Our focus is on the Enermax units, as we already discussed the pros and cons of both Noctua and smaller Asetek block units. The NH-U14S returns, as does the X62 (mostly to demonstrate smaller coldplate performance). 95% of the above coolers shouldn’t be used with Threadripper, but this should give folks a baseline for comparison against products that they may already own, in terms of noise performance at various RPMs. Does it really matter? Archived [Gamers Nexus] Best CPU Coolers Deathmatch: 360 Arctic Liquid Freezer II … Your email address will not be published. Bought the 360mm version due to Tech Jesus/Gamers Nexus review as one of the best aio cooler next to the arctic freeze. If money is not an issue, this AiO from EK offers chart-topping performance, silent operation, and a range of features that can take any rig to the next level. Ambient is controlled and monitored during testing. The Liquid Freezer 2 is one of the cheapest AIO coolers (when compared to its rivals) and outperforms all of the competition in thermal tests – according to Gamers Nexus.Combining the 360mm variant of the Arctic Liquid Freezer II with the … The larger version of the Liqtech, the 360mm cooler, is now on the bench for comparison with an extra fan and a wider radiator. Corsair Hydro H115i Pro. Best 360mm AIO Water Coolers Question Hey, I was wondering what are the best 360mm AIO Coolers for around and under $200 AUD, I've got a pretty modest build (I3 9100F, 1650 Super) but I would really like to get one. Corsair iCUE H150i. The downside, however, is that it isn’t as competitive in terms of cooling performance and noise levels as some of the other options on this list. Two K-Type thermocouples are deployed around the test bench: One (T1) above the bench, out of airflow channels, and one (T2) approximately 2-3" in front of the cooler's intake fan. The X72 is a 360mm cooler, putting it … Arctic have been turning heads recently with the Liquid Freezer II cooler, and really disrupting the AIO cooler market. It worked great in keeping the 3700x cooler since the thing was pretty hot with the stock cooler. The best coolers we have tested in the AIO category are the 360mm AIOs from Thermaltake with the Liquid Freezer II 280mm and H115i from Corsair right there as well. In this post, we’ve rate and compared a handful of different 360mm AIOs to help you find the best option for you. At $150 for the 360 and $130 for the 240 unit, you’re paying about an extra $10 per 2 degrees Celsius, if you look at it that way. I thought that the 360mm would be much better, but the price only like $10 - $20 away from the 280mm ones, so is getting a 360mm rad really worth it. CPU cooler testing is conducted using the bench defined below. This is due to the limited contact area of the coldplate, something that both Noctua and Enermax resolve with TR4-specific coldplates and coolers. I’m an avid gamer and tech enthusiast, too. The Kraken X73 also comes with a bit longer of a warranty (6-years for the Kraken versus 5-years for the H150i). Reply. Hit the button below to subscribe! This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. If you’re not planning to make use of that improved noise-normalized performance, there’s not much reason to purchase it. Editorial: Steve Burke Video: Andrew Coleman, Steve started GamersNexus back when it was just a cool name, and now it's grown into an expansive website with an overwhelming amount of features. The best processors for gaming The best PC fans for 2021 We are also creating an averaged 10-second peak load temperature metric; although this metric hasn’t proven useful yet, we hope that it might for products which behave with less consistency. EK 360mm AIO D-RGB All-in-One Liquid CPU Cooler with EK-Vardar High-Performance PMW Fans, Water Cooling Computer Parts, 120mm Fan, Intel 115X/1200/2066, AMD AM4 Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML240L RGB V2, Close-Loop AIO CPU Liquid Cooler, 240 Radiator, Dual SickleFlow 120mm, RGB Lighting, 3rd Gen Dual Chamber Pump for AMD Ryzen/Intel LGA1151 Best Deals on SSDs and Hard Drives 2021. GamersNexus.net is Owned, Operated, & Maintained by GamersNexus, LLC. Rad + fan is too thicc and will hit my mobo and ram. At just under ~$120 it is easily one of the more affordable 360mm AIO coolers out there (although, the DEEPCOOL Captain 360EX listed below is even cheaper). This is more something that’s done for absolute peak performance or for potentially lower noise-normalized thermals – we’ll look at that soon. The coldplates are too small to work competitively on Threadripper. In this guide, we will look at the best 360mm radiator. 