Four new closed-loop liquid coolers seek to improve thermal performance in a number of ways. We certainly understand the benefits of these configurations, but can they out-do the reigning air-cooling champion, Noctua's NH-D14? Check out our benchmarks.
The latest closed-loop CPU coolers help push your stable overclocks to new heights, while quieting your PC to a soft, unobtrusive whirr. At least, that's what we're meant to believe. In practice, we've had a tough time demonstrating how this latest generation differs from the models that came before. The issue is that the physics of cooling haven’t changed. Though more exotic materials help transfer thermal energy from one component to another more efficiently, increasing airflow over a larger surface area remains the key to dissipating that heat from a radiator to the surrounding air.
More surface area is where liquid cooling gets its advantage. No longer limited to space above the CPU, where conventional heat sinks do their work, liquid cooling radiators can grow to fill whatever mounting surface you can free up inside your case. And they aren't limited by the amount of weight your processor interface supports, either. Liquid coolers can have as many fins and tubes as your manufacturer of choice can fit into that larger space. Radiators can even be moved into a cooler airstream, compelling some case designers to place mounting locations on their front panels or hard drive cage.
Increasingly, low-cost manufacturing makes closed-loop cooling an affordable option for many mid-budget builds. The technology still has two problems to overcome, though. First is that the displaced fans usually leave a hot voltage regulator on the motherboard. The second problem is that they still have trouble outperforming equally large (and dangerously heavy, if you build and ship your own machines) CPU-mounted designs. Today’s closed-loop coolers have solutions for both concerns.

Cooler Master tries to solve the debate about size by making its 280 mm cooler bigger than just about any air cooler we've seen. Zalman takes stab at the voltage regulator cooling problem by using an un-shrouded fan, which blows air in more directions than straight forward. SilverStone attempts to address both issues by making its 240 mm radiator nearly twice as thick, and then recommending that its fans be installed upside-down so that they blow towards the motherboard.
| Closed-Liquid CPU Cooler Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooler Master Nepton 280L | SilverStone Tundra TD02 | Thermaltake Water 3.0 Pro | Zalman Reserator3 Max | |
| Length | 12.2" | 10.9" | 5.9" | 5.9" |
| Width | 5.6" | 4.9" | 4.7" | 4.8" |
| Rad. Thickness | 1.2" | 1.8" | 1.9" | 2.0" |
| Cooling Fans | 2 x 140 x 25 mm | 2 x 120 x 25 mm | 2 x 120 x 25 mm | 1 x 120 x 25 mm |
| Total Thickness | 2.2" | 2.8" | 4.1" | 3.1" |
| Control Type | Motherboard Fan Headers | Motherboard Fan Headers | Motherboard Fan Headers | Motherboard Fan Headers |
| Weight | 51 Ounces | 63 Ounces | 35 Ounces | 31 Ounces |
| AMD Sockets | All 4-bolt (AM2 to FM2) | All 4-bolt (AM2 to FM2) | All 4-bolt (AM2 to FM2) | All 4-bolt (AM2 to FM2) |
| Intel Sockets | All 4-bolt (775 to 2011) | All 4-bolt (775 to 2011) | 115x, 1366, 2011 | All 4-bolt (775 to 2011) |
| Web Price | $120 | $120 | $90 | $100 |
Socket-mounted coolers are most common, so we clamped on our most popular competing sample. At 47 ounces, the award-winning SE2011 (LGA 2011) version of Noctua’s NH-D14 exemplifies our cautions concerning dangerously heavy CPU-mounted designs.

- Four More Closed-Loop Coolers Take On Big Air
- Cooler Master Nepton 280L
- Installing The Nepton 280L
- SilverStone Tundra TD02
- Installing The Tundra TD02
- Thermaltake Water3.0 Pro
- Installing The Water3.0 Pro
- Zalman Reserator3 Max
- Installing The Resorator3 Max
- Test Hardware Configuration
- Cooling Results And Fan Speed
- Noise Results And Acoustic Efficiency
- What Does It Take For A Closed-Loop Cooler To Beat Big Air?
Like this it is impossible to read.
Tomshardware should place some of these coolers on a resistive load of 300-400 watts and see if these coolers can actually handle the heat, or will the fluid boil and build up enough pressure to pop.
In any case, I will wait for price drops or rebates.
Like this it is impossible to read.
I've been tempted for a long time to switch my NH-D14 out for a Corsair H110 and just use my 140mm Noctua fans on it... not sure if this review makes me want to do that more or not.
The testing may not have been what you were wanting but I don't think you can call it bad because they didn't test custom configurations. Your particular question has been answered, the answer is no, use the Noctua air cooler.
With that said I would appreciate a thermal test that used the same fan on every cooler to show efficiency.
I am hoping that Toms has a followup article testing various radiator fans.
6 years of warranty outlive those AIO liquid cooling.
Why are getting this crappy things so popular? I am gathering Bitspower fittings to start a real liquid loop (demineralized water and nickel plating only). AIO watercooling the cpu doesn't make sense to me given the performance of top air coolers and their reliability. It could make sense when you watercool a GPU which works a lot harder in a limited space and with weight issues.
how did you come to the conclusion that the U14S is less popular than the older NH-D14? The U14S has shown and proven that the NH-D14 is over-engineered. For an air cooler, the U14S competes with the best water coolers. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against water cooling. I'm just saying that the U14S is better than NH-D14 in performance as it is newer.
This review should have included the U14S as it is superior than that old NH-D14.
The torque on the mobo is minimal compared to the Noctua or other big air coolers and the case cooling is improved through greater circulation.
Big air is fine for cooling but taxing on the mobo and impacts longevity. If you plan to keep a rig for more than 3 years beware of big air: mobos are not designed to endure constant shearing torque of 1-2 Kg.