Air vs Liquid Cooling on an i7-12700K: Noctua NH-D15S vs NZXT Kraken X73
I tested a Noctua NH-D15S against an NZXT Kraken X73 360 mm AIO on an i7-12700K in rendering and gaming. Here are the temperatures and how to choose.
Key takeaway
For a hot 12th-gen i7 under long renders, the 360 mm AIO kept temps about 13 °C lower than the big air cooler.
In this article8 sections · 7 min read
The video plays from YouTube when you press play.
My Intel i7-12700K ran close to 100 °C while converting and rendering video. For an editing PC that runs long exports every day, that is too hot for comfort. I swapped my Noctua NH-D15S air cooler for an NZXT Kraken X73 360 mm AIO and tested both with the same workload.
Here are the numbers, what they mean and how to decide which type of cooler makes sense for your build.
Air cooler versus AIO, in plain words
An air cooler is a large metal heatsink with fans that sits directly on the processor. Heat moves through copper pipes into thin metal fins, and the fans blow it away. There is nothing to leak and nothing to wear out except the fans.
An AIO, short for all-in-one liquid cooler, uses a small pump on the processor to move liquid through tubes to a radiator mounted on the case. Fans on the radiator push the heat out of the case. A 360 mm AIO has a radiator long enough for three 120 mm fans, which gives it a lot of cooling surface.
Two ways to move heat
Air cooler versus 360 mm AIO
Why temperature matters for editing
Modern processors boost their speed as long as they stay cool enough. Intel's 12th generation chips are designed to run up to 100 °C. Near that limit, the processor slows itself down to protect itself. This is called thermal throttling. During a long export, a throttling processor takes longer to finish, and the fans run loud the whole time.
How I tested
- Same PC, same i7-12700K, same video file.
- HandBrake video conversion, which loads every CPU core.
- Temperatures recorded after 2 minutes of conversion.
- Gaming check: a normal Valorant session.
Results
- Noctua NH-D15S (air): jumped to 82–85 °C at once. After 2 minutes the package hit 98 °C, with some cores at 100 °C.
- NZXT Kraken X73 (360 mm AIO): 81 °C at the start, peaking at 87 °C after 2 minutes.
- Difference under rendering: about 13 °C cooler on liquid.
- Valorant: 86 °C peak on air versus 72 °C on liquid, 14 °C cooler.
The NH-D15S is one of the best air coolers available, so this is not a weak cooler losing. The i7-12700K simply produces a lot of heat under full load, and a 360 mm radiator has more surface to get rid of it.
The numbers
Peak temperatures on an i7-12700K
Which should you buy?
- For hot unlocked chips like the i7-12700K, K-series i9s or long renders, a 360 mm AIO gives clearly more headroom.
- For gaming-only builds or mid-range CPUs, a large air cooler is quieter, cheaper and has no pump to fail.
- Check your case supports a 360 mm radiator before buying. The product page lists supported radiator sizes for the top and front.
Installation tips that affect temperatures
- Mount the radiator higher than the pump when you can, for example at the top of the case. Air bubbles collect at the highest point, and you want that to be the radiator, not the pump.
- Use thermal paste properly. Many coolers come with paste already applied. If you apply your own, a pea-sized amount in the center is enough.
- Tighten the mounting screws evenly, a little at a time in a cross pattern, so the cooler presses down flat.
- Set a sensible fan curve in the BIOS or the cooler's software, so the fans speed up under load and stay quiet when idle.
Will the AIO last?
AIOs are sealed and need no refilling. The pump is a moving part, so it can eventually wear out, while an air cooler has no pump at all. Most AIOs come with a multi-year warranty. Check the warranty length before you buy, and keep the box and receipt.
My verdict
For my editing workload, the Kraken X73 was worth it. It kept the processor about 13 °C cooler during conversions, and lower temperatures mean the CPU holds its boost clocks longer during exports. If you only game on a mid-range processor, a good air cooler is still the simpler, quieter choice.
