Windows 10: Back to Liquid Cooling for CPU

Fireberd, Sorry for the distraction but we're back on topic now. Most of the Noctua coolers I have used will fill up most any case. That's the thing about air coolers. They have to have huge radiators to be effective. It's the same with water, just more options for radiator placement and the shape. Water is also a more efficient conductor of heat than air is. But, the principle is the same.


The AIO coolers take up less space, make the case look cleaner and do a good job. And, yes there is a risk with water but the cases of that happening are pretty unusual. We see more cases of it because I think people are much more likely to report something that went wrong than they are about something that worked like it was supposed to. I'm using an AIO now and have used them and custom water cooling for years and never had an issue. That does not mean you won't, but I think unlikely. Just my opinion.

 

this Noctua NH-D15: Amazon.co.uk: Computers Accessories[site|thauk[cat|[art|[pid|B00L7UZMAK[tid|14947825049103176[bbc|LESPRIX will give you as close as you can get to AIO liquid cooling on air *Biggrin

 

And take half the space inside the case.

 

I looked at the NH15 but it was too big for my system so I went with the NH14 which was rated within a degree or two of the NH15. I installed the optional second Noctua fan on mine, which is what the NH15 comes with, so even closer to the 15.

I'll reinstall the liquid cooler this week, when I have time, and be done with it. Will only take about an hour (or less) to swap them. I have the two step CPU heatsink cleaner to clean the CPU and cooler (and new Arctic Silver5).

 

I'm not familiar with that particular AIO but I am familiar with the D14. I used one for years. If your fans are too loud on your AIO, you may consider using 2 of the Noctua fans on it. They do a good job and are much quieter than what usually comes with most of the Liquid coolers. You can run them at 100% and probably won't hear them.

 

Empty space is wasted space

 

Empty space is case ventilation space.

 

The fan that came with the Captain 120EX is as quiet as the Noctua, that is not a problem. I tried a Corsair H100i cooler, that I removed from a surplus PC, but the fans on it are loud plus it interfered with the top CD drive bay.

I never heard of the Captain 120EX or other coolers from Deepcool when I came across this brand. But, they got mostly good ratings.

 

Good, glad to hear that. Hope it works out well for you. And we are going to stay on topic.

 

The switch has been made. The Captain 120EX is reinstalled. Temps are back to 29-30C.

 

Don't know how accessible your PC is, but I regularly do quarterly maintenance inspections and dust cleanings on my PC's. One of the inspection items is ensuring my Corsair H115i isn't leaking. This isn't an issue for me as I've always done routine inspections on my PC's since getting into them.

And like you, I also love a quiet PC since I'm an music audiophile. I run a Teac USB DAC off my PC. The DAC in turn drives my powered speakers. So yeah, a quiet PC is a must.