Given the heat capacity of water versus air, water cooling can act as a buffer to delay the ramp up of case fans resulting in an even heat curve and ultimately a quieter computing experience. And liquid cooling limits thermal throttling of the CPU due to heat spikes associated with air cooling.
Air cooling, which entails heat sinks and fans, is best for those on very limited budgets. Air cooling is less expensive and therefore has a higher performance per $ (the amount of cooling you get for every $ spent). Air cooling does have its limitations, however. Aggressively high overclock speeds are not possible. Assessing components around the CPU socket can be very difficult with large bulky air coolers. The added weight has also been known to bend and warp motherboards over time.
Sealed loop liquid cooling offers a simple, elegant and easy-to-use solution that is highly effective at drawing heat away from the die and dissipate it through the radiator. The radiator fans draw thermal energy out of the case to help manage ambient temps. This aids liquid cooling to provide the performance benefits of heat dissipation, greatly reduces temperature spikes. Plus, we see a fan curve that is steadier than that with air cooling, thereby limiting the possibility of noise associated with fan ramp-ups. The radiator, or heat exchanger (HEX), in a liquid cooler can dissipate more heat than is possible with an air cooler. Because the radiator has a larger surface area than the heat sink, therefore a greater ability to extract heat from the case. An additional benefit of liquid cooling is that the radiator can be positioned in a variety places within a case to best exhaust the ambient hot air. With liquid cooling, one gets a steady flow of heat dissipation along with an efficient means to expel the extra heat from the system, compared to air cooling.
