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Do you ever replace your aio?

Soldato
Joined
28 May 2007
Posts
18,193
The Fractal looks exactly like any other AIO, the cheapy Rajintek one I bought has a seperate in-line pump which isn't built into the block, and a fill port on the block. It was £59 I think. Super value.

Fractal make two types of AIO, Kelvin and Celsius. You’re probably looking at the Celsius.
 
Caporegime
Joined
29 Jul 2011
Posts
36,339
Location
In acme's chair.
Fractal make two types of AIO, Kelvin and Celsius. You’re probably looking at the Celsius.

No I'm looking at the Kelvin. I guess the fittings can be undone and other stuff added in? But that seems to be all that sets it apart. Seems more like a gimmick tbh. I wouldn't want to run a full loop off the tiny little inbuilt pump, with no reservoir etc.

uwT494Q.jpg

McA6zmB.jpg

The other one you mentioned is very obviously different to the typical AIO.
 
Soldato
Joined
6 Feb 2019
Posts
17,464
Most AIO's are using Asetek's patent to make them.

The only other option to avoid the patent trolling is to move the pump away from the block, like some do - I think EKWB does this on theirs
 
Caporegime
Joined
29 Jul 2011
Posts
36,339
Location
In acme's chair.
Most AIO's are using Asetek's patent to make them.

The only other option to avoid the patent trolling is to move the pump away from the block, like some do - I think EKWB does this on theirs

And my Rajintek one does too. Has a ying yang spinny thang in the block instead acting as a "flow indicator". :p
 
Caporegime
Joined
21 Jun 2006
Posts
38,372
AIO are a waste of money.

I buy the best value for money air cooler for £25-£35 and it will last several pcs you can always change the fan with each pc if you want.

Cooler master Hyper 212
Cryorig H5/H7
ALPENFOHN BROCKEN 2

I've used them in my last few builds and they were all very good and very quiet too. It's amazing the cooling offered by a £25 air cooler.
 
Soldato
Joined
6 Feb 2019
Posts
17,464
AIO are a waste of money.

I buy the best value for money air cooler for £25-£35 and it will last several pcs you can always change the fan with each pc if you want.

Cooler master Hyper 212
Cryorig H5/H7
ALPENFOHN BROCKEN 2

I've used them in my last few builds and they were all very good and very quiet too. It's amazing the cooling offered by a £25 air cooler.

If that's your performance floor then you're wasting money already you should use the cooler in the box that comes with the cpu
 
Caporegime
Joined
21 Jun 2006
Posts
38,372
Last edited:
Caporegime
Joined
21 Jun 2006
Posts
38,372
Linus just did a test with a stock 10900k having a nhd15 and a 240mm aio and the 240mm was consistently able to sustain higher boost clocks and lower temps compared to the air cooler

Hardware canucks also did one

https://youtu.be/51hQUYp40nU

Air cooler won.

"Here's the problem with EVERY review of AIOs, as well as EVERY comparison of AIOs vs traditional fans: They NEVER allow enough time to show the TRUE temperature levels. At least this video allowed the systems to be running for 15 minutes before running the temperature readings, as most people reviewing/comparing AIOs tend to take temp readings within the first 5 minutes. However, even 15 minutes, as shown in this video, is NOT enough time for the honest nature of AIOs to appear. If you were to talk with any of the engineers designing AIO systems, you would find out that, at MINIMUM, you need to allow AT LEAST 30 minutes of run-time after booting up your system...and, for the most accurate results, allow the system a full hour (60 minutes). The reason is simple - just as liquids tend to hold cold longer than metals, they also hold heat longer. When you initially boot up your system, the liquid is at its lowest temp, thus immediate readings would give the false impression that your system is running considerably cooler. As time goes on, even though the liquid is taking heat away from the CPU, its overall temp is gradually increasing, until the point it reaches its maximum ability to remove heat. Looking at the radiator (the true cooling source), while it does lower the temp of the liquid, it can only lower it so much in the time the liquid is traveling through the radiator. For this reason, larger/longer radiators are going to produce far better results than smaller/square radiators. Unfortunately…and the problem with ALL AIOs…is the small size (thus, small throughput) of the pumps, combined with the fact that AIOs don’t have a reservoir. Small, low-powered pumps, such as those used in AIOs, can’t push through liquid fast enough, which is why smaller diameter hoses are used, so as to increase the flow speed. In theory, one would think this would help. However, due to the lower amount of liquid, it (somewhat) fails. This is where a reservoir would be extremely helpful, as it would allow cooled liquid to cool even further before returning towards the CPU. The lack of a reservoir means that partially-cooled liquid returns to the CPU, thus its cooling ability is lowered. There was a time I was on-board with AIOs…until I realized the truth. Do AIOs work? Of course they do. Do they have the ability to outperform fans? In many cases, yes…except where high-performance fans, such as higher-end units from Noctua & other companies come into play. The bottom line is, if you have the money to afford a high-quality, high-end custom liquid-cooling solution, then great...go for it, as it WILL be your best cooling solution. However, if you can’t afford a custom liquid-cooling solution, and are looking into AIOs, forget about them…high-quality fans, such as those manufactured by Noctua, are going to be your best choice...PERIOD!!!"

some good comments too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23vjWtUpItk

linus video proving AIO's are a waste of time and money
 
Last edited:
Caporegime
Joined
29 Jul 2011
Posts
36,339
Location
In acme's chair.
Every review I've ever read puts a 240mm AIO above even the gargantuan triple radiator air coolers.

They are also much easier to install and you have no worries about RAM or chipset heatsink clearance.
 
Soldato
Joined
18 May 2010
Posts
12,749
Every review I've ever read puts a 240mm AIO above even the gargantuan triple radiator air coolers.

