Which cooler is better for your AIO or air cooler?
Which cooler is better for your AIO or air cooler?
During testing various AIOs, I noticed some that performed adequately, while others fell short. The main issue is that many people assume 'liquid cooling' means full watercooling, not just decent air cooling—or worse. I've also encountered air coolers that impress with their performance at a lower price. The key lies in how well the cooler is engineered, focusing on thermal precision and heat exchange rather than just aesthetics or superficial performance claims.
I previously owned a Corsair H60 on my older build. It was the most audible component of my setup and gradually increased in volume over time. For my newly assembled 8700k system, I opted for an air/tower cooler. I chose the beQuiet Dark Rock Pro 3 because it handles 250W TDP and operates completely silently. I only notice it during stress tests when the CPU reaches over 90°C and the fans reach 100%, though it remains quieter than my MSI Geforce 970 Gaming 4G under full load. In regular use or during overclocking, it becomes nearly inaudible. The all-in-one water coolers tend to be a bit louder due to pumps and high-speed fans. This isn’t necessarily a problem, especially if you prefer louder audio or headphones. I generally favor silent and efficient cooling, and while air coolers are often more affordable, they require a larger case and precise fitting.
However, if you plan to overclock, consider either a premium air cooler or a top-tier all-in-one water cooling solution.
I recently upgraded my 8700k system with the beQuiet Dark Rock Pro 3. It maintains stable performance at 4.8Ghz with a 1.27Vcore and LLC4 configuration. I achieved 5.0GHz using Vcore 1.35 and LLC4, which passed Cinebench, Intel Extreme Tuning Tool, and Prime95 V26.6 stress tests—though it gets quite hot under Prime95 V29.4b5 without the AVX offset enabled. I’m still refining the 5.0 OC settings.
If you’re interested in my setup, feel free to message me—I’d love to hear your thoughts (since I share the same CPU and overclocking objectives).
I’m really satisfied with the Dark Rock Pro 3, and I also use beQuiet silent wings 3 fans in my case. They keep everything neatly cool and quiet, and they look great inside the case ;-)