Do I need liquid cooling?

[Duchess]

Gonna buy a computer with one of the i7 6 cores (found out today there are 4...) and dual GTX 980 ti's and other stuff that I dont know how to pick out yet.

 

Does this require liquid cooling?  Is liquid cooling practical or just cool?

 

Gonna be running star citizen

 

Thanks for any advice

[Savir]

1 minute ago, Duchess said:

Gonna buy a computer with one of the i7 6 cores (found out today there are 4...) and dual GTX 980 ti's and other stuff that I dont know how to pick out yet.

 

Does this require liquid cooling?  Is liquid cooling practical or just cool?

 

Gonna be running star citizen

 

Thanks for any advice

You don't "need" water cooling unless you want a huge overclock your CPU and GPUs while they run at low temps. Air cooling will do just fine. 

[verydogesuchwow]

WOW, that's an intense build (and if you're just doing Star Citizen (never heard of it but I assume it's a somewhat demanding game) I don't think you need TWO 980ti's

 

Liquid cooling is pretty much quiet that's not SUPER substantially better than air cooling, if you don't care for the quiet aspect, just get a fan

[Mazeman03]

you're getting dual 980 ti's to run star citizen  only get 1 980 ti, SLI most of the time is really shitty in games, and spend the extra money on a really good SSD or 2

[Duchess]

Just now, verydogesuchwow said:

WOW, that's an intense build (and if you're just doing Star Citizen (never heard of it but I assume it's a somewhat demanding game) I don't think you need TWO 980ti's

 

Liquid cooling is pretty much quiet that's not SUPER substantially better than air cooling, if you don't care for the quiet aspect, just get a fan

The game designer is known for destroying computers on release of his games.  needs the processor because its the space version of forza (real physics) and the 2 cards because i want to run 3 monitors.  Gonna start with one card but prob 2 eventually once I buy the monitors

[verydogesuchwow]

Just now, Duchess said:

The game designer is known for destroying computers on release of his games.  needs the processor because its the space version of forza (real physics) and the 2 cards because i want to run 3 monitors.  Gonna start with one card but prob 2 eventually once I buy the monitors

Again, WOW INTENSE BUILD ALERT haha

and ok, that is a demanding game then

[Duchess]

2 minutes ago, Mazeman03 said:

you're getting dual 980 ti's to run star citizen  only get 1 980 ti, SLI most of the time is really shitty in games, and spend the extra money on a really good SSD or 2

Was told for the 3 screen experience I would need it.  Why do people get more than one if a game as demanding as star citizens PU will be doesnt need it?

[Duchess]

1 minute ago, Duchess said:

Was told for the 3 screen experience I would need it.  Why do people get more than one if a game as demanding as star citizens PU will be doesnt need it?

interested in this answer.  If i can save 600 bucks I will.

[Mazeman03]

Just now, Duchess said:

Was told for the 3 screen experience I would need it.  Why do people get more than one if a game as demanding as star citizens PU will be doesnt need it?

well some people just can so they do. but in game some games run bad on SLI, idk about star citizen maybe that game runs it better. but a lot of people either do it to help render videos and animations better or just to be "cool" and brag that they have 2 of them. or some people run the cards not in SLI and use the 2 GPU's individual on different monitors.

[givegomezthegun]

To answer the actual question, no, you don't "need" water cooling.  

[Clanscorpia]

3 minutes ago, Duchess said:

Was told for the 3 screen experience I would need it.  Why do people get more than one if a game as demanding as star citizens PU will be doesnt need it?

You need one card for 3, I beleive its 6 for most high end cards

[Duchess]

Just now, givegomezthegun said:

To answer the actual question, no, you don't "need" water cooling.  

can i hurt a computer if i only use air cooling?  I know nothing of computer airflow needs.

[Duchess]

Just now, TheRomanSenate said:

Short answer is no, not unless you plan to really overclock your computer. There are a large number of acceptable heat-sinks available for day to day operations including gaming. However I've enjoy secondary benefits of a quieter overall performance using a water-cooler.

So next question.  If I do go with liquid which one of the 200 types or brands are best for the cheapest?  And are they sold as kits or do I need tubing and connectors?

[Philz69]

No. Liquid cool is impractical, non functional, and atrocious in perf/$

NHD-14 Offers equal or even better performance than most 240mm water coolers, most of the time while being more quiet!

[Duchess]

4 minutes ago, TheRomanSenate said:

It's always better to go with what feels right based on information and avoid the peer pressures of some enthusiasts. However if you'd like specific recommendations I could look for some performance charts citing specific water-cooling solutions.

Thank you.  Basically I dont know if I need it or which ones to look at to make a price decision.  I know i dont need custom but if I spend 100 on it is it even worth the time?  Will a cheap watercool do good enough to lower fan noise?

