# Kraken X41 or stay with air cooling?



## Jborg (Jan 7, 2015)

Hello all,

Recently I have been updating the look and color scheme of my rig.

I am currently using a Hyper212 EVO with 2 red LED fans.

I am considering swapping to water cooling for my 8350 for the following reasons:

The 212 Evo was cool at first, but after seeing it all the time it just has become ugly to me.
(It cools my FX 8350 very well already running a 4.5Ghz OC, no complaints with its cooling capability. )
Looking for a smaller CPU cooler that goes along with my Red/Black colors. (I do have a NZXT H440)
I see corsair has there h80i, h100i etc that include the Red LED option, but I am also seeing this with the NZXT Kraken X41.

Basically at this point, I am weighing the options and prices.... I would like to OC more to around 4.7 or 4.8Ghz if possible with these coolers... 

So basically I am just unsure of which brand to go with since I am basically a newbie of water cooling.

Corsair or NZXT? I have read that the program associated with the Corsair coolers is quite buggy/glitchy and doesn't always detect, while with the NZXT reviews I have seen some complaining about some stuff with the pump making sounds (But nothing horribly wrong)

Also, will radiator size make a big difference? I do want to try and go with the 140MM radiator if it will be good enough.

I have never used any sort of water cooling in a PC.... so any feedback would be appreciated.

I may end up not even going with water cooling, however I have been giving it alot of thought.





Thanks again,


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## sneekypeet (Jan 7, 2015)

So other than looks, are temperatures holding you back from trying to achieve the higher clock with the 212 in play?


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## Jborg (Jan 7, 2015)

sneekypeet said:


> So other than looks, are temperatures holding you back from trying to achieve the higher clock with the 212 in play?


 
Yes, 4.5Ghz is the max I will go with air cooling.

In terms of everyday use, the temps are fine at 4.5ghz in any game I play.

But when stability testing in prime, after roughly 1 hour I was at about 59-61c package temps, and high 60s socket temps. (This is pushing the limits I know, but Prime is far more CPU power than I am ever using in a regular game/program.)


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## sneekypeet (Jan 7, 2015)

then you answered most of your own question. To do what you want, the 212 is not the right cooler for the job. I would say to opt for the dual rad version, but it seems you are set on the single. Most coolers that will offer the same level of performance are pretty close in pricing too (AIOs) but NZXT also includes some software to help set things the way you want, not PWM or 12V controlled all the time.


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## Jborg (Jan 7, 2015)

sneekypeet said:


> then you answered most of your own question. To do what you want, the 212 is not the right cooler for the job. I would say to opt for the dual rad version, but it seems you are set on the single. Most coolers that will offer the same level of performance are pretty close in pricing too (AIOs) but NZXT also includes some software to help set things the way you want, not PWM or 12V controlled all the time.


 
I appreciate the input -

I would not mind going for the larger radiator.... if anything I was just trying to keep it smaller, but if the larger radiator offers noticabley better performance I would consider it.

But yes, my reasons for going water cooling are not really worth the price whatsoever. Its moreso an asthetic thing and just not having a giant bulky air cooler sticking out of my motherboard.

Im not that worried about OCing higher than 4.5ghz although it would be fun to actually have to tinker with some voltages and other settings to get it stable higher than 4.5ghz.

So yeah.... how much of a cooling difference will a larger radiator provide?


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## sneekypeet (Jan 7, 2015)

IMHO that 212 isn't giant or bulky, and its hard to say for sure the difference, maybe another 2-3 degrees. If you have the money available, go for it, if you are tight on cash, it seems you really do not "need" it.


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## peche (Jan 8, 2015)

Things to consider about water:

Money: if you have no problems with it, go with a custom loop, they perform ultra better to any thing… they are the top of cooling, but they require maintenance, time, patience and also more space, you may need to bleed them and refill them…
if you don’t have such that money for a custom loop you can always get All in One solution, (AIO), they don’t perform as kickass as custom loop does but they can easily handle high temps, depending on the model for sure, also you can always add or replace stock fans with high performance ones,  AIO's don’t need maintenance, they are ready to go, already bleed and refill free,


Personal opinion:

I would grab a Swiftech h220X or H240X,  any thermaltake Water 2.0 or 3.0 AIO instead of corsair, have no info about NZXT ones…


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## stevorob (Jan 8, 2015)

I own both Corsair and NZXT AIO coolers (an older H50, and an X61, respectively)

If you're looking at going to water to get a bit more out of your CPU, I would suggest going to a double rad cooler.  I have found that the 120mm rad has a problem of getting heat soaked after prolonged use.  It still cools the CPU well and load temps during normal use are good, but there is definitely a noticeable difference in cooling capabilities from a single rad AIO to a double rad AIO.


