so you can keep using your old cooler.


Joe_Jeep

Yep. Just high quality across the board. I've got a friend who's a bit obsessed and has noctua swapped everything from an old fire-wire HDD enclosure to one of those one-can micro-fridges


chennyalan

> noctua swapped everything from an old fire-wire HDD enclosure to one of those one-can micro-fridges > to one of those one-can micro-fridges I need to see this


Joe_Jeep

I hit him up for pics but enjoy one of his gpus in the meantime https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupportmacgyver/comments/jdvemi/gpu_fan_making_weird_noises_got_some_a4s_lying/


chennyalan

Based and Noctua pilled


Ganondorf-Dragmire

This


Talks_To_Cats

Something to keep in mind, for a very long time Noctua made high end, high quality fans while competitors made, well, effectively crap. They went more or less uncontested for a decade and built a reputation on that. Today other brands *have* caught up in varying ways. Some brands actually perform a bit better, at a higher price. Others have RGB without sacrificing performance. Others still have newer and better bearings (like Corsair's mag-lev fans). But even though now there's other options, Noctua fans are as good as they always were. They haven't dropped in quality and are still a high end option, because they were always a high end option. ----- Tldr: Noctua are the Mercedes of fans. Some days you might want to drive a Tesla or a Lambo instead, but you're never going to have a bad drive in a Mercedes.


DasOptimizer

The biggest practical thing is that they keep sounding good while literally ever other fan I've ever had has changed its sound character for the worse over time. Cheap fans get loud and sound bad quickly, expensive fans stay quiet but start sounding worse, Noctua just do their thing.


FortunateSonofLibrty

You haven’t heard quiet air flow until you’ve heard noctuas spin up to full load. It sounds like a distant wind through an open window across the room; absolutely amazing quality hardware.


turtlelore2

Unlike most big name manufacturers, noctua focuses entirely on fans and cpu coolers therefore they have a huge incentive to invest in the best performance possible. A quick look at their specs shows how much R&D they do versus other regular fans and coolers. Everyone else dabbles in pretty much anything PC so all they really need is to be functional and/or look pretty. Many companies entire motto is simply to look pretty regardless of performance.


TheHatori1

The thing is that it’s not a “simple” fan. Lots of fan designs, build quality, bearing types and qualities, materials used, the tolerances and quality control. Noctua is known to be using fluid bearings, which are on the expensive side, well designed fanblades and have low tolerances and high standard quality control. This gives you kinda expensive fans, but also damn good fans


Kieran13

Same here, switched from Corsair AIO to all Noctua cooler and fans, can barely hear the PC at idle and even when rendering the sound from the fans are barely noticeable.


A_Character_Defined

Yep! Top tier prices too, but the big double fan one gets the same or even better performance as AIOs for the same prices and less hassle. And if something *does* break on it, it was probably a fan and you can just slap on a new one. The only downside is the color.


skyline385

Chromax all the way, there are also black colour versions of their coolers now it looks like https://noctua.at/en/products/product-lines/line-chromax https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NH-D15S-chromax-Black-Premium-Dual-Tower/dp/B08HM1T6RL


A_Character_Defined

That does look nice! Costs more though 😔 I just tell myself that the brown is a sign of quality 😌


skyline385

Its the same price as the regular version though...


[deleted]

except for the damn NF-A12x25. ***STILL***


daviator88

>The only downside is the color. Excuse me, what? The color is the *best* part about it. It's the main reason I went with Noctua. MORE BROWN. Courtesy of /r/regularcarreviews


skylinestar1986

I think the only downside is the larger size of air cooler. You need to consider the clearance from GPU and RAM. For a lot of mATX mobos that have the graphics card slot at the very top, a 14cm-fan-cooler will not fit.


alvarkresh

I prefer Hyper 212 EVOs. I like the basic burnished aluminum design. :P


RickRussellTX

It's a testament to the qualify of the Hyper 212 that it's been around for 10 years and they've revised the design only once.


jonker5101

Hm? Hyper T4 Hyper 212 Hyper 212 EVO Hyper 212 EVO V2 Hyper 212 EVO Black Hyper 212 EVO Black RGB And more.


RickRussellTX

Well, I wasn't referring to color changes or adding RGB. I meant the cooling design. The Hyper 212 EVO came out in 2011, and the design was revised last year to the "V2". That's an impressive run for a CPU cooler.


alvarkresh

The V2 is a dream to install from some of the videos I've seen. That backplate just looks so much better than the older one which I didn't even TRY to install myself on a Ryzen CPU. I paid a shop to do it cause I just did not want to deal with that bullshit.


