Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right Cooling System for Your

Introduction

If you are building a high-performance PC and aiming to get the best performance out of it, then it all depends on how well you are able to extract that raw power from your PC. One of the major contributing factors to getting that raw power is a well-designed cooling ecosystem. Nothing can run on 100% efficiency, and neither can every PC component. They generate heat when being used, as every watt of electrical power consumed generates some heat in terms of waste energy, and dissipating it is crucial for the optimal performance of PC components.

Every component in your PC that consumes energy generates heat, including the brain of your PC, which does the complex calculations and gets really hot. If the heat is not dissipated, it will most likely cause thermal throttling, damage the PC components, and fail under load, often shutting down completely to cool down. The CPU does get hot, but what gets even hotter are the GPUs. They consume more power, hence generating comparatively more heat. Furthermore, other PC components like the motherboard’s Voltage Regulator Modules (VRMs), high-speed M.2 SSDs, and the Power Supply Unit (PSU) are amongst some of the major components that can generate heat. When building a PC, either a silent workstation or a high-end gaming rig where overclocking or extreme usage is being performed, you generally have 2 major paths to go for. It involves going for a fully air-cooled chassis or a liquid-cooled ecosystem.

This is a guide where we will help you make the right choice by a detailed comparison of these two PC cooling system types, how they are used, and how effective these types are when building a PC. Lastly, we will also explore how you could choose a CPU cooler manufacturer that can meet your requirements.

Understanding Air Cooling

Air cooling is one of the simplest, traditional, and most widely used methods for cooling PC components. The working principle of air cooling relies on the principle of conduction and convection to dissipate heat away from the PC parts.

CPU Air Coolers

CPU Air coolers utilize sealed copper heat pipes to dissipate heat to a small amount of liquid in the heat sink. The liquid vaporizes and dissipates heat to the metal fins. It is then aided by the fans installed on top of the heat sink to dissipate heat into the surrounding casing, while external fans remove heat from the casing.

• Stock Coolers: These are the coolers that you can find coming with many of the CPUs. They are compact, simple, and good for basic tasks, but are often seen struggling.
• Tower Coolers: If you want a one-up from stock coolers, tower coolers are a standard aftermarket choice. They have a vertical heat sink tower and side-mounted fans to ensure better airflow and cooling than the stock options.
• Dual Tower Coolers: These are the massive units that feature two separate heat sinks stacked on top of one another and often featuring multiple fans. They can be considered the best in the league in terms of performance, but require large PC cases.
• Low Profile (C-Type) Coolers: These are the coolers that are designed to be installed in small form factor (SFF) builds where there is limited vertical clearance. The fan is at the top, but it blows air at the motherboard.

GPU Air Cooling

When buying a GPU, you might have noticed fans installed on top of it. When compared to a CPU, those fans can’t be changed and are designed just for the specific GPU type, and according to the technical requirements of thermal management, to keep the GPU cooler more efficiently.

• Open-Air Style: This is the most common type of air cooling found on GPUs. (5% of the GPUs come with Open Air Style air cooling that features 2 to 3 fans to dissipate heat from the GPU to the outside casing, and external fans then remove heat outside the casing, keeping the GPU cooler.
• Blower Style: This is the traditional type of cooling system that is mostly outdated in PCs, but laptops mostly utilize blower-style cooling systems. The working principle behind the blower style is that they usually use a single barrel fan to force heat directly out of the back of the PC case. They produce lots of noise, and this is why you might have noticed laptops running louder when under load.

Case Airflow Dynamics

In cooling the CPU and GPU, the fans always dissipate heat out in the casing, and to remove that heat, case airflow dynamics play a key role in ensuring the effective dissipation of heat.

• Intake vs. Exhaust: This is where a balance is maintained between the fans typically installed at the front and bottom, pushing the cool air inwards, and the fans typically installed on the rear and top push the hot air outwards. The balance is maintained between intake and exhaust.
• Positive Pressure: Using more intake fans than exhaust fans creates a positive pressure. This forces the air out of unfiltered gaps, which prevents the accumulation of dust.
• Negative Pressure: Having more exhaust fans than intake fans results in a vacuum effect. It is great for keeping the components cool, but the major problem lies with increased duct accumulation in negative-pressure airflow.

Exploring Liquid Cooling

Liquids are known for their high thermal conductivity, which allows them to dissipate heat more quickly and efficiently. A specialized coolant is generally used to increase the efficiency of heat transfer from the PC components, making it a favorite alternative to air cooling amongst enthusiasts.

CPU and GPU AIOs

Liquid cooling is complex, and not everyone is a fan of taking on the hassle of custom loops. This is where All-In-One Coolers enter. AIOs are great for users who prefer a better cooling system than air cooling but are not willing to take the hassle of assembling liquid cooling components themselves, and want it to be directly installed and used.

• CPU AIOs: If you want liquid coolers that are user-friendly, easy to maintain, and installation isn’t much of a hassle, All-in-One (AIO) CPU Coolers can be the option you can opt for. They come in closed-loop systems that are pre-assembled and pre-filled, making it great for users who are new to water cooling and don’t want to deal with the complexity of maintenance. Common sizes include 120mm, 240mm, and 360mm radiators.
• Hybrid AIO GPU Cooling: Some of the high-end graphics cards can be seen featuring an AIO. In hybrid AIO GPUs, the cooling is divided into 2 distinct categories. The actual GPU chip made of silicon is cooled by an AIO, while the VRAM and VRMs that surround the GPU use air cooling. This is an effective way of losing heat in the GPU, but it may often require mounting a second radiator in your case.

