Do You Really Need Liquid Cooling for Your Gaming PC?
Lennon Byatt
Do You Really Need Liquid Cooling for Your Gaming PC?
When configuring a new gaming PC, one of the biggest decisions is how to cool your processor. Air coolers have come a long way, but liquid cooling has become increasingly popular thanks to its sleek appearance and impressive thermal performance.
So, do you actually need liquid cooling, or is a traditional air cooler enough?
What Is Liquid Cooling?
Liquid cooling uses a pump to circulate coolant between the CPU and a radiator, where heat is dispersed by fans. Most modern gaming PCs use All-in-One (AIO) liquid coolers, which are sealed units that require little to no maintenance.
Compared to standard air coolers, they can offer improved cooling performance, especially under heavy workloads.
Who Benefits from Liquid Cooling?
If you're gaming with a high-performance processor like an AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D or an Intel Core Ultra 9, liquid cooling can help keep temperatures under control during long gaming sessions.
It's also a great choice if you regularly stream, edit videos or run demanding applications alongside your games.
liquid cooling can help keep temperatures under control during long gaming sessions
The Perfect England Matchday PC Schedule
Here's how to make the most of the best England kick-off time we've had all tournament:
| Time (BST) | What's Happening | PC Task |
|
2pm–4:45pm
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Pre-match build-up
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Game session — get a proper hour in
|
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4:45pm
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Teams announced
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Close the game, open BBC iPlayer
|
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5pm
|
Kick-off
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Stream on second monitor, game on hold
|
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~6:50pm
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Second half
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Back on the stream
|
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~8pm
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Full time (hopefully)
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Celebrate / commiserate, fire the game back up
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Is Air Cooling Still Good?
Absolutely.
Modern air coolers are capable of keeping many gaming CPUs running comfortably while offering excellent value for money. If you're building a mid-range gaming PC, a quality air cooler is often more than enough.
For many gamers, the difference in gaming performance between air and liquid cooling is minimal.
AIO coolers often feature RGB lighting
It's Not Just About Performance
For some gamers, liquid cooling is just as much about aesthetics as it is about temperatures.
AIO coolers often feature RGB lighting, clean cable management and a minimalist look that complements modern gaming cases with tempered glass side panels.
If you're aiming for a premium-looking setup, liquid cooling can help complete the build.
Which Should You Choose?
If you're using an entry-level or mid-range gaming PC, a quality air cooler will usually do the job perfectly. However, if you're investing in a high-end system with the latest processors, liquid cooling can offer lower temperatures, quieter operation and a cleaner overall appearance.
Keep Your Drivers Up to Date
Graphics card drivers often include game-specific optimisations and bug fixes for new releases.
Regularly updating your NVIDIA or AMD drivers can improve stability, fix graphical issues and even increase performance in some games.
When It Really Is Your Internet
Of course, sometimes your connection is the problem.
If multiple devices are streaming or downloading at the same time, or you're gaming over a weak Wi-Fi signal, your online experience can suffer. Whenever possible, use a wired Ethernet connection for the most stable performance.
Which Ryzen X3D CPU Should You Choose?
AMD offers several excellent X3D processors depending on your budget and gaming needs.
- Ryzen 7 7800X3D – A fantastic all-round gaming CPU that continues to deliver exceptional performance.
- Ryzen 7 9800X3D – Ideal for gamers looking for the latest Zen 5 architecture and top-tier gaming performance.
- Ryzen 9 X3D models – Better suited to users who also stream, edit videos or create content alongside gaming.
For most gamers, a Ryzen 7 X3D processor offers the best balance of price and performance.
Ryzen 7 X3D processor offers the best balance of price and performance
Get the full squad: Gaming PC Bundles
A Gaming PC Bundle makes sense if you need more than the tower.
Maybe your monitor is ancient. Maybe your keyboard and mouse have seen better days. Maybe you are building your first proper gaming setup and want the essentials sorted together.
A bundle can help you get the full setup in one go, instead of slowly piecing it together over months.
It is the easiest way to go from “I need a PC” to “I’ve got a full setup.”
