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An all-in-one (AIO) liquid cooler not only ensures quieter cooling than a traditional air cooler, but it might even lower temperatures enough to let you overclock further. AIOs are a super simple way to water-cool your PC without any mess or the headache of choosing components. We also recommend investing in a liquid cooler if you have or are planning to buy a high-performance processor like the new Intel Core i9-13900K or AMD"s Ryzen 7950x.

Most builds call for a 240mm AIO. To that end, we recommend the Corsair iCUE H100i RGB Elite, thanks to its solid software integration, excellent included fans, and good price tag. You can jump up or down depending on your PC build size or cooling needs, too, with various options available.

Note: Before diving in, you"ll need to take note of your CPU socket before picking up an AIO water cooler. Every CPU cooler is a little different, so you"ll need to know what CPU socket your motherboard has to see if the cooler supports it.

The Corsair iCUE H100i RGB Elite is an easy AIO to recommend. The company is behind some of the best desktop CPU coolers, and the cooler clocks in at about $140. Socket support is excellent, too, with mounting options for all recent Intel and AMD processors, including Threadripper.

When it comes to raw thermal performance, the Arctic Liquid Freezer II is the best 360mm AIO cooler on the market. It reaches similar performance to competing coolers from NZXT and Corsair while being very inexpensive. Currently selling for about $130, the price is comparable to and in some cases lesser than most competitive 360mm AIO coolers out there.

The pump on the AIO is controlled by PWM, allowing it to modulate with the workload rather than run at full speed all the time. The Liquid Freezer II also includes a 40 mm fan next to the pump, set to sit over your motherboard"s VRM chips. In more extreme overclocking sessions, this may improve stability. Otherwise, it includes three Arctic 120 mm fans to keep air flowing.

Socket support is excellent, with support for TR4 and AM4 on AMD, and LGA115X, 1700, and 1,200 on Intel. NZXT rates the Kraken X53 for six years of continuous use — 60,000 hours, technically — which is around what we"d expect for most AIO coolers. NZXT offers a six-year warranty, though, so you"re covered from any defects for the rated life of the cooler.

120 mm AIOs usually aren"t very good, but the Corsair H80i v2 is the best 120 mm AIO around. Without proper surface area on the radiator, most 120 mm coolers just aren"t up to snuff when it comes to cooling power. The Corsair H80i v2 solves that problem. The radiator is twice as thick, clocking in at 49mm compared to the standard 25mm. The H80i v2 doesn"t match the cooling performance of a 240mm radiator, but it gets a lot closer than a standard 120 mm one.

Cooler Master offers a range of "lite" AIOs, which are basically previous iterations of Cooler Master"s MasterLiquid line with increased socket support and double FEP tubing. At around $85, the Cooler Master ML240L v2 is the best budget AIO available. It comes with a 240mm radiator, two RGB fans, and a small RGB controller. Thermal performance isn"t great, and the noise level is higher than some more costly options. However, the ML240L clocks in around $50 cheaper than most competing 240mm AIOs. Plus, you can always swap the fans out later for more lighting options and slightly better noise levels.

If you want the best RGB AIO cooler, the EK-AIO 240 D-RGB goes off the deep end. Short of a small black strip where the tubes connect, the mounting block has a translucent, slightly diffused surface, washing out the lights inside into a beautiful display of color. EK is the place for custom water cooling, and the EK-AIO 240 shows why.

The EK-AIO 240 is a better option due to the fact that it"s inexpensive. Selling for about $125, it"s similarly priced as the 240mm counterpart at NZXT, as well as Corsair’s H100i. But you can get is for about $108 on EK"s own website. Like a lot of the other options on this list, it’s available in 120mm and 360mm variants, too. On Intel, the EK-AIO 240 supports LGA115x and LGA20xx, and LGA1200. On AMD, it just includes an AM4 bracket. You can control the fans directly through your motherboard, but if you’re short on spots, you can pick up an EK-Loop Connect controller for another six PWM connections.

This is Corsair"s first all-in-one liquid cooler with a built-in LCD on the pump block. The iCUE H100i Elite LCD is a step beyond the older H100i RGB Pro XT and an excellent choice if you care about RGB lighting and customizations. The bright 2.1-inch panel comes with a 480x480 resolution making it sharper than most AIO LCD displays. It can be used to showcase a variety of things including system temperatures, custom artwork, GIFs, videos, and more. This can be done with Corsair"s iCUE software which also offers additional information about the cooler.

