Tech Help liquid vs fan cooler

[Macgyver]

Hello All.

I decided to go about and upgrade my CPU cooler because the one that I have is 4 years. I want to know which one is better. Lately I have been using a liquid cooling one for a number of years but I want to know if going back to a fan one is good, I mean I know its good, just need an opinion. I have the i7 4770K CPU.

I currently have this one:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103195

I want to get this one:
[ame="https://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Dark-Silentwings-Cooler-LGA775/dp/B00HPX7J4K/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1479428581&sr=1-2&keywords=LGA+1150+fan+be+quiet"]Amazon.com: Be Quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 Silentwings CPU Cooler LGA775/1150/1155/1156/1366/2011 FM1/FM2/AM3/AM3: Computers & Accessories[/ame]

Or something liquid that is only a 120mm fan liquid or not. I don't want to spend $2,000 on a whole new computer and if I can play my games without lagging then I should be fine.

Thanks
Macgyver

 

[Simon]

An upgrade can't hurt. Corsair's H50 is fairly decent. Excellent price point too

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010

If you want to use a fan, I got the Cooler Master Hyper212 EVO, it's been great for me and seems to be a very popular choice.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...99&cm_re=hyper_212_evo-_-35-103-099-_-Product

I did have issues with the fan that came with it, but I replaced it with a Noctua one that has been fairly good as well. Haven't ever heard of anyone else having the fan be dead on arrival so I think it was a fluke on my part. But the cooler dropped my temps great and I do a fair amount of rendering

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA9PV3H16655&cm_re=120_mm-_-35-608-026-_-Product

Which one to pick? I think that unless you are overclocking, go with the fan

 

[jeff4L]

I think you're better off with the DRP3 over any 120mm liquid cooling since it competes with 240mm liquid cooling. I currently have the Cryorig R1 Universal which is in the same class and it's so quiet. IMO, it looks better than liquid cooling... unless it's custom looped Just remember the DRP3 is pretty big so make sure it fits in your case.

Check out this benchmark so you can see how other CPU coolers competes:
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/beQuiet/Dark_Rock_Pro3/6.html

 

[reflex99]

If you are not experiencing overheating or excessive temperatures there is no need to upgrade cooling.

Additionally almost all coolers like the one you have are manufactured by the same (or one of a small handful) of OEMs like Aestek, and therefore largely perform similarly amongst like radiator sizes.

I don't think there is another cooler you can buy that would provide better results. Any air cooler will probably not perform much better, and many will be worse. If you want noticeably better results, a custom built water loop with blocks for the GPU(s) and CPU would be the best option, however this is a bit more involved and costly.

all in one liquid coolers (like yours) that have larger 240mm radiators would perform better, but require more space to mount in a case, and unless you need the extra cooling because of overheating or something, are probably not worth the investment.

What I would suggest is buying 2 new fans for your current liquid cooler radiator and arrange them in a "push/pull" configuration.

[fan#1][liquid cooler radiator][fan#2]
airflow direction ------->


fan number 1 "pushes" air into the radiator, while fan #2 "pulls" air out. Its been a few years, but this was very common when all in one liquid coolers came out. Look for fans with high static pressure ratings rather than high CFM (airflow). The radiator fin array is rather dense, and fans rated for higher static pressure values are generally the best option for radiator fans or anything that is trying to move air through a dense array.

High CFM fans are good for moving large volumes of air through relatively low restriction environments. high CFM fans are well suited as case fans, or air coolers with lower density fin arrays.

 

[ChocolateVillain]

I think you're better off with the DRP3 over any 120mm liquid cooling since it competes with 240mm liquid cooling. I currently have the Cryorig R1 Universal which is in the same class and it's so quiet. IMO, it looks better than liquid cooling... unless it's custom looped Just remember the DRP3 is pretty big so make sure it fits in your case.

This oh so much this. The DRP3 along with the D14 by Noctura are some of the best air coolers you can get right now if they fit in your case/MB.

You will notice a difference with any quality air cooler over the CM 120v you have now. Hell even the budget CM 212EVO performs about the same if not a tad better then the 120v.

(Comparison with the CPU you have of the 120v vs the 212EVO)
https://www.pcper.com/reviews/Cases-and-Cooling/Cooler-Master-Seidon-120V-Liquid-CPU-Cooler-Review

You can also check out Anandtech huge list of benchmarks and comparison of air/AIO coolers.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPUCooling/774