@@OrbitalGambit My AFIII 420 has been sitting here waiting for my motherboard to show, I'm stoked about installing it. No second thoughts for me as this new rig will be a murdered out black, no RGB. Good luck with yours.
Asetek's hostile takeover of the AIO market long ago still makes me upset. Patent squatting shouldn't have allowed Asetek to close out the market and then introduce sub-par products that other brands were forced to adopt when the market started growing. So glad that there are still brands out there that innovate outside of Asetek's hold on the market
@@NthnLikeCodeine Eh, Aircoolers needed to cool the top end chips are so bulky to the point that it's blocking like more than half of the case, it's a pretty done and dusted argument that AIO's kick out the heat better and don't recirculate as much.
AIO and watercooling do have their place in quiet systems. Because of the greater cooling mass the increase and decrease of heat happens slower, which means less need for the fans to ramp up and down quickly. For quick temperature spikes you can set up the fans not react at all.
True yet the engineers at Asetek work hard on improving everything every day. Was lucky to visit their old HQ and it was impressive the amount of R&D they are doing.
Here's how I go about it: Step 1: figure out the largest size of AIO that will fit in the case Step 2: List out all the models that matches the aesthetic Step 3: Buy the cheapest one of the list
Tip, if it will fit, just go with Arctic, top performing AIOs and they are cheap too. They may not have a screen but they do have a vrm fan for better mobo and ram thermals.
@@chrisr2543 love the enthusiasm, but if it doesn't fit, don't force it. More than likely if it doesn't fit altogether, then you're probably doing something wrong and should take a step back.
I've literally owned one AIO,, a Corsair H110i, bought 7 ½ years ago, which got transplanted from an AMD 1800x to a 5950x about seven months ago, and its still going strong, temperatures well under control, and it operates mostly silently with the plain white LED Mag Lev fans from Corsair I put on it at the time of the AIO purchase. So, everyone needs to travel back in time and buy a Corsair Hydro Series H110i.
I got a ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 360 for my AMD Ryzen 9 5950X it works ok. I have no RBG. What I like is that the VRM fan comes off so I can clean it out and I have all the fans and pump on different headers.
I like a clean build personally. The main two things I look for in a AIO is a max of just one or two cables to use it and the cooling performance. That is why Artic coolers are the best. The AIO's with screens have three or four cables running out of them and makes the build look messy in my opinion.
I learned the hard way with my Arctic Liquid Freezer 2, Corsair 5000D, and my ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero motherboard. The installation issue that I ran into, was the one of the fans on the AIO and a heatsink for a VRM on the motherboard were intersecting with each other. The tolerance to get the clearance I needed was literally no more than 5mm. One thing that I did not take into consideration was the how thick the radiator was on the AIO. I also could not return or exchange all 3 as I was purchasing these items a month at a time and had gone beyond the return and exchange dates, so, I was kinda stuck. My solution was to move the AIO to the 140mm slot and make some DIY brackets from sheet steel, new hardware and spray paint.
I ran into the same issue. I had the same case and AIO. I ended up putting the radiator on the front of the case (hose connections on the bottom), flipped the fans around on the radiator to make it a "pull" intake instead of exhaust, and added high static pressure fans on the front to make it a "push-pull" configuration for better airflow. I had the side fans on the case added in as well to try to push in as much air as I could since I didn't want the heat from the radiator to make my case warm. I did multiple configurations, and this resulted in the best benchmarks for me. I now have the same case, the Asus ROG Crosshair X870E HERO, the Arctic Liquid Freezer III A-RGB, and the 9800X3D. The configuration still works great.
Haha same thing happened to me. I bought the artic freezer III. It didn't clear the motherboard and I was forced to put it in the front of my case (the Corsair 5000D as well). I flipped the fans to intake, and it works like a beauty but sad that I couldn't put it on top.
Cooler Master had Aquagate and Aquagate Mini series of AIOs long before those Asstek products started to pop up. One of the earliest CM AIO had 2x5.25" bay mounted system where they had Radiator Pump and reservoir all in that bay unit.
AIO Buing Guide: Thermalright Phantom Spirit :) 13900K runs cooler and *more quiet* than with 280mm Silent Loop 2. AIOs are good where case airflow is poor, if you've got good case airflow then liquid cooling is a waste of money.
Interesting timing on the video. My velocity micro AIO started making a noise. I called them, purchased a replacement. Watched another one of your videos about thermal paste, bought themal grizzly. Took me about two hours to do the replacement. Called Mike/Max back at velocity micro they helped me throught the navigation to the BIOS to confirm the AIO was operating. Thanks for making the videos, huge help to me. Glad to have purchased a pc from Velocity Micro.
Just got my first comp with water cooling. Mostly due to the vids on this channel. Got Cooler Master MasterLiquid 360L Core ARGB 360mm AiO Water Cooling White.
Still running an X61 in my old gaming machine, an X63 in my wife's old gaming pc now my home theater PC, and finally an Elite 280 in my Wife's new gaming pc. The X61 only has half the fluid left due to evaporation, but still works like a champ. Never had a bad experience with NZXT's AIOs. (I do hate the harness coming off the pump though. and agreed they aren't cheap)
Just a longevity fact regarding NZXT Kraken AIO's: I have in a PC here a Kraken X63 280mm on an RTX 2080 Super (via Kraken G12 VGA adapter) and a Kraken Z63 mounted on a Ryzen 3800x (it's the first NZXT AIO with a display). Both of them are 4 years old right now (end November) and both still work like they were on day one from a cooling point of view, and with no weird noises.
I like aio to make a custom loops. Just replace the tubes to lenghs you need and add a resevoir, then add the videocard in the loop. If needed, add one more radiator, calculating the system TDP and leaving some headroom
We just need some research into flexible heat pipes, then we can have air coolers with radiators as big as those. Take away the size restriction on air coolers because where that have to sit now and water will be redundant. Flexible heat pipes FTW.
hmmmm.... I can pay double the money for Corsair parts that keep failing, have a terrible 3 month RMA process where I had to "buy" the new part to use the "express" RMA... or Arctic that perform better and work for longer.... no idea what their RMA process is like because I haven't had to use them, but I'm guessing they're not overwhelmed like Corsair's was!
