iBuyPower AW4 AIO Review: Thermal domination on a budget

iBuyPower is primarily known for its pre-built gaming PCs, but the company has extensive expertise in creating cooling solutions as well. iBuyPower’s AIO design team is shared with Hyte, the same engineers who created the impressive Hyte THICC Q60 which we reviewed earlier this year. So I was curious to see how the 240mm and 360mm versions of the iBuyPower AW4 AIOs would perform.

The AW4 also caught my eye for its relatively low price (starting at just $79 for the 240mm model), but does it have what it takes to make our list of best CPU coolers? Let’s take a quick look at the specifications of these AIOs, then we’ll dive into their features and our benchmark testing. 

Cooler specifications 

Packing and included contents

The AW4 AIOs arrive in a black and red boxes, with molded cardboard and plastic coverings for the protection of the components.

Included with the cooler are the following:

• 120mm fans
• Radiator (240mm or 360mm)
• Mounting for modern Intel and AMD platforms
• Installation Manual
• PWM splitter cable
• Pre-installed thermal paste

Features of iBuyPower’s AW4 Liquid Coolers

*️⃣ Diffused lighting CPU block

The CPU block is translucent, with iBuyPower’s logo on top, and diffused lighting. It can be rotated to ensure the logo is in the correct orientation once the cooler is installed.

*️⃣ Available in black or white

The model we’re reviewing today is black, but there’s also a white option.

*️⃣ Pre-installed thermal paste, large copper contact plate

The AW4 AIOs have large copper CPU contact plates, with thermal paste pre-installed to make installation easier.

*️⃣ Low price

Most 360mm AIOs on the market have prices of $120 or more, some as expensive as $350! But the iBuyPower AW4 AIOs are reasonably priced, with an MSRP of $99.99 USD for the 360mm version and $79.99 for the 240mm model.

*️⃣ Unlimited RAM Clearance

Like most AIO liquid coolers on the market, the AW4 does not interfere with RAM DIMMs in any way. This means you can install any size of RAM, no matter how tall, without worrying about compatibility concerns.

*️⃣ Accessible Refill Port

This should be standard practice, but some AIO manufacturers don’t include refill ports on their AIOs. Those that do often try to scare consumers away from servicing the equipment with a “warranty void when removed” sticker that is illegal in the U.S. under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act – the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has recently issued warnings to Gigabyte, ASRock, and Zotac for this practice.

You shouldn’t need to refill the unit during its three-year warranty, but should you ever need to refill the unit, iBuyPower includes an accessible refill port on the AIO – with no illegal warnings trying to scare you away.

*️⃣ 120mm fans

There’s more to a cooler than just the heatsink or radiator. The bundled fans have a significant impact on cooling and noise levels, as well as how the cooler looks in your case. These fans include nine blades with ribs and anti-vibration pads.

Testing Methodology

I do a few things differently than many other reviewers, to ensure my results are actually applicable to most users. I test in an actual case, rather than an open bench. The problem with testing on an open bench is that with typical consumer usage – you know, with an enclosed computer case – the ambient temperature within the case will be higher than that of outside air, which adds difficulty to the cooler’s job. 

I also strictly regulate the ambient temperature to 23 degrees C during testing. I do not accept results at 22 or 24C as valid, even though in theory there wouldn’t be a significant difference in terms of test results.

Testing is also only performed with recent-generation CPUs. Older CPUs have bigger hotspots due to older manufacturing processes, and they also have lower clockspeeds, which can make them easier to cool.

The problem with CPU-only testing

Many other reviewers, and also most of my own older reviews, only test coolers with a load running on the CPU. While this does provide good and useful information, it doesn’t paint a complete picture of how a cooler will perform. Many workloads, and especially gaming, will stress both the CPU and GPU.

To test how well a CPU’s cooler will perform in these situations I’ve added two tests: one with a light CPU and one with a moderate CPU load, both while running a full load on with AMD’s Radeon RX 7900GRE.

Testing configuration – Intel LGA1700 platform

There are many factors other than the CPU cooler that can influence your cooling performance, including the case you use and the fans installed in it. A system's motherboard can also influence this, especially if it suffers from bending, which results in poor cooler contact with the CPU. 

In order to prevent bending from impacting our cooling results, we’ve installed Thermalright’s LGA 1700 contact frame into our testing rig. If your motherboard is affected by bending, your thermal results will be worse than those shown below. Not all motherboards are affected equally by this issue. I tested Raptor Lake CPUs in two motherboards. And while one of them showed significant thermal improvements after installing Thermalright’s LGA1700 contact frame, the other motherboard showed no difference in temperatures whatsoever! Check out our review of the contact frame for more information. 

LGA 1700 Installation

1. Place the backplate against the rear of the motherboard, underneath the CPU.

2. Next, take the metal standoffs, and screw them into the backplate through the motherboard.

3. If you haven’t already done so, secure the included fans against the radiator, and then secure the radiator to your computer’s case. I’d also recommend connecting the fans to the PWM splitter cord during this step.

4. Place the CPU block on top of the CPU, and then secure it with the included screws.

5. Connect the PWM and ARGB cords to your motherboard.

6. Turn on your computer; installation is complete!