Is custom loops worth it?

[xnoobftw]

Hey, i might consider making a custom loop with my system sometime down the road. 

I thorughly enjoy building my computer (rig in sig) (which is my first) from scratch and i wonder would i enjoy doing a custom loop?

Of course i'll be changing the case if i ever decide to do one!

How much would the cost of the waterblocks rads etc if i were to make a custom loop with my rig? 

What are the advantages of it? (other than better tempts for better OC)

[WereCat]

Custom loop is worth it only if there is no other way to get more performance (if you already got top of the line CPU, GPU). Or if you really want to play with looks of your PC and have a lot of money to spare but you really dont care about performance. Other than that.. no it is not worth it. Especialy if you dont have time for maintenace.

[ShadowCaptain]

What are the advantages of it? (other than better tempts for better OC)

 

That IS the only advantage (other than aesthetics and bragging rights

 

Honestly having watercooling does not increase the performance of your PC, spend your money on CPU, RAM, GPU  and SSD first

 

once you have exhausted all upgrade paths, then you can look at water cooling

 

What does it cost? quite a lot, personally my h100i on my i7 is all the watercooling I need without spending hundreds on more cooling that I dont need

 

most people do water cooling just because they can, 

[xnoobftw]

Custom loop is worth it only if there is no other way to get more performance (if you already got top of the line CPU, GPU). Or if you really want to play with looks of your PC and have a lot of money to spare but you really dont care about performance. Other than that.. no it is not worth it. Especialy if you dont have time for maintenace.

Well my GPU is top of the line..... Except for CPU I probably will upgrade to a better CPU before deciding on whether to go for a custom loop! Hmmmm i heard that hyper threads help out quite alot in games nowadays and i do quite alot of multitasking... Would an i7 make sense? 

[xnoobftw]

That IS the only advantage (other than aesthetics and bragging rights

 

Honestly having watercooling does not increase the performance of your PC, spend your money on CPU, RAM, GPU  and SSD first

 

once you have exhausted all upgrade paths, then you can look at water cooling

 

What does it cost? quite a lot, personally my h100i on my i7 is all the watercooling I need without spending hundreds on more cooling that I dont need

 

most people do water cooling just because they can, 

Imma go for an i7 k series (when skylake comes out) before deciding! Thanks!  

[ShadowCaptain]

Imma go for an i7 k series (when skylake comes out) before deciding! Thanks!

 

That seems like the best idea, then arguably getting a second GPU and better monitor would be the next upgrade, or maybe more RAM or SSD space 

 

heck even a new sexy chair or some nice peripherals

 

way better spend of your money than water cooling

[xnoobftw]

That seems like the best idea, then arguably getting a second GPU and better monitor would be the next upgrade, or maybe more RAM or SSD space 

 

heck even a new sexy chair or some nice peripherals

 

way better spend of your money than water cooling

Ah im planning to get a 144hz freesync 1080p monitor once it comes out!

(question, would the monitor run at 144hz even if i use my current one which is a 60hz 1080p 22 inch monitor as a 2nd monitor when i connect both of them to my 290x?)

Im pretty happy with my SSD space now My storage is a mess though! 

Is a good chair really worth all that $$?

[WereCat]

Well my GPU is top of the line..... Except for CPU I probably will upgrade to a better CPU before deciding on whether to go for a custom loop! Hmmmm i heard that hyper threads help out quite alot in games nowadays and i do quite alot of multitasking... Would an i7 make sense? 

I have i7 4770k and it never was utilized fully in any game. Not even close.

I know that the excitement after building PC is like a drug and makes you want to build more and it is all really tempting but I dont think that you should really throw money on custom loop.

Just basic math (approximate prices).

 

You sell your i5 for $150 and get new i7 for 300 ($150 loss so far). Your GPU is very good right now but soon R9 390x will come out which will be probably a lot better (given the fact that R9 395x2 is supposed to cost $1499 then R9 390x should cous around half of that so $750), you sell yours for around 180$ so you are already going to spend $720 for CPU+GPU and now add custom loop which is around at least $300 and you are at $1020. Even if you wont go for that new GPU it will be $450 which is a lot of money for system that is already not top of the line.

[xnoobftw]

I have i7 4770k and it never was utilized fully in any game. Not even close.

I know that the excitement after building PC is like a drug and makes you want to build more and it is all really tempting but I dont think that you should really throw money on custom loop.

Just basic math (approximate prices).

 

You sell your i5 for $150 and get new i7 for 300 ($150 loss so far). Your GPU is very good right now but soon R9 390x will come out which will be probably a lot better (given the fact that R9 395x2 is supposed to cost $1499 then R9 390x should cous around half of that so $750) sou you are already going to spend $900 for CPU+GPU and now add custom loop which is around at least $300 and you are at $1200. Even if you wont go for that new GPU it will be $450 which is a lot of money for system that is already not top of the line.

My current computer has issues running CSGO and OSU at the same time (grrr i wanna play both of them at the same time) Yes my older brother has been reprimanding me on that too... (ive spent 700SGD on my 290x before the release of the 900 series grrr) and he has a gtx 460 with a sandy bridge i5 and he seems really happy with his setup!

 

True.....

[ShadowCaptain]

SNIP

 

yes it will you could even look to getting a 144hz 1440p monitor since you have good a good GPU

 

is a chair worth it? hell yes, you feel more comfortable, and its better for your health! you only have one back and a good chair like an ergonomic mesh one, should last for like 5-10 years 

[WereCat]

My current computer has issues running CSGO and OSU at the same time (grrr i wanna play both of them at the same time) Yes my older brother has been reprimanding me on that too... (ive spent 700SGD on my 290x before the release of the 900 series grrr) and he has a gtx 460 with a sandy bridge i5 and he seems really happy with his setup!

