Was convinced custom water cooling was a waste of money until I saw my buddy's temps after a 6 hour gaming session

I used to think air coolers were good enough for anyone... then my friend built a loop with a 360mm rad and his 13900K barely hits 70C. On the other hand, I've heard horror stories about leaks ruining $3000 builds. What made you switch sides or stick with air?

2 comments

2 Comments

shane_ross13d ago

Jumped in headfirst with an Alphacool Eisbaer AIO. Quiet as a mouse and dropped my 5900X from thermal throttling in summer to mid 60s under heavy load. But honestly, I just got lucky with a well-sealed unit and a case with good airflow. My buddy tried a custom loop and spent a weekend fighting with a stubborn pump. So yeah, air cooling is still king for most people unless you really need that extra silence or overclocking headroom.

faithjones12d ago

Quiet as a mouse unless you get one with bubbles trapped in the pump, then it sounds like a coffee grinder. But fair point, air cooling is way less of a headache for most people who don't want to play plumber.