News Overview
- The author chronicles their experience upgrading from a Noctua NH-D15 air cooler to a Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD liquid cooler, expecting significant thermal improvements.
- Contrary to expectations, the liquid cooler performed similarly to, and sometimes even worse than, the air cooler in certain workloads, despite consuming more power and introducing more noise.
- The author concludes that liquid coolers are not always a straightforward upgrade and might not be worth the investment depending on the specific use case and CPU.
🔗 Original article link: Air Cooler to Liquid Cooler: Not the Upgrade I Expected
In-Depth Analysis
The article meticulously details the author’s journey upgrading their CPU cooling solution. Key aspects covered include:
- Components Compared: The comparison focuses on the Noctua NH-D15 (a high-end air cooler) and the Corsair iCUE H150i Elite LCD (a 360mm AIO liquid cooler).
- Testing Methodology: The author tested both coolers under various workloads, including gaming (Cyberpunk 2077) and CPU-intensive tasks (Cinebench R23), monitoring CPU temperatures, power consumption, and fan noise.
- Performance Results: The NH-D15 performed admirably, often matching or exceeding the H150i’s performance in gaming scenarios. In Cinebench, the H150i showed a slight advantage, but at the cost of increased noise and power draw. The ambient temperature was also noted to have had an impact on overall cooling efficiency.
- Noise Levels: The liquid cooler proved to be noticeably louder than the air cooler, even when idling. This was attributed to pump noise and fan speed adjustments.
- Power Consumption: The liquid cooler required significantly more power to operate compared to the air cooler.
- Subjective Observations: The author highlights the aesthetic appeal of the H150i’s LCD display but ultimately questions if the visual upgrade is worth the compromise in noise and minimal performance gain.
Commentary
This article provides a valuable real-world perspective on the often-assumed superiority of liquid coolers. The author’s findings challenge the notion that liquid cooling is always the best choice for CPU cooling. The experience highlights that:
- High-end air coolers are remarkably effective: The Noctua NH-D15 is a top-tier air cooler, and its performance demonstrates the advancements in air cooling technology. For many users, especially those not pushing extreme overclocks, a high-end air cooler may be sufficient and even preferable due to its lower noise and power consumption.
- Liquid coolers have drawbacks: AIO liquid coolers introduce more complexity, potential failure points (pump failure), and increased noise compared to air coolers. The significant power consumption is also a factor, especially for users concerned about energy efficiency.
- Application matters: The optimal cooling solution depends on the user’s specific needs and usage patterns. While liquid coolers may offer marginal improvements in certain high-load scenarios, those gains may not justify the increased cost and noise for typical gaming or everyday computing.
- Marketing vs. Reality: The upgrade also shows how marketing and perceptions can drive purchase decisions more than real measurable improvements.