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.
Liquid vs air cooling computer.
Air cooling always wins.
Liquid cooling vs air cooling.
You young pc padawan are now a desktop jedi.
Five things to consider before you choose.
Air cooling wins in pretty much every way here.
The act of switching from air to liquid cooling represents a personal milestone in one s computer building life.
This one is a wee bit complicated.
By matt safford 18 september 2020 here are the best cpu cooler solutions air and liquid aio for a range of systems from small form factor builds to overclocked big rigs.
Liquid cooling vs air cooling.
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.
If price is your concern in this battle then water cooling vs air cooling isn t even a competition.
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.
The answer depends on how you use your computer and the performance and workloads you expect to encounter.
Ekwaterblocks a water cooled pc.
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.
Liquid cooling also makes your pc run quieter because you won t have fans constantly running at a high rpm.
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.
So back to the original debate.
Liquid cooling is the best way to cool a cpu because water transfers heat much more efficiently than air.
The cheapest aio liquid cooling setups can cost as much as the best air coolers on the market.