Air Cooling vs. Water Cooling: Which Is Better?

Deciding between air cooling and water cooling is a mind-bending task. The decision you take now will stick with you for the coming years — unless you change the cooling system mid-cycle — which nobody usually does.

Nonetheless, it’s important to choose the right type of cooling system for your needs and wants. But considering you’re reading this post, we know you don’t have enough information to make an informed decision.

But don’t worry! After this quick 5-minute read, you will have a clear idea of which cooling system is right for you.

Let’s get into it.

How does liquid cooling work?

A liquid cooling system works a lot like a car’s radiator.

“Water blocks” are placed on top of the chips that need to be cooled, like the CPU. Cooler water flows into the water blocks, where it collects the heat from the chip being cooled.

Then, the warmer water moves to the radiator, which takes out the heat. The cold water then goes back to the water blocks to take up more heat from the CPU.

To maximize heat transfer between the water block and the CPU, thermal paste is placed between the two.

How does an air cooler work?

Air cooling is the more “traditional” way of keeping your components cool.

A special piece of metal, called the heatsink, is placed on top of the CPU or any other chip that needs cooling.

As the CPU gets hotter, heat moves from it to the heatsink through direct contact. Thermal paste is applied between the CPU and the heatsink to improve thermal conduction.

A fan is used to drive the warm air generated by the heat sink away from essential computer components.

Another fan, which is attached to the computer’s casing, then pushes the hot air outside of the computer.

Learn more about Different types of CPU coolers: from air to liquid

What’s the difference between liquid cooling and air cooling? Which is right for you?

Even though both the cooling system types essentially do the same thing, there are some major differences between the two. Understanding these differences will help you decide which one you should go for.

Let’s take a look at the differences one by one.

1. Cooling Performance

First and foremost, a liquid cooling system can help you keep your computer much cooler when compared to an air cooling.

It can keep your computer cool even while performing the absolute heaviest of operations. If you intend to do heavy-duty tasks on your computer every day, liquid cooling might serve you well.

That’s not to say air cooling is bad. It’s not. It’s just not on the same level.

2. Price

Liquid cooling systems are more complex, require more components, and are difficult to install. Hence they’re more expensive.

Even the cheapest liquid cooling system can cost you more than a good air cooling system.

Considering this, if you’re building a PC on a budget, it’s better to go with air cooling to prevent over-spending.

3. Noise

Fans are a crucial part of an air-cooled system. So, they can be quite loud under heavy loads. (Learn more about Will New Thermal Paste Lower Fan Noise? )

On the other hand, a liquid cooling system doesn’t have high-performance fans. The ones in the radiator tend to spin quite slowly. That’s because more of the heavy lifting is done by the liquid.

Hence, an air-cooled system can be quite noisy when you’re doing something intensive on the computer. On the other hand, a water-cooled system will stay quiet all the time.

4. Installation

A liquid-cooled system consists of many parts that need to be delicately interconnected, making the installation quite difficult. The installation is even harder if you’re building a custom system.

On the other hand, installing an air cooling system is quite easy. All it takes is plugging in a few cables and tightening some screws; no liquid-filling or hose-connecting is involved.

5. Size

Air-cooled system takes up more space in the center of your computer case. When that happens, accessing other parts of your computer, like RAM, becomes a bit more difficult.

A liquid-cooled system takes comparatively less space.

6. Maintenance

An air-cooled system is easier to maintain. All you need to do is change the thermal paste and clean up the fans once in a while.

A liquid-cooled system requires more maintenance — and is harder to maintain due to more parts involved. And, if you fail to keep the system maintained and a leak happens, the results could be catastrophic. (Learn more about How to Apply Thermal Paste to a CPU? [2022 Step-by-Step Beginner Guide])

Is liquid cooling worth it?

There’s no “yes” or “no” answer to this one, as it’s quite subjective. It all depends on what you want to do with your PC and what’s your budget.

If you need the absolutely uncompromised performance out of your computer, or if you wish to overclock your CPU, liquid cooling makes more sense. But of course, that also depends on whether you have enough budget. If you do, it’s probably worth it.

If you get a liquid-cooled system, you will need to actively monitor and maintain it. So, if you can’t spare enough time for maintenance, you might want to avoid liquid cooling.

For most people, an air-cooled system will do just fine. Plus, it’s easier to manage and costs less.

Do you need thermal paste with liquid cooling?

Absolutely, yes.

For liquid cooling to work the best, you need to effectively transfer the heat from the CPU to the water blocks. And to do that, you need a top-quality thermal paste.

The rule of thumb is never to ignore the importance of thermal paste while installing a new cooling system, no matter what type it is.

Learn more about Do you Need Thermal Paste with Liquid Cooling?

If you’re looking for a good-quality thermal paste to apply to your new cooling system, feel free to check out our very own Kooling Monster KOLD-01.

The bottom line

If you’re a power user who wants the absolute best performance out of your computer, water cooling is the way to go. But, bear in mind that it’s more expensive, harder to install, and difficult to maintain.

For most people, an air-cooled system will do just fine.