 

True.....

i7 is definitely good for multitasking. If you plan on having a lot of things runing in background it will help a lot. But other than that, if you run standalone game with only browser opened in background. You wont notice a difference.

[xnoobftw]

yes it will you could even look to getting a 144hz 1440p monitor since you have good a good GPU

 

is a chair worth it? hell yes, you feel more comfortable, and its better for your health! you only have one back and a good chair like an ergonomic mesh one, should last for like 5-10 years 

A 144hz 1440p monitor will be WAYYYY out of my budget (which is around 600SGD)

 

HMMMMM but my country doesnt have tons of PC parts to begin with much less a gaming orientated chair 

[xnoobftw]

i7 is definitely good for multitasking. If you plan on having a lot of things runing in background it will help a lot. But other than that, if you run standalone game with only browser opened in background. You wont notice a difference.

Would it improve my FPS by tons? I get tons of stutter when i have osu and csgo on at the same time.... 

[WereCat]

Would it improve my FPS by tons? I get tons of stutter when i have osu and csgo on at the same time.... 

Are you sure the problem isnt somewhere else?

Because OSU and CSGO are not demanding games at all. How much FPS are you getting? I have around 270FPS in CSGO with my system.

[xnoobftw]

Are you sure the problem isnt somewhere else?

Because OSU and CSGO are not demanding games at all. How much FPS are you getting? I have around 270FPS in CSGO with my system.

Not FPS! But the stutters are real when i am in deadcam in csgo while i fire OSU up.... 

[NE0XY]

I think this a topic that only You can answer yourself I personally think it's worth every penny. 

It costs alot to get a custom loop. And there are some risks involved such as leaking etc. Your PC will run more silent and you'll be able to OC more. 

But the things that matter most and are more personal is the aesthetics, you can truly customize it in a way only You want it. It'll be truly yours, your pc will be unique, (ofc this can be done with air as well but not to the same extent).

 

If you value aesthetics of a watercooled pc and want the ability to OC more and have money to spare then go for it =)

When I decided to warercool my first build I was wondering if it was really worth it and what I had gotten myself into but now I'm hooked =)

But it all really comes down to personal preference.

 

Good Luck with your choice

[ShadowCaptain]

A 144hz 1440p monitor will be WAYYYY out of my budget (which is around 600SGD)

 

HMMMMM but my country doesnt have tons of PC parts to begin with much less a gaming orientated chair 

 

thats probably what a full custom loop costs, I mean just an h100i costs 175 SGD

 

You are talking $50  - $100 or  70 - 140 SGD for a CPU block, 

$70-$100 for the rad so another 100 SGD

$70 for a pump so thats 100 more SDG

 

you are talking 300-600 SGD at least for the cheapest water cooling loop and that is only for your CPU, if you want GPU blocks expect to spend even more

 

 

you dont need a "gaming" chair, just a good one haha

[WereCat]

Not FPS! But the stutters are real when i am in deadcam in csgo while i fire OSU up.... 

I dont know man. I think your CPU should handle runing bith games at once with ease. I see no reason for stuttering. I dont know what may be the problem.

[xnoobftw]

thats probably what a full custom loop costs, I mean just an h100i costs 175 SGD

 

You are talking $50  - $100 or  70 - 140 SGD for a CPU block, 

$70-$100 for the rad so another 100 SGD

$70 for a pump so thats 100 more SDG

 

you are talking 300-600 SGD at least for the cheapest water cooling loop and that is only for your CPU, if you want GPU blocks expect to spend even more

 

 

you dont need a "gaming" chair, just a good one haha

Wow i didnt know they are that expensive....

[xnoobftw]

Custom loop? Not in Singapore.

 

New 144Hz monitor? Feasible.

 

Freesync? You can hardly see tearing at 144hz... Price premium will be absurd.

 

i7? Only if you need to. I don't think you need it. Also, H87 mobo...

 

New chair? Feasible. Gaming chair? Such nonsense doesn't exist.

Ah but i saw a couple of custom loops in SG!

I am getting freesync to prevent stutters! Not tearing!

Imma change mobo when i get an i7!

[ShadowCaptain]

Wow i didnt know they are that expensive....

 

yeah very!

 

Ah but i saw a couple of custom loops in SG!

I am getting freesync to prevent stutters! Not tearing!

Imma change mobo when i get an i7!

 

If you arn't bothered about OCing, get a locked i7

[xnoobftw]

yeah very!

 

 

If you arn't bothered about OCing, get a locked i7

Hmmm how about a xeon? 

[xnoobftw]

$$$$

 

 

Freesync won't prevent stuttering.

 

 

Fair enough. But does the performance increment justify all that cost?

True....

 

It wont?!

 

That's why it is under 'planning'

[ShadowCaptain]

Hmmm how about a xeon? 

 

good option too!

[Tetters]

Although custom loops look second to none, if you are keen to try liquid cooling, try an AIO setup to start with. I have an H75 which does a top job in keeping my OCed i5 4670 cool (idling at between 24 and 27c). Although I am thinking of a custom loop at some point in the future, I wont expect to see cooler temps at all.

 

The AIO setups are pretty affordable (mine cost $75CAN ... $82SGD), easy to install and do a pretty decent job.