When setting up a computer, cooling (or cooling) system it is usually one of the last items on the user’s priority list. However, when it finally comes time to invest in this part, a doubt begins to arise: will my computer be better off with a computer? air cooler or water cooler?
In this particular article TecMundoIn addition to trying to help you choose the best choice for any machine, we’ll break down these two solutions to keep your processor cool.
How does the Air Cooler work?
As the name suggests, a air conditioning, or AC to facilitate is a system with a large metal body and one or more fans to expel heat. The AC contacts the processor through an area called the base plate (or cold plate), made of a material that conducts heat very well, such as copper. In the middle of the processor and base plate is a thin layer of thermal paste to make the surface smooth and air-free.
Heat from the processor is continuously transferred to the base plate, which is connected by heat pipes or heat pipes made of copper. So we follow a heat transfer line from the bottom to the tubes until we reach an exhaust filled with small metal sheets.
When the heat comes to this part of the system, it slowly starts to be lost to the environment, but to speed up the process, a fan is installed to expel and cool all of this hot metal. Sometimes, more robust air coolers have two fans, one at the front and one at the back, to push and pull heat respectively.
What is a Water Cooler?
already water cooleror as the name suggests WC, a liquid compound Initially the logic is the same: the processor is connected to a copper plate (base plate) and starts to transfer its heat to that part, but unlike the Air Cooler, The WC has a pump next to the base plate..
This tiny pump moves the liquid compound inside to cool the processor and sends and draws liquid through two hoses to and from a radiator. HE radiator It is a large piece with hollow sides for fluid to move through, while in the middle there are small metal plates to dissipate heat via one or more fans.
In this way, the processor transfers its heat to the base plate with the liquid inside. This liquid heats up and passes to the radiator through a hose pushed by the pump. When it reaches the radiator, the hot liquid transfers its heat to the metal plates in the center, which are cooled by the fans. This completes part of the cycle and the “cold” fluid returns to the soleplate via another hose to repeat the process.
Tests and results
We used the channel data to perform the test battery GamerNexusIt compares 6 cooling system models on a Ryzen 9 3950X processor with 100% fans in the CPU Cooler Benchmark from YouTube.
GamerNexus/Replica In the table, the first three models represent Water Coolers and the last three models represent Air Coolers. When idle (idle mode), i.e. these systems are only on the desktop or running everyday applications, all models are around 11°C with minor changes configuring almost a margin of error.
You can now see a bigger difference when processors are under high workloads. Three Water Coolers do better, especially the EVGA CLC 360, which reaches an incredible 46.7°C. Air Coolers do not perform poorly, but show lower results by about 4 or 5°C.
What is the best?
After the tests, the question remains: which one should I buy? In order to answer this, it is necessary to pay attention to some features of each model. Water coolers are more complex and it has more parts to install – so this could be a problem if you’re not that knowledgeable. On the other hand, it is ideal for projects where the cabinet is very colorful and with lots of LEDs that help decorate the environment.
An Air Cooler is usually very easy to install, but the end result is a simpler build and can please users who prefer a more minimalist touch to their machine. Historically, Water Coolers were more likely to fail over time due to the pump included, while Air Coolers could have a longer lifespan with simpler construction solutions and only need replacing fans.
In terms of noise, it’s hard to say which one is better as the fans make the most noise. It’s interesting to research the fan models and numbers for each system individually, because the more fans there are, the higher the noise level. With Water Coolers, you still need to add pump noise to this equation.
You need to check the dimensions of your closet. Some Air Coolers are quite noisy and therefore can sometimes cause the doors not to close properly. With Water Coolers it is necessary to see if there is room for the radiator on the back, top or front of the case, and even which it supports, not forgetting that the most common models are 120, 240 and 360 mm.
Decision
In the dispute between Water Coolers and Air Coolers, there is no way to come to a firm conclusion as to which is better or worse. The thing is, there are good and bad systems for every user and every machine built.
It is a fact that a liquid conducts heat better than air, therefore, theoretically the Water Cooler is better than the Air Cooler. But as we’ve seen in testing, the differences may not be that stark.
In general, I recommend Water Coolers from brands such as Corsair, Cooler Master, Lian Li and NZXT for more robust projects such as AMD and Intel’s high-end processors. It’s also a great option for those who like stunning lights in the installation and want to make the installation more beautiful.
A good Air Cooler (especially the Noctua, Artic, Deepcool, and Cooler Master models) can easily handle a more powerful CPU, but these models may appeal to more minimalist users looking for faster setup and not so many lighting frills. After all, a good WC and a good air conditioner will also work for you if you buy it from a reputable brand, install it correctly and maintain it correctly.
Source: Tec Mundo
