Delid or AIO cooling on my i7 7700k processor ?

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pcslookout

Lifer
Mar 18, 2007
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I only have 75 mm clearance for a heatsink/fan and that what I currently use so a AIO would be the next best thing.

Should I go with a AIO or Delid my i7 7700k please ?

Does a AIO really help cool a processor a lot more ?
 
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fastamdman

Golden Member
Nov 18, 2011
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AIO's are pretty good at cooling cpu's, but I don't see a reason why not to do both. What heat sink are you currently running on your 7700k now? Delidding should drop temps at least 10c depending on what thermal compound you use. But AIO's are absolutely wonderful and I highly recommend them. The best air heatsinks can keep up with them, but they are massive and are not silent like water coolers are. If you have the space in your case for a nice 240mm radiator, I would go AIO all day, especially with some of the black friday special and cyber monday specials that are coming up :)

TLDR: Both, delid and AIO.
 
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pcslookout

Lifer
Mar 18, 2007
11,959
156
106
fastamdman said:
AIO's are pretty good at cooling cpu's, but I don't see a reason why not to do both. What heat sink are you currently running on your 7700k now? Delidding should drop temps at least 10c depending on what thermal compound you use. But AIO's are absolutely wonderful and I highly recommend them. The best air heatsinks can keep up with them, but they are massive and are not silent like water coolers are. If you have the space in your case for a nice 240mm radiator, I would go AIO all day, especially with some of the black friday special and cyber monday specials that are coming up :)

TLDR: Both, delid and AIO.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

I don't care about Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals really.
 
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Lordhumungus

Golden Member
Jan 14, 2007
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I agree that you might as well do both.

That said, I've seen you've made multiple threads about what is essentially the same question/problem with very little info provided.

You may have better results if you clarify what problem exactly you are trying to solve (are you overclocking, just trying to get better temps, doing some crazy small build etc.?) and what hardware (particularly motherboard, CPU, and case) you are working with. If I follow correctly, you are currently using a Scythe Big Shuriken 2 Rev. B in some sort of SFF case, is that correct?
 
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pcslookout

Lifer
Mar 18, 2007
11,959
156
106
Lordhumungus said:
I agree that you might as well do both.

That said, I've seen you've made multiple threads about what is essentially the same question/problem with very little info provided.

You may have better results if you clarify what problem exactly you are trying to solve (are you overclocking, just trying to get better temps, doing some crazy small build etc.?) and what hardware (particularly motherboard, CPU, and case) you are working with. If I follow correctly, you are currently using a Scythe Big Shuriken 2 Rev. B in some sort of SFF case, is that correct?
Click to expand...

Thanks sorry.

Yes half correct. I am using a full tower Lian Li case but it only has 75 mm clearance for a heatsink/fan with the way it is designed. This is the case. http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-o12/

Sorry forgot I am trying to get lower temps and overclock a bit.
 
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Lordhumungus

Golden Member
Jan 14, 2007
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I'm glad I asked about the case. The case you listed is 100% designed to use water cooling with either an AIO or custom loop. No question in my mind that you should go with a good quality 240MM AIO which will destroy any of the low profile coolers you are looking at.
 
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pcslookout

Lifer
Mar 18, 2007
11,959
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Lordhumungus

Golden Member
Jan 14, 2007
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Custom water cooling loop = hand built with custom tubing, radiators, fans, pump etc as opposed to the All in One design. I am not finding any results with your specific case (I think most people concluded it was oddly designed and expensive and avoided it), but here is a general example.

As for the Fractal AIO, I can't comment on its quality, but I would think a 360MM AIO is overkill for your needs. I'd personally save some money and stick to a 240MM. Honestly the performance between the various brands seems to be so similar depending on the conditions that I don't know that it would matter for me personally. I'd base my decision more on 1) reputable brand with a solid warranty 2) price 3) the aesthetic I was shooting for.
 
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pcslookout

Lifer
Mar 18, 2007
11,959
156
106
Lordhumungus said:
Custom water cooling loop = hand built with custom tubing, radiators, fans, pump etc as opposed to the All in One design. I am not finding any results with your specific case (I think most people concluded it was oddly designed and expensive and avoided it), but here is a general example.

As for the Fractal AIO, I can't comment on its quality, but I would think a 360MM AIO is overkill for your needs. I'd personally save some money and stick to a 240MM. Honestly the performance between the various brands seems to be so similar depending on the conditions that I don't know that it would matter for me personally. I'd base my decision more on 1) reputable brand with a solid warranty 2) price 3) the aesthetic I was shooting for.
Click to expand...

Thanks one more question for now.

The AIO or All in One design do I need to hook up any water source for it to work? This is my first time water cooling. I am scared and worried about it.
 
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Lordhumungus

Golden Member
Jan 14, 2007
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Nope, no need for anything additional, that's what makes it All in One.

Also, I just noticed that I slightly misread the case specs and that it's also capable of accepting a 280MM radiator if you mount it in the front. Personal choice here, but I might go with this if you like the idea if it being front mounted where you can see it (maybe you want some cool LED fans or something). Otherwise a 240MM will be more than enough for what you are trying to do and will give you the flexibility to either top or front mount it.
 
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Lordhumungus

Golden Member
Jan 14, 2007
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I did some quick looking around and I think given the criteria I outlined for how I would personally select a 240MM AIO, I might go with this.
 
Yuriman

Yuriman

Diamond Member
Jun 25, 2004
5,530
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I'm going to give a contrary opinion on AIOs:

Most honest reviews show them to perform less well than tower coolers at the same price point. Either they cool less, or they make more noise for the same cooling. This makes sense because mostly it's cooling surface area that determines how much heat they can dissipate, and an AIO with the same surface area will be more expensive due to also needing a pump, tubing and coolant. They also have a point of failure that tower coolers do not - the pump - and all pumps eventually fail. My experience has been that they generally last around 4 years.

That's not to say you shouldn't get one; you've stated don't have room for a large tower heatsink. Given the opportunity though, I'll take a Noctua or Cryorig tower cooler over an AIO any day of the week.
 
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Lordhumungus

Golden Member
Jan 14, 2007
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Personally I don’t view them as opposing technologies where they are in an arms race to be better than the other.

Instead I look at them as different tools for different jobs, each with advantages and disadvantages depending on the intended application. In the (literal) case of the OP I think AIO is very clearly the right tool for the job.

As for the pumps failing, not to be overly pedantic, but isn’t the failure usually caused by the loss of fluid due to permeation (i.e. the loss of fluid causes the pump to run dry and burn out)? Either way I’m thinking this is a minor problem these days. The cooler I linked in my previous post has a 6 year warranty.
 
Yuriman

Yuriman

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Jun 25, 2004
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I've had various AIOs and custom loops over the years, and found that even in systems which didn't run out of coolant, most pumps generally needed replacement after approximately 4 years.
 
Despoiler

Despoiler

Golden Member
Nov 10, 2007
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Most AIOs are basically throw away after 3 years. They usually don't have a fill port to drain and fill with new coolant. They will run out of liquid in about that time. As Yuriman said, the pumps usually fail shortly after. Do a custom loop (you can buy kits) or stay with air.
 
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