[Philz69]

Just now, Duchess said:

Thank you.  Basically I dont know if I need it or which ones to look at to make a price decision.  I know i dont need custom but if I spend 100 on it is it even worth the time?  Will a cheap watercool do good enough to lower fan noise?

An Hyper 212 evo is enough for pretty much anything unless you do some major overclocking! At 100$, you cant really make a proper watercooling loop yourself, you have to either buy an AIO or a high end air cooler!

[Duchess]

1 minute ago, TheRomanSenate said:

The cheapest all-in-one coolers will lower overall fan noise.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7738/closed-loop-aio-liquid-coolers 

Here is a list of affordable closed-loop that'll assure reduced fan-noise. I'd recommend deciding what sizing you'd like and going with whichever you feel stands out to you.

Do i have to match brands?  I think im getting an EVGA GPU but dont see EVGA cooling or storage.  They seem to have all the other pieces tho.

 

My gut says no but i have yet to see a picture of a computer that doesnt

[Duchess]

6 minutes ago, TheRomanSenate said:

Your gut is absolutely right, You don't need to match brands, however sometimes case designers will not consider certain sizes regarding water-cooling radiator mounts, and some motherboard manufacturers won't consider all water-cooling blocks. Now this is far less common than in the past. But it may still be a problem.

Thanks for all the help

[givegomezthegun]

5 hours ago, Duchess said:

can i hurt a computer if i only use air cooling?  I know nothing of computer airflow needs.

No, and in your case, I would actually recommend air cooling as it is less or easier maintenance.  It sounds like with your tech level you will already have your hands full building this beast of a computer, I think maybe you could skip the worrying about water this time around.

 

Most cases these days offer exceptional airflow options, and many even come with fans already.  

 

If I were you I would skip running 2 video cards for now, because depending on how close together they are one is usually starved for air.  Just until you get the hang of pc cooling down anyway.  As far as cooling video cards is concerned, really any video card with a non-reference cooler is already sufficiently cooled and you don't have to worry about it.

 

There are excellent air coolers for your cpu, some like the noctua nh-d14 are huge, and you have to be careful that you have room for them.  But something like that as stated by someone else will provide pretty much the same cooling performance as any of the 240mm AIO liquid coolers out there, without the hassle of mounting radiators and worrying about leaks or pumps dying.

Someone suggested a hyper212 cooler, very good if you're looking to save some money, but 1.) the rest of the build you're talking about doesn't seem like money is a determining factor and 2.) it will not provide adequate cooling for heavy overclocking.

 

When choosing parts I suggest doing so in pcpartpicker if for no other reason it does a pretty good job of making sure everything you choose is compatible.  If you start with the CPU you want to use, when you click the motherboard button it will only show you boards compatible with that CPU.  It's the same all the way down the list.

[Duchess]

1 minute ago, givegomezthegun said:

No, and in your case, I would actually recommend air cooling as it is less or easier maintenance.  It sounds like with your tech level you will already have your hands full building this beast of a computer, I think maybe you could skip the worrying about water this time around.

 

Most cases these days offer exceptional airflow options, and many even come with fans already.  

 

If I were you I would skip running 2 video cards for now, because depending on how close together they are one is usually starved for air.  Just until you get the hang of pc cooling down anyway.  As far as cooling video cards is concerned, really any video card with a non-reference cooler is already sufficiently cooled and you don't have to worry about it.

 

There are excellent air coolers for your cpu, some like the noctua nh-d14 are huge, and you have to be careful that you have room for them.  But something like that as stated by someone else will provide pretty much the same cooling performance as any of the 240mm AIO liquid coolers out there, without the hassle of mounting radiators and worrying about leaks or pumps dying.

Someone suggested a hyper212 cooler, very good if you're looking to save some money, but 1.) the rest of the build you're talking about doesn't seem like money is a determining factor and 2.) it will not provide adequate cooling for heavy overclocking.

 

When choosing parts I suggest doing so in pcpartpicker if for no other reason it does a pretty good job of making sure everything you choose is compatible.  If you start with the CPU you want to use, when you click the motherboard button it will only show you boards compatible with that CPU.  It's the same all the way down the list.

does the noctua air cooling allow for overclock?

 

[givegomezthegun]

2 hours ago, Duchess said:

does the noctua air cooling allow for overclock?

 

Yes a noctua nh-d14 is a great choice for someone who wants to overclock.  Really to get better cooling performance you have to go with a custom water loop, which will run you several hundred dollars can for a beginner is a whole new beast of a project.

[Deli]

1 hour ago, Duchess said:

does the noctua air cooling allow for overclock?

 

Noctua NH-D14 and NH-D15(S) are as good as most 240 AIOs while very quiet.

 

Those who said AIOs are more quiet are talking BS.

 

Anyone who told you you need water cooling to overclock were telling rubbish.