AIO or custom

[zehao39]

Hey guys

I finally decide to join the water cooling community, water cooling my pc is awlays a thing I want to do. Here is the problem how do I start? Here is my plan, I am plan buy the EKWB EK Fluid Gaming A240 kit.Howevery this kit did not look as good as AIO water cooling.So it is hard to decide what to get.

Here is my pc spec

DIYPC VisionII-BL case

600w EVGA power supply

h110 mother board(I will also change the board if you guys have any suggestion)

i7-6700K

[Br3tt96]

I wouldn't waste money on a custom loop unless you really wanted to spend the extra $$$. Cpu block, gpu block, pump, tubng, and fittings are crazy expensive. It's up to you, but I think for the price an aio is all anyone needs... Your choice in the long haul 

[Lord Nicoll]

4 minutes ago, zehao39 said:

Hey guys

I finally decide to join the water cooling community, water cooling my pc is awlays a thing I want to do. Here is the problem how do I start? Here is my plan, I am plan buy the EKWB EK Fluid Gaming A240 kit.Howevery this kit did not look as good as AIO water cooling.So it is hard to decide what to get.

Here is my pc spec

DIYPC VisionII-BL case

600w EVGA power supply

h110 mother board(I will also change the board if you guys have any suggestion)

i7-6700K

I personally think custom looks better, since you can do so much, but I have seen some ugly loops in my life. If it's looks you want, just go hardline, it'll cost the most but since you want looks fuck price. A H110 motherboard and i7 6700K did make me kek a little bit though. If you want more overclocking head room (if you move to Z170/Z270) though delidding would get you further than a custom loop. 

[W-L]

7 minutes ago, zehao39 said:

Hey guys

I finally decide to join the water cooling community, water cooling my pc is awlays a thing I want to do. Here is the problem how do I start? Here is my plan, I am plan buy the EKWB EK Fluid Gaming A240 kit.Howevery this kit did not look as good as AIO water cooling.So it is hard to decide what to get.

Here is my pc spec

DIYPC VisionII-BL case

600w EVGA power supply

h110 mother board(I will also change the board if you guys have any suggestion)

i7-6700K

It really depends on what you like to do, note that for custom loops you will require yearly maintenance and work to be done on the loop where AIO's are maintenance free.  

[zehao39]

2 minutes ago, Lord Nicoll said:

I personally think custom looks better, since you can do so much, but I have seen some ugly loops in my life. If it's looks you want, just go hardline, it'll cost the most but since you want looks fuck price. A H110 motherboard and i7 6700K did make me kek a little bit though. If you want more overclocking head room (if you move to Z170/Z270) though delidding would get you further than a custom loop. 

Here is the EK 240 The one i plan to get, but be honest it look like shit

[Lord Nicoll]

Just now, zehao39 said:

Here is the EK 240 The one i plan to get, but be honest it look like shit

I know what it looks like.

Well it isn't mounted in a system, that alone doesn't help, and as mentioned, soft tubing doesn't look as good as hard tubing. I only use soft tubing as I often change my loop and move around, once I separate my overclocking rig from my daily, I'll probably put hardline tubing in it. The Fluid gaming kit is also kinda limiting, actually really limiting, great price but I wouldn't personally buy it. 

[Not_Sean]

I love the look of some of the custom loops out there, and would love to do one, but honestly for me with a decent income I just can't validate it as soon as I upgrade (On intel Now, will upgrade to Ryzen) I've pretty much got to sell it all off for 1/3 what I paid, and I'd rather put that money into my next upgrade. The most I'll do is buy a MSI/Corsair SeaHawk, swap the H55 for a H90 and than my GPU is also "Water Cooled" and I've got two H90's in my case looking boss.

 

most of the guys I know who earn around what I each have said they'll never do it again specially on GPU's as the waterblock will only ever fit that card, and they expensive as hell. 

 

The other guys I know who watercool earn same as me but their PC is their life, so they throw way way more into it and don't mind loosing that investment. 