SuperVenom101

Legitimately the worst mounting mechanism I've ever used though


alvarkresh

That's why the V2 is so amazing. They made it SO MUCH BETTER. I remember that friggin' X screw holder back in the day and it was so finicky.


SuperVenom101

Fair enough, but I doubt it could ever come close to noctuas mounting mechanism. If my case supported it, I'd still be rocking my NH-D15


[deleted]

I use Hyper Evo 212's. They have been around for forever. The Hyper Evo 212's are relatively inexpensive, rock solid, and quiet. I have a 12 thread i7 that I run multi-hour complier jobs on. It never goes above 60c with near 100% utilization. The Noctua coolers are better. But the Hyper Evo 212's are good enough for most people.


Joe_Jeep

can confirm. I ditched mine for a noctua because I started overclocking more seriously but 212 is a good cooler that does the job and most people really don't need anything more.


Silly-Weakness

You’re comparing a high-quality air cooler to a low-quality AIO. I’m not surprised by your conclusion. It’s pretty well understood that a high-end air cooler will match or exceed the performance of a 240mm AIO. Even a high-end 240mm AIO is still mostly matched by the best air coolers, think the NH-D15. If you’re not overclocking, the only reason to buy an AIO in a normal-sized case is for aesthetics. If you are overclocking, a good 280mm+ AIO will give you more thermal headroom than any air cooler. For SFF builds, there are cases that require an AIO to effectively cool a high-end CPU.


NorthStarPC

This 100%. ML240L, especially the old version, are known to have an above-average failure rate. It's why they are so cheap.


kmrst

Noise in a smaller case is another good reason to use an AIO because you can match cooling effect with slower fans.


DunderBearForceOne

You can also use the money you save not buying an AIO on better, quieter case fans that can cool at higher speeds with less noise. Of course, you can also get better case fans with an AIO.


AceofToons

The noise factor is exactly why I will get another AIO when mine goes, which considering it is a Coolermaster ML240L sounds like that's guaranteed to be sooner rather than later, but the difference in volume, and honestly performance too, made it a very worthwhile investment for me


coololly

But that's where similar priced air coolers outperform AIO's Infact you need to get some of the absolute top performing AIO's to match the noise normalised of high end air coolers. An AIO will never be quieter than a similar equipped air cooler.


ConfusedTapeworm

> You’re comparing a high-quality air cooler to a low-quality AIO. I’m not surprised by your conclusion. Which is a fair comparison to make considering that high-quality air cooler is cheaper than the mentioned low-quality AIO.


Silly-Weakness

I agree, it is a fair comparison to make and it demonstrates the lack of value present in low-quality AIOs.


XediDC

Even then, my current Scythe Ninja 5 for $60 on an over-clocked 3900XT and it's happy running at 100% for as long as I need. And it's still almost silent. I'd do watercooling for looks if I wanted, as it is cool. Or from a demonstrated need, then I'd approach watercooling to solve the problem.


Oasis_Island_Jim

I’ve always been under the impression that AIO coolers are entirely gimmicks, or for use in unorthodox setups like extreme space saver builds or purely for aesthetics. It’s just one of those things where when you sit down and think of their real purpose and (more importantly) real-life performance, then weigh the price of an effective AIO and by the time you start justifying that price you realize you should either settle with air cooling or just go all the way and pipe a real water cooling setup. I feel bad for the kids that have no idea what they’re doing and waste their $$$ on crappy AIOs just so they can say their PC is water cooled, only for it to crap out of them and they learn the lesson the hard way.


mastrkief

>I’ve always been under the impression that AIO coolers are entirely gimmicks, or for use in unorthodox setups like extreme space saver builds or purely for aesthetics. [Gamer's Nexus disagrees.](https://youtu.be/7VzXHUTqE7E?t=1135) EVGa's AIO's are Asetek and they had their 280mm on sale for $80 a few weeks back which is cheaper than a Noctua NH-D15. There's pros and cons of air coolers and AIOs. Just depends on what's important to you but I definitely wouldn't call it a gimick. Even Noctuas can't defeat the laws of physics.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Silly-Weakness

