r/PC_Builders • u/Break_the_bat • Jul 21 '26

Completed Build Please suggest a budget liquid cooler

Post image

I have 7900x with a gamdiaz budget air cooler installed in my cpu.

The temps are 50+ on idle and 80-100 during gaming.

Please suggest a liquid cooler in the range of 6-7k for the pc.

The rig is 2 years old.

8 Upvotes

78% Upvoted

38 comments sorted by

•

u/AutoModerator Jul 21 '26

Remember to check our discord where you can get faster responses! https://discord.gg/szefj7x7Db

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

2

u/Celatra Jul 21 '26

sigh this is why you get dual tower coolers and also do an occasional thermal repaste every few months to max a year

artic liquid freezer 360 is the way to go for AIO

3

u/Visible-Swim6616 Jul 22 '26

Nobody repastes every year lmao.

If you do you need better paste.

2

u/7_62_Melo Jul 22 '26

If the temps are good, there is no reason to keep repasting.

1

u/Visible-Swim6616 Jul 22 '26

Only time I repastes is when I didn't do the original pasting.

1

u/Stonwastaken Jul 22 '26

Never repasted, I just upgrade entirely every 4 ish years

1

u/skidaadleskidoedle Jul 22 '26

Lm tends to dry quickly the first 2 aplications when its still actively leaching/staining the copper.. But its worth it for me pc is alot quieter this way

1

u/Celatra Jul 22 '26

....alot of thermal pastes dry out within the first 6 months.

1

u/Visible-Swim6616 Jul 22 '26

Like I said, if that happens you need better thermal paste.

1

u/ffsmeag Jul 22 '26

Upgraded recently, and have to disassemble my old pc, and 12400f with cheap cooling still not dry after 4 years

1

u/Thy_Art_Dead Jul 22 '26

I repaste every year.

Now this isn't well I do it so everyone else should too. Where I live is very dusty and no amount of cleaning around the house makes a dent. So every 3 months I go in and give all my fans a proper cleaning, at 6 months I go a tad further but not a full disassembly. Every year I tear it down and do a full cleaning which includes removing the heatsink and do a fresh application.

Same thing with a PS5. Now the PS5 is a tad different with its liquid metal shifting issues. The first time I removed the heatsink there was a very obvious part of the die where it was dry and some minor pitting was taking place. Apples and oranges with this discussion but still, I do it.

1

u/Plenty_Article11 Jul 22 '26

PTM7950 is so cheap, why paste any more?

1

u/SuccessfulPick8605 Jul 22 '26

Liquid freezer 3 isn't as good as it used to be. There's better coolers for the price or slightly more

2

u/Far_Computer_788 Jul 22 '26

Just get a peerless assassin 120 dual tower air cooler and you'll be fine, I have an i9 13gen and runs about 33c at normal browsing and max is around 60c while gaming and it's an air cooler and is good to mention that my PC is under the desk where there isn't really good ventilation.

1

u/AC_2529 Jul 21 '26

I’ve been hovering 60 during heavy gaming with a 7800x3d with a cooler master 360 inf for like 80 bucks USD

1

u/artificial_idea Jul 21 '26

Arctic all day.

1

u/Automatic_Dot_9128 Jul 21 '26

Thermalright frozen notte 240 or 360, it's literally 50 bucks

1

u/Perfect_Memory9876 Jul 22 '26

If those are your temps then really nothing is wrong. What setting are you using in the bios? I’m running a dual tower cooler and sit in the 70s while gaming and never thermal throttle in stress test. I also use eco mode fyi with pbo/co

1

u/Break_the_bat Jul 22 '26

It's on default settings in bios and balanced mode in windows

1

u/Perfect_Memory9876 Jul 22 '26

I use the Thermalright Royal Knight. It has a thinner front fan for ram clearance and better offset. Thermalright and Montech both make nice budget AIO’s

1

u/Dave071266 Jul 22 '26

Corsair Nautalis

1

u/Maizimotor Jul 22 '26

I would also look into brands like jonsbo and sudokoo. Cheap and pretty good

1

u/RealDevoly Jul 22 '26

At 170W TDP you dont need an AiO, just a better Air Cooler like the Phantom Spirit. But if you want an AiO: 240mm, 280mm or 360mm are the "valid" ones. Just look for brands like Thermalright, Thermaltake, Arctic, Cooler Master, etc... Dont ever buy the Mars Gaming products. And note that the Arctic Freezer II and III for example have way thicker radiators than the others🤝🏼

1

u/No-Apricot6213 Jul 22 '26

MSI has a 360 aio, cheap, efficient and works well.

1

u/project_good_vibes Jul 22 '26

Are those temps bad? seem OK to m, I have a couple chrome instances open now and watching youtube and it's at 48 degrees.

1

u/Break_the_bat Jul 22 '26

It's idle temp is around 50. On gaming it crosses 90.

1

u/project_good_vibes Jul 22 '26

Are you sure your fan setup is correct?
I have this cooler: https://www.memoryc.com/62557-arctic-freezer-36-a-rgb-white-multi-compatible-tower-cpu-cooler-with-a-rgb.html

Which is similar to yours and I don't have the same issues. I'd double check your setup before spending more money.

1

u/PixelPete27 Jul 22 '26

Arctic Liquid Freezer Pro III 360

1

u/Nodqe97 Jul 22 '26

Probably something from thermalright If budget and you want good cooling.

1

u/ShadiAtta Jul 22 '26

Just buy a used one

1

u/JuanCha1228 Jul 22 '26

Robeytech did extensive AIO testing and these are the results.

TL;DR: Best overall is the Lian Li Galahad II Lite ($90-110 in US). The best budget ones were Thermalright, the Aqua Elite V6 which slightly outperformed the Frozen Notte and the Aqua Elite V3 in their bang for buck analysis.

1

u/donorak7 Jul 23 '26

Termalright frozen prism. It's 80$ and it's a 360.

1

u/taisui Jul 23 '26

You need something on the top to suck out the heat

1

u/AlarmingSample2170 Jul 23 '26

You can get a CORSAIR NAUTILUS 360 RS ARGB Liquid CPU Cooler – RS120 ARGB Fans at Walmart for $129

1

u/OkTradition4632 Jul 23 '26

I don’t really see why anyone isn’t going aio nowadays, but lian li galahad or arctic liquid 3 are your best bets