 

Guess it all comes down to you, BUT my main point here is do what is within your budget. for me a AIO was the way and I've been super happy. 

 

For me a custom loop won't be happening as I'd rather stick that money into other hobbies, 

[zehao39]

Just now, Lord Nicoll said:

I know what it looks like.

Well it isn't mounted in a system, that alone doesn't help, and as mentioned, soft tubing doesn't look as good as hard tubing. I only use soft tubing as I often change my loop and move around, once I separate my overclocking rig from my daily, I'll probably put hardline tubing in it. The Fluid gaming kit is also kinda limiting, actually really limiting, great price but I wouldn't personally buy it. 

So Aio will be a better choise?

[Lord Nicoll]

8 hours ago, zehao39 said:

So Aio will be a better choise?

For you, yes, you don't seem like the type who'd enjoy water cooling at all. An AIO is more or less plug and play and then keep a half trained eye on it, whereas custom needs attention most of the time, like a child.

 

8 hours ago, Not_Sean said:

 swap the H55 for a H90 and than my GPU is also "Water Cooled" and I've got two H90's in my case looking boss.

Please do, I have a H55 on my GTX 980 (all be it massively overclocked) and it isn't enough, maybe with push/pull but it's barely cooler than the air cooler was. 

[Not_Sean]

Just now, Lord Nicoll said:

Please do, I have a H55 on my GTX 980 (all be it massively overclocked) and it isn't enough, maybe with push/pull but it's barely cooler than the air cooler was. 

Yeah i've never like the idea of 120mm for WC, and originally couldn't get any stock on 2x120 so went with the H90, and its amazing,  how you running it on your 980 ? got those Corsair/NZXT blocks ? I'm still trying to find ether a 1070 SeaHawk or a 980Ti one. 

[zehao39]

1 hour ago, Lord Nicoll said:

Please do, I have a H55 on my GTX 980 (all be it massively overclocked) and it isn't enough, maybe with push/pull but it's barely cooler than the air cooler was. 

actully I really like to build a coustom water loop I just dont want spend too much on hard tubing since I will graduate in 8 month, still thanks I finally choose the AIO(
DEEPCOOL Gamer Storm CAPTAIN 240EX RGB) Also change the mother board to MSI Z170M MORTAR

[Lord Nicoll]

8 hours ago, Not_Sean said:

Yeah i've never like the idea of 120mm for WC, and originally couldn't get any stock on 2x120 so went with the H90, and its amazing,  how you running it on your 980 ? got those Corsair/NZXT blocks ? I'm still trying to find ether a 1070 SeaHawk or a 980Ti one. 

I used bolts and nuts and a drill press to modify the LGA bracket, works pretty OK. The card I have is an MSI one and the VRM and VRAM are separate heatsinks so all I really needed to add was the AIO block. Like I said I haven't gotten anymore than the 1575MHz core, it's kinda stable at the 1580/1585 mark with a slightly lower VRAM clcok, my VRAM on this card is utter shit, it does +250MHz and that's about it. I did this to test what an EK VGA suppremacy might be like, and I know it'd be cooler and the VRAM and VRM would be OK without the fan over them (I added a small 5v fan to the VRM part though), that might make the 1580MHx core stable, I would hope at least. 

 

7 hours ago, zehao39 said:

actully I really like to build a coustom water loop I just dont want spend too much on hard tubing since I will graduate in 8 month, still thanks I finally choose the AIO(
DEEPCOOL Gamer Storm CAPTAIN 240EX RGB) Also change the mother board to MSI Z170M MORTAR

I know that AIO, watch out for the pipe from the pump to block, I know on older models (and maybe this one) it was delicate and prone to breaking from rough handling. I'll be honest, hardline doesn't cost too much extra, the most expensive thing would be the heat gun and hacksaw. The fittings (provided you went with nice soft fittings) aren't too much more than the soft ones, what makes it bad is how time consuming it is. it's not uncommon for it to take a week or maybe even more, though usually only a day for an upgrade, major work can take a few days, especially if you need to order a new part or fitting.