Best Cooling the PC??

D

Devonshire

Weaksauce
Joined
Sep 19, 2006
Messages
76
Is water cooling the best way to cool the PC?
Is it hard to maintain??

Can anybody recommend any good water cooling system for about $150 - 200?
 
Water cooling is not necessarily the best system for cooling the PC. It does take a bit more maintenance than an air cooling situation. I think for most "enthusiasts" water cooling offers the best balance of performance, noise, and price. You can get a decent watercooling kit for the CPU for the price you stated, check out www.petrastechshop.com, they have some good kits for good prices. I would also advise reading all of the guides you can about watercooling in the watercooling section here, and the watercooling section at www.xtremesystems.org. Make sure you know all the risks and correct preventative and testing measures to take in watercooling before using it, you dont want to fry your motherboard.
 
water cooling sounds like difficult maintenance

if i do go for fans, what kind should i get??
 
Devonshire said:
water cooling sounds like difficult maintenance

if i do go for fans, what kind should i get??
Click to expand...

WC isn't too difficult to maintain if you learn about what you're doing before you do it. It's not for everyone, though, and you sound like you've already decided to go with air cooling.

To get good suggestions, you need to be more specific. There are a myriad of fans in different sizes with various combinations of noise and airflow. It's hard for anyone to recommend something for you if they don't know what you're trying to do or the hardware you're trying to do it with.
 
Two reasons to WC: High overclock and low noise (depending on your rad, pump, etc)
Reasons why people want to WC: Looks cool, its the "in" thing with enthusiasts, etc.

Reasons why WC sucks: For the most part, its hard to make a mobile WC system with sacrificing performance, noise, and other things that make a good WC system good. While its not immediately difficult to do it CAN become a problem if you aren't careful with it. Things like alge buildup, spills and leaks, clogs, and a whole lot of other things could happen.

I personally have an air cooled rig but a couple of my friends have WC systems that really do well with overclocks (mix of Danger Den/Swiftech stuff) that an air cooled system could never attain. Of course they have a seperate rig for LANs and stuff to carry along so its easier.

If your really sure you want to do it and are determined to get it done RIGHT with NO SHORT CUTS....you'll be quite pleased with the results plus all the nifty tubing and water coloring under UV lights looks sick haha.
 
the best thing i have ever seen to let someone know about water cooling is from the dangerden site.

http://dangerden.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.36

they have several videos that show you how to setup a watercooling system. just remember they make it look easy.

when i did my first watercooling system i set everything it in a empty case and tested it. then let it dry for a week then installed in my computer. would say get a 20$ insurance policy, nonconductive fluid for your first time just so you are not worried and make simple mistaks. if you do they wont kill your computer.
 
As for the hardwares that i have:

7950 gx2 graphic card
500 gb hd
2x 150 gb hd
soundblaster xtreme music
2 gb patriot ram

looking to get the following:
ocz 700 watt psu
a8n32 motherboard
scythe ninja heatsink

deciding on water cooling or getting couple of air fans.

what do you think??
 
Well, the BEST way to cool the processor is Phase change cooling. I've done it with optimal results, but that stuff can get very frusturating, and costs an arm and a leg. If I was you, just stick with a scythe heatsink and slap a good 90+CFM 120mm fan on it :)
 
The BEST way is actually with liquid nitrogen, but I'm assuming most of us don't have that kind of budget. :cool: Phase change is great, but I don't think we want to get a first timer involved with dielectric grease and condensation prevention and such.

Sounds like you have some pretty decent hardware, and watercooling would work well with it, but with four HDDs you're still going to need some fans to get good airflow. WC could definitely reduce your noise level, but if that's not a primary concern then you will do well with air cooling and save a few dollars at the same time. A half-way decent start-up WC kit will cost you $150-200 just to get the CPU cooled, whereas you could buy a good HSF and a case full of fans for about $80-100 but it will sound like a damn jet taking off.
 
If you're willing to make the investment in liquid cooling, I would bet you'll be happy with the results. You'll need a little patience for the initial setup, but maintenance isn't really too difficult. I have two water cooled systems, and for the most part all I do is check the plumbing every couple of weeks or so to make sure no mysterious leaks have developed, and about every 4 months I drain them and refill with fresh coolant. Buy a PSU tester so you can turn the pump on without powering up the mobo and it's a piece of cake to do this. Takes maybe 10 minutes. As far as basic maintenance, that's it.
 