The AIO comes with two 120mm Corsair ML RGB ELITE magnetic levitation fans for great cooling performance while maintaining quiet operation. There is also support for a zero-RPM cooling profile that allows the fans to stop entirely at low temperatures thus eliminating any fan noise. Expect excellent thermal performance thanks to the custom cold plate that features a high-density stack of 128 micro-skived fins per inch providing highly efficient cooling.

Apart from the 240mm option, the Corsair Elite LCD AIO is also available in 360mm and 420mm configurations and there is support for all modern CPU sockets including the latest Intel LGA 1700 and AMD"s upcoming AM5.

The Alphacool Eisbaer Aurora is a CPU cooler that you can refill. Unlike other AIO liquid coolers, you can swap out the fluid, upgrade the hoses and fittings, and even expand the loop. The most recent model supports digital RGB on the fans and CPU block, too, allowing you to trick out your lighting however you want.

The most important part of an AIO CPU cooler is the radiator size. A larger radiator offers better cooling performance, but you need to make sure it can fit inside your case. Otherwise, look at the socket support to make sure you can use the cooler with your motherboard and buy from a reputable brand.

Most AIO coolers have a lifespan of six years, regardless of if they have RGB or not. You can expect an AIO cooler from a reputable brand to run for six years without issues, but every cooler is a little different. We recommend looking up individual AIO cooler reviews to see if others have had issues with reliability.

Before buying an AIO cooler, you need to know about the risks it may pose to your PC. Although failures are few and far between, every AIO cooler is still putting water dangerously close to your precious PC components, so there"s always a risk that the cooler could leak or fail and damage your parts. The fact that AIO coolers are closed makes matters worse because you can"t open the loop to see if there are any problems.

In a typical setup, yes, liquid cooling is simply better at capturing and dissipating heat than an air cooling system alone — however, they aren"t necessarily better than the best air coolers.  AIO coolers are a popular option to add liquid cooling because they offer the whole cooling system in a premade package that"s relatively easy to set up, and they tend to be very quiet.

That being said, AIO coolers may not be the best choice for every gaming station. As we mentioned above, not all PC cases have a lot of room to add a radiator, pump, and tubing. If you aren"t interested in overclocking and your current system manages temperatures just fine, you may not see a lot of benefit from switching to an AIO cooler, either.

That depends on several factors. The pump that moves the liquid in the cooler is typically silent or at least inconsequential compared to other PC noises. AIO models usually have fans, which will get noisy if they operate at high speed or are dirty. You can decrease fan noise by keeping them free of dust and monitoring their settings via the BIOS if possible. The good news is that, with liquid cooling, fans usually don"t have to work as hard and are less likely to make lots of noise.

Another source of noise can be gurgling from the liquid as it flows, especially at higher pump speeds. If your AIO cooler is chilling your PC just fine at lower pump speeds, you can easily keep noise levels down this way. If annoying gurgling noises persist, there could be air cycling in the system. Proper installation and pump placement can often help avoid bubbling issues like this, so it may be time to take a look at your mounting choices. You can also run the cooler through a process to clear out air bubbles.

If this is your first time installing an AIO model, you should find and follow a guide closely or use the included instructions and pay attention to the details. Corsair has a clear-cut guide on the two most effective mounting choices for the radiator (on the front or at the top of the case). The radiator should be at a higher position than the pump to help avoid air bubble problems, which means you don"t want to install it at the bottom of the case.

Remember when AIO liquid coolers were only found in enthusiast PC builds? That"s not the case anymore, as AIO coolers have become more of a necessity with all these power-hungry CPUs from Intel and AMD.

Most air coolers are simply not powerful enough to dissipate all the heat generated by these high-wattage processors. And as such, PC builders resort to AIO liquid coolers to get the best cooling performance for their CPUs.

However, finding a suitable AIO can be tricky, as you"ll need to consider multiple factors. So, here, we"ll discover the top specs to check when buying a new AIO cooler.

Besides the price, radiator size is the most important factor you need to consider when purchasing an AIO liquid cooler. The radiator"s length should give a rough idea of the AIO"s cooling performance. The bigger the radiator, the more air it can push through, allowing it to dissipate heat quickly.

Typically, a mid-tower PC case would fit a 240mm radiator just fine, while an ITX case would need to settle for a smaller 120mm or 140mm AIO cooler. More often than not, you"ll need a full-tower PC case to fit a 360mm radiator or larger.

