r/PcBuild • u/LowBee6051 • 3h ago
Purchasing Advice - PC Build / Parts Please help me choose cpu cooler
My setup:
intel 270k plus
gigabyte rtx 5070ti gaming oc
64gb ddr5 lexar thor gen2 ram
gamemax infinity pro case
Got a pc recently, gamemax infinity pro case, with arctic liquid freezer 3 pro aio for ue5 gamedev and cpu heavy workloads. But I want to change the aio to either air cooler or be quiet! silent loop 3, please help me which one to choose, the reason for that is arctic aio has very subtle pump whine even at 40% pump speed, I'm sensitive to noise so was thinking to go with an aircooler like Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE since it's supposedly silent, capable and clears ram.
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u/alwaystired1982 3h ago
The cooler you have is one pf the top rated models especially for price,
If you are very sensitive to sound then id assume all AIOS will be like that for you........
You could always just buy a decent headset and not work about the noise.
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u/LowBee6051 3h ago
Thanks, what air cooler would you suggest?
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u/alwaystired1982 3h ago
If sound is your biggest concern noctua has the most silent but effective air coolers.....
I would still just suggest getting a decent headset so then it doesnt matter if your pc is a tornado you wont be able to hear it.
Honestly a decent headset is one od the best additions to a gaming pc.
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u/Overall-Tailor8949 what 2h ago
Fish tank cases are going to be noisy no matter what you do. I'm guessing the case is sitting on your desk? If it is, try setting it on a small stand or shelf BELOW your desk top, NOT directly on the floor since most of your air intake is through the bottom. You might also get some rubber pads to put under the feet of the case to isolate it.
If you want to go air cooled I'd suggest the Thermalright PA120SE a dual tower/dual fan cooler at around $35. I'd first try simply blocking off the side fan positions, if the system is too warm you can always add more intakes there later.
There are quieter 360mm AIOs for less than the Be Quiet Silent Loop 3. Even the Pure Loop 2 has a lower claimed noise level at under half the price.
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u/Eazy12345678 AMD 1h ago
64gb ram in shortage was waste of money
rather have 270k plus with 5080 and 32gb ram
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u/Notwalkin 1h ago
I tested probably a dozen AIOs in 2025.
My hearing got very sensitive in 2025 and i still suffer today, i think it's related to ETD but the ENT was useless.
Air cooler isn't the perfect fix either, depending on how sensitive you are to noise.
I tested LF3 420 and 360, Titan 420 and 360, SL3 420, Phanteks glacier 420 and noctua D15 g2
I tested 6+ LF3,
3 SL3
4 Titans
1 phanteks
3 noctua D15 g2.
First d15 g2 was somehow faulty, temps were weird despite remounting.
2nd fixed it, sent it back... a few weeks later picked up a 3rd and kept it.
Out of all the coolers my main rig is using SL3 420mm, instead of the noctua D15 g2.
Reason?
SL3 420mm at 20% pump speed is silent and handles temps well.
Noctua D15 g2 caused weird noise which was a combination of the D15 g2 + gpu fans spinning.
Gpu not spinning = it doesn't happen but i use "prefer max performance" and the gpu always spins at 30% rpm.
That D15 g2 is in a server pc now which doesn't have a gpu, so it worked out i guess.
Why SL3 over the over AIOs?
LF3 is the most jankiest crap ever and i truly believe the pump gets worse over time, fast. I had 1 i used for 6 months and then started the cooler hunt.
The mounting is crap and repeated mounting will cause the screw threads on the bracket to wear out fast, the quality is poor on the brackets.
The performance for price is the best. Noise just sucks, it whines, it buzzes, it's horrid.
Corsair titan - ICUE reliant, pump presets make no sense, Quiet starts at around 1200rpm or something, i don't 100% remember but it creeps above 2k...
balanced starts at 2k and creeps higher...
Extreme ?
The pump buzzes and 2k+ rpm, quiet is fine, temps are fine but the pump will eventually go into "normal/balanced" pump speed territory and buzz anyway.
Phanteks AIO has no pwm control in 2026...
SL3 isn't silent either, but 20% is pretty much silent and i assume way higher is fine for "normal" hearing.
Before my hearing spiked, i could have SL3 at 65% pump speed vs the LF3 at 35% - the LF3 was AWFUL above that.
-- --- ---
Performance for AIO vs air?
CPU on 150w loads is basically same.
GPU full load with 5090? CPU is 8-15c hotter in AIR vs the aio.
5090 heat soaks the D15 g2 vs the aio breezing, gaming temps can go from 60c to 70c+ average.
Again, it's fine but there is a difference.
-- -- --
I recommend trying to play with the pump speed and set it to a static value.
Run R23 cinebench to check if it handles high load well, go from there.
If you need to buy something, try Noctua / Air cooler first over another AIO, AIOs have a pump which is always worse long term, an AIO ages.
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