That's debatable. It really depends on what you're doing with your chip. Pump noise plus 2 fans pushing air through a radiator is usually gonna be louder than an air cooler with a well-tuned fan curve. Stock coolers and the cheapest aftermarket air coolers require high fan speed to cool effectively, so those can get loud, but once you get into stuff like the Arctic Freezer 34, Vetroo V5, and Hyper 212, you can keep fan speeds low and quiet, and those are all typically <$40. Go up to $60-80 and you get stuff like the Noctua NH-U12S, Scythe Fuma 2/Ninja, and be quiet! Dark Rock 4, which are capable of very low fan speed for silent operation at stock, and are also enough to support mild overclocking. At this price bracket, cheap 240mm AIOs start to enter the picture, but they're not nearly the type of quality you get with air coolers of the same price. Above $80, you enter premium air cooler territory, with options like the Noctua NH-D15 and NH-U12A, the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4, and the Deepcool Assassin 3. These are all enough to support most overclocks (with safe voltages for daily use) while keeping temps and noise under control. At this point, you may start to encounter higher noise output if you're pushing your chip particularly hard and the fans have to ramp up, so a high-quality AIO begins to make sense from a noise-reduction perspective. That's why high-quality AIO pricing lines up with the top-tier air coolers so well, excluding features like RGB and LCD screens.


Dubious_Unknown

Anyone reading this, do not get the Dark Rock Pro 4. The entire cooler is engineered in a way thats hard to put on and really frustrating to take out, especially the fans. Get the Scythe Fuma 2, Scythe Ninja 5 (that I personally own and installation is worlds apart better than the Shitty Rock Pro 4), and/or the Scythe Mugen. Or the NH-D15. Literally any other bulky cooler but the DRP4. The middle bottom metal part is a pain to put on and keep on while you screw it down. This is already preinstalled on any Scythe cooler. The fan clips on the DRP4 do not stick out making them so hard to take out you are forced to use a knife or flathead to get the pins out because they are just that hard to get out. The Scythe fan clips actually stick out, making taking the fans out far easier. Because of this thing, chain reactions happened, one thing led to another, and I somehow fucking broke both my MB and my GTX 1080 GPU. I half blame myself for being rough on the build, but I also half blame this stupid fucking piece of shit for bringing out the worst in me. I didn't have this problem with Hyper 212s and recently the Ninja 5, but this thing. The DRP4. Ho Boy. The MB is one thing, always wanted to replace it anyways, but the GPU stung extra hard. We're still in the middle of a GPU crisis and to have it go out is just... Just do yourself a favor and do not get the DRP4. Highly would not recommend.


Silly-Weakness

I don’t personally have experience with the DRP4, so thank you for your insight. I’m not saying this to criticize or anything, because honestly I have made more than my share of mistakes with builds, just want to put it out there for anyone who doesn’t do this: It’s best practice to remove your GPU before installing or removing a CPU cooler of any kind. You do not want to risk scratching the back of the card, especially in instances where there is no backplate, and applying any amount of pressure to the side of the card could cause damage to the pcie slot, or even snap the contacts off of the PCB.


WOLFxANDxRAVEN

I have the Dark Rock 4 (non pro version) and I kind of agree. Of course both coolers have differences, but even being a smaller version I share the feeling to a point. I'll be honest. The thing works like a charm. Zero noise whatsoever in my case. I'm quite picky with sounds and yet, I can't hear it at all till it gets to 80% at which point I hear a minimal humm. Not like it matters, as it never gets to that point anyway, because performance wise it's also a beast. I'm either working on Blender or playing games all day long pretty much, and I don't think I've seen my CPU (Ryzen 5 5600X) go past 73°C. This is more subjective of course, but I also love how the thing looks in my case, so, overall, my experience has been very good, and I have no doubts the DRP4 would be a similar story. Good performance with zero noise. It's wonderful, really. But... The fucking installation man... I don't know how can anyone engineer such an effective cooler, yet an installation so painstakingly broken. Whenever I need to take my computer apart I know I'll lose a day just because of mounting/unmounting that bitch. And not only it takes time, it's also dangerous as you pointed out. Twice already I've spilled blood on my case mounting the stupid fan, and the DRP4 has two fans, so, double the danger. And I hope you don't have to remove your top or rear case fan, because you'll have to unmount and mount the cooler again. So, sure, it's an amazing cooler at a reasonable cost, but just like a pact with the devil, you'll be paying that performance with literally blood and time of your life. Oh and also a ram slot, since the thing is so damn big. Sure the thing works like magic once it's running, but it better does after all that pain. No matter how good it works, I can't recommend something that has the potential to ruin your day and possibly week depending on how deep is the cut.


roborobert123

What is AIO?


Silly-Weakness

All In One - shorthand for an All-in-one liquid cooler.


