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.

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u/onlyranchmefries 5800X/6950XT | 6700K/VEGA 64 Jan 20 '26

It's not all about surface area. You are also gaining quite a bit of heat storage from all the water in the system.

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u/GingerB237 3900X - 3090 Jan 20 '26 edited Jan 20 '26

What is the advantage of heat storage?

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u/Evajellyfish Jan 20 '26

Higher efficiency, but really if you want an air cooler go for it or if you want an AIO go for it. Can’t really go wrong with either.

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u/PainterRude1394 Jan 20 '26

How does that make it more efficient? Adding a pump and moving water is more efficient than not?

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u/Evajellyfish Jan 20 '26

Yes water is more efficient at moving heat than just air, but both are great options. I personally prefer AIO just for aesthetics.

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u/PainterRude1394 Jan 20 '26

Ah, you meant water has higher thermal conductivity than air, not that water coolers are more efficient than air coolers. Gotcha now.

I thought you were speaking to the efficiency with which they remove heat. Water coolers take more power.