Besides the length of the radiator, you should also consider its thickness. Most AIO liquid coolers come with a standard radiator thickness of 27mm, but some models, like the Arctic Liquid Freezer AIO, feature a thicker 38mm radiator.

Again, if you opt for an AIO with a thicker radiator for better cooling performance, make sure you have adequate space in your case because you may encounter clearance issues with your RAM, especially on mid-tower and ITX PC builds.

The fan speed is rated in RPM (revolutions per minute), and typically, the fans that come with your AIO cooler are PWM-controlled, meaning you can control its speeds with software. Regardless, you should look at the fan"s maximum speed in the spec sheet.

Most radiator fans can spin upwards of 1,500 RPM, but you"ll find high-end AIO coolers surpass the 2,000 RPM mark. And although you may be inclined to buy the fans that spin at 2,000 RPM, you need to consider another critical factor: noise level.

The faster the fans spin, the louder your AIO cooler will be. Sure, you"ll get better cooling performance, but that could come at the cost of unbearable noise, meaning you"d have to lower the speed. So, don"t forget to check the noise levels of the included fans in the spec sheet, rated in dB. The lower this value, the better, and anything below 40dB is optimal.

A loud pump is as annoying as the loud fans in your AIO liquid cooler. So, you should make sure the pump in your AIO cooler is from a reputed manufacturer.

Most mainstream AIO liquid coolers from Corsair, ASUS, and Gigabyte use an Asetek pump, meaning pump performance will remain mostly consistent across their product lineups. However, some companies like Lian Li and EK Water Blocks manufacture their own pumps, so you"ll need to look into the reviews for the model you plan to get.

Newer generations of pumps are typically better in cooling performance. In addition, they have safety parameters to prevent any liquid leakage, allowing your AIO liquid cooler to last longer than old-gen models.

Most mainstream brands have their own software—for example, Corsair has iCUE, whereas NZXT has CAM—to control the AIO"s fan speed, pump speed, RGB lighting, etc. However, some manufacturers don"t offer any software, and you"ll need to rely on your motherboard"s software to control the RGB lighting or enter the BIOS to adjust the pump and fan speeds. Or, you could install third-party programs that let you do so.

Performance should be your top priority when buying a new AIO liquid cooler, but that doesn"t mean you should skip the aesthetics department. Nowadays, most PC cases come with tempered glass side panels to show off your hardware in all its glory, so why not add some RGB flair?

Several AIO liquid coolers today pack RGB fans to give you some decent lighting inside your cabinet, and they don"t cost much more than their non-RGB counterparts. However, make sure the one you choose has addressable RGB fans, as these allow you to control the color of each LED individually.

And if you can afford the premium prices for high-end AIO coolers, try to get one with an LCD screen. While you may quickly shrug it off as an unnecessary gimmick, it can be convenient to monitor your CPU temperature and clock speed while playing games instead of using your PC monitoring software.

Now that you know all the specifications you need to consider, you"re all set to buy your very first AIO liquid cooler. However, don"t forget to factor in the price, as your budget will ultimately decide what AIO you get.

If you"re building a mid-tower PC on a budget, a 240mm AIO cooler would be a logical choice, but if you can afford the best of the best, don"t settle for anything less than a 360mm liquid cooler, provided your case can fit it—save the 120mm AIOs for ITX builds.

When ASUS sent us the original ROG Ryujin 240, it was slightly underwhelming. Performance was not spectacular for its price, the OLED display’s customizability was limited in a number of ways, but it did have its perks, like a VRM cooling fan to keep your toasty VRMs cool and it also had a really fancy design. Now, the ROG Ryujin II comes back with a larger LCD display and it is based on the newer Asetek Gen 7 technology. We received the 360mm version, so obviously performance isn’t directly comparable, but we do have other 360mm AIOs to compare it against. So, let’s see if the ROG Ryujin II 360 is a better cooler this time around.

And this is the inside of the box. Unlike most AIOs which have their accessories in a plastic bag somewhere in the box, ASUS has clearly paid some attention to the arrangement of the contents.

Packed away into the various compartments around the AIO itself are the three fans, the full array of mounting hardware to get the ROG Ryujin II 360 onto any recent processor, even the humongous AMD Ryzen Threadrippers. There are also a separate AIO Fan Controller, which we will get into more detail shortly.

