To liquid cool, or to not?

[MzCatieB]

So i am planning out my new computer for work and im wondering if i should liquid cool it or not.

Im a Game artist and use 3d Software(Blender, Maya, 3ds .ext), Game development Software (ue4, unity .ext) and im wondering if i should liquid cool it or not.

 

Hardware Specs: 

Intel i7-5930k

Asus x99-S Socket 2011-V3

Duel Nvidia GTX980ti's

Corsair 750D case

 

Im going to be running a Duel 27" 1080p displays with a Wacom Cintiq 27HDQ (1440p)

 

The Rig has been setup as a Gaming workstation and is my personal rig for at home.

[VioDuskar]

not unless you're going to overclock it.

[MzCatieB]

not unless you're going to overclock it.

i wont be overclocking but everything can be on load for hours at a time

[VioDuskar]

i wont be overclocking but everything can be on load for hours at a time

are you worried that it's going to thermal throttle and therefore take longer to process? SLI'd 980Tis should knock out any workload pretty decently.

regular warmth won't cause instability.

[MzCatieB]

are you worried that it's going to thermal throttle and therefore take longer to process? SLI'd 980Tis should knock out any workload pretty decently.

regular warmth won't cause instability.

actually im more worried about degradation over time..

and my work has me keeping my cpu/gpu's running at 100% for days at a time sometimes

 

Also i sleep in the same room as i work so the lower temp the comp is the happier i am

[VioDuskar]

actually im more worried about degradation over time..

and my work has me keeping my cpu/gpu's running at 100% for days at a time sometimes

 

Also i sleep in the same room as i work so the lower temp the comp is the happier i am

liquid cooling will dissipate more heat and make the room hotter.

 

degradation over time shouldn't be an issue really.

[alpenwasser]

As somebody who totally loves water cooling, I honestly think that it's rarely really

necessary these days. I mean, yeah, water cooling your GPUs will get you lower temps

at lower noise levels, but you pay a lot for that, and there are pretty damn good air

cooled custom designs around which, while maybe not as quiet as a custom loop with lots

of radiator surface, don't make a lot of noise and are perfectly stable at extended

loads.

Personally, even though I'm really into custom loops and all that good fun, I honestly

think that the additional performance/noise benefits are not even remotely proportional

to the additional cost.

Note that I'm more talking about need here rather than want. If you want to go water

because you want to, sure, awesome. It does have its benefits. It's just that it does

not perform as much better as it costs more, IMHO.

If you're more talking about AIOs, then sure, why not. They perform well and cost

about as much as a high-end air cooler, and performance is also similar. You could

maybe even look into mounting AIOs on the GPUs, corsair makes mounting kits for that

IIRC. Not sure if that'd be worth the cost either, but I haven't looked too closely

at it, just seen that it exists.

One last thing: If you're going to use this computer for earning money and therefore

treat it as a business investment, I'd say there are sounder investments (i.e. they

will earn you back more money) than liquid cooling. Just as an alternative train

of thought.

[alpenwasser]

Also i sleep in the same room as i work so the lower temp the comp is the happier i am

Hm, in that case, from a noise perspective, it might be worth a look. I have my PC in my

room as well and usually leave it at full load 24/7 (BOINC), and I've definitely learned

to appreciate the lower noise levels of liquid cooling. For an office I don't think I'd

care enough to spend the money, but if I'm sleeping next to the thing, different story.

[MzCatieB]

see i feel like it will be worth it... the system is being made for a long term project so if it means splashing a bit of extra cash now for extra stability later... it feels like its gonna be worth it.

 

(we build a new computer for each project so we can tune the graphics and performance easier for around are launch target)

[tomas710]

see i feel like it will be worth it... the system is being made for a long term project so if it means splashing a bit of extra cash now for extra stability later... it feels like its gonna be worth it.