Yes I bought the NZXT KRAPPIN 280 at Best Buy and it sucked Geek Squad put it together watch the crappy temperatures then ordered an Arctic Liquid Freezer III 280 Black took it back to Best Buy since I paid that year membership and holy smokes way better temps.
Tip for buying pc parts: don't be afraid to buy into AM4. It's insane how much PC you can get for the money at the moment. The prices of B550 motherboards, 5700x3D and DDR4 have dropped so much it's really a good deal to buy into.
Im glad the best AIO is although the cheapest on the market, Artic rulez. In times where boost and clockrate depends on temp you cannot affort a cheap aircooler because "its enough". Skip all the products seen in this video here, other AIO can be even cheaper than aircooler, so no question in the end.
with the last upgrade I switched to the noctua NH-D15 G2 coming from a liquid freezer 2. My overall expirience with the liquid freezer was awesome. I would recommend that AIO and I just switch to air cooling because I felt like doing so for fun (also I am trying a dead silent case for the first time). I would totally buy a liquid freezer 3 and had zero problems operating the 2 for over 5 years.
Some kind of impeller vortex filter, where the heavy particulates are driven to the outside of the calendar, electrically capturing atoms within the filter fabric. Change the filter periodically for best performance results.
I don't like proprietary fans with a single plug. I like to be able to swap out my fans freely, and I've also upgraded my 280 size Kraken with two additional fans to run pushpull. The thing is now in it's 10th year of continuous daily operation and just still works.
@@cjmillsnun I know, but then I'm replacing the whole PC, since that is also in it's 10th year. A good old rock solid X-99 build. I'm just happy and thankful that it has served this long without a fuss. No rush though, Windows 11 runs on it, so no hard cut next year.
So my thing is selecting for overall performance. One thing I didn't realize is that AIO's are often so ineffective compared to a custom loop, that there are many air coolers that surpass them. Apparently it's in the fin design and the tube diameter, where AIO's use very thick tubes with very small inner diameters to avoid things like evaporation. I have a 13700K, and I had a Corsair 280MM AIO fail. Basically, some sort of bubble had built up or something. (Yes, the radiator was above the pump.) I was able to get a replacement, but I notice that the coolant can get close to 50C. I hear at those temperatures, you can get breakdown issues. So it may have been that. Or I suspect the pump might have stopped while the system was still running. Either way, there was a bubble, gurgling noises, and the PC couldn't start up because it would initiate a thermal shutdown as soon as windows started loading. So knowing how to choose stuff like that is what I'm interested in. When I can get back to a better place financially, I have a design for a custom case and loop built around the MoRa3 and a direct die CPU block.
Great info Jay, thank you. I bought my Son a Ryzen 9 7900X CPU and am using a MSI core liquid 240m AIO to keep it cool and I'm left wondering if it enough. Unfortunately We have an old NZXT case that won't allow for a 360mm AIO but I think we need it!
The reason I go for AIOs is for quieter cooling, but quite a lot of them these days have very loud pumps. The quietest pump in an AIO I've ever had was an NZXT one. I'm now running an Arctic Freezer III and at full speed its pump and the little fan on the block are noisy unless you manually slow them down too. I just need quiet. I guess my next system will need to be a custom loop.
I was literally looking at best AIO coolers for a possible build I would make. And I'm not joking, 4 minutes ago this poped up in my feed. Crazy coincidence!
Would definitely recommend the Arctic AIOs, though I would recommend you use a different thermal paste. It does the job of a thermal paste just fine, but it also does the job of super glue when you're trying to clean it off. That stuff is ridiculously sticky.
Just gonna throw my voice (well, comment really) here to also say absolutely go with Arctic's Liquid Freezer III. It's one of the best AIOs on the market and unless you really, really want to waste money on a screen you'll most likely never see while using your PC or want another brand solely for build monogeny there really isn't any reason to go with anything else.
Just got my free brackets from Noctua for my 5 year old NH-D15 cooler. Even though I didn't use them, the cooler itself works perfect on my new 9800x3d CPU.
@@sodapopinksi667 Yep, but I didn't need them after all. Even if I tried, there wouldn't have been enough room. The cooler would have hit the 4070Ti Super I have installed.
@sky173 i have same setup as you, but I bought my cooler used. Was wondering if the offset brackets were even worth it. Seems like it may cause fitment issues, from what you are telling me.
Congrats on being one of the lucky ones to have got a 9800X3D. I'm hoping I'll be able to get one myself come December, really excited for the upgrade.
I like these types of videos where you focus on one component and explain pros and cons. One of the things I’d love a good video on is how to best set up a dual computer desk (work laptop for work from home + gaming pc), I read about KVM switches but have no idea what is good and bad about them, or if another solution is better for these setups, I assume Im not the only one working from home and also having their gaming setup on the same desk :P
Went with the Arctic Liquid Freezer 360 Black to cool my 9800x3D, value per money it just can't be beat, however I did get the NZXT C1200 ATX 3.1 psu. Witness me, NZXT!
