Water cooler or Air cooler

Autocon487

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Aug 9, 2017
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So I am about to get an intel core i7- 4790k for star wars battlefront 2 (2017). I am wondering if the air cooling fan, the Cooler Master Hyper 212 is enough. If not then I am looking at the Cooler Master Nepton 140XL. Are these good?
 
CM hyper212 is a popular choice and, assuming your case permits a 160mm cooler, it will do the job reasonably well.
They go for about $35. A bit hard to mount, but OK.
However, there is a less known scythe kotetsu that is much better.
Better than hyper212 and even noctua.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=13C-0004-00005
Here is a review:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1391-page1.html
I installed one in my son's pc and was very impressed.

If you can fit a 160mm air cooler, I have no use for a liquid cooler.
My canned rant on liquid cooling:
------------------------start of rant-------------------
You buy a liquid cooler to be able to extract an extra multiplier or two out of your OC.
How much do you really need?
I do not much like all in one liquid coolers when a good air cooler like a Noctua or phanteks can do the job just as well.
A liquid cooler will be expensive, noisy, less reliable, and will not cool any better
in a well ventilated case.
Liquid cooling is really air cooling, it just puts the heat exchange in a different place.
The orientation of the radiator will cause a problem.
If you orient it to take in cool air from the outside, you will cool the cpu better, but the hot air then circulates inside the case heating up the graphics card and motherboard.
If you orient it to exhaust(which I think is better) , then your cpu cooling will be less effective because it uses pre heated case air.
And... I have read too many tales of woe when a liquid cooler leaks.
google "H100 leak"
I would support an AIO cooler only in a space restricted case.
-----------------------end of rant--------------------------

Your pc will be quieter, more reliable, and will be cooled equally well with a decent air cooler.