10-37 dBA Fan Noise. Our testing for Threadripper CPU coolers is only slightly different from our usual thermal testing on Intel liquid coolers. Games Games Details: The EK AIO 360 & 240 have one of the best internal assemblies of a closed-loop liquid cooler that we’ve seen in a while, ... 240mm vs 360mm liquid cooler All Games. 5. So, with the popularity of these larger liquid coolers, we’ve decided to highlight a number of the best options. As Gamers Nexus tested, the VRM fan both works and doesn’t work. That’s pretty remarkable considering it comes with three RGB fans. Overall, in terms of cooling performance and noise level, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better 360mm AIO on the market. Gamers Nexus new video states that the best AIO Front Radiator with tubes going down to eliminate air bubbles. As usual, we are also monitoring ambient second-to-second with a thermocouple, then using that to create a delta temperature profile (over ambient) for our results, matched versus Tdie in HWiNFO64. That’s what we want. In our data sheets, we are sorting the power cycles such that the heaviest, enduring load cycle is selected for data (ignoring any potential outlier peaks). We previously benchmarked the Enermax Liqtech 240 TR4 closed-loop liquid cooler versus the Noctua NH-U14S, resulting in somewhat interesting findings. 4. The Noctua coolers are awesome, but I would expect a 360mm AIO to beat them. The Alphacool … These larger AIO coolers offer extreme liquid cooling capabilities to the table without the hassle of having to build out your own custom liquid cooling loop. Arctic cooling’s Liquid Freezer II came right in time for Zen 2 system builds toward end of 2019, but that was when we were in the middle of upgrading our testing methods. Three of the coolers we’ve tested on Threadripper have thus far proven good candidates for purchase: The Noctua NH-U14S, at $80, is highly competitive in price:performance and in noise-normalized performance; the Enermax Liqtech coolers, at $130 and $150, prove “best” insofar as peak thermal performance, but are significantly more expensive and enter into the realm of diminishing returns. We’re still using our 1950X CPU on the Zenith platform, overclocked to 4.0GHz at 1.35Vcore. Best PC Airflow Cases for 2020 So Far: $60 Budget to $200 High-End The only units we definitely do not recommend are the NH-U12S (120mm version) and the Asetek-made Kraken or other Asetek LGA-sized coolers. Your email address will not be published. 2000 … ... then I'd recommend that as the best way, but it's a tricky thing to do. Best 360mm AIO nowadays ? If you’re looking for a 360mm AIO that comes with three RGB fans you have a handful of options. A radiator is a part of the AIO cooler along with other components. Best $1,000 Gaming PC Build: Max Out Any Game Easily, Best $800 Gaming PC for 2021: High-End 1080P/1440P PC Build, Best $700 Gaming PC for 2021: VR-Ready 1080P-Killing Build, The Best Micro-ATX Cases for 2021: The Top 11 mATX Cases for Gaming, The 7 Best Budget Graphics Cards for 2021. ... Best 360mm AIO CPU coolers. Limiting ourselves to 40dBA, the Blender test has our Enermax 360mm unit at 41.6 degrees Celsius, with the 240mm unit running 6-7C warmer, at 47.9 degrees. On Amazon. I have read that 120mm is basically no better than air, so I started googling some prices. This is important, as load cycling in software can completely invalidate results (e.g. Neither of those features are terrible, but they do make the TH360 lag behind the other options on this list. Because I have a 360mm AIO on its way and I'm not sure if the tubes will allow me to orient it from the bottom as the link above shows. We are using the AMD Threadripper 1950X CPU at 4.0GHz and 1.34Vcore, configured on the ASUS Zenith Extreme motherboard. All-in-one coolers have been a popular choice among system-builders for nearly a decade now. And, while the MasterLiquid ML360R doesn’t offer quite the same cooling performance as the two options below, the performance difference is not significant. Then the aio pump connector broke and cpu began to overheat until it had to shut itself off. Another well-performing 360mm AIO is NZXT’s Kraken X73. It isn’t ideal running Prime95 for a prolonged period of time and if you get called away to do something, it could be left running for much long… The only primary downside of the Noctua cooler is limited support for the top PCIe slot, but most TR4 boards have enough x16 slots to make that concern largely unimportant (but that’s not the case for everyone, of course). While a white AIO might not look great in all cases, for those gamers who are looking to build a white-themed gaming PC, it would be the perfect addition. Cougar Aqua 280. The point of the OC isn’t to drive the highest possible clock, but to generate a larger power load out of the CPU (thus stressing to a point of better demonstrating performance deltas). Required fields are marked *. First world problems. 