Hey jay. Thanks for everything you do so much ever since about a year ago. I started learning u where one of the 1st that i came across. Even not knowing it. You helped a lot. Good stuff bro and thank u again
Oh hi Jay, I totally agree that Aio in size do matter, can I have a few suggestions on this coming epic test.✨ By adding push & pull same fans. (stock fans) On 240 to 360 AIO. (Arctic liquid freezer III, as they did sponsor you before) As I knows that may also help abit in long run & can ran lower Rpm in fan speed or in max that see if that's help on I9 Intel 13 & 14 Gen to cool down.👍 As I know not all can afford 460 Aio that to try on forcing on more viewers has on 240, 280 & 360 Aio in push, pull in same stock fans come with the box..😜 & can you try P12 Max by Arctic. (For those who loves high performance than RGB) Also try to test with new upgrades Fans do matter & with single push or pull set up VS push pull that will have any chance of getting cooler🤭
my word of advice, do lots and lots of research on your case. i bought a Lian Li 011D XL and bought a 420mm 45mm thick rad for it. its my first open loop build. ive learned the hard way, at 420X45mm thick rad will not fitin the top, bottom or side. the rad alone was almost touching the vertical gpu bracket without fans, so that scratches the bottom. In the top, it was touching the vrm heatsinks, so that scratches the top also. the side it would fit but did not look right. Ended up giving it to a friend and he bought a 360X30mm rad and we just swapped.
I'm so glad that I don't have to watercool just yet, thanks to your undervolting video. Sure, I 'only' have a 13700, and it still reaches up to max. 92C under heavy load, but that's the hottest it gets now, with an air cooler! If I had to buy an AIO, I wouldn't be able to afford the system I have now. And even though it's not the very best of the very latest, I'm VERY happy with what it turned out to be ;)
You will NEVER look back from the quiet performance water cooling brings. I have a 13600K and had a monster dual tower air cooler - while it sufficed to keep temps in check, the constant CPU fan ramping-up-and-down was driving me nuts. One cheapish AIO later and the change is magic. I'll never consider air cooling again.
@@LilMissMurder3409 I never said I don't WANT water cooling :p That said, it won't be more quiet than what I have now. I don't hear the CPU cooler at all, only the 3 front fans when they get up to speed. And they need to do exactly the same if I have a water cooler, because that's the only way to let the cooler air in ;) I had to use whatever I could get, so case, fans, cooler, RAM, drives and PSU were all free. Only had to pay for CPU, GPU and mainboard. Well, and a bracket for the cooler to fit on this board, is came from an older system. I'm on social security, and don't even control my own money. When I got permission for a fixed budget to use to replace my 13 year old computer I made sure to get the very best I could, so it will last me a long time ;) Upgrading the cooler after a while is cheaper than upgrading the CPU or GPU ;)
Galvanic corrosion of these metals is impossible without current flowing through metals. If there is a current flowing through your AIO, then you are in big trouble 😉 The usual corrosion (e.g. cavitation) is very dependent on the liquid, it's true
The x63 is what I bought to cool my Ryzen 7 3700x 8 core cpu. I've got it running at 4.5ghz and under fur mark cpu burner 16 thread burn in, I hit a max of 70c over 2 hours in an 80f room. This was the best 180$ I've ever spent on cooling. Note that I'm running four fans for a push pull configuration in an mitx case.
All-in-one (AIO) liquid coolers can be a contentious topic among PC enthusiasts. While they offer certain advantages, such as enhanced cooling performance for high-end CPUs, there are several considerations to keep in mind. The cost of an AIO cooler, which typically starts around $200, combined with installation labor and the potential risk of mechanical pump failure or leakage, can make them less appealing for many users. For those with mid-range CPUs, investing in an AIO cooler might not be the most cost-effective choice. Instead, allocating that budget toward upgrading the CPU or GPU itself could yield better overall performance improvements. Personally, despite using a high-performance CPU like the 7950X, I prefer air coolers due to their reliability and fewer moving parts. This principle of minimizing moving parts is also evident in the automotive industry. Electric vehicles (EVs), for example, are often praised for their superior power, handling, reduced maintenance needs, and fuel efficiency compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Yet, misconceptions about EVs persist, partly due to entrenched interests in traditional industries. Ultimately, the choice between air cooling and AIO solutions should be based on individual needs and priorities, balancing performance gains with potential risks and costs.
I've always been told high static pressure fans are better with radiators, yet most AIOs don't ship with very high static pressure fans. Even from companies that MAKE high static pressure fans. For example, Corsair's highest static pressure RGB fans are their LX models, yet none of the AIOs they sell come with those. Some come with much cheaper fans, some when slightly better, but none with the highest static pressure LX fans. I'd love to see a video investigating if this even makes a difference. Test the same setup with the same AIO just with different fans. You could compare fans with similar speeds or do some math to normalize CFM between different fan models to see if static pressure even means anything
I have sadly given up with AIOs. Had that many die for the same reason. The fluids don't last as you say and it sucks that you can't top most of them up easily and if you run out of fluid then you say bye bye to your pump. This is why have had to go custom loop. Initially expensive but with regular maintenance and I believe they would just last longer. Plus the cat loves sleeping on my top exhaust so having the second radiator on the front has been a big help lmao
If you're not making a custom loop at this point you're limiting yourself. No, not your system. YOURSELF! You can do it! Its not hard and you can make some amazing looking work and it's not that difficult! I find that most people are simply too scared or lazy to do it. Their words, not mine. You can do it! Just...do it!!!!
I was researching a couple AIOs and placement protocols and after some trouble with Amazon over a 9800X3D order, they issued $258 in credit and I applied that to the 2024 Kraken elite 360 rgb. After tax would've come out to $347, but I paid less than $90, including tax
I'm currently building my own aio system using barrow rad/pump combo, CPU water block and fittings... costs a little more to build but will be totally serviceable so hopefully should last much longer
I just got an Antec Flux pro. I'm currently rocking a Noctua D15s. I was thinking of upgrading to an AIO because this AMD chip gets way hotter than my old cpu. I also recently upgraded from a 10600k to a 7600x3d. Temps idle are fine, when gaming it's always between 50-65C, sometimes boosting up to 80C. Should I get an AIO, if so 360 vs 420? I'm going to top mount it if yes.
I'm due for an upgrade for sure. I have an 8700k from launch day. Thermaltake 360 AIO from maybe 4 or 5 years ago. I just got the NVME(2) and the GPU (7900XTX) Just need everything else now.
Weird because also 5 hours ago my AIO from 10 years ago (CM Seidon 240M) just had its hoses burst and leak all over and destroy my RTX 2060S. Did you plan all of this, Jay?
