edit 2: He has bought the air cooler!
He will be running the 9800X3D, which I don’t think gets hot enough to require an AIO. We are choosing between Arctic Liquid Freezer III 360 (AIO) and the Peerless Assassin 120 (air cooler)
Benefits of choosing an AIO (Arctic Liquid Freezer III) is better temperatures, nicer aesthetic. Downside of going with AIO is the possibility that it will leak/wear out over time, shorter lifespan compared to air cooler (which can pretty much last forever)
He will be getting a Lian Li case (the O11 Vision Compact) with the RGB fans set, meaning he could go with the cheaper 5 fan set instead of 8 if he decides on AIO. Combined with a decent sale on the AIO in my region, the price difference isn’t that large.
What do you guys think?
edit: Mmm the internet people seem to disagree with each other
FWIW, KISS. I built an elaborate WC setup. It was fun, looks neat, and expensive. Super-quiet and cool running. That said, as the years have gone by the WC cost of time/maintenance has been a downside. Even AIO will need some care and have a higher potential cost of failure than air cooled. Fans are easily replaceable vs having to remove and replace a pump or cooling block, or deal with a leak. Most new fans are super-quiet (as long as you don’t have one of those absurd cases with 10 fans in it) so you can enjoy gaming with a cool-running setup and no sound of a server farm running by your desk.