Which cooler is better, NZXT Kraken x31 or Corsair h80i v2?
Which cooler is better, NZXT Kraken x31 or Corsair h80i v2?
I recently discovered I won the silicone lottery with my i5 7600k. I managed to reach a clock speed of 4.9ghz @ 1.22v and achieved a maximum stress test temperature of 75c using a be quiet pure rock slim. My case only supports 120mm rads, but I have the option of either the NZXT Kraken x31 or Corsair h80i v2. I’m also open to your recommendations if there’s a superior 120mm aio cooler available besides those mentioned.
What are the details about your system? What type of graphics card do you have? How is the case cooling fan set up? Is maintaining quiet operation a priority for you? What makes you believe an AIO cooler is necessary? Even with your BQ, you still have some thermal headroom if you aim to increase your overclocking. A 85°C stress test seems appropriate. You also have enough vcore headroom. If you have space for an 160mm case and a good one, consider the Noctua NH-D15s. It should perform better than your current options, run quieter, be more reliable, and won’t leak.
geofelt :
What’s your situation?
Which graphics card are you using?
How is your case cooling fan setup?
Is silent performance a priority for you?
Why do you feel the need for an AIO cooler?
Even with your BQ, you still have thermal headroom if you want to increase your overclocking.
85°C during a stress test seems acceptable.
You still have vcore headroom.
If you have enough space at 160mm and a decent case, consider a Noctua NH-D15s.
It should perform better than your current options, run quieter, be more reliable, and won’t leak.
I own a GTX 1050 ti with two intake fans and one exhaust fan; only the front fan works effectively because the other is blocked by the hard drive cage.
Quiet operation isn’t essential but would be appreciated.
I have the Corsair Carbide spec 01, which I believe supports up to 145mm height.
This case is quite appealing. The height restriction for the cooler limits the available tower types. However, the cryorig H7 stands at only 145mm and still uses a 120mm fan. I don’t believe it offers much more strength compared to the BQ slim. Despite its popularity, I wouldn’t be motivated to switch it. If you’re not utilizing all of the 3.5" drive hardware, you can remove them. Should you only use an SSD—something I suggest—you can install it in one of the upper 5.25" bays and eliminate the drive cage completely. A second fan positioned ahead will provide enough airflow for your GTX1050ti, which isn’t a high-performance card. The main goal for effective cooling is ensuring enough air enters the case. Whatever comes in front will eventually exit somewhere, carrying heat away from components. You also have the option of using 140mm front intakes, which can move more air at a given RPM. With the cooler height constraint, you gain a strong case for a liquid cooler. Just remember, liquid cooling is essentially air cooling. What changes is where the heat exchanger is located. In this scenario, a 120mm radiator would be no more efficient at transferring heat than an equal number of cooling fins on a tower-style air cooler. One benefit of your current setup is that all intake air comes from a single source and can be filtered, helping keep your components cleaner. If you install an AIO with intake from the top, you lose the positive pressure advantage. And if you ever upgrade your GTX1050ti to a more powerful card, you’ll want all available front intakes. You wouldn’t want the radiator to be overheating.
geofelt :
A pleasant case.
The 150mm cooler height limit limits your tower cooler choices.
Yet the cryorig H7 stands at 145mm and still uses a 120mm fan.
I don’t believe the H7 offers much more strength compared to the BQ slim.
Despite its popularity, I wouldn’t change it.
If you’re not utilizing all of the 3.5" drive hardware, you can remove them.
Should you only use an SSD—something I suggest—you can install it in one of the upper 5.25" bays and eliminate the drive cage completely.
A second fan positioned ahead will supply enough air for your GTX1050ti, which isn’t a hot card.
The essential for effective cooling is ensuring enough air enters the case. What leaves the front will pass through somewhere, carrying component heat with it.
You also have options like 140mm front intakes that move more air at a given RPM.
With a restricted cooler height, you gain one of the stronger cases for a liquid cooler.
But keep in mind, liquid cooling is essentially air cooling.
The difference lies in where the heat exchanger is placed.
Here, a 120mm radiator would be no more efficient than an equal number of cooling fins on a tower-style air cooler.
One benefit of your setup is that all intake air comes from a single source and can be filtered, keeping your components cleaner.
If you install an AIO with intake from the top, you lose the positive pressure advantage.
And if you ever upgrade your GTX1050ti to a more powerful card, you’ll need as much front airflow as possible.
You don’t want the radiator getting excessively hot.
OTHERWISE, mounting the AIO radiator to draw air from inside the case would waste preheated air and reduce efficiency.
That’s a tricky situation.
How much do you really need to increase that multiplier from 49 to 50?
You might be able to adjust it now.
What about 51?
You could run out of safe Vcore before hitting thermal limits.
And... your BQ slim will operate quieter and won’t leak.
My concern is this: the drive cages are gone, but I have an old hard drive that isn’t connected—it sits atop my current HDD because my WD Blue is quite loud (either it’s broken or just makes noise). But placing a hard drive on top of my existing HDD eliminates vibrations. The hard drive remains the loudest component when idle. Thus, my current hard drive setup keeps all the intake air from one place and lets you filter it.
If I mount an AIO radiator with intake from inside the case, it will use preheated air and won’t perform as well.
I have a dilemma: if I remove the front panel, the fans are completely silent. The dust filter also restricts airflow significantly when active, and with the side panel off, you barely feel any airflow at 50% speed. But once the panel is removed, you can sense the air pushing against your hand.
If I switch to an AIO, I’d place the radiator at the rear of the case, using a pull configuration with the current exhaust fan at the top and the AIO exhausting air out the back, or a push/pull setup with both fans at the rear.
My room temperature is around 23°C, so the air inside the case would likely be only +/- 2°C—probably not enough to notice a big difference from having the AIO as exhaust.
I’m considering upgrading to an SSD. Once I get that, I could probably have the HDD inspected, as it’s currently a hassle.
The air passing through the single exhaust fan under load is warm but not scorching.
I tested 5GHz at 1.35V and reached a max temperature of 91°C.