My best advice...You don't need to go with the name brand versions like a corsair or nzxt. Even the off brands that are about half the price use the same asetek pump design the others do. Right now (11/25) amazon as an uphere aio for $52.00. (wrong price)
Thanks Jay, Nick and Phil. Love your work! I am planning on building a AMD 9800X3D PC in the next 3 months (I think a lot of other subscribers will be doing the same) Could you guys please create a video to let us know what AIO cooler will perform best for this CPU? Pretty please... Cheers.
I see the next big gains in the software that runs all these RGB components. The companies have to get together and start producing a standard that all companies can adopt so we can start mixing and matching with ease.
Nice. I just replaced my Cooler Master Master Liquid 240 with an Arctic Liquid Freezer III 240 the other week. Man, is it shocking to see how the prices have risen on these over the last few years though (but given the fad of integrated screens and other fluff - I sure can see why). 😲
1. 120 mm fans should be verboten. Big slow turning fans move more air with less noise. 2. Radiators should be 160 mm, 320 mm,170 mm or 304 mm. 3. Motherboards fan plugs should have enough capacity to power 2 x 170 mm or 3 x 140 mm fans. 4. Radiators should have filtered ambient air drawn into the case to keep positive air pressure in the case to limit dust buildup and with fans that are interior to the radiator to muffle noise. 5. Fan mounting plates should should be made to fit specific fan sizes not the fit any fan size plate that need to be dremeled out to prevent blocking air flow from large fans.
On the warranty mention, I have a Corsair Hydro Series H80 since 2012 still cooling an i7 3820 which is the system i'm posting this from, Are you still liking the Arctic Liquid Freezer range you liked so much from a previous video?
I have a 240 bequiet silent loop2 which is perfect for my use and my 5800x Was surprise it came with a bottle of coolant and instructions to top up the coolant
I missed the incorporated VRM FAN inside the Pump housing. Is also something that is getting popular with AIO's. Great Video and try some Helium for tha voice next time lol 🤣🥰🤛
I got an Arctic Liquid Freezer 3 360 A-RGB. I put it in an H6 Flow A-RGB. I had to cut off a screw hole with a Dremel tool on a fan to make it fit. I didnt pay attention to the supported radiator sizes for my case. Don't be like me.
I know that EK is justly considered as a shitty company now, but I am super happy with my Nucleus aio. It works great and temps are fantastic and the price was very reasonable
At last. Another video to make me overthink the parts in my system.
same, i'm watching this literally the day before i get my liquid freezer 3 just for the hell of it lol
Ain't that the truth...
🤣
@@OrbitalGambit My AFIII 420 has been sitting here waiting for my motherboard to show, I'm stoked about installing it. No second thoughts for me as this new rig will be a murdered out black, no RGB. Good luck with yours.
I went AFIII 420 with no RGB...less things to think about...lol.
Asetek's hostile takeover of the AIO market long ago still makes me upset. Patent squatting shouldn't have allowed Asetek to close out the market and then introduce sub-par products that other brands were forced to adopt when the market started growing. So glad that there are still brands out there that innovate outside of Asetek's hold on the market
Brother there is no reason to buy an aio anyways
@@NthnLikeCodeine Eh, Aircoolers needed to cool the top end chips are so bulky to the point that it's blocking like more than half of the case, it's a pretty done and dusted argument that AIO's kick out the heat better and don't recirculate as much.
AIO and watercooling do have their place in quiet systems. Because of the greater cooling mass the increase and decrease of heat happens slower, which means less need for the fans to ramp up and down quickly. For quick temperature spikes you can set up the fans not react at all.
True yet the engineers at Asetek work hard on improving everything every day. Was lucky to visit their old HQ and it was impressive the amount of R&D they are doing.
Intro.
Best ever.
Never stop doing that.
Unless you can incorporate IFIXIT EXPLOSIONS somehow.
Then do that.
NOT SHOPPING at NZXT?! THEN YOU SUCK! *EXPLOSIONS* 😂😂
@@VirusShockerX32or, “then you probably need to fix it with IFIXIT!!!” [explosions]
Not many people will get that colours are ironic joke. Well done sir.
That joke did indeed put a smile on my face
Here's how I go about it:
Step 1: figure out the largest size of AIO that will fit in the case
Step 2: List out all the models that matches the aesthetic
Step 3: Buy the cheapest one of the list
Jay Anti-Schillington: Remember, If it doesn't say NZXT on it, then it's probably reasonably priced.
You forgot "unless it says ASUS and then it is overpriced".
If it doesn’t say nzxt, it will work now than a year
(I had the kraken m22)
@@tea.edits.ae. all the single aios are garbage dude!
Artic Freezer is the best buy in every category and even better product from those that are twice expensive!
but you’d wonder why he never talks about them
aartic a-rgb 360mm is probably the best aio, and best price on the market rn.
For price?
Non RGB.
yup I have the 420.
thermalrights are also amazing deals for lower end
@@Guru_1092 arctic 240mm liquid freezer 2 "b stock" is $50.
Arctic liquid freezer III are insane for the prices
Tip, if it will fit, just go with Arctic, top performing AIOs and they are cheap too. They may not have a screen but they do have a vrm fan for better mobo and ram thermals.
.... and if the Arctic Freezer doesn't fit.... MAKE IT FIT!
@@chrisr2543 love the enthusiasm, but if it doesn't fit, don't force it. More than likely if it doesn't fit altogether, then you're probably doing something wrong and should take a step back.
Dremel #1 tool
@@chrisr2543 Made the 280 freezer III fit into my NR200!
@@uss-dh7909 my wife tells me the same thing. 😂
I've literally owned one AIO,, a Corsair H110i, bought 7 ½ years ago, which got transplanted from an AMD 1800x to a 5950x about seven months ago, and its still going strong, temperatures well under control, and it operates mostly silently with the plain white LED Mag Lev fans from Corsair I put on it at the time of the AIO purchase. So, everyone needs to travel back in time and buy a Corsair Hydro Series H110i.
