Cooling configuration

[Xhaku]

Hey guys,

 

I am planning to build a very small mini itx computer.

I want to use a gtx 1070 and an i5 6600k.

Because of the space i will have to decide between waiting for an all in one watercooled 1070 and a low profile cpu cooler like the ar06 (in this case i wouldnt get a 6600k probably)

or an air cooled 1070 and a watercooled cpu.

Which component should i watercool?

[Himommies]

CPU

[The_Denks]

6 minutes ago, Xhaku said:

Hey guys,

 

I am planning to build a very small mini itx computer.

I want to use a gtx 1070 and an i5 6600k.

Because of the space i will have to decide between waiting for an all in one watercooled 1070 and a low profile cpu cooler like the ar06 (in this case i wouldnt get a 6600k probably)

or an air cooled 1070 and a watercooled cpu.

Which component should i watercool?

CPU CPU CPU

 

GPU coolers (aftermarket ones) are often all you every need for a graphics card, even when OC

CPU, however, needs much better and more efficient cooling.

 

That's why they make AIO coolers for CPU's, and let you choose your own.

GPU's are normally self contained, and don't require you to choose one yourself, as they come with them

[incarnate]

Cpu, unless the gpu won't get enough airflow. If there's enough ventilation around the gpu so it can draw in fresh air, then liquid cool the cpu.

 

If there's not much ventilation around the gpu area of the case, then I'd recommend getting an aio for that.

 

At the end of the day, your gpu is gonna throttle much easier than the cpu since it puts out more heat.

[Mira Yurizaki]

Let's figure out what case you're going with. If you're getting a sub 15 liter case like Silverstone's FTZ01/RVZ01/RVZ02 or Fractal's Node 202, you can essentially forget having water cooling because you'll be limited to the FTZ01 or RVZ01, the other two cases I mentioned have no provisions to mount fans and thus a radiator. You also can't use Corsair's H5 SF low profile water cooler in either of these cases because the airflow comes from the motherboard side, and the ventilation in those cases is setup to suck air from the case side.

 

The AR06 also is a 90W TDP cooler, it will barely handle the i5-6600K at stock speeds (it's a 91W TDP processor). You can get something like the NT-06 or a similar one that Noctua has, but for a sub 15L case, this will basically make accessing your motherboard impossible without heavy disassembly.

 

Anyway. I digress. Pick a case first, then I think we can get a better idea of what you can do.

[Zyndo]

Depends on the workload. if you're gaming I would say GPU. CPU's and overclocking CPU's doesn't make a ton of difference in a whole lot of games. and in the games where it would matter, losing out on a couple hundred Hz wont make as much a difference as you might think. However, being able to get a non reference card, and then overclocking that with watercooling, would make a pretty noticeable difference in nearly all games.

Then the other thing is if you aren't getting watercooled GPU, you're going to have to think about where that heat is going. GPU's pump out ALOT of heat, which can make a huge difference in small form factors. You could get a blower style card (like founders edition) that will pump the hot air it uses out (in which case you don't have to worry about the heat) However, founders cards are more expensive, louder, and often not as good as the aftermarket cards. So if you end up going with an aftermarket GPU, all that watercooling you're doing for your CPU ends up being negated by all the extra heat your case has to deal with since you have a very hot GPU in a very small area.

CPU's are typically funner to overclock, easier to benchmark, and typically come with bragging rights; but as far as gaming practicality goes, GPU all the way. You WILL still be able to overclock your CPU a fair amount with a simple air cooler, so its not like you're choosing one or the other. You're just going to miss out on that top 100-300 MHz (depending on your cooler)

OR you could just man up, and custom loop the whole thing. PROBLEM SOLVED!