AIO cooler upgrade decision

[keny]

This is the closest I've seen to comparing an All In One liquid cooling system/LCLC to a custom liquid cooler.

The "custom" water cooler in that chart is the Larkooler SkyWater 330, which is a liquid cooling kit (they call it a liquid cooling system) that comes with a pump/reservoir combo, 240mm radiator, some rubber tubing, a copper block, some water/Propylene Glycol mix for the fluid, and various screws and fittings.

That's interesting, if those results are a good enough reference to a custom loop, then it must be a good choice to grab a decent AIO nowadays over a custom loop if you are only cooling the CPU, I mean you can get a decent AIO for the price of the pump alone on a custom loop, custom loops look the bomb, but if you're not too bothered about aesthetics and just want to cool you're CPU then I think a AIO is not a bad buy IMO.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

How many people do you see running any Larkooler gear at all? Almost zero.
I think that review TT posted is a good reason why.

 

[NiHaoMike]

When a cheap 212 Evo gives great results on a 6 core, watercooling the CPU is more about looking cool than staying cool. Watercooling GPUs actually make a lot of sense when you have a SLI setup (and that's largely because the PC industry hasn't decided to get rid of the "airflow jail" on the back of the case), but that's in the realm of custom loops.

 

[Mandrake4565]

How many people do you see running any Larkooler gear at all? Almost zero.
I think that review TT posted is a good reason why.

Actually Caddi Daddi has one and it seems to do well. I forget what chip he has it on though.

 

[freeagent]

When a cheap 212 Evo gives great results on a 6 core, watercooling the CPU is more about looking cool than staying cool. Watercooling GPUs actually make a lot of sense when you have a SLI setup (and that's largely because the PC industry hasn't decided to get rid of the "airflow jail" on the back of the case), but that's in the realm of custom loops.

212 evo is junk

 

[Robert17]

I've put 3 AIOs into three systems, all currently running and with no breakdowns, have numerous stock air coolers in boxes, have done the custom loop thang.....

Everything works to some degree. Is there one solution that is correct for everyone? Not gonna happen. What are your needs, budget, and how much time to do PMs? Decide from there. Personally, I like them all. Wanna get the bestest, quietest, cooling for 24/7 operation? Custom loop. Wanna have a small footprint, no RAM fit issues, but attain very decent cooling? AIO works well depending on make + model. Low budget, but decent cooling for gaming, no 24/7 for the most part? Upgrade air.

Just know that stock coolers are generally the minimum cooling solution that the CPU folks will box with their units. Almost any other solution is better, which is why there are so many contenders in that marketplace.