EvilTwinSkippy said:
Buy a PSU tester so you can turn the pump on without powering up the mobo and it's a piece of cake to do this.
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no need to waste money on this, a paper clip shorting the 4th and 6th wire should work juss as well :)
 
Yeah, watercooling is a great route if your not looking for sub-ambient temps. If you go this route be sure to do your research, read the stickies, etc... 90% of all problems associated with building a watercooled rig comes from people doing something wrong IMO.
 
N H O said:
no need to waste money on this, a paper clip shorting the 4th and 6th wire should work juss as well :)
Click to expand...

True, and I can drive a nail into a board with the butt end of a screwdriver, too, but they make hammers for that. When you're dealing with a WC system that you just plopped down a bunch of dough for, I don't think an additional $10-$15 investment for the right tool should be considered a waste of money.
 
EvilTwinSkippy said:
True, and I can drive a nail into a board with the butt end of a screwdriver, too, but they make hammers for that. When you're dealing with a WC system that you just plopped down a bunch of dough for, I don't think an additional $10-$15 investment for the right tool should be considered a waste of money.
Click to expand...

I'd have to agree that a tester isnt really needed if you just need to jump a PSU although its a good tool to have on hand if you ever need to troubleshoot a PC problem down the road.
 
im going to have someone build the pc for me.( like i know how, anyway)

i do want the water cooling though.

im sure it all depends on the brand of the water cooling too.
any suggestions??
 
Devonshire said:
im going to have someone build the pc for me.( like i know how, anyway)

i do want the water cooling though.

im sure it all depends on the brand of the water cooling too.
any suggestions??
Click to expand...

The brand doesn't matter as much as you think. Just like cars have different brands of 4-door sedans, the main purpose of having one is to get you from point A to point B. The differences between brands are subtle, nothing performance shattering, any brand will get your system cooled. Just stick with the big names that are out there (swifttech, dangerden, etc.) and don't go for a Yugo. :)

Radiators and Pumps might be the only 2 components that you might want to look at brand for, but again, stay with the popular and often-used brands and you'll be fine.
 
i was looking into see how much the danderden water cooling system costs. it seems that there are no complete kit.

it looks like i would have to buy the kits in separate parts.

the cpu & the graphic card block is the expensive part.

cpu block is about $50 & the graphic card block is about $160.

anybody know if there is a complete kit ??
 
I called the Dangerden company & they said the cost for the kit is about $325.

the most expensive part was the graphic card block.

anybody else know where i can buy the parts for dangerden water cooling??
 
Devonshire said:
the graphic card block is about $160.
Click to expand...

Are you referring to the full coverage block? if so dont waste your money... Just get a maze4 or mcw60 and some ramsinks as thats all you really need to keep the ram in check. Full coverage blocks have a high pressure drop and are expensive.

I would recommend reading MaxxxRacers sticky over at xtremesystems for a good overview of everything and what to look for/stay away from.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=54331
 
EvilTwinSkippy said:
True, and I can drive a nail into a board with the butt end of a screwdriver, too, but they make hammers for that. When you're dealing with a WC system that you just plopped down a bunch of dough for, I don't think an additional $10-$15 investment for the right tool should be considered a waste of money.
Click to expand...
i dont see how using a paperclip to short the two wires would anyway damage w/c components, it does the same thing as a psu tester and serves the same purpose in this case
 
Devonshire said:
the block for the cpu & the 7950 graphic card.that alone is about $230 together.
Click to expand...

ohh ok I didnt know you had a 7950. If thats the case I wouldnt even bother water cooling it then. Not only is it a very restrictive block but its also proprietary...
 
N H O said:
i dont see how using a paperclip to short the two wires would anyway damage w/c components, it does the same thing as a psu tester and serves the same purpose in this case
Click to expand...

Please don't put words in the mouths of others. I never stated it would damage anything. What I did say was that spending money on an affordable tool is never a bad idea.
 
so should i just use 4 120mm fans instead of water coolin?

when i called dangerden, the guy said i need something to cool the HD as well.
 
Devonshire said:
so should i just use 4 120mm fans instead of water coolin?
Click to expand...

