If you've ever delved into CPU cooling, especially for productivity or high-end gaming, chances are you've come across the term "liquid cooling" and aren't quite sure what it means or what. was the difference. If this sounds familiar, or you just want to make sure you know all about the differences between air cooling and liquid cooling, you've come to the right place!
ContentsWhat is air cooling?What is liquid cooling?What makes air coolers different from each other?What makes liquid coolers different from each other? each other?What is custom loop liquid cooling?Air-cooled vs. liquid-cooled:A showdownPricing for performanceNoise levelsHigh-end cooling potentialEase of use and maintenanceThe winner is...First, let's define what air cooling is.
The photo above is a standard liquid cooler – an all-in-one (AIO) liquid cooler, to be precise. Liquid coolers attach small shrouds to the processor and use liquid through their tubes and radiators to dissipate the heat generated. In a liquid cooling setup, the fans will be attached to the heatsinks to dissipate heat, similar to how a fan is attached to a heatsink on an air cooler to dissipate heat.
Typically, heatsinks and fan size/slots will be the biggest differences between two separate air coolers.
Some air coolers are designed to be low-profile and use small fans, allowing them to fit into smaller cases without having clearance issues. A high-performance air cooler, on the other hand, can have slots for two fans and have a large heatsink, measuring over 120mm high.
Before buying a larger high-performance air cooler, make sure it can fit in your PC, especially if you're using a Mini ITX or SFF (small form factor) PC case.
If you buy retail liquid coolers, you will only see AIO (all-in-one) liquid coolers. These can be distinguished by the size of the heatsink, which corresponds to the size of the fans on them. Below are some common liquid cooling radiator sizes and corresponding fan sizes:
All fan configurations with a heatsink should be available, side-by-side, as empty fan slots in your PC case in order to mount the heatsink and fans. Be sure to verify this is the case before investing in an AIO, especially if you are using a Mini ITX or Micro ATX PC case.
Custom Loop Liquid Cooling, also known as Open Loop Liquid Cooling, adds custom tubes and reservoirs, and radiators, in order to achieve liquid cooling. While quite niche and difficult to assemble (and not available all-in-one like AIO coolers), a properly configured custom loop setup can easily outperform any high-end air or liquid cooling setup. However, it takes a lot of skill to set up and will cost a pretty penny whether or not you decide to do that extra work yourself.
Last but not least, the lightning ride. Let's end the air-cooled vs. liquid-cooled debate!
Overall, air coolers are consistently cheaper than liquid coolers to achieve the same cooling results. A high-end air cooler can often trade blows with a mid-range and even mid-range liquid cooler at a much lower price.
Winner: air cooling
While air coolers have great performance per dollar, their reliance on direct contact and powerful heatsink fans make them noisier than most AIOs, let alone a custom loop configuration. If you want quieter cooling performance from your system, a liquid cooler, with its large radiator and dedicated coolant, will provide better results, even with a fan connected.
Winner: liquid cooling
In order to achieve the lowest possible temperatures in heavy duty applications, a custom looping liquid cooling setup is required. High-end AIOs follow soon after, and high-end air coolers follow even further. Although the winner of this battle is liquid cooling, the truth is that you don't need a liquid cooler for a high level of performance, especially if your case has room for an air cooler to two beefy fans.
Winner: liquid cooling
In terms of ease of use and maintenance, air coolers and liquid-cooled AIOs rank about the same. Once installed, you don't really need to worry about it, except perhaps for an annual or semi-annual replacement of the thermal paste.
Once you start to dive deeper into liquid cooling, however, especially custom loops, you start to encounter much more difficult installation and maintenance processes. With a custom loop, you'll even have to periodically replace your coolant and hoses!
Winner: air cooling
The winner of this air-cooled vs. liquid-cooled debate is… a tie – it really depends on what you're looking for.
If you want great performance per dollar and don't mind the slightly louder fans, go with air cooling. In most Micro ATX and larger cases, this is the way to go.
If you want the best cooling performance or quietest operation and don't mind spending more for the privilege, go with liquid cooling. Even in a small Mini ITX case, an AIO can help the machine run quiet and cool without the need for a large heatsink.
Looking for ways to lower your CPU temperature without getting an expensive liquid cooler? Check out this article!