Custom Loops (Full Coverage)

It can be used when you want to cool multiple components of the PC, like the CPU, GPU, and VRMs. Using custom loops gives you the flexibility to choose your individual parts like pump, reservoir, blocks, fittings, tubing, and assemble based on your personal preference, budget, and requirements. It not only performs well but also looks aesthetically appealing when installed.

Complete System Comparison: Air vs. Liquid

Below is a head-to-head comparison table of the two types of PC cooling to help you better differentiate between them:

Other Critical Components That Require Cooling

There are some other critical components that are often overlooked when it comes to PC cooling. These are the components that are also critical to cool down, either by using Air cooling or water cooling, to prevent failure when under load. Below, we have mentioned some of the other key components that require cooling to reduce the risk of failure.  

Power Supply Unit (PSU) Cooling

Power supply is the first and foremost component of the PC, where the heat dissipation starts. Its main purpose is to convert AC power from your wall to DC power for your PC, generating heat in the process. Below are some of the factors you could consider when buying or installing a power supply to ensure it runs cooler.

• Fan Orientation: In most of the modern CPU cases, the power supply is usually mounted downwards. To ensure better heat dissipation, the power supply should be mounted with the fan facing downwards to ensure heat is never added back to your system.
• Zero RPM Modes: Some of the high-end power supplies often come with a hybrid or eco mode feature, which keeps the noise low by ensuring that the fans don’t turn on until the load hits 40-50%. This ensures low noise levels under light work on a PC.
• Efficiency: Choosing an 80-plus gold or 80-plus platinum means better efficiency, which produces a lot less heat energy, reducing noise and heat compared to bronze options.

VRM Cooling (Voltage Regulator Modules)

VRMs are usually found around the CPU in the form of small chips. The main purpose of VRM is to control the voltage, and if they overheat, it will most likely cause the motherboard and the CPU to throttle, even if the CPU is running at optimal temperature. This problem can be prevented by using a case that can mount a big fan that can blow air across the motherboard area. If you are using liquid cooling, use motherboards that have small heat pipes or dedicated fans to cool the VRM down and prevent failure due to overheating.

M.2 NVMe SSDs

Heating was generally not a problem with older HDDs or SATA SSDs, but modern NVMe SSDs, Gen 3 or 4, do high-speed data transfers and usually run hot. This results in lower read and write speeds if they overheat. The solution to this problem can be using the M.2 heatsinks provided with your motherboard. If your motherboard doesn’t come with a heatsink, it's better to purchase a reliable aftermarket aluminum heatsink.

Making the Final Decision

Choose Air Cooling If:

• You are on a strict budget and want great performance at a lower price point.
• You want reliability and never have to worry about maintenance or failure.
• You have a full-sized or a standard mid-tower casing with good airflow.
• Your main goal is to get the work done and not worry about flashiness or aesthetics, like building a workstation.

Choose Liquid Cooling If:

• You are an enthusiast looking to overclock your CPU or run a GPU on high performance.
• You want a build that looks great, works quietly, and performs even better.
• You have a good budget and don’t mind getting something a lot more premium that could keep your PC cool with low noise.

Conclusion

At last, the final choice is yours to make, and when it comes to PC cooling, both air cooling and liquid cooling get the job done. Before finalizing an option, it's important to understand your use case, budget, and requirements, and then go for a suitable option that fulfills your every need.

More importantly, after choosing between the two types of PC cooling methods, it's important to choose the right PC CPU Cooler manufacturer because the CPU is the most crucial part of your build. It is an assurance you get from the supplier that your components will perform and won’t fail when you put a load on your PC’s CPU. A pump in liquid cooling failing or a tube leaking can be catastrophic, or a poorly soldered heat pipe can put your whole build on hold or damage it. It's crucial to source your hardware from a reputable CPU Cooler Manufacturer that understands your requirements and offers a wide variety of CPU coolers to fulfill your requirements.

When it comes to the CPU cooler manufacturer, ESGAMING is a CPU Cooler manufacturer that offers high-performance cooling solutions to its users, offering a blend of reliability, a design that stands out, and fulfills all your cooling needs. They have a wide range of air coolers from simple ones to advanced dual tower coolers, covering the needs of different consumers who require different types of coolers based on their budget and space in their PC. Furthermore, ESGAMING also offers a variety of liquid coolers covering the requirements of enthusiasts who want to spend more on making their PC aesthetics and performance-wise great. Visit their website to explore a range of coolers designed to keep your framerates high and your temperatures low.

About ESGAMING

Founded in 2017, ESGAMING has quickly become a recognized emerging brand in high-performance computer components and accessories. From PC cases and power supplies to cooling systems, ESGAMING is dedicated to delivering creative, reliable, and well-crafted E-sport solutions for gamers, creators, and PC builders around the world.

For more information, visit www.esgamingpc.com