I'm putting together a new PC after saving for it, mainly for ML engineering work and secondarily for gaming. The planned build includes a Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Radeon RX 7900 XTX, 64GB of CL30 memory, a Gigabyte B850 Gaming X motherboard, a 1000W Super Flower Leadex 7 Platinum power supply, a HYTE X50 case, several HYTE and Arctic case fans, an Arctic Liquid Freezer III Pro 360mm radiator mounted at the rear, and two 1TB SSDs.
My room gets quite hot, and I'm unsure whether an AIO or a high-end air cooler would make more sense. I'm interested in an AIO partly because I'm familiar with liquid-cooled server systems, but I've also heard that air cooling may be more reliable and already sufficient for this CPU. Is the AIO worthwhile here, or would air cooling be the better choice?
4 Answers
Even an inexpensive cooler can keep an X3D chip from throttling during gaming, assuming the case has decent airflow. Extended all-core workloads such as rendering will generate more heat, but a quality dual-tower air cooler should still be sufficient. Since your build already has multiple intake and exhaust fans, air cooling is a reasonable choice unless you specifically want the AIO’s aesthetics or lower peak temperatures.
A good air cooler should be more than enough for the 9800X3D. A Phantom Spirit-class cooler can handle it comfortably, and the CPU’s relatively modest power draw means you don’t need a 360mm radiator just to keep it from overheating. Air coolers also have fewer failure points since there’s no pump to wear out.
Both options will work, and a hot room affects both in roughly the same way because neither cooler can get below ambient temperature. A 280mm or 360mm AIO may provide somewhat lower temperatures or better noise-normalized performance because of its larger radiator and extra fans, but the practical difference probably won’t be dramatic. Enabling a negative PBO curve, such as around -20 if stable, can also reduce temperatures significantly.
The choice mostly comes down to noise, appearance, and reliability. A high-end air cooler can run quietly with this processor, while an AIO may achieve lower temperatures at similar noise levels. However, the pump introduces another component that can eventually fail, so air cooling is the safer long-term option. The Liquid Freezer III Pro is perfectly capable if you already like the look and don’t mind tuning its fan curve.
The Liquid Freezer fans have a fairly high maximum RPM, so they can sound loud if left on an aggressive default curve. Adjusting the fan curve can make a noticeable difference; the cooler performs well in noise-normalized testing when configured properly.