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## AlienIsGOD (Jan 8, 2015)

i have a X41 but im using to cool my GTX 680.  I can at least attest to good temps with the X41.


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## Jborg (Jan 8, 2015)

Thank you for everybodies input, it is really helping me come to a better decision in terms of all of this.


I appreciate the mention of the Swifttech AIO's, those look really cool and seem to have the color options I want.

The reason I was considering the NZXT kraken was simply because I have an NZXT H440 case and it would look nice with matching brands, however that is not that important to me.

As of now I think my top choice is the Swifttech H220X.... Seems to be in stock on their website.

I think im gonna end up going with this shortly down the road here.


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## Vario (Jan 8, 2015)

Could try a bigger and more powerful fan or two on the 212?


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## Jborg (Jan 8, 2015)

Vario said:


> Could try a bigger and more powerful fan or two on the 212?


 
I have 2 corsair AF120's on my 212.

I don't think there is much of a temp difference with 1 or 2 fans from what I was seeing in videos


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## hat (Jan 8, 2015)

It's been a while since I messed with aftermarket air cooling, until just recently, I installed a Thermaltake Frio Advanced in my friend's computer (my h70 does outperform it).

Air cooling is big, bulky, and awkward... especially in mid towers! Popular simple AIO solutions like the Corsair H80 match top end air coolers, and the block won't put a ton of weight on the board like a big air cooler will.


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## MxPhenom 216 (Jan 8, 2015)

youll want something a bit more then the X41 if you want to clock much higher on that FX8350.


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## peche (Jan 8, 2015)

Jborg said:


> I have 2 corsair AF120's on my 212.
> 
> I don't think there is much of a temp difference with 1 or 2 fans from what I was seeing in videos


coolermaster's jetflo would perform better... they feature  insane air flow: 95CFM +/- 10% each fan....
Take a look!
http://www.coolermaster.com/cooling/case-fan/jetflo-120/


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## doyll (Jan 11, 2015)

Wow!

If your system keeps getting hotter and hotter for an hour you need to work on case airflow and cooling.  When case is cooling properly maximum heat is reached in only a few minutes.






As for AIO / CLC or air coolers, it's common knowledge that top tier air coolers are generally better than any CLC cooler out there.  Especially if we factor in their noise level.  CLC will edge out top air at full speed .. which is several times louder than air coolers are.  At similar noise levels it's air coolers by several degrees.  There are some AIO that are as good or slightly better than air coolers, but they are also more money.  All CLCs are AIO but not all AIO are CLC.  AIO is  an all in one system, but some are a collection of components that can have coolant added / changed or even add components to them..  CLC systems are factory sealed closed loops. No provision for adding coolant or components.






Top tier air cooling are cheaper, quieter, more dependable with the only thing that can fail being the fan.  Easily replaced or workd around to keep system running. 
With CLC the most common problem is pump failure, and if the pump fails there is 0 cooling .. meaning a complete cooling system change before system can be used.  Not near as simple or low priced as changing a fan. 

I have written some guides for setting up case airflow and cooling as well as charts showing some of the better coolers and their sizes with center CPU toward PCIe socket and toward RAM socket clearances.  If you are interested, I can post them here.


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## Jborg (Jan 12, 2015)

I did recently swap to this NZXT H440 which did change the airflow from my old Corsair R300 Carbide case.

I do have 9 fans installed in the case (3 top mounted) (3 front mounted) (2 CPU fans) (1 140MM rear exahust fan)

I would be interested to see the difference with one of those JetFlo fans on my CPU cooler.

Ill have to test out prime again and get a more accurate reading of my temps and the time.

For the time being, I am sticking with my 212 Evo until I pick up another processor for my vacant ASRock 970 Extreme4, when that time comes I will have to decide whether I want another 212 Evo or to go with this Swifttech H220X.

Thanks again everybody.


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## thebluebumblebee (Mar 25, 2015)

I put together a system with a Z97-Gaming 5, GTX 970 Gaming, and 212 EVO in a H440 case and, although I'm not into how a system looks, the 212 just sticks out.
X41 - 140 MM AIO with colored pump.
X61 - 280 MM AIO with colored Pump
H220X - 240 MM AIO+ with colored pump
H240X - 280 MM AIO+ with colored pump
You might want to check out the reviews at LINK


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## Devon68 (Mar 25, 2015)

Ok I understand you want to change the color scheme of your build but how much of a difference will the FX-8350 perform running at 4.5 or running at 4.7 or 4.8 Ghz. For a few fps difference is it really worth it?


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## BiggieShady (Mar 25, 2015)

Devon68 said:


> For a few fps difference is it really worth it?


I'd certainly sacrifice that few fps for leak free peace of mind that air cooling gives you ... if you really carefully pick the case, heatsinks and fans you can make it pretty quiet nowdays


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