It’s sunday afternoon…
I’m having a beer, waiting for the roasted lamb to reach 68°C.
Just having a discussion with my friends (that’s you guys).
This is a metal heatsink, with a fan. Commonly referred to as an ‘aircooler’.
This is a metal radiator, with a fan, connected to an array of so-called heat pipes that contains a cooling liquid that evaporates into gas and is cooled to liquid again. It is commonly referred to as an ‘air cooler’.
This is a metal radiator with fans and a pump on metal base, connected to the CPU heatspreader, that circulates a cooling liquid through the system. It’s commonly referred to as a ‘AIO’ or All In One, cooler.
If you put the pump as a separate unit and use a coolant reservoir, and connect the hoses yourself, it’s referred to as a ‘Liquid cooler’.
My point.
My point here is that they are all Air cooled.
Three of these contain a liquid coolant.
They all have their purpose. There are advantages and disadvantages with all systems.
Pumps can stop working, as can fans. Liquid can leak, etc.