First water cooling idea

[GeorgeKellow]

I've got a couple questions 

 

1. I want to do a custom loop, is that hard to do

2 Is it very expensive to do (Say £150 Max)(I have no idea about prices of water cooling parts)

3. Are they loud, or can they be dead silent? (Is it bad that I want pure silence? 

4. Hard maintenance? 

5. Or should I just buy a quality AIO cooler? 

[Moonzy]

5 minutes ago, GeorgeKellow said:

1. I want to do a custom loop, is that hard to do

its hard if forking out $$ is hard for you

in term of work needed, its tougher than mounting an AIO for sure, parts picking is especially a pain

6 minutes ago, GeorgeKellow said:

2 Is it very expensive to do (Say £150 Max)(I have no idea about prices of water cooling parts)

for 150 pounds, you can get a decent pump/red combo and a radiator... nothing more i suppose

you'll need tubes, waterblock, res, pump and radiator for a basic loop

a basic loop cost as much as an R9 380X(?)

8 minutes ago, GeorgeKellow said:

3. Are they loud, or can they be dead silent? (Is it bad that I want pure silence? 

they are quiet if configured correctly, but there are other cheaper ways to achieve silence

8 minutes ago, GeorgeKellow said:

4. Hard maintenance? 

compared to AIO and air coolers, yes

8 minutes ago, GeorgeKellow said:

5. Or should I just buy a quality AIO cooler? 

AIO / air cooler unless you crave for more cooling performance and more importantly

have the $$$ to fork out

[porina]

1, hard is relative, and can depend on the components you choose

2, depends on the components... actually, I'm out of the loop as to current pricing as my last water setup from parts was about a decade ago.

3, can be near silent. Choose a quiet pump, and optimise the airflow through the radiator.

4, if you get it right, at most you might need the occasional top up

5, it is easier! I have a H110i GTX. I can't hear the pump, but there is the gentle whoosh of air through the rad under load. Depends on how much cooling you need too.

[GeorgeKellow]

Thanks guys!

[VincentiusIV]

It is not hard to do when you know what to do. You just have to do plenty of research. There are also various kits from EKWB and Alphacool available that provide all the parts you need so you dont forget anything.

 

It is pretty expensive, can begin from around 200 to in the thousands. Though IMO worth it because I love building them. 

 

They can be loud, but so can air coolers. It all depends on the amount of fans that you have to mount on top of the radiators you buy. For a CPU only loop, one or two 120/140mm sized radiators will provide good cooling. You dont have to start out with a large radiator, you can always add more. As for pumps, it depends on which one. The cheaper, DDC pumps tend to be louder and have a shorter life span. While the more powerful , D5 pumps are more silent and durable. But they are more expensive.

 

Maintanance is not hard at all, if you choose the right coolant. I recommend the ready-to-go coolants from EKWB, because they have everything you need. If you dont have the right anti growth chemicals in your loop, gunk can build up in your waterblocks. Which is something you dont want. 

 

TL;DR Buy a quality AIO cooler