5. It’s just a matter of whether that price bump is worthwhile, with the NH-U14S now at $80. Prime95 load cycles at somewhat predictable intervals, shown in this over time chart, and we can synchronize our data averaging to only pull data from the peak cycle. I also had people who were typing apostrophes into the address bar - sigh. Still, though, ~$120 for a 360mm AIO with three RGB fans is a solid deal—especially for people who aren’t planning on doing any kind of serious overclocking, or for people who just want solid cooling and more RGB lighting for a moderate price. Noctua’s NH-U14S maintains impressively competitive performance at 9 degrees warmer than the CLC 240, but is 12.4C warmer than the 360mm unit. Best 360mm Closed-Loop Liquid Cooler. Our pick for the best 360mm AIO cooler. The MasterLiquid ML360R sports triple Cooler Master MF120R ARGB Fans. There is some variance, and you should also expect to see about a 4% power consumption reduction from leakage for every 10C the CPU drops, but these numbers are largely the same. The larger version of the Liqtech, the 360mm cooler, is now on the bench for comparison with an extra fan and a wider radiator. Best 360mm AIO: Arctic Liquid Freezer II 360. We’re reviewing the 360mm Enermax TR4 Liqtech cooler today, matched-up against the 240mm variant and with a special appearance from the Noctua NH-U14S TR4 unit. Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora. The three ML120 PWM fans can reach up to speeds of 2400 RPM and have noise levels ranging from 10-37 dBA depending on your CPU load. (Although, if you’re up for that challenge, you a custom liquid cooling setup can give you even better cooling performance.). If you’re looking for a high-end CPU cooler, in this guide, we’ve listed a handful of the best 360mm AIO coolers currently available. 66. The best way to do so is to install a 360 mm AIO cooler as it will give you maximum cooling as it has a larger surface area, and you can put huge fans on it! 2400 … Idle is within margins, but the averaged core temperature under load has reduced approximately 4 degrees Celsius from the 240mm unit. *To learn more about the 360mm AIO coolers above, click the “Read Review »” link to jump to our overview of that cooler. Learn how your comment data is processed. Corsair iCUE H115i. However, through Corsair’s iCUE software, the fans can also shut off completely during lower loads, which will help eliminate noise levels. For ~$140 you can get Cooler Master’s MasterLiquid ML360R. Whether you’re looking for a high-performing AIO cooler, a budget-friendly option, an option that comes with RGB fans, or a white AIO, there is a 360mm AIO out there that will suit your needs. That said, Enermax is objectively superior with the 360mm unit, and that primarily means that you could run still lower RPMs on the Enermax unit, well beyond when the other coolers enter dangerous territory. Part of this testing also includes new load level tests: (1) Prime95 is used in a scripted torture execution, as usual, and (2) Blender is used for a lower thermal load test. And, considering it comes in at about ~$20-$25 cheaper than both of those options and it comes with three RGB fans (which cost nearly ~$20 a piece on their own), you’re getting a pretty good deal. Nevertheless, for someone who wants the absolute best performance offered by AiOs of today, the EK-Elite AiO 360mm D-RGB Liquid Cooler has our recommendation. The bottom line, though, is that as long as you’re not looking to eek out every ounce of cooling performance and you’re looking for an option that will offer three RGB fans (in addition to an RGB-lit pump head), then the Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML360R is an excellent option for your needs. gamers nexus air coolers. Sizes: … Tom's Hardware is part of … Build Upgrade. Yes, it does cool the voltage components on the motherboard, but that cooling doesn’t seem to affect the overall