Instead of cramming all the controllers into the pump block unit, the ROG Ryujin II 360 comes with a separate AIO Fan Controller that has both connections for both fans and ARGB. It also looks like a deck of cards for some reason. It is finished in matte black, with glossy chromed corners which add a touch of contrast. I think that you will most probably hide this behind the motherboard, but as usual, the Republic of Gamers’ attention to detail is just immaculate.

There’s no RGB to speak of on the ROG Ryujin II 360, with it being a nearly all-black setup aside from the 3.5″ LCD on the pump block. You might also notice that the cables coming out of the pump is significantly easier to manage now, with just two cables: one to the motherboard and one to the AIO Fan Controller. There aren’t many orientations that you can install the ROG Ryujin II 360 in without messing up the looks, but the ROG Ryujin II 360’s pump block is slightly smaller than its predecessor, which should allow it to fit onto more motherboards, even tighter ITX ones.

The LCD is a significant upgrade from the tiny 1.77″ OLED panel on the first-gen ROG Ryujin. It is double in size, and it looks downright amazing. You also don’t have to worry about burn in when displaying a static image or repeating animation, as LCDs are a lot more resilient. I would also like to see a few ARGB accents along the sides, but I guess ASUS wanted to keep the focus on the screen here.

To mount the pump block onto the standoffs, you will first need to remove the top cover of the block to expose the mounting points. Unlike previous generations, the cables are all connected to the cover, so you don’t need to worry about the cables getting in the way of your screwing. Another quality-of-life improvement that ASUS baked into the ROG Ryujin II 360 is a tighter magnetic mount. ASUS has made the lower half of the block solely for cooling, with the embedded fan and pump getting their power through these pads. The top half is where the connections are running into, and you also get the LCD’s circuitry up there.

The pre-applied thermal paste is more than sufficient to cover our 11th Gen Intel Core i5-11600K, and I do believe it should suffice even if you have a larger HEDT processor. The AMD Threadrippers might need some extra thermal paste, but maybe just a tiny bit. Now let’s move on to the AIO Fan Controller.

Oddly enough, the AIO Fan Controller actually comes with ARGB connections, when the entire system does not have any ARGB. I guess ASUS just wanted to be ready to provide additional ARGB headers in case you want to replace the fans with ARGB ones down the line. Another oddity is the way that you have three fan connectors on one side, and three ARGB connectors on the other. I think four on each side would be better? But maybe three on each side makes for simpler cable management.

On the bottom side you get the SATA power, microUSB port which connects to the AIO pump block and the ARGB input port. Overall, this made the ROG Ryujin II 360 much easier to install and cable manage, since you don’t have to deal with that many cables heading to the pump block itself. All you have is one USB header that connects to the motherboard from the pump block, and another microUSB cable that connects to this AIO Fan Controller. A very neat arrangement and I really appreciate that ASUS managed to come up with this solution.

One thing I hope that ASUS improves with the AIO Fan Controller is to add magnets inside for easier mounting. Currently, ASUS expects you to use the included double-sided tape to attach the controller, which is decent, but it also means that you will have to really plan ahead before installing the ROG Ryujin II 360 in your system.

I believe that the biggest improvement in the overall user experience coming from the original ROG Ryujin is that you no longer need three separate software to manage all the settings on the ROG Ryujin II 360. Now with the ROG Ryujin II 360, all you need is Armoury Crate, which lets you play around with the display contents quite easily. ASUS has clearly worked a lot on their software support, with the ROG Ryujin II 360 now being much less picky when it comes to the GIFs that you can use on the panel. You can even create slideshows of up to five animations/images here if you want!

There’s are also other customization options, including what to show on the display of the ROG Ryujin II 360 when your system is off. By default it will show the… well, default animation, but you can also change it to your own custom image or GIF animation. You can’t set it to show the time though, which is quite peculiar.

The ROG Ryujin II 360 is not cheap. At RM1399, it is one of the more expensive AIO liquid coolers out there. But it isn’t all that expensive, when you take into account the bundled Noctua fans which cost more than RM150 each. And there are three of them here! Then you have the great performance, beautiful LCD display and excellent software integration, including support for AIDA64, and it starts to look pretty good. You don’t often see me commending the value proposition on ROG products, but yeah, you do get a good deal with the ROG Ryujin II 360.