I've got a h100i that I bought 9 years ago that I had on an amd 9590, that's chilling on a 5800x now. Still going!
I had a Corsair H110i and it lasted less than a year before the pump gave up
same here - I had two - they lasted about 6-9 months each before I had pump failure :(
I got a ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 360 for my AMD Ryzen 9 5950X it works ok. I have no RBG. What I like is that the VRM fan comes off so I can clean it out and I have all the fans and pump on different headers.
And here I was shopping for my first AIO. Talk about perfect timing.
arctic 240mm liquid freezer 2 "b stock" is $50. Best deal going right now i just bought one.
ARCTIC Liquid Freezer III 280 - thank me later
ye arctic blows nzxt away. stick to a liquid freezer 3
Excellent work. Finally an aio video that makes sense 👍
Get the biggest Arctic LF3 that fits in your case, RGB ones have slightly better fans so if the price difference is small then that's your best bet
I for one cannot wait for more Jay Shillington. I hope him and Admiral Jay duke it out for the best persona.
I like a clean build personally. The main two things I look for in a AIO is a max of just one or two cables to use it and the cooling performance. That is why Artic coolers are the best. The AIO's with screens have three or four cables running out of them and makes the build look messy in my opinion.
I learned the hard way with my Arctic Liquid Freezer 2, Corsair 5000D, and my ASUS ROG Crosshair VIII Dark Hero motherboard. The installation issue that I ran into, was the one of the fans on the AIO and a heatsink for a VRM on the motherboard were intersecting with each other. The tolerance to get the clearance I needed was literally no more than 5mm. One thing that I did not take into consideration was the how thick the radiator was on the AIO. I also could not return or exchange all 3 as I was purchasing these items a month at a time and had gone beyond the return and exchange dates, so, I was kinda stuck. My solution was to move the AIO to the 140mm slot and make some DIY brackets from sheet steel, new hardware and spray paint.
I ran into the same issue. I had the same case and AIO. I ended up putting the radiator on the front of the case (hose connections on the bottom), flipped the fans around on the radiator to make it a "pull" intake instead of exhaust, and added high static pressure fans on the front to make it a "push-pull" configuration for better airflow. I had the side fans on the case added in as well to try to push in as much air as I could since I didn't want the heat from the radiator to make my case warm. I did multiple configurations, and this resulted in the best benchmarks for me. I now have the same case, the Asus ROG Crosshair X870E HERO, the Arctic Liquid Freezer III A-RGB, and the 9800X3D. The configuration still works great.
Haha same thing happened to me. I bought the artic freezer III. It didn't clear the motherboard and I was forced to put it in the front of my case (the Corsair 5000D as well). I flipped the fans to intake, and it works like a beauty but sad that I couldn't put it on top.
Cooler Master had Aquagate and Aquagate Mini series of AIOs long before those Asstek products started to pop up. One of the earliest CM AIO had 2x5.25" bay mounted system where they had Radiator Pump and reservoir all in that bay unit.
This is an excellent guide. Expected nothing less, from the OG liquid cooling connoisseur.
AIO Buing Guide: Thermalright Phantom Spirit :) 13900K runs cooler and *more quiet* than with 280mm Silent Loop 2. AIOs are good where case airflow is poor, if you've got good case airflow then liquid cooling is a waste of money.
Interesting timing on the video. My velocity micro AIO started making a noise. I called them, purchased a replacement. Watched another one of your videos about thermal paste, bought themal grizzly. Took me about two hours to do the replacement. Called Mike/Max back at velocity micro they helped me throught the navigation to the BIOS to confirm the AIO was operating. Thanks for making the videos, huge help to me. Glad to have purchased a pc from Velocity Micro.
Arctic Cooling 360mm AIO is the BEST AIO cooler on the market.
Just got my first comp with water cooling. Mostly due to the vids on this channel. Got Cooler Master MasterLiquid 360L Core ARGB 360mm AiO Water Cooling White.
Still running an X61 in my old gaming machine, an X63 in my wife's old gaming pc now my home theater PC, and finally an Elite 280 in my Wife's new gaming pc. The X61 only has half the fluid left due to evaporation, but still works like a champ. Never had a bad experience with NZXT's AIOs. (I do hate the harness coming off the pump though. and agreed they aren't cheap)
You put this out a day after I put a new AIO in my system.....damnit Jay!
Just a longevity fact regarding NZXT Kraken AIO's: I have in a PC here a Kraken X63 280mm on an RTX 2080 Super (via Kraken G12 VGA adapter) and a Kraken Z63 mounted on a Ryzen 3800x (it's the first NZXT AIO with a display). Both of them are 4 years old right now (end November) and both still work like they were on day one from a cooling point of view, and with no weird noises.
Best advice I have is always check your case's compatibility. Just because you can fit 3 120mm fans does not mean you'll fit a 360mm rad.
7:18 the _inuendo_ is strong with this one.
In-your-endo
@@adamwest1138 OH MYYYYYYYY~
I like aio to make a custom loops. Just replace the tubes to lenghs you need and add a resevoir, then add the videocard in the loop. If needed, add one more radiator, calculating the system TDP and leaving some headroom
The atmos punches high up there too.. Doesn't have to be the super fancy one. Cm has come a long way
Just get an Arctic Freezer III 240/360/420 and call it day. Great price and one of the best AIO on the market.
We just need some research into flexible heat pipes, then we can have air coolers with radiators as big as those. Take away the size restriction on air coolers because where that have to sit now and water will be redundant. Flexible heat pipes FTW.
What i learned the hard way about AIO's is to just go with artic, literally good with out the dumb price others ask
I tried that but since it was such a pain to install, I went with the Corsair 420mm AIO
@@OneFreeMan17 not hard to install at all and you went to something that's like twice the price for less performance? Seems... sus.
