Watercooling - Will it be worth it

[Admire]

I have been researching watercooling, while I wait for my savings to reach the correct amount and I have some concerns.

 

My interest in watercooling would almost exclusively be with aesthetics and noise levels in mind since I don't generally overclock...at least not in the beginning of my CPU life cycle.

 

I wanted to get a custom loop, and just start with the CPU and then add more parts later when I have the money, but I have been a little worried about what I have been reading about noisy pumps, and how much lower temps I could get.

 

My questions is whether or not you guys think that watercooling is the solution for me.

 

There are three options I am considering.

 

1. Aircooler.....The reason I want something different is not about performance to very much looks...I really dislike those big air coolers and heatsinks....The Noctua NH-D14 is 121$

 

2. Either one of Corsairs more expensive AIOs(105 or 110) or Swifttechs H220. The H220 is 200$ in denmark.

 

3. Saving up more to get a decent custom loop. I was planning on buying the parts separately, mostly in order to avoid those bad fans that are almost always included in any kit, but I selected a kit just to give a calculation of cost. An EK - H3O KIT 240 HFX costs 355 dollars here...The EK - KIT L240 is 309 dollars......

 

I can't see myself spending more than those 350 on cooling a CPU.....350 is very much at the high end of what im willing to spend(On the CPU part ofcourse...I would ofcourse be willing to spend more to cool my GPU in the future)...

 

Would I have to spend even more to get a low noise watercooling loop?

 

 

 

[Jodomcfrodo]

I say custom loop.

You can get a pump res for $115 and the rest could easily fit your budget

$50 cpu block

tubing and fittings $100

$50 rad

[Admire]

I say custom loop.

You can get a pump res for $115 and the rest could easily fit your budget

$50 cpu block

tubing and fittings $100

$50 rad

 

And those aren't noisy?

[Jodomcfrodo]

And those aren't noisy?

If you get all the air out no. You could get a MCP655 if you want silent. Its a $115 pump though. Put foam under the pump. 

[PhantomTates]

If you'd just get a water cooler from corsair or cooler master you can stick a Noctua fan to it, then you have a relatively cheap and quiet cooler.

[Admire]

If you get all the air out no. You could get a MCP655 if you want silent. Its a $115 pump though. Put foam under the pump. 

 

Is it this one? http://www.coolerkit.dk/shop/swiftech-mcp655-laing-2889p.html

[Jodomcfrodo]

Is it this one? http://www.coolerkit.dk/shop/swiftech-mcp655-laing-2889p.html

Yup. They sell versions with g 1/4 threads and different sized barbs. If you are going to use compression fittings get the G1/4. If you're going barbs get the correct sized barbs for your tubing on the pump

[Admire]

Yup. They sell versions with g 1/4 threads and different sized barbs. If you are going to use compression fittings get the G1/4. If you're going barbs get the correct sized barbs for your tubing on the pump

 

Cool. Thanks for all the help. Will not mark it as solved yet, since I want a little more feedback before...Its such a hard decision when you never watercooled before.

[asquirrel]

I can't comment on aesthetics because...I'm an engineer at heart. I don't care if it looks like trash welded together so long as it works magnificently.

 

That said, in my own looking it seems that a custom loop for me (US buyer) would start in the $300 price range.

$90 for the pump

$70 for the CPU water block

$70 280mm radiator

$50 Reservoir (I could build this myself for like $5-15 >.<)

$20 tubing + fittings. {You can't get compression fittings for this price. Barbs are fine, but ugly by most people's standards}

 

So, from that aspect, things like the h220, or soon-to-be h220x are FAR cheaper. All pumps make noise, but most of the noisy pumps you read about with AIOs are from air bubbles being trapped in the pump for various reasons. The main reason being that those AIO loops are never brimmed. They are factory filled to a certain level then they stop. I'm not entirely sure why this is done, probably because drawing a vacuum on the parts to suck out air is expensive and time consuming.

 

The other problem is that water always contains air, so even if you do a good job and get the air bubbles out of the water, there is still molecular scale air that will eventually coalesce over the lifetime of the loop. That's why almost every single custom loop picture you see shows tiny air bubbles all over the reservoir. Those go away after a week or two, as  the air has a chance to bleed out.

 

As for me, I'm stuck between the h220x (if it doesn't suck) and a custom loop myself. On one hand, I love the maintenance free part of using an air cooler. On the other, I really love not having 2-4 lbs of metal hanging off my CPU. No matter how good the bracket is. Additionally, the surface area needed to cool modern processors is getting a bit out of hand, so water is quickly becoming the way to go for a space efficient system.

 

But as for custom vs aio...if I get the aio I save almost $100. If I get a custom loop, I don't have to keep waiting for the AIO to come out, and if a pump burns out, I don't have to worry about finding one that fits that radiator or CPU block, I just change some tubing around and put in a new pump. Same with all the other components. So...you are...quite literally paying for freedom. I've just not decided if freedom is worth $300 to me.

[cooperred]

I'd say get something like the H220 and upgrade it later. A quiet CPU+GPU loop will cost more than $350 in Denmark... 

[loccilucas]

I would say custom loop or aircooler.

Custom loops are the coolest things so I would definatly say get that as I am a silence freak myself, that's also why I would say an aircooler.

Don't get one of the corsairs because 2 reasons they are loud (IMO) and they are boring, EVERYONE HAS ONE, if you care about looks don't get an AIO as it's just like "oh look...another corsair AIO"

[rjbarker]

If all youre planning on Cooling is the CPU go with an AIO...H100i or H220....go with push / pull fans and you'll get far better Cooling than any Air Cooler.

Go with a Custom Loop if you're planning on Cooling GPU's!!

 

Honestly, thats the biggest benefit of Liquid Cooling is getting those GPU Temps down and no GPU Fans ramping up

[eternalbl]

If you don't mind spending time maintaining and think you'd find setting everything up fun, then do it.  Otherwise, get an aio, or you can make a practically silent PC that runs on air if you want.

[Lays]

If you're planning on only doing 1 part at the start in your loop, I recommend doing the GPU first. 

 

99% of the time the GPU will be the loudest & hottest part in your system.   A simple 212 evo can cool your CPU while still making almost no noise.

 

 

 

 

What GPU do you have?