Not to mention that ASUS actually bundled an AIO Fan Controller that has ARGB controls, even though the ROG Ryujin II 360 doesn’t actually have any ARGB accents on it. If that’s not value, I don’t know what is. You no longer have to worry about having to use other software to manage your ARGB accessories even if you don’t own an ROG motherboard, as the AIO Fan Controller will take care of that.

With Wacom One, you get more than just a creative pen display. You have everything you need to get off to a flying start. Our included Bonus Pack is ready and waiting for you. And conveniently, Wacom One is compatible with your computer, as well as certain Android tablets and phones.

Kami transforms any existing document into canvas for expression or an interactive learning experience. Work collaboratively in real-time and ignite creativity with an array of annotation tools accessible with your Wacom pen display and Wacom pen tablet.

Used to working with pen and paper? Well, there"s a new digital world waiting for you. When working on a pen display, your pen can act as different pencils and brushes in a whole range of colors – bundled software ensures you can easily change color or brush size, all with the same pen. And the fact you can easily edit and update work makes Wacom One the ideal product for budding creatives and keen note takers.

This replacement AC Power Adapter (Regional power plugs included) is an external power supply designed to work with the Wacom One creative pen display and the Wacom One X-Shape Cable.

The Wacom One replacement pen is designed for use Wacom One creative pen display (DTC133). The pen is cordless, battery-free with 4096 levels of pressure and a programmable side-switch to put shortcuts at your fingertips.

One of the strengths of AIDA64 has been providing users with precise and abundant hardware monitoring information. The software offers several ways to visualize sensor data, such as clock rates, temperatures, voltages, fan speeds etc. For the past few months we have been working hard to give you even more opportunities for displaying such info: we"ve been adding support for a huge number of external displays,VFDs (vacuum fluorescent display), LCDs and even OLEDs.

Using such devices can come in handy when you want to keep an eye on hardware related information at all times, even when watching a movie or playing a game in full screen. Now AIDA64 can send information to external displays directly, without the need to use third-party applications. And you can select and edit what and how you want to show on these displays, right from AIDA64.

The latest stable already supports dozens of displays, and the number is constantly growing as our developers are working hard to implement support for even the most exotic panels you guys may be using. Your feedback is welcome here: if you happen to use displays that AIDA64 does not support yet, please let us know in the forums.

LCD support has been designed with power users in mind, users who prefer customizing every single detail in both the layout and the set of displayed values. In this blog post we want to show you how you can create a customized LCD in AIDA64.

Specifically, we are going to describe how you can populate a color LCD with hardware monitoring info as well as some eye-candy. However, AIDA64 supports a couple of less fancy devices as well: if you use alphanumeric displays or monochrome LCDs your options will obviously be more limited. On an alphanumeric device, for example, you can only visualize “Simple sensor items”, that is text, while monochrome LCD can cope with some basic imagery only.

Abacom / Acer / Adafruit / AlphaCool / Aquaero / AX206 / BWCT / CH424 / Crystalfontz / ct-Mausekino / Cwlinux / Dangerous Prototypes / Digital Devices / EastRising / EVGA / Futaba / GLCD2USB / Gravitech / IkaLogic / LCD Smartie / LCD2USB / LCDInfo / Leo Bodnar / Logitech Arx / Logitech G15G19 / LPT Mad Catz / Matrix Orbital EVE / Matrix Orbital GLK / Matrix Orbital GX / Matrix Orbital LK / Modding-FAQ / nMedia / Noteu / Odospace / Odroid / Pertelian / Phidget / picoLCD / POS / Pyramid / Razer / RemoteSensor / Roccat / Saitek / Samsung / SDC Megtron / SoundGraph iMon LCD / SoundGraph iMon VFD / SpikenzieLabs / Sure / Trefon / UCSD / USB2LCD+ / VL System LIS 2 / VLSystems LIS / Wallbraun / Yoctopuce

If you use a color LCD, you have the choice to use either a background color or a custom background image. You can come up with spectacular results both ways. If you go for a solid color background you have to specify the color here. If multiple pages are available on the display, the color selected here will be used on all the pages. If you want a custom background image, you have to upload it in the editor (see step 4 below). The tabs often give you the chance to adjust brightness and/or contrast for monochrome and alphanumeric displays.