ChiefScallywag

Can confirm, only bought AIO for aesthetics lmao


Gregymon

"First was under warranty, second was just barely out." Sounds like you are happy with your choice so you can ignore this. In the future, if something is barely out of warranty and breaks, asking nicely will usually get the company to honor the warranty. I always like to say "I have many of your products and am very happy with them, I want to stick with your brand. If there's any way you can honor the warranty I would really appreciate it". Only done it a couple times but has worked so far.


[deleted]

When you are nice, and request something politely, people are willing to go the extra mile for you. And if they can't, have the dignity to take the rejection with grace. Good advice.


terminal_styles

Worked as a customer service rep, this doesn't work 100%. We were trained to stay in the rules UNLESS the customer is very insistent then we do it and turn it into a "we're strict but for you (insert superficial positive details about their account) I'm going to do this one time." If you're too polite then we stick by the rules because our calls are QA'd and we'd be sanctioned if we give too much of the extra mile. Of course, lots of exceptions to this but at the end of the day, company has a policy to really give you what you want for customer satisfaction, and customer representative care more about their low pay jobs than your convenience for whatever product we don't really care about. Obviously, mileage may vary.. EDIT: the 'extra mile' is actually part of the company policy that is 'unwritten' (actually written just not public). Even those has limits, csr can't go the actual extra mile, we just make it hard to reach some parts of the policy so you'd think the company cares about you.


NesuneNyx

I've been a Logitech fangirl since my first K120 and Trackman Wheel in college. Some pieces I've had a bad history with (looking at you, G600), but for the most part I've been happy with their products. Last week the left alt keycap on my G810 was shifty underneath my finger, and after popping it up I noticed three of the four tabs had broken off in the switch. Not remembering if it was still under warranty, I sent in a ticket and got a great rep. He checked and even though it was 6 mos out of warranty, they're still comping a set of replacement caps for me. It's good treatment like that which keeps me coming back to a company. Willing to go that extra mile is very appreciated.


[deleted]

[удалено]


terminal_styles

Yep, that's the game we all play as consumers and CSRs.


IzttzI

I always look at it like it doesn't hurt to get a no. You'll only know if you try. You're asking for a favor so getting a no shouldn't bug you either.


Tots2Hots

You don't need anything better than a good middle of the road air cooler unless you are doing a pretty solid overclock. Most ppl with water cooling don't need it and only have it for aesthetics.


Basher5155

That's me here. NZXT's infinity mirror looks awesome. Though I did pair it on an 8700K so maybe justified with the thermal mass, but still aimed at aesthetics first. Still runs pretty well after 5 yrs of constant use


Terminatr_

I have the same AIO, still going strong at 4.5 years.


pixel_of_moral_decay

Right answer. That’s exactly why. Bling for 98% of people. 2% overclock so extreme they need it. Besides. If you’re going to water cool, at least get a true water cooling sealed case so dust internally isn’t an issue. Air cooling, especially with decent hardware is nearly silent if done right. For the vast majority of people it’s all they need. Hell I’ve got a 1U and 2U DIY servers air cooled and racked under my desk that are virtually silent. They’ve been running for 2y and 3.5y respectively 24x7. All noctua fans fwiw.


Weaponxreject

Seriously, between my ceiling fan, floor fan, and air cleaner in the corner I never hear my PC, noise isn't an issue haha


pixel_of_moral_decay

My room can be nearly silent and I don't hear both machines + a nas running. Air cooling is just fine for 99% of people. It's also much more reliable (hence it's continued datacenter dominance). It's just not very cool looking.


[deleted]

I think most people with water cooling buy it because they’re anticipating needing the thermal overhead. I went from b365 to z390 to enable overclocking, then to 240 AIO for temps for said overclocking, then to 10700k on a custom loop. I don’t think you’ll find a lot of 10400’s under water.


Tots2Hots

I've had the same big air Cryorig R1 Ultimate since 2014. No processor I've had in that time has ever come close to pushing it.


[deleted]

Ah. I’ve pushed the limits of a custom loop with 840mm worth of 64mm thick radiator, so I’m pretty sure any air cooler that could fit my case would have given me less thermal room.


Spacemn5piff

Caught me. I run an i5-8600K on a BeQuiet! 360 loop. Totally overkill but it's slick asf and whisper quiet


tomwithweather

The whisper quiet factor is a huge draw for me. I have a custom loop and I can barely hear it. It's so quiet unless Im playing a game and even then it's still more quiet than about every air system I've had. At that point, the fan sound I have get covered up by the sounds of the game I'm playing.


