Is watercooling worth it?

[Dracorath]

Hi, I'm completely new to the watercooling world and I don't know many friends who actually do watercooling so here I am to ask the linus world for some advice.

 

I was wondering is it actually worth going for a full watercooling build with either softline or hardline tubing if your not overclocking? Or is it mainly for overclocking "cheap" components? 

[LNW]

Depends. AiO? Absolutely! But only if overclocking. But custom cooling is almost never cost effective.

[Furbodo]

you can watercool anything and it will give a benefit to temperatures, but the benefit is much more felt on overclocked systems. some people run air cooling on their CPU and liquid cool the GPU's because they're the hottest bit

You know any cheap AIO gpu watercooling blocks?

[NicekillBG]

if you have the money yes

[Furbodo]

not off the top of my head, I'd say look at the kraken G10 or the corsair adapter

And if I do water cool my gpu can I squeeze a better OC out of it? Possibly better performance?

[Dracorath]

First of all thank you all for the quick replies!

you can watercool anything and it will give a benefit to temperatures, but the benefit is much more felt on overclocked systems. some people run air cooling on their CPU and liquid cool the GPU's because they're the hottest bit

That's exactly what I was thinking. However there is a worry for me if I do go for a watercooling build and not having much experience in it. I see people do a lot of testing on very old pc's and components for experience before they move onto more expensive hardware which makes me feel uneasy about as I would like to just jump straight to it if I did decide to go for a custom watercooling.

 

I understand that the GPU is a big plus for gaming performance if you did overclock it but taking it apart and applying a backplate sounds like a specialist job to me heh... 

 

I recently watched this video about watercooling being worth it, I find it's all about how much money you have to spend on your actual system and wanting to go to the extra mile for it. 

 

 

I still feel uneasy about it as I've read there's so many problems you can run into when going into watercooling and if you wanted to take it into the long run.

 

Is it true that it can make your hardware last longer?

 

Depends. AiO? Absolutely! But only if overclocking. But custom cooling is almost never cost effective.

How much would you say Watercooling would cost for a build like this? 

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17ln89jMXG6OYuHeoXaaepsOoU3D6kX0XvrwujtiiC7k/edit#gid=0

if you have the money yes

That makes it sound expensive... heh

[spwath]

Its never worth it.

 

You do it for looks/fun/extremeness

[ButthurtTumbleweed]

if you are never going to move the PC, it's fine

but it's a nightmare to deal with moving a custom loop (from my experience)

overall, it's awesome but air cooling is easier to deal with

[Dracorath]

That makes sense, thanks for your feedback all! 

[Benji_w]

Hi, I'm completely new to the watercooling world and I don't know many friends who actually do watercooling so here I am to ask the linus world for some advice.

 

I was wondering is it actually worth going for a full watercooling build with either softline or hardline tubing if your not overclocking? Or is it mainly for overclocking "cheap" components? 

 

If you're going to watercool, you might as well push your system to a good overclock. Watercooling can be done on the cheap by buying 2nd hand parts and keeping fittings to a minimum. Personally I'll never go back to air because I have so many watercooling parts now it would be pointless.

 

 

if you are never going to move the PC, it's fine

but it's a nightmare to deal with moving a custom loop (from my experience)

overall, it's awesome but air cooling is easier to deal with

 

I moved my PC several times and had no issues, all I had to do was drain the loop then shove it in the case box ready to move, fail to see the nightmare?

 

First of all thank you all for the quick replies!

That's exactly what I was thinking. However there is a worry for me if I do go for a watercooling build and not having much experience in it. I see people do a lot of testing on very old pc's and components for experience before they move onto more expensive hardware which makes me feel uneasy about as I would like to just jump straight to it if I did decide to go for a custom watercooling.

 

I understand that the GPU is a big plus for gaming performance if you did overclock it but taking it apart and applying a backplate sounds like a specialist job to me heh... 

 

I recently watched this video about watercooling being worth it, I find it's all about how much money you have to spend on your actual system and wanting to go to the extra mile for it. 

 

 

I still feel uneasy about it as I've read there's so many problems you can run into when going into watercooling and if you wanted to take it into the long run.

 

Is it true that it can make your hardware last longer?

 

How much would you say Watercooling would cost for a build like this? 

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17ln89jMXG6OYuHeoXaaepsOoU3D6kX0XvrwujtiiC7k/edit#gid=0

That makes it sound expensive... heh

 

The only way you will get experience in anything is through research (which you are doing so great job there) and then applying that knowledge. the only issues I've had watercooling is one fitting had a slow weeping leak (this is why you test your loop for 12hrs minimum) and my tubing keeps going green because I didn't use a silver kill coil or PR nuke to kill bacteria. 

 

Taking apart a GPU is easy, it is just a part of a machine. Just read the instructions you get with your GPU block carefully and you'll be fine. I've taken apart GPUs so many times now to simply clean them out it doesn't bother me.

 

Make your stuff last longer? Hard to say, you will probably pump more voltage into your hardware to overclock it that it will negate any extra life span that may or may not be gained from keeping it cool.

 

How much would it cost to watercool? Not sure, you can get 2nd hand parts relatively cheap like radiators and pump/res combos so it could cost as little or as much as you like, the gpu block will cost the most. Also in that doc you said 2x 970 better? It's always better to go with a higher tier single card than two lesser cards.

[ButthurtTumbleweed]

I moved my PC several times and had no issues, all I had to do was drain the loop then shove it in the case box ready to move, fail to see the nightmare?

I guess I exaggerated on the "nightmare" part of it but draining the loop is still a process which a PC with an air cooler doesn't need. An air cooled PC can just be picked up and moved without worrying about it.

[Revan654]

Hi, I'm completely new to the watercooling world and I don't know many friends who actually do watercooling so here I am to ask the linus world for some advice.

 

I was wondering is it actually worth going for a full watercooling build with either softline or hardline tubing if your not overclocking? Or is it mainly for overclocking "cheap" components? 

 

Personally I say no, It can get very expensive. Specially if you want Straight lines with Hardline.

[rcarlos243]

It depends on how you perceive "value"

 

from purely price/performance stand point, no.

 

You would be better off getting something like a CM Hyper 212 Evo.

 

You are also always limited by how good your chips are binned so even if you have the best components for a custom loop, it won't make a difference performance wise if your chip cannot go beyond a certain frequency and voltage. But even then something like a Noctua NH-D14 is enough to handle the heat of majority of overclocks.

 

Water cooling is all about aesthetic, maximum cooling performance and hobby.

 

I myself has gone from stock cooler to high end air coolers to AIO's and now a custom loop.

[m_tieu]

I don't think it's worth the money myself. But I think it's a fun project and once you invest in the parts, they can be reused for future builds.

[Benji_w]

I guess I exaggerated on the "nightmare" part of it but draining the loop is still a process which a PC with an air cooler doesn't need. An air cooled PC can just be picked up and moved without worrying about it.

 

Really wouldn't want a massive heatsink hanging off my CPU as I transport it, I'd have to take it off regardless so in terms of hassle they're equal in my opinion. Then again I overclock heavily so most people have 212's which weigh next to nothing.