Anyone who owns a PC and uses it for gaming or editing photos and videos will have dealt with the topic of hardware temperature at some poin...
What actually creates the heat?
If you use applications that place a heavy load on the CPU and GPU, i.e. play games, render videos or edit images, then the temperatures of these hardware parts increase. The more power-intensive the application, the higher the heat that is generated. If your cooling system is not adapted to the rest of your hardware and your needs, then you have to be prepared for performance losses and system crashes. And if you haven't trimmed your gaming PC for good temperature management, then you have to reckon with defective parts in the long run. To cool the CPU and GPU, you can now choose between water cooling or a fan.
What is air cooling and what is water cooling?
The Air Cooling
Air coolers are the most common type of component cooling. The way it works is that the surface of the chip of the CPU or GPU is enlarged by means of heat pipes, which alone ensures better heat dissipation into the environment. The heat pipes lead to a radiator, i.e. a grid block made of metal struts, which then give off the heat.
However, so that the radiator can generate really good cooling performance, one or more fans are used in this system. In cheaper models there is a fan on one side of the radiator, which lets air flow through it, are somewhat more expensive models there are two, which significantly improve the cooling effect. As a rule, an air cooler with several heat pipes, a large radiator, and correspondingly large fans cools well. So basically, the bigger the better.
However, such cooling systems sometimes take up a lot of space, which is why you should urgently pay attention to the case dimensions of the PC, otherwise, you can no longer close your computer. Another disadvantage of this cooling variant is that the fans have to turn up when the heat develops accordingly. The result of this is clear: an increased noise level. So if you are sensitive to noise from the computer, then you should consider installing a powerful air cooler in your system.
The Water Cooling
Water cooling works a little differently, but it doesn't work entirely without air either. With water cooling, contact is made with the CPU or GPU chip. The heat is then released to this contact point, which water constantly flows past and thus absorbs the heat generated. The water then flows away from the chip, "carrying away" heat. With water cooling, the circulation of the water is ensured by a pump, which maintains the circulation. However, since moving water alone is not sufficient for cooling, a radiator has to be used here as well. The heated water flows through this radiator and is also cooled down with one, two, or even three fans. The cooled water then flows back into the circuit and the game starts again.
The system is relatively quiet and cools extremely well, but tends to be more expensive than simple air cooling and also requires more maintenance. If there are not enough fans on your radiator or if they do not have enough power, a water cooling system can even cause your chip to run warmer than with air cooling. Water gives off heat relatively slowly and requires a lot of active heat dissipation.
What do I use now, water cooling or fan?
Whether you choose water cooling or a fan now depends on your individual needs. Although water cooling tends to have a higher cooling capacity than a regular fan, it is also significantly more expensive and maintenance-intensive. For example, if you don't play video games every day, but only use your PC for work or surfing, then it doesn't necessarily have to be water cooling.
However, if you need maximum cooling performance, then you should use a high-quality water cooling system. Due to the concept described above, this system dissipates heat extremely efficiently and provides more performance when gaming, for example in the form of more frames per second. You also don't have to worry about your components overheating. However, you should also consider that modern air coolers also have amazing cooling performance, sometimes even better than some water coolers.
When it comes to water cooling, it is often forgotten to mention that water can absorb heat well, but it takes time for it to release this heat again. For example, during long gaming sessions or long rendering processes, your water cooling may even perform worse than an air cooler. If the room temperature in your home is correspondingly low, a normal air cooler can perform at its best, as it can constantly blow new, fresh, and, above all, cool air through your system.
The downside, however, is that once the fans get up to speed, they cause a higher noise level. If you play with a headset or don't care about the ambient noise, you should rather use an air cooler.
Conclusion in advantages and disadvantages, which speak for or against water cooling or fans
Water Cooling
Advantages of water cooling
• Very quiet
• Great cooling performance
• Large overclocking potential
• Gaming PC inner workings are prettied up
Disadvantages of water cooling
• High costs
• Intensive maintenance
• Time-consuming installation
• In the case of long-term continuous use, sometimes poorer cooling than with an air cooler
Air Cooling
Benefits of air cooling
• Great cooling performance
• Less expensive than water cooling
• Easy maintenance
• Easy installation
Disadvantages of air cooling
• A bit noisy under load
• Tendentially less cooling performance than water cooling
• Doesn't look very nice
Regardless of whether it is water cooling or a fan, always make sure that your components receive sufficient cooling if you want to keep your computer running for a longer period of time.
