PC Building Guide: Choosing Between Air and Liquid Cooling, and Why?

For computer users, aside from the performance of the components, their temperature is also a commonly concerned issue. Lower temperatures lead to more stable component operation, reassuring users about their machine's performance. Currently, there are two main cooling solutions for normal users: air cooling and liquid cooling, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. In this article, Mytour will assist you in choosing the most suitable cooling solution for your rig.

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How Does Cooling Work?

Whether you choose air cooling or liquid cooling, they both operate on the same principle: heat conductors (air or liquid) travel to the chip surface to absorb the heat it emits during operation, then carry it outside.

With air cooling, the heat emitted from the chip is pushed onto the metal lid (known as Integrated Heat Spreader – IHS) of the chip and transferred to the metal plate used as the base of the cooler. This heat is then distributed through metal pipes or liquid heat conductors to a fan to blow this heat out of your computer case.

However, although the operating mechanism is the same, the two types of air and water cooling are extremely different, and depending on the needs, PC users can choose the appropriate type.

Air Cooling

In this type of cooling, the hot air emitted from the CPU (or GPU) is transferred from the chip to the metal block via thermal paste. The metal block is usually made of copper and/or aluminum, attached to heat pipes designed to quickly transfer heat from the CPU surface to thin metal fins. This is to increase the contact area with cold air, facilitating faster heat exchange.

Manufacturers often add one or two fans to allow more air to flow through the gaps between the metal fins to enhance this process. However, the cooling performance of this solution varies greatly, depending on many factors such as the machine's placement and the ability to circulate air in the case, the number of fans, the material and size of the cooler, etc. Therefore, you can find many different shapes and sizes of air coolers on the market. As for graphics cards, most normal users will be satisfied with the stock cooler and won't need to replace it as it is designed to ensure the card operates normally.

One downside of this solution is slow cooling because air is not a good heat conductor. However, on the flip side, it's very affordable, and you can use this solution on computers ranging from budget to high-end without worrying about costs.

Liquid Cooling

For users concerned about performance or wanting their computer to run cooler, liquid cooling is a better solution. Although called 'water,' you don't necessarily have to use water; it can be any liquid heat conductor. These special liquids (e.g., mineral oil) are non-conductive, so you don't have to worry about damage from leaks, but they come at a higher price.

In particular, while with air cooling we typically only focus on cooling the CPU and GPU, with liquid cooling, high-end kits will connect the CPU, GPU, and the north bridge chip of the motherboard. This is because during operation, this chip also heats up considerably due to data coordination between high-power components.

The advantage of liquid cooling is high performance, capable of keeping components running at much lower temperatures than air cooling. Therefore, users can confidently overclock components for even higher processing power while still maintaining low temperatures. They also come in various sizes and designs, from just cooling the CPU, CPU and GPU, or CPU, GPU, RAM, and north bridge chip,... For top-tier setups, regardless of cost, liquid cooling also has the advantage of beautiful lighting, with high aesthetic appeal.

On the other hand, it also has some drawbacks: higher cost, more complex installation, maintenance requirements (e.g., replacing liquid in the system), and the risk of liquid leaks. If water is used as the liquid, leaks while the machine is running can damage components due to short circuits. Nowadays, there are All-In-One liquid coolers that often come with pre-filled liquid heat conductors and do not require replacement. Normal users can relatively easily install and disassemble them.

Conclusion

Besides air and liquid cooling, there's also the method of cooling with liquid nitrogen, but ordinary users absolutely don't need (and shouldn't) use this method. It's dangerous and only meant for extreme overclockers. You only need to consider the two cooling solutions mentioned above by Mytour for your computer setup.