Now let"s open the LCD layout editor which is available in File / Preferences / Hardware Monitoring / LCD / LCD Items. What you"ll see here is a preview of the external display and the list of items shown on the panel. To those who have already experimented with the SensorPanel the editor will look quite familiar: it"s not a coincidence as both work exactly the same way. The only difference is that here you can design more pages for a single device, if the external display can handle multiple pages. You can select each page by clicking on its tab, just like you do in web browsers.

Hint: you can add any image to the display this way, and set its position on the panel by specifying the X and Y coordinate values. But you can also position any item in the layout by selecting it in the item list and using the arrows on the right. We can move items up or down in the list. Items are displayed as layers on the display, and this list determines the order of the layers: the topmost item in the list will be the background layer, the next one the first layer and so on. By default, an item listed under another will cover at least parts of those listed above it if they overlap each other on the panel. Because of that, always make sure to make the background image the topmost item.

Adding a graph works just like adding a gauge. For example, if you want to display the utilization of CPU Core 1 in a graph, all you need to do is clicking on “New”, then selecting “Graph” from the “Item type” drop-down menu, and then selecting CPU1 Utilization. You may need to set the min and max threshold values for the graph, but in this case the default 0 to 100 range is just fine. You can now position the graph and define its width and height as you wish. There are a couple of other things you can customize, including background color, grid color, graph line color and thickness, label font etc.

Hint: You can also display whatever labels you want for each sensor item. It"s recommended to change the default label which is usually too dull and too long. :) You can even delete the labels, which may come in handy on low-resolution alphanumeric LCDs where each pixel counts.

In the Preferences / Hardware Monitoring / Update Frequency menu, you can set how often AIDA64 Extreme updates the sensor readings on the LCD. Currently, the lowest selectable refresh rate is 500 ms.

Bonus: Even though AIDA64 cannot measure FPS in games, with a little help from a friend it can show FPS info on external displays. You need to install and run FRAPS to make this happen. When FRAPS is running, it will appear among the available sensor items.

NZXT entered the PC cooling market nearly a decade ago by releasing all-in-one (AIO) liquid cooling solutions and accessories for them, including GPU mounting brackets. However unlike other manufacturers who have opted to build large, diverse product lineups, NZXT never kept more than a handful of AIO coolers available in their product line-up. Instead, the company has focused on delivering a few quality and aesthetically-unique designs, rather than trying to take the competition down on raw performance alone.

Today we are taking a look at NZXT’s latest liquid coolers, the Kraken X-3 and Z-3 series. These are more of a refresh rather a total upgrade over last year’s X-2 series, but NZXT has made some notable tweaks. Between the two families there are five different coolers in three sizes, covering the usual 240/280/360mm configurations. Both the X and Z series utilize the same cooling hardware, but NZXT has positioned the Z series as a premium option with a novel aesthetic feature – while the X series has RGB lighting on top of the pump base, the Z series tops its base with a full-fledged (and full color) LCD screen.

So what sets apart NZXT"s X and Z series coolers? In short, it"s all about displays. For the Z series, NZXT has topped off the the main block assembly with a 2.36” LCD screen. The LCD can be programmed to showcase everything from images and GIFs to real-time data. And despite the low 320×320 px resolution, it is crisp and bright, with beautiful color reproduction.

Other than the display topping the main block, the X and Z series coolers are all but identical. The rest of the main block is the same between the two, going right down to the contact plate and mini pumps. So at the base of NZXT"s LCD and LED handiwork lies a circular copper plate, secured on the plastic body with eight stainless steel screws. A layer of thermal paste is pre-applied onto the contact plate. It is not machined down to a mirror finish but it is smooth and entirely flat. The contact plate is not large enough to cover Ryzen Threadripper processors and, although it should work okay, we generally advise against using coolers that are not specifically developed for the TR4 socket on Threadripper processors.

Moving on, let"s talk about NZXT"s radiators. Their different sizes aside, the radiators of both the Z63 and X73 seem to be identical in terms of design. The subtle but significant difference is that the 120 mm fan radiator of the X73/Z73 is 26 mm thick, while the 140 mm fan radiator of the Z63/X63 is 30 mm thick. It"s just a few millimeters, but it"s something that should absolutely be considered confirming the cooler’s compatibility with a given case, as sometimes a few millimeters makes all the difference. Both radiators are typical dual-pass cross-flow designs, with tiny fins soldered on thin oblong tubes. This is by far the most dominant radiator design for AIO systems and rightfully so, as it offers the best efficiency within limited proportions and for the temperature differences that AIO coolers have to deal with.