@@kristoffer3000 Works just fine for me. CPU runs nice and cool xD
@@OneFreeMan17 For like I said, twice the price
hmmmm.... I can pay double the money for Corsair parts that keep failing, have a terrible 3 month RMA process where I had to "buy" the new part to use the "express" RMA... or Arctic that perform better and work for longer.... no idea what their RMA process is like because I haven't had to use them, but I'm guessing they're not overwhelmed like Corsair's was!
Yes I bought the NZXT KRAPPIN 280 at Best Buy and it sucked Geek Squad put it together watch the crappy temperatures then ordered an Arctic Liquid Freezer III 280 Black took it back to Best Buy since I paid that year membership and holy smokes way better temps.
Tip for buying pc parts: don't be afraid to buy into AM4. It's insane how much PC you can get for the money at the moment. The prices of B550 motherboards, 5700x3D and DDR4 have dropped so much it's really a good deal to buy into.
The artic cooling 360 had a fan instead of lcd displays. Love it.
Im glad the best AIO is although the cheapest on the market, Artic rulez. In times where boost and clockrate depends on temp you cannot affort a cheap aircooler because "its enough". Skip all the products seen in this video here, other AIO can be even cheaper than aircooler, so no question in the end.
with the last upgrade I switched to the noctua NH-D15 G2 coming from a liquid freezer 2.
My overall expirience with the liquid freezer was awesome. I would recommend that AIO and I just switch to air cooling because I felt like doing so for fun (also I am trying a dead silent case for the first time). I would totally buy a liquid freezer 3 and had zero problems operating the 2 for over 5 years.
Some kind of impeller vortex filter, where the heavy particulates are driven to the outside of the calendar, electrically capturing atoms within the filter fabric. Change the filter periodically for best performance results.
I like the Alpenfohn because they have a port on the radiators, that allow you to top them up once they are outside of the warranty.
Got an nzxt aio, its the best thing ever quiet good cooling and it's 5 years old and still kicking!
I don't like proprietary fans with a single plug. I like to be able to swap out my fans freely, and I've also upgraded my 280 size Kraken with two additional fans to run pushpull. The thing is now in it's 10th year of continuous daily operation and just still works.
You'll need to replace it at some point because of coolant osmosis. Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done about that.
@@cjmillsnun I know, but then I'm replacing the whole PC, since that is also in it's 10th year. A good old rock solid X-99 build. I'm just happy and thankful that it has served this long without a fuss. No rush though, Windows 11 runs on it, so no hard cut next year.
Putting my new, white, arctic lf 3 420mm in my new build some time this week
So my thing is selecting for overall performance. One thing I didn't realize is that AIO's are often so ineffective compared to a custom loop, that there are many air coolers that surpass them. Apparently it's in the fin design and the tube diameter, where AIO's use very thick tubes with very small inner diameters to avoid things like evaporation.
I have a 13700K, and I had a Corsair 280MM AIO fail. Basically, some sort of bubble had built up or something. (Yes, the radiator was above the pump.)
I was able to get a replacement, but I notice that the coolant can get close to 50C. I hear at those temperatures, you can get breakdown issues. So it may have been that. Or I suspect the pump might have stopped while the system was still running. Either way, there was a bubble, gurgling noises, and the PC couldn't start up because it would initiate a thermal shutdown as soon as windows started loading.
So knowing how to choose stuff like that is what I'm interested in.
When I can get back to a better place financially, I have a design for a custom case and loop built around the MoRa3 and a direct die CPU block.
Great info Jay, thank you. I bought my Son a Ryzen 9 7900X CPU and am using a MSI core liquid 240m AIO to keep it cool and I'm left wondering if it enough. Unfortunately We have an old NZXT case that won't allow for a 360mm AIO but I think we need it!
The reason I go for AIOs is for quieter cooling, but quite a lot of them these days have very loud pumps. The quietest pump in an AIO I've ever had was an NZXT one. I'm now running an Arctic Freezer III and at full speed its pump and the little fan on the block are noisy unless you manually slow them down too. I just need quiet. I guess my next system will need to be a custom loop.
I was literally looking at best AIO coolers for a possible build I would make. And I'm not joking, 4 minutes ago this poped up in my feed. Crazy coincidence!
Same haha was looking at the black Friday sales only 3h ago!
Would definitely recommend the Arctic AIOs, though I would recommend you use a different thermal paste. It does the job of a thermal paste just fine, but it also does the job of super glue when you're trying to clean it off. That stuff is ridiculously sticky.
Arctic is definitely the way to go unless you want a specific manufacturers software
Arctic freezer III are the best, and affordable. Look into that one
Just gonna throw my voice (well, comment really) here to also say absolutely go with Arctic's Liquid Freezer III. It's one of the best AIOs on the market and unless you really, really want to waste money on a screen you'll most likely never see while using your PC or want another brand solely for build monogeny there really isn't any reason to go with anything else.
Just got my free brackets from Noctua for my 5 year old NH-D15 cooler. Even though I didn't use them, the cooler itself works perfect on my new 9800x3d CPU.
The offset ones?
@@sodapopinksi667 Yep, but I didn't need them after all. Even if I tried, there wouldn't have been enough room. The cooler would have hit the 4070Ti Super I have installed.
@sky173 i have same setup as you, but I bought my cooler used. Was wondering if the offset brackets were even worth it. Seems like it may cause fitment issues, from what you are telling me.
Congrats on being one of the lucky ones to have got a 9800X3D. I'm hoping I'll be able to get one myself come December, really excited for the upgrade.
I have an NZXT AIO that has been running 24/7 365 for over 12 years.
Are you for real???
@@jrv1326 he is capping
@@jrv1326 yes, still running right now. Running on my media server, have another one on my main PC.
I am running an EVGA 280mm CLCx AIO on my 5700X and its ice cold under load. I'm an EVGA fan boy like you Jay :) I also have a 3080 FTW3 Ultra.
my choice Arctic Liquid Freezer III 420 for Thermaltake The Tower 300. Get as big as posible.