Best Sim Racing Setup for Beginners: Start With the Essentials
You don’t need a full cockpit immediately. A well‑chosen beginner setup helps you develop skills faster and keeps costs under control.
1. Steering Wheel and Pedals (Top Priority)
Your wheel and pedals are the most important part of any sim racing rig. Force feedback allows you to feel grip changes, kerbs, and steering resistance—crucial for learning car control.
Beginner tip: Focus on force feedback quality rather than raw power.
Your wheel and pedals are the most important part of any sim racing rig. Force feedback allows you to feel grip changes, kerbs, and steering resistance—crucial for learning car control.
Creators in attendance
Stacked lineup
Experience zones
Arcades · Sim rigs · PCs
Tech on display
Latest gen builds
Verdict
Showroom certified
Pick Your Tier
We've named each tier after a tournament stage, because let's be honest, that's exactly the kind of thing we'd do. Find your budget and dive in.
Group Stage
Round of 32
Quarter Final
World Cup Final
England's Path If They Get Through
Win against Congo DR and England's potential route to the Final looks like this:
• Round of 16 (8–9 July): Mexico or Ecuador — tough but winnable
• Quarter-Final (12–13 July): Potentially Brazil — the big one
• Semi-Final (15–16 July): Possibly Argentina — we're in Messi territory now
• Final (19 July): MetLife Stadium, New Jersey — it might be coming home
The bracket is genuinely open. England are well-placed, and Tuchel's side are unbeaten in ten competitive fixtures. Don't get your hopes up. Also: get your hopes up.
The bracket is genuinely open
GTA 6 GPU Comparison Table (RTX 50 Series)
|
GPU Model
|
Performance Tier
|
Best Resolution
|
VRAM (Expected)
|
GTA 6 Settings
|
Ideal User Type
|
|
RTX 5060
|
Entry-Level
|
1080p
|
8–12GB
|
Medium–High
|
Budget gamers looking for smooth GTA 6 gameplay
|
|
RTX 5070
|
Mid-Range
|
1440p
|
12–16GB
|
High–Ultra
|
Best value for most UK gamers
|
|
RTX 5070 Ti
|
Upper Mid-Range
|
1440p / 4K
|
16GB
|
Ultra
|
High FPS + future-proofing
|
|
RTX 5080
|
High-End
|
4K
|
16–20GB
|
Ultra + Ray Tracing
|
Enthusiasts & high-performance gaming builds
|
|
RTX 5090
|
Ultra Enthusiast
|
4K+ / 8K
|
24GB+
|
Max Settings + Full Ray Tracing
|
No-compromise, ultimate GTA 6 experience
|
The point is don't buy a £150 mouse expecting it to fix your aim. Buy it because the weight, shape, and quality will make long gaming sessions more comfortable.
AWD-IT stocks gaming mice from Razer, Corsair, and ASUS at a range of price points. If you're unsure where to start, a mid-range wireless mouse from any of these brands will give you everything you need for competitive gaming.
Signs your PC has genuinely run its race
When It IS Time for a Full Rebuild
Even Messi will retire eventually. And there are signs your PC has genuinely run its race:
• CPU is pre-2018 and DDR3 (no DDR5 upgrade path available)
• Motherboard doesn't support PCIe 4.0 — you're bottlenecking modern GPUs
• Power supply is under 500W — can't safely run anything modern
• Multiple components failing, temperatures consistently hitting 90°C+
If you're ticking more than two of those boxes, a fresh AWD-IT pre-built is often better value than stacking upgrades onto a dead-end platform. You get a warranty, a coherent spec, and you know everything works together from day one.
Is It Worth Upgrading?
If your current system is several years old or you're building a new gaming PC, a Ryzen X3D processor is one of the best upgrades you can make for gaming performance.
Pairing an X3D CPU with a modern graphics card like an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 or AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT creates a system capable of delivering excellent frame rates across today's most demanding games.
Final Thoughts
There's no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to cooling your gaming PC. Air cooling remains an excellent option for many gamers, while liquid cooling is ideal for enthusiasts looking to get the most from high-performance hardware.
At AWD-IT, many of our gaming PCs can be configured with either air or liquid cooling, allowing you to choose the setup that best suits your performance needs, budget and style.
