When you overclock or stress your CPU, the performance difference between 120mm and 240mm water cooling system is noticeable. You will see that 240mm is keeping the CPU less warm. Because overclocked or stressed CPUs generate more heat than idle CPUs.
A water cooler is the best way to cool your components. Also, it is the only way to enhance performance. 120mm and 240mm cooling systems are the most common among PC users as they can fit in a large number of chassis.
120mm vs 240mm Water Cooling – Which Should Be Considered?
Between 120mm and 240mm water cooler, 240mm has more fans and more air moving system. This is why in most cases 240mm water coolers benefit users. However, a 120mm water cooler is also a good budget option for casual users.
Temperature Difference (Arctic liquid Freezer)
The Intel i7-4770K CPU was overclocked to 4.30 GHz for this test. MSI Z97 XPower AC motherboard, Kingston HyperX Predator 16GB RAM, and Samsung 840 EVO 120 GB SSD are used here. As the water cooler, the Arctic Liquid Freezer is used. The test is carried out using the AIDA64 extreme edition.
When the PC is idle, the CPU is at 26 degrees Celsius, according to the 120mm cooling. The temperature rises to 86 degrees when the CPU is stressed. On load, the same cooler on the push/pull system reads 82 degrees Celsius. The 240mm water cooler, on the other hand, shows 77 degrees at load and 25 degrees at idle.
Temperature Difference (be Quiet! Pure Loop)
The CPU in this test is an Intel i9-9900K (5 GHz), and the motherboard is a Z390 Designare. The graphics card is an RTX2080 Ti with 16 gigabytes of ddr4 RAM. To maintain consistency between runs, carbonate will be used instead of thermal paste. The RPM on both the 120mm and 240mm coolers is set at 50%.
On idle, the CPU with the 120mm water cooler is 37 degrees Celsius, whereas the 240mm cooler shows 34 degrees Celsius. The CPU is at 92 degrees Celsius with the 120mm fan and 84 degrees Celsius with the 240mm fan. When the CPU is under load, 120mm maintains a temperature of 97 degrees, whereas 240mm maintains a temperature of 91 degrees.
Compatibility
Most modern cases can accommodate both 120mm and 240mm water coolers. Any case will accommodate the 120mm radiator. Although the 240mm radiator may not fit in older cases, it will fit in practically all new cases of almost any size. You should double-check the socket compatibility because each cooler is designed for a certain socket.
Noise Level
The noise level of water coolers is lower than air coolers. However, some customers claim that the 240mm water cooler is a little bit noisier than the 120mm water cooler. This is due to the more radiators they have. Because it has two fans, the 240mm radiator creates greater noise.
120mm Water Coolers
Some of the top 120mm coolers on the market include the Cooler Master MasterLiquid ML120R, ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 120, Corsair Hydro Series H80i v2, Asus ROG Strix LC 120, Thermaltake TH120, MasterLiquid LC120L V2, Corsair Hydro H60, EVGA CLC 120, and NZXT KrakenM22.
At its price range, the Cooler Master MasterLiquid LC120L V2 RGB is the best. For low noise levels, the Corsair Hydro Series H60 is the best option. If you want the finest performance, the Corsair Hydro Series H80i v2Air Cooler is the way to go. Again, if you enjoy customizing, the NZXT Kraken M22 is for you.
240mm Water Coolers
Some of the top 240mm coolers on the market include the Corsair iCUE H100i, NZXT Kraken X53, MSI MAG CORELIQUID, Corsair H100i RGB Platinum, MasterLiquid ML240L, Corsair iCUE H100i RGB Pro XT, Lian Li Galahad, Deepcool Captain 240 Pro V2, Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora, and NZXT Kraken Z63.
Among these, Corsair iCUE H100i RGB Pro XT is said to be the best water cooler according to most users. They also claim that Lian Li Galahad is the best budget water CPU cooler. Deepcool Captain 240 Pro V2 is the best of cheap water coolers. The best water cooler with a display is NZXT Kraken Z63.
Water Coolers Installation Guide
To install a water cooler, you must first accurately install the backplate. Set the screw holes in the backplate to the precise location so that they fit through the holes. To keep the backplate firmly in place, use screws. Insert the support screws into the backplate’s four holes. If you’re unsure, you can check the user handbook.
To begin, align the fans so that they push air and screw them into place in a criss-cross manner. Install the radiator and fix it to the frame with screws. The pump should then be aligned with the CPU and screwed to the backplate. Finally, connect the fan cables to your motherboard and the SATA power to your PSU.
Is 240mm liquid cooling good?
A 240mm cooling system is a superior cooling option for a vast number of people. There are larger options as well, but 240mm is enough for your high-end PC.
Conclusion
When installing coolers, place your radiators in a way that the components get the most air. Again, 120mm and 240mm are both good sizes for a water-cooling system. But if you have a small chassis and large components like high-end GPUs, you might have to choose the smaller radiator for your cooler.
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