You can always cool the cpu just for now since having a single block in the loop with a good rad will give you great temps and a decent amount of room to overclock. Normally the gpu would be a good idea too but since you have a 7950 its kind of pain. There really is only a handfull of waterblocks for it and they are expensive and restrictive. I mean if you want to spend the money then go for it, I'm just saying since its a proprietary block there is not much you can do with it if you upgrade your video card in the future.

Devonshire said:
when i called dangerden, the guy said i need something to cool the HD as well.
Click to expand...

Of cource he did, thats his job! :p HD waterblocks are probably the most useless of all. They are well within operating temperature in just about any case with marginal airflow as long as there isnt a blanket of dust or something on them. You won't gain anything from putting blocks on them and it will just cause more pressure drop in the loop.

There are lots of options with water cooling but not all can yield positive results. People build loops trying to water cool everything and while it may have that "bling factor", certain things arent necessary so in the end your just hurting performance and wasting money.

Your choice mate... like i said, read that sticky and do some research and you will most likely be able to build a high performing loop without breaking the bank.
 
EvilTwinSkippy said:
Please don't put words in the mouths of others. I never stated it would damage anything. What I did say was that spending money on an affordable tool is never a bad idea.
Click to expand...
i did not put any words in your mouth, i am just saying that a paperclip will not damage the water cooling components and is effective as the power supply tester
 
Devonshire said:
im going to have someone build the pc for me.( like i know how, anyway)

i do want the water cooling though.
Click to expand...
If you aren't comfortable enough to build your own computer (or you aren't willing to spend the time to do it yourself), then you probably shouldn't be water cooling.
 
Its not like i dont want to spend the time, I just dont know how. Im sure there are lots of people who does not know how to build a pc.
 
Devonshire said:
Its not like i dont want to spend the time, I just dont know how. Im sure there are lots of people who does not know how to build a pc.
Click to expand...


I didn't know how to build a PC either, and I had no one around to really show me. So, what I've found to do in such a situation is....

take a trip to your local library or bookstore and grab a book (gasp!). I know it maybe an old-school approach for most people these days, but I picked up a book "Building the Ultimate Gaming PC". Wow, I can't remember the last time I learned so much from a book. It was a really easy read, and they had great examples and analogies that made everything easy to understand.

In all honesty, building a computer is NOT difficult at all. The hardest part about building your computer is the selection of parts and figuring out what is compatible with what. However, once you know what to look for, it makes everything REALLY easy.

I also HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend building your own PC. It's a great sense of accomplishment, you'll learn a TON of useful things, you'll really gain understanding of your computer (handy if things go wrong), AND you'll become the go-to guy for a lot of your friends when they need/want a new PC.
 
certain things arent necessary so in the end your just hurting performance and wasting money.
Click to expand...

i believe ram and chipset watercooling fall under this statement as well.

mal
 
Devonshire said:
I really dont want to try & mess up a expensive equipment.
Click to expand...

Trust me, NONE of us here are rocket scientists. Have you even tried looking into learning how to build a computer? It's really not hard at all, and this coming from a guy who's probably got an IQ of 40.

Just look into it, get a book about building computers, not only is there information on how to build one, but also TONS of information on what kinds of parts to use, what kind of cooling to do, etc. etc. It really is worth it.
 
true that....

i'll never buy another pc .. only building them myself from here on out

you get exactly what you want and it's usually cheaper and WAY more fun...

if i were you i'd buy an old used socket a setup dirt cheap .. take it apart and put it back together again... that will give you the confidence to build a more expensive rig

its really really easy actually ... shit just fits together like it's designed to..

i personally wouldn't hesitate to build a $5,000 machine...

cheers,

mal
 
Ill look into it about building a pc.

but right now this is what i have.

Currently have
7950 GX2 Graphic card
Amd 4800 X2 64
Xtreme Music Soundblaster
3 HD = 820 gb
2 gb patriot ram
750 watt toughpower PSU
wifi pci card

Looking to get
Scythe Ninja Heatsink Rev B
Arctic Cool GPU cooler
Lian Li PC-7 case with 250mm side fan, additional fans on top of the case
A8N32 motherboard
Maybe additional 2gb ram & additional 750 gb HD
Tv tuner pci card
USB Card reader 5.25”

any suggestion to what i should get to make it more high performance?
(assuming the part is affordable).
 
Well ive decided to get 250mm side fan with 4 delta 120mm fans.
2 on the top & front & rear.
 
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