I like these types of videos where you focus on one component and explain pros and cons. One of the things I’d love a good video on is how to best set up a dual computer desk (work laptop for work from home + gaming pc), I read about KVM switches but have no idea what is good and bad about them, or if another solution is better for these setups, I assume Im not the only one working from home and also having their gaming setup on the same desk :P
Went with the Arctic Liquid Freezer 360 Black to cool my 9800x3D, value per money it just can't be beat, however I did get the NZXT C1200 ATX 3.1 psu.
Witness me, NZXT!
I have the Kraken Elite 280 I replaced the fans with Noctua fans!!! I freaking love it!!!
Hey jay. Thanks for everything you do so much ever since about a year ago. I started learning u where one of the 1st that i came across. Even not knowing it. You helped a lot. Good stuff bro and thank u again
Almost thought for a second the fans were magnetically attachable, now that would be awesome 16:49
Oh hi Jay, I totally agree that Aio in size do matter, can I have a few suggestions on this coming epic test.✨
By adding push & pull same fans. (stock fans)
On 240 to 360 AIO. (Arctic liquid freezer III, as they did sponsor you before)
As I knows that may also help abit in long run & can ran lower Rpm in fan speed or in max that see if that's help on I9 Intel 13 & 14 Gen to cool down.👍
As I know not all can afford 460 Aio that to try on forcing on more viewers has on 240, 280 & 360 Aio in push, pull in same stock fans come with the box..😜
& can you try P12 Max by Arctic. (For those who loves high performance than RGB)
Also try to test with new upgrades Fans do matter & with single push or pull set up VS push pull that will have any chance of getting cooler🤭
The GPU and water cooling guy finally does a water cooling video again 👍
I really like how my Corsair fans in AIO use very little wiring. Just wish the AIO was easily refillable / serviceable via a simple service port
thanks, this is how a sponsors youtube should be.
my word of advice, do lots and lots of research on your case. i bought a Lian Li 011D XL and bought a 420mm 45mm thick rad for it. its my first open loop build. ive learned the hard way, at 420X45mm thick rad will not fitin the top, bottom or side. the rad alone was almost touching the vertical gpu bracket without fans, so that scratches the bottom. In the top, it was touching the vrm heatsinks, so that scratches the top also. the side it would fit but did not look right. Ended up giving it to a friend and he bought a 360X30mm rad and we just swapped.
I'm so glad that I don't have to watercool just yet, thanks to your undervolting video. Sure, I 'only' have a 13700, and it still reaches up to max. 92C under heavy load, but that's the hottest it gets now, with an air cooler! If I had to buy an AIO, I wouldn't be able to afford the system I have now. And even though it's not the very best of the very latest, I'm VERY happy with what it turned out to be ;)
You will NEVER look back from the quiet performance water cooling brings. I have a 13600K and had a monster dual tower air cooler - while it sufficed to keep temps in check, the constant CPU fan ramping-up-and-down was driving me nuts. One cheapish AIO later and the change is magic. I'll never consider air cooling again.
@@LilMissMurder3409 I never said I don't WANT water cooling :p That said, it won't be more quiet than what I have now. I don't hear the CPU cooler at all, only the 3 front fans when they get up to speed. And they need to do exactly the same if I have a water cooler, because that's the only way to let the cooler air in ;)
I had to use whatever I could get, so case, fans, cooler, RAM, drives and PSU were all free. Only had to pay for CPU, GPU and mainboard. Well, and a bracket for the cooler to fit on this board, is came from an older system. I'm on social security, and don't even control my own money. When I got permission for a fixed budget to use to replace my 13 year old computer I made sure to get the very best I could, so it will last me a long time ;) Upgrading the cooler after a while is cheaper than upgrading the CPU or GPU ;)
Galvanic corrosion of these metals is impossible without current flowing through metals. If there is a current flowing through your AIO, then you are in big trouble 😉
The usual corrosion (e.g. cavitation) is very dependent on the liquid, it's true
Jay Shillington 🤣🤣🤣 I definitely want to see this character again!
Wait a second!?!? I always thought we knew there was a size difference between the white one and the black one! 😂
Thanks for posting this the day my artic freezer 3 360 arrived....
The x63 is what I bought to cool my Ryzen 7 3700x 8 core cpu. I've got it running at 4.5ghz and under fur mark cpu burner 16 thread burn in, I hit a max of 70c over 2 hours in an 80f room. This was the best 180$ I've ever spent on cooling. Note that I'm running four fans for a push pull configuration in an mitx case.
All-in-one (AIO) liquid coolers can be a contentious topic among PC enthusiasts. While they offer certain advantages, such as enhanced cooling performance for high-end CPUs, there are several considerations to keep in mind. The cost of an AIO cooler, which typically starts around $200, combined with installation labor and the potential risk of mechanical pump failure or leakage, can make them less appealing for many users.
For those with mid-range CPUs, investing in an AIO cooler might not be the most cost-effective choice. Instead, allocating that budget toward upgrading the CPU or GPU itself could yield better overall performance improvements. Personally, despite using a high-performance CPU like the 7950X, I prefer air coolers due to their reliability and fewer moving parts.
This principle of minimizing moving parts is also evident in the automotive industry. Electric vehicles (EVs), for example, are often praised for their superior power, handling, reduced maintenance needs, and fuel efficiency compared to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Yet, misconceptions about EVs persist, partly due to entrenched interests in traditional industries.
Ultimately, the choice between air cooling and AIO solutions should be based on individual needs and priorities, balancing performance gains with potential risks and costs.
Great video Jay! I still have an original Corsair h90. Still works and when I shake it it doesn't sound like it's lost a whole lot of liquid.
literally was just about to order that aio and this vid just dropped now
Hey, Jay, do you ever test an AIO before mounting it to your systems?
I've always been told high static pressure fans are better with radiators, yet most AIOs don't ship with very high static pressure fans. Even from companies that MAKE high static pressure fans. For example, Corsair's highest static pressure RGB fans are their LX models, yet none of the AIOs they sell come with those. Some come with much cheaper fans, some when slightly better, but none with the highest static pressure LX fans.
