Selecting the right cooling options is one of the most important things you can do for your system. Alot of the options available depend on your environmental factors. Some of those things can be where the case is located, how hot or cold the room gets, maintenance, and more. Here we will discuss a few of the main factors when considering the cooler that is right for you.
Air Cooling
In some situations, air cooling is the best option. Air cooling can be inexpensive, effective, and less troublesome than liquid cooling. This option avoids the many possibilities associated with things going wrong with water cooling.
The first thing you will want to check with air coolers specifically is that your CPU's TDP can be properly cooled. Always check your CPU specifications page for that information. Our product page will have that information listed as well under specifications > cooling power. For example, if your CPU's max TDP is 120W then this option would work for you because its cooling capacity is 140W. If the TDP is over the cooling capacity then you need a bigger cooler or a different option.
In some cases, you are working with limited space and need a small cooler. For situations like that, you might go with something like our ToughAir 110. Note below, that the cooler is oriented horizontally instead of vertically. You need to account for your memory height, so always check the specs page for clearances. With this style of cooler, the orientation of the airflow goes down through the fins and blows the cool air down onto the motherboard. The air then gets caught by the case fans and pulled out the back or the top or both.
In our next example, the case room is a little more forgiving and allows for more room on the cooler. For this, we would provide the option of something like our UX200 SE ARGB. As you can see below, the tower sits vertically and pushes the air across the fins. This is the most effective form of air cooling because it takes fresh air, pushes it straight through the fins, and then out the back of the case. It dedicates that airflow exclusively to the fins, not worrying about other components.
The other advantage to this more common form of air cooling is that you do not have to worry about memory height. There are some bigger units where that is still something to consider like our ToughAir 710. As you can see below it's a significantly bigger unit and space needs to be carefully considered before going forward. The advantage of getting increasingly bigger air coolers is cooling capacity. The 710 has a whopping 250w capacity which can handle most CPUs with the possibility of overclocking.
With regular maintenance, such as blowing out dust from the fans and fins, changing the thermal paste annually, and making sure the case is a nice open area to get lots of air, this solution can last indefinitely and at a fraction of the cost of water cooling.
Water Cooling
Water cooling is quickly becoming the choice for many systems. Both small and large, if you are willing to go through the installation of a closed-loop water cooling solution it can handle almost anything you throw at it. The systems are sealed tight so leaks are nearly a thing of the past, prefilled with our own glycol-based coolants that are proven to keep even the hottest CPUs icy. Systems like our TH360 V2 ARGB have proven to be some of the most effective and cost-efficient ways to handle your system's heating issues. Not only that, we have them in a variety of configurations, allowing for some of the best customization on the market.
So which water cooler is for you? That depends on your case allowance. The size radiator you will get will depend on where and how many fans you can have in a given space of your case. For example, if your case will allow 3x 120mm fans on the top, then you can put up to a 360mm radiator there, and as always, make sure to check your case specifications for all the details.
These coolers unlike air coolers do not rely on TDP for cooling capacity, so how big a radiator you need for your situation is largely a matter of opinion. They are quieter and more efficient than air coolers because the system is always passing cooled water over the CPU plate, and generally speaking the larger the radiator you choose the less you have to worry about. So if you intend on doing major overclocking on a high-end CPU, you would want our largest option like our TH420 v2.
Overall these systems are worth the time and money spent on them because they require less maintenance, other than blowing out the fans and radiator, and performance is very consistent. Whereas air coolers can fluctuate more often, water coolers often stay at the same temperature, depending on workload. The last big advantage of having a water-cooled system is where the computer is located. Water-cooled computers can be placed in a more confined space and you can expect consistent results, although you still need fresh air coming in.
The last thing to consider regardless of whether you are purchasing air-cooled or water-cooled is airflow. Airflow contributes a lot to your cooling capacity which can take shape in a lot of forms depending on your case and environment. For that see our guide for airflow and how to select the best case for you.