Difference of cooling choices
Difference of cooling choices
Liquid cooling uses a liquid medium to transfer heat away from components, while water cooling specifically involves water as the coolant. The main distinction lies in the substance used for heat dissipation.
Liquid cooling and water cooling essentially overlap in meaning. Yet, slight variations exist in how these methods are understood within the PC cooling community:
Liquid cooling usually describes compact coolers like AIO units with self-contained loops, such as Corsair H-series or NZXT Kraken models.
Water cooling generally encompasses bigger systems featuring a dedicated pump, reservoir, separate coolant blocks, radiators, tubing, and fittings, all chosen and bought individually or in kits.
Liquid cooling involves a loop of fluid moving between a pump, a heat plate, and a radiator. The pump pushes the liquid down to the heat plate connected to your CPU (often GPU, RAM, etc.), transferring the warmth into the liquid which then flows to the radiator. There, fans assist in cooling the liquid, similar to how a refrigerator or car engine operates.
A detailed explanation can be found here: https://computer.howstuffworks.com/liquid-cooled-pc.htm
Air cooling relies on moving air to dissipate heat. Cooler air absorbs the temperature from a component, either through case fans or natural convection as hot air rises. This method is simple and inexpensive, though more advanced options may become larger and heavier.
Liquid cooling and water cooling essentially overlap in meaning. Yet, slight variations exist in how these methods are interpreted within the PC cooling community:
Liquid cooling usually describes compact coolers like AIO units with integrated loops, such as Corsair H-series or NZXT Kraken.
Water cooling generally encompasses bigger systems featuring a dedicated pump, reservoir, separate coolant blocks, radiators, tubing, and fittings, all chosen and bought individually or in kits.