performance of the machine in a discernable way. Best Computer Monitor Deals 2021. We moderate comments on a ~24~48 hour cycle. Close. We’ve made selections for the best 360mm AIO cooler overall, a solid runner-up choice, the best option with RGB fans included, a good value option, and the most affordable 360mm AIO as well. During both tests, we clamp EPS12V cables and log power consumption actively, which allows us to plot second-to-second draw and validate that our software is generating an equal amount of load for each test pass. Affordable 360mm all-in-one solution When you’re looking for the best liquid cooling options available, efficiency and effectiveness for heat … After the Arctic Liquid Freezer II 280 proved to be the best CPU cooler for AMD Ryzen, EK's AIO 360 D-RGB took the crown. Normalizing the fan speeds to equate a 40-decibel noise level, where the NH-U14S already sits, the TR4 360 now runs 4C warmer, at 50.1 degrees, and the TR4 240 runs also about 4C warmer, at 54.8 degrees. I’ve been building computers and writing about building computers for a long time. But, ultimately, if you prefer the all-black design of the Kraken X73, or you happen to catch it on sale for a significant discount, it is a solid alternative option to Corsair iCUE H150i. Only fans which are provided with the cooler are used. One other 360mm AIO cooler with RGB fans that is worth mentioning is Thermaltake’s TH360 ARGB cooler. In that case, you need an AIO cooler for your PC. No open bench fans are used for these CPU cooler tests. This AIO cooler is compatible with both newer Intel and AMD platforms, comes with three of Corsair’s ML120 PWM fans, features RGB lighting on the pump head, comes with a 5-year warranty, and offers ultra quiet fan operation. Still, for most people, the NH-U14S is going to be perfectly fine – it just comes down to what you’re doing with your CPU, what power is going through it, ambient and case ambient, and how long the uptimes are. That is a huge difference in cost. The Kraken X73 doesn’t quite hit the same max fan speed as the Corsair iCUE H150i and it isn’t quite as quiet either. Due to the large radiator or surface area, higher liquid capacity, … Dark Base 700 case as well as the NZXT Kraken X73 AIO water cooling system, which includes a 360mm radiator. This ensures consistency. Gamers Nexus Best Coolers! Right now, 360mm AIO coolers are among the top options for gamers who are looking to build a high-end gaming PC. We are using the same thermal compound for all tests, applying it with a graduated syringe and manual spreading method. So, in the end, if you’re looking for an extremely affordable 360mm AIO to pair with a budget gaming PC build, or if you’re looking for a white 360mm AIO to pair with your white-themed system, then the DEEPCOOL Captain 360EX is probably your best bet. The true value of the larger Enermax Liqtech 360 TR4 cooler is its ability to run lower noise output at the same thermal performance of its smaller counterparts. The heaviest power cycle produces the most heat, as you’d expect, so we’re averaging from that height. ... gamers, system builders and overclockers in the market for a new large CPU cooler should take note. We’ve improved our means of data analytics by modifying how the data is averaged and sorted in spreadsheets, so that’s new, and we’re also using different monitoring software that works better with AMD products. Below you’ll find five of the best 360mm AIO coolers currently available across a handful of different categories. The NH-U14S returns, as does the X62 (mostly to demonstrate smaller coldplate performance). On TechGuided.com and the. The X62, as demonstrated in previous content, runs at comparatively awful performance given its price. The NH-U14S operates at 49 degrees, showing again the value of Noctua’s optimization for what equates a 40dBA output. free play games online, dress up, crazy games ... Gamers Nexus. All rights reserved. At time of publication, the Enermax Liqtech 240 TR4 is priced at ~$130, with the 360 at ~$150, and with the NH-U14S at ~$80. That’s the main way to realize an advantage. It made sense to just leave it as 'Gamers.'". The thickness of the radiator may vary as some may have thicker radiators than others. We control for ambient by constantly measuring temperatures with K-Type thermocouples and infrared readers. AIO Radiator Placement, Does It Matter? The RGB fans can hit speeds of up to 2000 RPMs and they operate at a noise level ranging between 6-30 dBA depending on your