I'd love to see a video investigating if this even makes a difference. Test the same setup with the same AIO just with different fans. You could compare fans with similar speeds or do some math to normalize CFM between different fan models to see if static pressure even means anything
And here I was not thinking about getting another AIO and perfectly happy with the ones I have, but Jay posted a video so I gotta watch it anyways.
I have sadly given up with AIOs. Had that many die for the same reason. The fluids don't last as you say and it sucks that you can't top most of them up easily and if you run out of fluid then you say bye bye to your pump. This is why have had to go custom loop. Initially expensive but with regular maintenance and I believe they would just last longer. Plus the cat loves sleeping on my top exhaust so having the second radiator on the front has been a big help lmao
Hey Jay,
about the fans, there is a split cable in the box so you can use the fancase without the nzxt controller :). (there was in my box anyway)
If you're not making a custom loop at this point you're limiting yourself. No, not your system. YOURSELF! You can do it! Its not hard and you can make some amazing looking work and it's not that difficult! I find that most people are simply too scared or lazy to do it. Their words, not mine. You can do it! Just...do it!!!!
I was researching a couple AIOs and placement protocols and after some trouble with Amazon over a 9800X3D order, they issued $258 in credit and I applied that to the 2024 Kraken elite 360 rgb. After tax would've come out to $347, but I paid less than $90, including tax
I'm currently building my own aio system using barrow rad/pump combo, CPU water block and fittings... costs a little more to build but will be totally serviceable so hopefully should last much longer
I just got an Antec Flux pro. I'm currently rocking a Noctua D15s. I was thinking of upgrading to an AIO because this AMD chip gets way hotter than my old cpu. I also recently upgraded from a 10600k to a 7600x3d. Temps idle are fine, when gaming it's always between 50-65C, sometimes boosting up to 80C. Should I get an AIO, if so 360 vs 420? I'm going to top mount it if yes.
never been aio b4... bought a artic 3 for my intel 12th i9... fingers crossed it will keep that heater cool
I had a build once where the aio didn't fit so I kind of just duct taped and shoved it into the case and it worked fine for many years no problems.
I'm due for an upgrade for sure. I have an 8700k from launch day. Thermaltake 360 AIO from maybe 4 or 5 years ago. I just got the NVME(2) and the GPU (7900XTX) Just need everything else now.
For what CPU are you going?
@geeker9545 i will getting the 9800x3d when it is back in stock
Just bought a Corsair 420mm XT LCD for $139 off Amazon. Hyped.
Weird because also 5 hours ago my AIO from 10 years ago (CM Seidon 240M) just had its hoses burst and leak all over and destroy my RTX 2060S. Did you plan all of this, Jay?
My best advice...You don't need to go with the name brand versions like a corsair or nzxt. Even the off brands that are about half the price use the same asetek pump design the others do. Right now (11/25) amazon as an uphere aio for $52.00. (wrong price)
I built my first PC this past august and I used nzxt 280mm kraken elite for my build
"Jay Shillington, here!" Bwahahahaha!!
Thanks, Jay! Love you!
Thanks Jay, Nick and Phil. Love your work! I am planning on building a AMD 9800X3D PC in the next 3 months (I think a lot of other subscribers will be doing the same) Could you guys please create a video to let us know what AIO cooler will perform best for this CPU? Pretty please... Cheers.
Was judging looking for this exact video for my new 7600x I bought. Thank you jay!
Just*
I see the next big gains in the software that runs all these RGB components.
The companies have to get together and start producing a standard that all companies can adopt so we can start mixing and matching with ease.
Thank you Jay I will immediately purchase a NZXT cooler asap
Nice. I just replaced my Cooler Master Master Liquid 240 with an Arctic Liquid Freezer III 240 the other week. Man, is it shocking to see how the prices have risen on these over the last few years though (but given the fad of integrated screens and other fluff - I sure can see why). 😲
1. 120 mm fans should be verboten. Big slow turning fans move more air with less noise.
2. Radiators should be 160 mm, 320 mm,170 mm or 304 mm.
3. Motherboards fan plugs should have enough capacity to power 2 x 170 mm or 3 x 140 mm fans.
4. Radiators should have filtered ambient air drawn into the case to keep positive air pressure in the case to limit dust buildup and with fans that are interior to the radiator to muffle noise.
5. Fan mounting plates should should be made to fit specific fan sizes not the fit any fan size plate that need to be dremeled out to prevent blocking air flow from large fans.
On the warranty mention, I have a Corsair Hydro Series H80 since 2012 still cooling an i7 3820 which is the system i'm posting this from, Are you still liking the Arctic Liquid Freezer range you liked so much from a previous video?
I have a 240 bequiet silent loop2 which is perfect for my use and my 5800x
Was surprise it came with a bottle of coolant and instructions to top up the coolant
I missed the incorporated VRM FAN inside the Pump housing. Is also something that is getting popular with AIO's. Great Video and try some Helium for tha voice next time lol 🤣🥰🤛
I got an Arctic Liquid Freezer 3 360 A-RGB. I put it in an H6 Flow A-RGB. I had to cut off a screw hole with a Dremel tool on a fan to make it fit. I didnt pay attention to the supported radiator sizes for my case. Don't be like me.
Just replaced my 8 year old EK custom loop with an AIO. Probably 5% worse cooling, but shiny lights and LCD screen!
Don't overspend money on a AIO with an LCD, just buy a sensor panel and mount it on the case, you can optimise a lot more what you can see on it 😉
I know that EK is justly considered as a shitty company now, but I am super happy with my Nucleus aio. It works great and temps are fantastic and the price was very reasonable
Same
My fist water cooling was pretty much fish tank stuff.
Eheim Pumps all the way. But today its Arctic all the way.
Yup - I'm in my 5 year, too. Built mine during the first month of the Pandemic.