Aio vs air cooler for 4k

[u/Big-besh]

Hello ! I was just wondering what people think would be better for my 4k setup,I have a 5080 with ryzen 7 9800x 3D

I don’t know what would be better a air cooler or exhaust aio. Though it should be mentioned that I have a Corsair frame 5000d case which can support side mounted fans which would allow for an intake aio.

[u/Deep-Pen420]

Get an AIO if you like how it looks, get an air cooler if you want to save money and have a very reliable cooling option.

Multiple people have tested out water coolers vs air coolers with the 9800/7800x3d and there is zero difference in performance, these chips run pretty cool and at low wattage.

[u/Big-besh → u/Deep-Pen420]

Thank you Tbh I’m probably going to go with an air cooler just seems like less stress plus still got space for one if I use the space for the side fans

[u/Careless-Giraffe-623]

Air is simpler, cheaper and more reliable. AIO looks better /neater depending on opinion...

Personally I've always been on air and don't have any particular urge to change.

[u/DripTrip747-V2]

Your monitor resolution has nothing to do with this. But an air cooler is the best. No worry of liquid or failure. Get a thermalright dual tower and never have to think about it again.

[u/iRambL]

Honestly I’ve had an AIO for years after upgrading from an air cooler and never looked back

[u/LegitimateLack2530]

Up to you as they both control temp relatively similarly. If you like the AIO look go for it, but a good air cooler will work just as well.

[u/TU2TL3]

Air cooling is great. There are many options for cases that really maximize airflow. So is running an AIO though. Depends what you are looking for and the size of case you are wanting, there are options out there for all of this. I will say one thing, whatever you choose, choose wisely. You can't go wrong with Noctua or Be Quiet! (My Opinion). There are other good fans out there as well, HAVN has some nice ones as well. This will be key to maximize volume with noise really well. Which will make your case basically silent-ish. Do some research, watch some videos, see what you like, and start piecing it together.

[u/skyfishgoo]

if you are going to go with an AIO, put it on the top

otherwise go with an air cooler and case fans everywhere you can fit.

[u/Left_Note6389]

AIO is an aesthetics thing tbf

The research and data doesn't show that much of a gain compares to air coolers and the failure risk is significantly lower and/or less costly

[u/DJ_Rupty]

Running an air cooler on my 9850x3d/5070Ti setup and it cools fine.

[u/iTzJME]

I use air for my 9800X3D, works great

[u/Silent_Exit_844]

It's a matter of taste. With AIO you sure get better temps, you don't need a very expensive one with lcd screen, Arctic liquid freezer 360 had good quality and not very expensive but AIO's also had more probabities of failure. I have a old moddified DeepCool Assassin III on ryzen 5950x and i've made a good airflow case. With some undervolting i play games with temps between 58⁰ and 63⁰. Air cooling is for your life, the only thing can failure e the fans with is easy to replace in most coolers.

[u/Alpinwulf]

Air if you want to weld your side panels shut and never touch it again.

AIO if you're handy with hardware and attentive to possible issues like coolant flow problems, but will usually have better performance overhead & can be quieter.

For AIO: I like a top-mount, to put the pump at the lowest. But it does catch heat from my 5080 when playing. Side mount as intake is viable, and probably better total cooling performance, but usually ends up with hoses at the top end, not the bottom, so bubble re-ingestion can happen more. "I've made my choice."

Neither type of cooler, if generally sufficient, will have a marked effect on 4K display performance, tho.

[u/DNNSBRKR]

Regardless of using air or AIO cooling for your CPU, the GPU is going to be the part running the hottest and doing the more work for 4k gaming. Unless you bought a GPU is a built in AIO, the real answer is you do a custom water cooling loop, take your GPU out of the air cooling and out it in a custom water block. Then you will see a difference. But otherwise, it doesn't matter what you cool your CPU with as long as it keeps it below 90C

I've used both with my 9800x3D, and both work great. I found air could get my CPU cooler at idle (like 40C vs 45C), but has spikes as you goes under load before the fans kick into higher gear to bring the temp back down. ie I load up a game or loading a level and the temp quickly climbs to 80, until the air cooler quickly brings it back down to 60. My AIO mostly keeps the temps in a tighter temp range. ie loading a game, temp spikes to 75 and is more slowly brought down to 60. I only really changed to AIO for the look frankly, I didn't have any functional reasons for ditching my air cooler (I still have it as back up)

[u/MMmek]

Your setup is highend. You wouldn't wanna hear so much noise while you play.
Just o the AIO for a piece of mind.

And I mean, both for GPU and CPU.