We recently published a benchmarking test of a large number of air coolers for modern processors. This time it is the turn of water coolers! For this article we tested 32 ready-to-use (all-in-one) water coolers, i.e. models that are completely assembled and filled from the box. The prices of the tested kits range from around 50 pounds / 55 euros to more than three times the price. That raises the question: which water cooler to buy to cool your PC? After reading this article you will have the answer.

A water cooling system consists, in large strokes, of three components: a metal water block that is placed on the processor through which (cooled) water flows, a radiator in which the heated water cools down again and a pump that ensures that the water circulates between radiator and water block. For all-in-one water coolers such as those tested here, the pump is usually integrated in the water block mounted on the processor.