They are also much easier to install and you have no worries about RAM or chipset heatsink clearance.

That's not 100% true

The Noctua D15S and Sythe Fuma to name two large air coolers don't interfere with RAM

In my case which is ATX I can't fit an AIO in the ceiling because of my RAM and I cant fit some AIOs in the front because of my GPU but I can fit all of the large air coolers without a problem

I would like to try an AIO but my choice is limited
 
Caporegime
Joined
21 Jun 2006
Posts
38,372
Every review I've ever read puts a 240mm AIO above even the gargantuan triple radiator air coolers.

They are also much easier to install and you have no worries about RAM or chipset heatsink clearance.

Well you cannot be reading many reviews as I just linked to 2 of the biggest you tubers and both of them agree that they aren't that good in those videos I linked to.

It's why I stick with cheap air coolers. £25 job done.

I get a cool running cpu. It's quiet due to large fan pushing loads of air at low rpm and it's easy to install with no maintainance and will last forever.

Sure I could probably run stock but these things offer amazing cooling for £25. In one of the reviews above its only 5c hotter than the best solution however that solution is significantly louder.

They also state a lot of reviewers don't stress test for at least 15 mins before conducting their tests.

So aio will beat an air cooler every day in those scenarios. But after your pc has been under load for 20 mins the water has heated up and no longer offers as good cooling.

Also I can then take the £75-£130 savings over an AIO and buy a better gpu with a better cooler on it. That way it helps my cpu stay cooler and install additional fans into the chassis too.

My pcs have never had any issues with cpus overheating or fans getting loud.

If I had money to waste though I'd get one as they look cool. However they are very poor value for money.
 
Associate
Joined
1 Apr 2019
Posts
1,523
No I'm looking at the Kelvin. I guess the fittings can be undone and other stuff added in? But that seems to be all that sets it apart. Seems more like a gimmick tbh. I wouldn't want to run a full loop off the tiny little inbuilt pump, with no reservoir etc.

Correct. I had one previously, it worked very well. I was looking at expanding it but never bothered in the end, but Fractal support told me that as long as you run the pump at 12V, the system can handle processor and GPU with no issues.

TBH the best advantage is the ease of service and customisation if you wanted to go that route, as its all standard fitting you could change the hoses out etc if you wanted.
 
Associate
Joined
7 Nov 2017
Posts
1,880
Hardware canucks also did one

https://youtu.be/51hQUYp40nU

Air cooler won.

"Here's the problem with EVERY review of AIOs, as well as EVERY comparison of AIOs vs traditional fans: They NEVER allow enough time to show the TRUE temperature levels. At least this video allowed the systems to be running for 15 minutes before running the temperature readings, as most people reviewing/comparing AIOs tend to take temp readings within the first 5 minutes. However, even 15 minutes, as shown in this video, is NOT enough time for the honest nature of AIOs to appear. If you were to talk with any of the engineers designing AIO systems, you would find out that, at MINIMUM, you need to allow AT LEAST 30 minutes of run-time after booting up your system...and, for the most accurate results, allow the system a full hour (60 minutes). The reason is simple - just as liquids tend to hold cold longer than metals, they also hold heat longer. When you initially boot up your system, the liquid is at its lowest temp, thus immediate readings would give the false impression that your system is running considerably cooler. As time goes on, even though the liquid is taking heat away from the CPU, its overall temp is gradually increasing, until the point it reaches its maximum ability to remove heat. Looking at the radiator (the true cooling source), while it does lower the temp of the liquid, it can only lower it so much in the time the liquid is traveling through the radiator. For this reason, larger/longer radiators are going to produce far better results than smaller/square radiators. Unfortunately…and the problem with ALL AIOs…is the small size (thus, small throughput) of the pumps, combined with the fact that AIOs don’t have a reservoir. Small, low-powered pumps, such as those used in AIOs, can’t push through liquid fast enough, which is why smaller diameter hoses are used, so as to increase the flow speed. In theory, one would think this would help. However, due to the lower amount of liquid, it (somewhat) fails. This is where a reservoir would be extremely helpful, as it would allow cooled liquid to cool even further before returning towards the CPU. The lack of a reservoir means that partially-cooled liquid returns to the CPU, thus its cooling ability is lowered. There was a time I was on-board with AIOs…until I realized the truth. Do AIOs work? Of course they do. Do they have the ability to outperform fans? In many cases, yes…except where high-performance fans, such as higher-end units from Noctua & other companies come into play. The bottom line is, if you have the money to afford a high-quality, high-end custom liquid-cooling solution, then great...go for it, as it WILL be your best cooling solution. However, if you can’t afford a custom liquid-cooling solution, and are looking into AIOs, forget about them…high-quality fans, such as those manufactured by Noctua, are going to be your best choice...PERIOD!!!"

some good comments too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23vjWtUpItk

linus video proving AIO's are a waste of time and money

they used a ****** 240 aio though.

gamers nexus test time to steady state.

evga 360mm 6mins
arctic 380 5.18 mins
X72 4.9 mins
X62 4.3mins
D15 1.48 mins


AIO's don't take long to heat up.

noctua fans make such an annoying noise and cost a fortune. The arctic 280 is quieter and cooler than a D15 and was about the same price on release.

Given the results from AIO's the fluid flow doesn't seem to be holding them back.

Reservoir size only matters for getting the liquid to steady state, it does not affect final temps

Who actually pays attention to Linus - you'll be quoting Jay next.
 
Soldato
Joined
6 Feb 2019
Posts
17,464
Yep, Linus and jay aren't the most technicality competent reviewers, especially Linus. Some Linus reviews are like something so expect to see on the Verge and Jay two cents spent a fair bit of time earlier this year trying to convince his audience that They should under lock their amd cpu because amd is wrong and have the voltage too high at stock
 
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