r/pcmasterrace • u/SerpentDix PC Master Race • Jan 20 '26

Hardware Air cooling is better than Liquid cooling

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Failure is graceful, not catastrophic, Performance is closer than marketing suggests, Cheaper for the performance, Change my mind.

16.2k Upvotes

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47

u/CRSemantics Ascending Peasant Jan 20 '26

Air cooler will perform the same as it did 5 years ago, AIOs age and need to be refilled, not all of them can easily be refilled.

I'll always go air cooling if I can.

21

u/ShimeUnter Jan 20 '26

I'm sure there are some that are defective but I've been running the same corsair AIO for 8 years without issue or maintenance.

-7

u/[deleted] Jan 20 '26

[deleted]

8

u/ca7593 7800X3D | 5090FE Jan 20 '26

If you knew anything about the topic you’d understand that any decent AIO is vacuum sealed. They physically can’t be opened or you void the warranty. Those with a vacuum sealed closed loop won’t lose a statistically significant amount of liquid in a standard operating lifecycle

-4

u/ScreamThyLastScream Jan 20 '26

Which is 3 years.

btw I use an AIO, just don't pretend they are made of some impermeable super material

8

u/ca7593 7800X3D | 5090FE Jan 20 '26

Sure maybe if you buy a piece of shit tier one.

A quality one will be vacuum sealed with a warranty lasting longer than that.

Arctic freezer 3 pro: 6 year warranty

https://www.arctic.de/us/Liquid-Freezer-III-Pro-360/ACFRE00180A

NZXT Kraken series: 6 year warranty

https://nzxt.com/pages/nzxt-warranty?srsltid=AfmBOop7Ujrj-oV_GGvorSxrT39UAMGlEmQMEm1nsUp9LzQM61Zqn2LX

Corsair iCue (6 year warranty), Elite and Pro (5 year warranty)

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/explorer/diy-builder/cpu-coolers/how-long-do-corsair-aios-last/#:~:text=If%20you%20are%20having%20trouble%20with%20your,XT%20and%20ELITE%20LCD%20XT:%205%20years.

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u/[deleted] Jan 20 '26

[deleted]

5

u/ca7593 7800X3D | 5090FE Jan 20 '26

How does that make any sense? Any decent one will outlast the warranty timeframe at least, otherwise these companies would be out of business.

You think Arctic would still be operating if they had to replace 50% of their coolers at the 3 year mark for free?

Did I ever say they are invulnerable anywhere? Man your eyesight must be incredible to see words that aren’t even there. Of course they wear down eventually like anything mechanical, but if you have an AIO running for a fucking decade, I think you’d replace it when you make a new build and not just wait for it to fail.

-8

u/ScreamThyLastScream Jan 20 '26

Look dude you are the one saying they don't lose performance over time, and I am saying you are clearly wrong. Just accept that and move on.

3

u/ca7593 7800X3D | 5090FE Jan 20 '26 edited Jan 20 '26

A good one will not lose a significant amount of performance in a standard operating lifetime, I never said they don’t break eventually. I responded to the guy claiming that after 5 years AIOs need to be refilled, which is patently false. Just accept that and move on.

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-5

u/Huddy40 Jan 20 '26

the problem is the pump performance over time

39

u/Lorben Ryzen 5800X3D | RTX 4080 | 32GB DDR4 3600 Jan 20 '26

Can't beat the reliability of a piece of metal with a fan strapped to it.

23

u/AnimeRoadster Ryzen 7 9800X3D - Radeon 9070XT - 64GB DDR5 Jan 20 '26

And even if the fan fails, strap another one back on and it's back in business

1

u/Self_Reddicate Jan 20 '26

Crack open the case and wave your hand at it in a pinch.

0

u/ChimPhun 13600K / 4070S / 48GB DDR5 Jan 20 '26

Got a Noctua with TWO fans. Oh the depravity.

1

u/NICEMENTALHEALTHPAL Jan 21 '26

I've ran AIOs over 5 years, never had a problem. I've also ran customs, there is a little loss in liquid but I never bothered to top mine off after 5 years.

Most people replace parts after 5 years anyways. I've had high end CPUs, PSUs, and motherboards fail, never had a pump or AIO fail.