Out of all the PC components I've purchased for my last few builds, perhaps the most useless was the AIO liquid cooler I got for my current PC. I bought it purely for esthetics. My 65W Ryzen 7 5700X didn't really need liquid cooling, and the cooler didn't do a great job of cooling it anyway. If I can safely rule out a single component from each of my future builds, it would have to be an AIO. I know what kind of CPUs I'll pick in the future, and air coolers will easily tackle any of them.

AIOs aren't as necessary as they're made out to be

Most people don't need liquid cooling

Depending on the kind of community discussions you've been part of over the years, you might think that AIO liquid coolers are almost indispensable as far as modern PC cooling is concerned. After all, CPUs have only gotten more demanding over the years, so TDPs would have only trended upwards, right? Well, yes and no. Indeed, flagship CPUs have consistently put more pressure on CPU coolers over the years, but there have also been great strides in bringing power consumption down without dropping performance. Many of today's flagship chips don't consume as much power as their counterparts did a decade ago. While Intel CPUs have struggled to tame their high-end CPUs in the thermal department, they're the exception rather than the norm.

Besides, most people don't pick flagship CPUs for their rigs. The most popular CPUs have always been budget and mid-range parts like the 6-core CPUs of today, and 4-core CPUs a few years ago. These chips don't require all the cooling performance of a 360mm AIO cooler. They can run perfectly with a budget air cooler that doesn't cost more than $35–$50. Modern CPUs, even the 6-core parts, are designed to run close to their maximum thermal limit, so high CPU temps are fine as long as your chip isn't throttling performance. Barring systems with Core i9, Core Ultra 9, and Ryzen 9 SKUs, and enthusiast builds with overclocked hardware, liquid coolers are strictly optional, and mostly an esthetic choice.

I'm never buying power-guzzling CPUs anyway

I know myself well enough

After using multiple systems over the last 25 years, I think I know what kind of user I am. I'm not going to start buying flagship CPUs out of the blue simply because I want something new. My current PC has the only 8-core chip I've ever used; everything before this was either 6, 4, 2, or 1 core(s). The only reason I got an 8-core chip was because I felt like splurging — the PC was a prize, so I wasn't spending my own money. I'm confident that my next CPU will be a 6-core chip, quite possibly a Zen 6 (or Zen 5) model. I'm not going to change into a heavy productivity user overnight. Gaming will remain my primary use case, and 6-core CPUs will remain more than enough for that. So, liquid cooling doesn't enter the picture as far as my future builds are concerned. A high-quality air cooler or even a budget one will be more than enough.

Even if I somehow decide to pick an 8-core CPU again, everything points to it having a relatively moderate thermal footprint. Just like the Ryzen 7 9700X has a TDP of 65W, the next 8-core AMD chip won't skyrocket in terms of power consumption. Moreover, today's air coolers can easily handle TDPs of around 200W. My CPU of choice is not getting anywhere close to that anytime soon. So, I think I'm going to be just fine without an AIO. As far as noise levels are concerned, mid-range air coolers can run pretty silently under load. All you need to do is tune your fan curves properly. Air coolers aren't subpar in any way, as some PC users like to believe.

Air coolers are simply easier to handle

I'm ready to declutter my builds

Cooling performance and affordability are just two of the many areas where air coolers stack up well against AIOs. Another is ease of use and maintenance. Since air coolers don't have too many points of failure, you don't need to worry about exigencies like coolant leakage or pump failure. At most, one of the fans might become faulty after years of use, which you can replace in most cases. If your AIO reaches the end of the line, however, you'll probably need to replace it. There's little you can do to fix a faulty pump or leaking coolant. Another advantage of air coolers is that they're easy to install and remove. There's a single heatsink you need to handle, unlike an additional radiator. It might not be too difficult to install an AIO, but it's certainly harder than slapping an air cooler on the CPU.

Whether you're replacing the thermal paste, swapping the CPU, or disassembling your build for transport, an air cooler will always feel easier to work with. I don't need to worry about damaging the fins on the radiator or bending the coolant pipes at an awkward angle. Even the esthetics of my PC don't need to suffer just because I'm using an air cooler. There are more than enough air coolers with RGB designs and customizable displays. Besides, I don't need to pick a bulky model to keep my CPU cool; slightly compact air coolers will look great and perform well.

I'm done with AIO liquid coolers

I might have been obsessed with using a liquid cooler a few years ago, but I'm not anymore. After using one for over three years, I know I'm not impressed enough to install one on any of my future builds. Air coolers excel in cooling performance, ease of use, affordability, and even esthetics, making AIOs unnecessary for the kind of CPUs I'll pick in the future.