CPU load. Hey, I’m Brent. Best Gaming PC and Laptop Deals 2021. As seen in the chart, the tests align well from pass to pass, validating that our testing was conducted under the same power load. But, in the grand scheme of things, it’s hard to imagine system-builders who are willing to spend ~$150 on an AIO cooler not upgrading, replacing, or rebuilding their system within that timeframe. If it matters I am … The 360mm version of the Enermax CLC, also using a full-coverage coldplate, operates at 46.6 degrees Celsius and keeps an idle of about 4.2. Conducting thermal tests requires careful measurement of temperatures in the surrounding environment. The delta remains the same between the two as previously. So I am kinda new to the Water cooling market, and my case can support 120mm, 280mm, or a 360mm rad. Updated January 11, 2021 Leave a Comment. While most 360mm AIO coolers cost at least ~$120, DEEPCOOL’s Captain 360EX comes in at just under ~$90. Posted by 7 months ago. The other feature of the Captain 360EX that may either turn some people away, or attract certain people to it, is its white design. We use a bench that is more carefully crafted for noise performance, opting for a passively cooled PSU and 23% RPM 980 Ti blower fan for very low system noise. I’m an avid gamer and tech enthusiast, too. [Gamers Nexus] Best CPU Coolers Deathmatch: 360 Arctic Liquid Freezer II vs. EK AIO 360 (ft. AMD Ryzen) Review. Copyright © 2021 GamersNexus, LLC. I’ve been building computers and writing about building computers for a long time. There will be some delay after submitting a comment. cooler today, matched-up against the 240mm variant and with a special appearance from the, closed-loop liquid cooler versus the Noctua NH-U14S, resulting in. The included fans can only hit speeds of up to 1500 RPM and the noise level averages at about ~28 dBA. - It was ugly. Last modified on November 11, 2017 at 9:00 pm, HW News - AMD AGESA Pushes Infinity Clocks, Noctua 2021 Roadmap, NZXT H1 Returns, HW News - Cyberpunk 2077 Lawsuits, PlayStation 5 Sales Volume, NVIDIA RTX 3050 & Ti Rumors, HW News - RISC-V Core Designs, NVIDIA & Reviewers, 8GHz Intel CPU OC, HW News - AMD CPU Surge in Steam Survey, SAM for Z490, Intel Rocket Lake. If you’re looking for one of the most efficient and best-performing CPU coolers, then look no further than Corsair’s iCUE H150i. Since our previous cooling reviews prior to November 2016, we have decided to update the method accordingly for better and consistent results. And, while the Captain 360EX isn’t going to offer quite the same cooling performance as some of the options higher up on this list, it will definitely offer cooling performance that is adequate for the majority of users. He recalls his first difficult decision with GN's direction: "I didn't know whether or not I wanted 'Gamers' to have a possessive apostrophe -- I mean, grammatically it should, but I didn't like it in the name. If buying the Enermax units, we would strongly suggest creating manual fan profiles to get the most out of them. Best Refillable Liquid CPU Cooler. On YouTube, I build PCs, review laptops, components, and peripherals, and hold giveaways. Just depends on what you’re after. 10-36 dBA Fan Noise. And, the Kraken X73 does come in at a few bucks cheaper. Whether that’s worth it is entirely up to you. NZXT’s Kraken X72 closed-loop liquid cooler is another in the XX2 series, following the 280mm X62 that we previously reviewed. We think Noctua does well with out-of-box performance, with regard to noise levels (as they compare to thermals), but that Enermax can beat Noctua with regard to noise-normalized thermal performance. Back to 100% speeds, Blender puts our Enermax units at 42.3 degrees for the 240mm cooler and 39.1 degrees for the 360mm cooler. These two data points are averaged in a spreadsheet, creating a T3 value that is subtracted second-to-second from our AIDA64 logging of the CPU cores. We’re reviewing the 360mm Enermax TR4 Liqtech cooler today, matched-up against the 240mm variant and with a special appearance from the Noctua NH-U14S TR4 unit. Before getting to noise-normalized thermal performance at 40dBA, we start with flat-out performance for the Threadripper coolers. However, the difference in performance and sound level is minimal at best. * Top rad is not an option. ... One was a gaming test, which consisted of me running 7 Days to Die standing in my base looking at my two forges until the temperatures leveled out (for some reason this taxes the system a lot).