What radiator size do I actually need?

Match it to sustained power draw rather than to the processor name. A 240 or 280 handles a mid-range chip comfortably, while a 360 or a thicker 280 is what a high core-count part asks for under long all-core loads. Going larger mostly buys lower fan speed at the same temperature rather than a dramatically cooler processor.

Does radiator thickness matter as much as length?

It matters differently. A standard core is around 27mm thick and a thick one 38mm or more, which adds surface without adding length and suits a case that only takes a long radiator in one position. Denser cores need fans with genuine static pressure to push air through them, and the figure to compare against your case is radiator plus fans together, not the radiator alone.

Why does mine gurgle, and will it stop?

That noise is air moving through the pump. It is normal for the first few days while the loop settles, and running the pump at full speed for an hour helps drive the trapped air up into the radiator where it belongs. If it never clears, the pump is sitting at the highest point of the loop and air is collecting inside it, which remounting so the radiator sits higher fixes for good.

Should the pump run on a fan curve?

No, give it a fixed speed. The pump moves a nearly constant heat load and gains almost nothing from ramping, while a curve makes it rise and fall in pitch, which is the tonal whine people find hardest to ignore. Leave it flat and a little below maximum, and do the temperature control with the radiator fans instead.

Does a white unit cool worse than the black version?

No. Paint on the fins and shroud makes no meaningful difference to heat transfer, and the two are normally the same cooler from the same production line. The real differences are price and availability, plus one detail worth confirming on the listing: some white units ship with black tubing and black fittings, and that is the part that shows in a light build.

Do I need an offset bracket on an AMD board?

It helps on the chiplet-based Ryzen parts, where the hot compute die sits below the centre of the lid and a centred cold plate misses it by roughly 5mm. Several manufacturers now ship AM5 mounting that shifts contact down by that distance, and the measured gain is a few degrees. Treat it as a refinement rather than a requirement, and note that it is specific to that socket.

How long does one last, and can it be topped up?

Plan on several years and no refills. These loops are sealed with no fill port on the vast majority of units, and they lose a little coolant over time as it permeates through the tubing, with fluoropolymer-lined tubes losing very little. When the pump eventually fails the unit is replaced rather than repaired, which makes the warranty period a more meaningful number here than on an air cooler.

►Home

►Specials

►Cooler Best Sellers

►CPU Coolers

►

White AIO Coolers SA

White all-in-one liquid CPU coolers for South African PC builds

Picking a Liquid Cooler by Its Hardware

A closed-loop cooler is a pump, a cold plate, two lengths of tube and a radiator, and the white ones differ from the black ones in paint and price rather than in physics. What decides the result is radiator area, the fans bolted to it and how the whole assembly is mounted.

Read the listing in this order: radiator length, radiator thickness, the height of the pump block and the brackets in the box. Those four settle whether it fits your case, how quietly it runs and whether you need anything extra on the day it arrives.

Picking a Liquid Cooler by Its Hardware

Picking a Liquid Cooler by Its Hardware

Top 5 Reasons to Buy Gaming Laptops

How to Choose a White AIO Cooler

Top 5 Reasons to Buy Gaming Laptops

How to Choose a White AIO Cooler