 

(we build a new computer for each project so we can tune the graphics and performance easier for around are launch target)

Well, to be honest i don't much value on liquid cooling a rig like this, specially considering it's a work computer, a custom loop can be a bigger effort than the PC itself and requires maintance, i just don't see watercooling being the 'reliable' option. If you are not overclocking, a big heatsink makes more sense, an NH-D15, CRYORIG R1 Ultimate or thermalright silver arrow, they are pretty damn quiet, they don't fail, and its maintance free (except for dusting every once in a while) An AIO would make more sense in a gaming overclocked build, but i think the focus should be on making sure this machine stays on when you need it to, and the simplest way is a good air cooler. Watercooling, even the best loop ever, won't make a more stable PC, stable is not relative, it either is or isn't, and considering all the complications that can come from a custom loop (growth, corrosion, leaks, pump death, air bubbles, etc) i'd say stay on the safe side. By the way, nothing against water cooling, would do it myself if i had the money/time/patience but i just don't see the benefit in this case.

[alpenwasser]

see i feel like it will be worth it... the system is being made for a long term project so if it means splashing a bit of extra cash now for extra stability later... it feels like its gonna be worth it.

 

(we build a new computer for each project so we can tune the graphics and performance easier for around are launch target)

 

 

Well, to be honest i don't much value on liquid cooling a rig like this, specially considering it's a work computer, a custom loop can be a bigger effort than the PC itself and requires maintance, i just don't see watercooling being the 'reliable' option. If you are not overclocking, a big heatsink makes more sense, an NH-D15, CRYORIG R1 Ultimate or thermalright silver arrow, they are pretty damn quiet, they don't fail, and its maintance free (except for dusting every once in a while) An AIO would make more sense in a gaming overclocked build, but i think the focus should be on making sure this machine stays on when you need it to, and the simplest way is a good air cooler. Watercooling, even the best loop ever, won't make a more stable PC, stable is not relative, it either is or isn't, and considering all the complications that can come from a custom loop (growth, corrosion, leaks, pump death, air bubbles, etc) i'd say stay on the safe side. By the way, nothing against water cooling, would do it myself if i had the money/time/patience but i just don't see the benefit in this case.

As Tomas said, a system is either stable or not, water cooling won't really offer any

tangible benefit in that area TBH.

Basically, the two (primary) upsides of water cooling usually are lower noise levels and

lower GPU temps. As I mentioned, if you have the PC in your bedroom, the lower noise

levels might be a relevant factor, the GPU temps probably a bit less so, especially if

you build a new machine for each project and the GPUs don't have to live for five or more

years. It's not like air-cooled GPUS constantly break left and right because they get a

bit toasty.

The primary downside is IMHO the cost (easily several hundred $). Maintenance is a bit

less of an issue than many people make it out to be TBH. If you go with colorless fluid

with some anti-corrosive agents and a biocide (which any halfway decent premixed coolant

should qualify for), all you should need to do is maybe add a bit of fluid every few

months, other than that it can easily run for years without issue. If you use colored

coolants and such, yeah, things might get a bit fussier. Of course, what can be a bit of

a pain is if something breaks, for example for a broken GPU you'd need to take apart your

entire loop, stress-test the new card on air before voiding its warranty (unless you get

a pre-blocked one obviously), then put a block on it, re-assemble the loop, fill it up,

bleed. A lot more work than just switching out an air-cooled card. Since you'll be using

this for work, time is money, if the rig is down for a longer period of time, it'll cost

you more money to get it up and running again due lost work. And of course as Tomas rightly

points out, the loop itself adds additional points of failure to the system, such as the

pump.

Bottom line from me: Each approach has its upsides and drawbacks, and at this point I

think they're pretty well covered here, so what you need to do now is figure out how

important they are to you, weigh them against each other and then make a decision based on

your personal priorities.

[MzCatieB]

thanks for all the advice..

Im going to balance the costs of an efficient quiet Air cooled system Vs a Full custom liquid cooling system and see what difference in cost there is...

[MzCatieB]

Corsair H110 or Fractal S36?

I might not be going for a full custom loop but im at least liquid cooling the cpu

[Curufinwe_wins]

Corsair H110 or Fractal S36?

I might not be going for a full custom loop but im at least liquid cooling the cpu

H220x for high end or lepa auqachanger 240 for cheap yet good.

The h- line from corsair isn't good. It's massively over recommended and overpriced. The nepton line is better but I would massively recommend the Lepa auqachanger (it's a rebrand of the enermax 240 that got massive rave reviews)