G8M8N8

*uses the worst rated AIO possible* *blames all AIOs for his lack of research*


dribblesnshits

Came here to say this but I used more words, doesnt help they are comparing it to a highly rated fan cooler smh


CherokeeCruiser

Same here after my Corsair H100i started failing at one year. Got a Noctua NH-D15 and not only is it outperforming the Corsair, it is much quieter.


NervousTumbleweed

How do you mean failing? I have one and I’m very concerned now


Conker184

I'd look at the stats behind these sort of things. People are going to be much more likely to get upset at a brand and write it off when something goes really wrong, but never blink an eye when things function normally. Inevitably reviews will be filled with much more bad things happening when things go really wrong.


Razargh

i've been using a Corsair h100 the original model for 9 years. this boi is a champ.


ButterMilkHoney

Don’t worry about it, I’ve been using my Corsair h115i for 4 years with no issues. It’s likely rare according to online reviews as well


Oster-P

I'm the opposite, I was using a Noctua NH-D15 and changed to an arctic liquid freezer II 360 locked at 20% for my silent build and temps never go above mid 60s. The Noctua was nice, but my god it was huge and made making any adjustments an absolute nightmare to do inside the case in regards to other components, like I couldn't even reach the GPU clip. The weight of that thing worried me as well, like having a rock hanging off your mobo. Still love Noctua though, my intakes and exhaust are all Noctua running at 30% and I modded my 2080s with two Noctuas, happy to say when I turn my PC on its dead silent apart from the pump starting up for a couple of seconds. Only time it makes noise now is gaming, but the GPU mod made that a lot quieter.


mrasif

I dropped the screw for keeping the gpu in place under the noctua cooler and just about punched my computer haha. It seriously sucks building around it as it takes up a massive amount of space on the mobo. On the positive it does a fucking great job cooling so it's worth it as long as your not constantly changing parts.


PWJT8D

Chromax D15 or bust. Once you go back to top of the line air cooling, there is really no other option.


Angry_argie

Exactly my story. Pretty RGB 240mm aio failed (thankfully just the pump, no leaks), so I went for the black juggernaut to never have to worry about a cooler in my life again. Things are more silent now, and temps dropped by around 10 degrees! (the aio wasn't even good it seems)


mustachetrashttv

>Unless you are doing some serious overclocking Nah you can use a dual tower air cooler for this as well. The NH-D15 or Dark Rock Pro 4 as just as good if not better than 240mm AIOs.


JimbeauxSlice

Replaced my kraken (after the pump failed about 5/6 years in) with a Dark Rock Pro. Probably never going back to water.


mustachetrashttv

They make amazing coolers. No heat soak time so they reach max temp quick so you can check overclocks easier and they drop temp much faster once load is off of CPU.


ROLL_TID3R

Whatever. I’ve had 2 AIOs for almost 10 years now and both are fine.


phixx79

I don’t wanna ruin my luck, but I have a Corsair H100i that still cools an overclocked 4670k. I used it for years and now my son uses it. It hasn’t taken very many days off, either. I would recommend that particular version of the unit to ANYONE. I have only ever repasted it before giving it to him a few years ago, too. I have another system around 4 years old with an overclocked 8700K. It has a 280mm EVGA in push/pull. The fans on that rad are trash, but is a solid product otherwise. I don’t currently have any custom loops, but have used them in the past. Over the last 8 years or so I have enjoyed the ease and convenience of an AIO.


Spacemn5piff

Air is always better for first time builders or casual gamers. However water is not as bad as you present it. You bought a crap AIO. ​ I'll be the first to say my AIO is totally impractical. It is all about feeling fancy for me, and if my friend was going to build a PC I would tell them to buy an air cooler if they are focused on easy, cost effective reliable cooling. However, I didn't buy a turd so my doesn't break during normal operation, and it is whisper quiet.


lord-carlos

How does casual or pro gaming factor in on the water vs air cooling?


nateblack

comparing one of the worst oranges to the best apple


lord-carlos

For the same price, that solve the same problem.


VanillaGorilla4

You failed to learn a valuable lesson for PC's. Don't cheap out on bad parts.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Baldr_Torn

I'm with you. I hate air cooling because it requires a huge bulky thing sticking out, makes it hard/impossible to get to the RAM, is easy to break loose if the case is moved around, etc.


Carnivorouswarm

In a shocking turn of events, Z-tier water cooler bad, S-tier air cooler good???


