Liquid cooling or air cooler? What to choose so that your CPU doesn’t smoke without having to spend a fortune

How difficult it is to choose the parts of a desktop PC: what if the processor, what if RAM memory (well, if you find it at a good price), what if graphics card and other things. But it’s not all about your computer being as powerful as a NASA computer: you also have to design it so that it doesn’t smoke. And that’s where refrigeration comes in, a topic that has more to it than it seems and that we are going to explain in this article.

Essentially, you have two ways to cool your processor: an air cooler and liquid cooling. You may read in many places that the latter is the best, but there are many nuances in that statement that must be clarified. So, let’s get down to business.

Choosing an air cooler

Let’s start with the air heatsink, which we can say is the ‘old-fashioned’ solution for cooling a processor. If you take a look at one of these heatsinks, you will see that it is almost all a fan, although it is a somewhat more complex component than that. Everything is placed on top of the processor and right there, depending on the model we choose, we must keep one thing in mind: may need a lot of space inside the PC case.

Piecemeal. The air sink has a copper or aluminum base that rests just above the processor and, to facilitate heat transfer, the thermal pastea compound that makes it easier for this generated heat to pass from one place to another. That heat travels through heat pipes or heat pipes, which are sealed tubes with a small liquid inside that continuously evaporates and condenses to transport heat very efficiently, until it reaches the radiator.

How does one of these heatsinks cool? There is no universal answer to this, since each model is different. But, yes, keep this: a quality air heatsink can cool better than small or medium liquid cooling. And that, in addition, with several very interesting advantages.

The first thing is that these heatsinks are much easier to install: just apply thermal paste, screw and connect to the motherboard, nothing more. Besides, andThese heatsinks are much simpler and more durable. Basically, what can end up breaking is the fan and it is not difficult to replace at all.

Now let’s get to the bad. Again, it will depend a lot on the model we choose, but there are air heatsinks that, when put at full capacity, They are real turbines and they make a lot of noise. They also take up a lot of space, as we said above, which has two implications. First, you need physical space to put it in the box. And second, if it fits just right, it will not have enough space to expel air and the cooling will not be correct.

Choose liquid cooling

The alternative is AIO liquid cooling (which comes from ‘All In One’). If you have read this far, you can already imagine that we are facing a more sophisticated refrigeration method. In fact, it is not only more sophisticated because of the way it extracts heat (which also, as we will see below), but it is a sophisticated system in sight. It’s an eye-catching system: the compact block above the processor and the case-mounted radiator offer a much cleaner look than the bulky air cooler.

This system is based on the same thing as the air heatsink, that is, a metal block that comes into contact with the processor (with thermal paste, of course). What’s happening? What happens through that block? a liquid that absorbs heat and carries it through tubes to a radiatorwhich is actually quite large. This has fans nearby that cool the liquid and, in this way, the cycle begins again.

Let’s go with its strong points. Remember what we mentioned above about the price, but, in essence, liquid dissipates heat better than air. In addition, the fans of this type of system are usually quieter than the one with the air cooler, which means less noise. Although be careful, because the pump can also make a little noise. There is also the issue of space, since the block that goes on top of the processor is much less bulky than the air heatsink.

Bad turn. This cooling system, being more complex, is much more difficult to install. Besides, It also has a shorter useful life. (they usually have a useful life of between three and six years) and, if there is a coolant leak, it can cause serious damage to the PC (it is not common, but it can happen). They are also more expensive systems, as we say.

The good and the bad of both options, face to face

Neither of these two options is bad for your PC, but they have their advantages and disadvantages. Beyond what you want to spend, what you have to take into account when choosing is What needs do you have and what use are you going to give to your computer?.

If what you are looking for is a system that will last for many years and you will hardly have to worry about it (beyond cleaning it and changing the thermal paste), then the ideal is to choose an air heatsink. Because? Because these systems are simpler and it is difficult for them to break. In addition, a good heatsink will cool your CPU well, even if you are going to use your PC for gaming. In gaming, the CPU load depends more on the game engine than the resolution; At higher resolutions, the GPU takes on more load and the CPU may have a little more headroom.

However, if your PC has tempered glass (i.e. with a clear glass side panel) and you want a “cleaner” look, then liquid cooling is for you. Furthermore, by choosing a good model, we will have greater performance when cooling with very little noise. It would be ideal on a PC where you are going to use the processor a lot, if your CPU is very powerful (which are the ones that generate the most heat) or if you are one of those who overclock to your processor.

In summary:

👉 Choose an air cooler if: You want something simple to cool your processor that is durable and doesn’t require too much maintenance.

👉 Choose liquid cooling if: You are looking for something that looks cool, that is silent and that cools your processor better (especially if you are going to give it a lot of effort or if you have a very powerful processor).

Recommended models

Air cooler: Noctua NH-U12S redux

One of the best brands of air coolers is Noctua and this NH-U12S redux model is a very interesting quality-price option (it is a cheaper version of the NH-U12Salso highly recommended). It has a 120 millimeter fan with PWM (so it regulates automatically based on heat) and a reduced thickness, so you should have no problems placing it on your PC. Plus, it includes thermal paste so you don’t have to buy it separately.

Liquid cooling: Corsair Nautilus 360 RS ARGB

If you prefer liquid cooling, this one from Corsair is right now at a very interesting price. It has three 120 millimeter fans (each one is the size of the Noctua above) and its speed is controlled by PWM, so it will regulate itself automatically so as not to make more noise than necessary. In fact, it is a fairly silent model and it comes with pre-applied thermal paste, so that’s what you save.

Do you want to see more models?

If neither of these two convinces you, this article explains how to build a PC from scratch. If you also want to know something about monitors, we leave you this guide so you can choose between an ultrawide or two monitors.

Some of the links in this article are affiliated and may provide a benefit to Xataka. In case of non-availability, offers may vary.

Image | Andrey Matveev, Haseeb ModiNoctua, Corsair

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