Remember when AIO liquid coolers were only found in enthusiast PC builds? That"s not the case anymore, as AIO coolers have become more of a necessity with all these power-hungry CPUs from Intel and AMD.

Most air coolers are simply not powerful enough to dissipate all the heat generated by these high-wattage processors. And as such, PC builders resort to AIO liquid coolers to get the best cooling performance for their CPUs.

However, finding a suitable AIO can be tricky, as you"ll need to consider multiple factors. So, here, we"ll discover the top specs to check when buying a new AIO cooler.

Besides the price, radiator size is the most important factor you need to consider when purchasing an AIO liquid cooler. The radiator"s length should give a rough idea of the AIO"s cooling performance. The bigger the radiator, the more air it can push through, allowing it to dissipate heat quickly.

Typically, a mid-tower PC case would fit a 240mm radiator just fine, while an ITX case would need to settle for a smaller 120mm or 140mm AIO cooler. More often than not, you"ll need a full-tower PC case to fit a 360mm radiator or larger.

Besides the length of the radiator, you should also consider its thickness. Most AIO liquid coolers come with a standard radiator thickness of 27mm, but some models, like the Arctic Liquid Freezer AIO, feature a thicker 38mm radiator.

Again, if you opt for an AIO with a thicker radiator for better cooling performance, make sure you have adequate space in your case because you may encounter clearance issues with your RAM, especially on mid-tower and ITX PC builds.

The fan speed is rated in RPM (revolutions per minute), and typically, the fans that come with your AIO cooler are PWM-controlled, meaning you can control its speeds with software. Regardless, you should look at the fan"s maximum speed in the spec sheet.

Most radiator fans can spin upwards of 1,500 RPM, but you"ll find high-end AIO coolers surpass the 2,000 RPM mark. And although you may be inclined to buy the fans that spin at 2,000 RPM, you need to consider another critical factor: noise level.

The faster the fans spin, the louder your AIO cooler will be. Sure, you"ll get better cooling performance, but that could come at the cost of unbearable noise, meaning you"d have to lower the speed. So, don"t forget to check the noise levels of the included fans in the spec sheet, rated in dB. The lower this value, the better, and anything below 40dB is optimal.

A loud pump is as annoying as the loud fans in your AIO liquid cooler. So, you should make sure the pump in your AIO cooler is from a reputed manufacturer.

Most mainstream AIO liquid coolers from Corsair, ASUS, and Gigabyte use an Asetek pump, meaning pump performance will remain mostly consistent across their product lineups. However, some companies like Lian Li and EK Water Blocks manufacture their own pumps, so you"ll need to look into the reviews for the model you plan to get.

Newer generations of pumps are typically better in cooling performance. In addition, they have safety parameters to prevent any liquid leakage, allowing your AIO liquid cooler to last longer than old-gen models.

Most mainstream brands have their own software—for example, Corsair has iCUE, whereas NZXT has CAM—to control the AIO"s fan speed, pump speed, RGB lighting, etc. However, some manufacturers don"t offer any software, and you"ll need to rely on your motherboard"s software to control the RGB lighting or enter the BIOS to adjust the pump and fan speeds. Or, you could install third-party programs that let you do so.

Performance should be your top priority when buying a new AIO liquid cooler, but that doesn"t mean you should skip the aesthetics department. Nowadays, most PC cases come with tempered glass side panels to show off your hardware in all its glory, so why not add some RGB flair?

Several AIO liquid coolers today pack RGB fans to give you some decent lighting inside your cabinet, and they don"t cost much more than their non-RGB counterparts. However, make sure the one you choose has addressable RGB fans, as these allow you to control the color of each LED individually.

And if you can afford the premium prices for high-end AIO coolers, try to get one with an LCD screen. While you may quickly shrug it off as an unnecessary gimmick, it can be convenient to monitor your CPU temperature and clock speed while playing games instead of using your PC monitoring software.

Now that you know all the specifications you need to consider, you"re all set to buy your very first AIO liquid cooler. However, don"t forget to factor in the price, as your budget will ultimately decide what AIO you get.

If you"re building a mid-tower PC on a budget, a 240mm AIO cooler would be a logical choice, but if you can afford the best of the best, don"t settle for anything less than a 360mm liquid cooler, provided your case can fit it—save the 120mm AIOs for ITX builds.