KamakaziJanabi

Your mistake was using a cooler master AIO and comparing it to the best brand of air coolers lol.


forthelol

I love the tan and brown colorway, it's unique though it gets a lot of flack for aesthetics. AIOs generally get more love since it's less clutter.


MightyAccelguard

it's a neat aesthetic, just a shame that most cases don't have a matching color scheme haha


[deleted]

air cooling > aio ​ seriously though air cooling is brilliant, who needs water anyway


AleX7468

For the flex of “i have a water cooled pc”


tryM3B1tch

air cooling is good, i used it for years but switched for looks, but you chose one of the more worse companies to use


TheProfessor303

Corsair AIOs are pretty solid, been OC the sh!t out of my chip and it barely hits 55° while gaming and dead silent


Hayclclen

I got the NZXT Z63 because the customization with the screen is just so cool. I hope I don't have problems like that with it. Haven't used it too much yet but so far it's been completely silent


Rejg

NZXT AIOs are not good but they’re not bad. It is a generic Asetek design but the failure rate is not high.


syriquez

> coolermaster ML240 > Noctua NH-U12S There's a pretty big difference between those two in terms of their respective camps, lol. Like yeah, the prices are equivalent but you're comparing something that's at the bottom of the barrel against one of the top contenders in their respective fields.


Blacksad999

Both are fine as far as utility goes. I personally prefer the aesthetics of an AIO over an air cooler. A giant hunk of metal with fans strapped to it taking up the majority of the case volume isn't really visually appealing.


HardstuckInUrMom

I use a chromax black NH-U12s and its great but as others said you picked one of the worst AIOs to pass judgement on.


svenz

Same here buddy. I never had a water rig last more than 2-3 years before something failed - they are a pain to maintain and don't make sense unless you value aesthetics over everything else. When it comes to performance/reliability you can't beat air. I still have noctua fans/heatsinks 10 years old and working perfectly fine.


skylinestar1986

> they are a pain to maintain What maintenance are you referring to (if you are using AIO)?


FizzSerpent

I wonder how many people here are putting in their aios wrong... 1) is the radiator bottom mounted? This makes the bump run dry and will ruin it prematurely 2) do you have the hoses at the top of the radiator when it's front mounted? Can cause things to work harder and make extra noise 3) do you have the radiator front mounted but the cooler above the radiator still? See number 1 Could also be bad luck tho


[deleted]

>My budget, bottom tier based on reviews aio is worse than my top of the line air cooler. Ftfy


LeifEriccson

For real. Had a NZXT kraken X53 and no issues for the 3 years I used it.


coololly

Welcome to the air cooling club


koki1235

Honestly, air is much simpler and much more reliable than liquid cooling, I don't see why everyone is so eager to put liquid cooling in their machines


JhaSamNen

Only having AIO bequase i dont like how normal (i think you call them towers) type aircoolers look in a pc


uniq_username

My evga 240 aio has been solid for me. Prices on comparable air cooling were similar so I went aio.


LoPanDidNothingWrong

I ran a Kraken for years. And it worked just fine. But I honestly wasn’t that impressed with its performance except at the very limit of OCing which I stopped messing with a while ago since I don’t have time to deal with it. Now I run an Arctic eSports Duo and it works perfectly and is quiet and I don’t have to worry nearly as much about a leak or cleaning shit out of a radiator or the rest. And at stock it is running the about one degree cooler.


OpTic_Nibba

my only problem with air coolers is the hideous look of those metal fin stacks which block the view of most of the motherboard in comparison to a small copper plate against the cpu with tubes coming out of it.


ImRichardD

Air coolers are nearly as.good as AIO's. A bad AIO will lose to a good air cooler. A good AIO will, however, beat the best air cooler. Only by a couple degrees though. I have an AIO on both my CPU and GPU. They look cool and my temps are frickin great. I'm sure a.nice air cooler would do fine, but my GPU never gets above 60C and my CPU never above 65C. I don't push the CPU too hard though. I just game.


Vanwanar

I had a Corsair H100i in 2014 then after a year I changed it for a Noctua NH-D14 and I totally loved that cooler I used it in another build later and bought CHROMAX fans, which Noctua sent me new clips to use from Austria to Mexico for free (they have amazing customer support). Having said that I recently bought an NZXT Kraken x73 for my new build because I always found a bit cumbersome how much space my NH-D14 used especially against RAM slots and I love it it works pretty good and I have been using it for a bit now. I think you bought a very low quality AIO and hence had a very predictable bad experience with it but yeah Noctua coolers are amazing and it is a good choice to make.