Would you water cool again if you had to do it over?

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deadpool_

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I've been considering water cooling for awhile but don't think it's for me. For those of you with both water and air experience, if you could go back in time, which would you choose and why?



:I was thinking of throwing a 360mm radiator in an Antec P180 (either to the exterior back, or interior top). 4770k & I would buy a r9 290 w/ waterblock (have a Assus 7950v2 now).

I'd only do it because of noise issues with the stock 7950 fans. They're not *loud*, but a lot noisier than the silent Hyper 212 + Nexus DS12 120mm fan.

I'm thinking it's a much better idea to slap some 120mm fans onto the 7950 and call it a day. Figured I'd be spending ~$275 on the wc loop for no real reason (other than the 4770k is supposed to run on the hot side). Air cooling may not be elegant but it's maintenance-free & cheap:


Anyway, just curious because I've seen a lot of, "I'd never water cool again" stories. I wondered if they were related to the headache of newer builders trying to build fancy setups instead of very basic functional ones.
 
For me, I got on water and never look back. After you buy your first set of equipment, upgrading wouldn't be that costly. Low noise and overclocking is a huge plus.
 
I made a custom loop back in the day (about 10 years ago), including a home made water block. I actually still have all of my old water cooling set up packed away in a couple boxes.

Been back on air ever since.

I do have 1 PC that is running a Corsair H100i. Nice and quiet and keeps the CPU plenty cool. The case was made to house a 240mm radiator so it fit pretty well.

I would go to a custom loop on my main rig only IF I made the computer case to accommodate it myself. The reason I say this is that most computer cases have not that good of layouts, even the ones that get really good review ratings. There are always quirks and other stuff that is just down right stupid.

On top of that, I would want to make my own water blocks as well.

Full coverage GPU water blocks are stupidly expensive. Then when you upgrade your video card, you most likely will have to buy one or more new GPU water blocks, and your old ones are practically worthless.
 
I have my 4771 on a Corsair H110 and love it. It's completely unnecessary for this proc (non-overlocked), but it keeps the heat up and away from the blazing hot overclocked Asus cards (which are presently on air). The case looks so much better too without a big honking fan combo in the middle.

The next step will be a custom loop of course, but a AIO is a great way to get started and begin feeling comfortable with water pumping through your case.
 
I'm the opposite from most of those that have commented. Years ago I built a custom water-cooled rig and loved the overhead it gave me for OC'ing (LGA 775 days), but have since gone to an air-breathing case (HAF 922) and a self-contained watercooler (H60) because all those waterblocks started to become expensive (especially considering I'm changing GPUs every 1-2 years now).
 
Get the NZXT G10 (when you can) and a compatible AIO for the 7950 (you will need a shim). It can be used for future GPUs. You can do the same for the 4770k if you wanted. They aren't as good as a custom loop, but they are quiet, fairly low profile, and perform well for what they are and cost.
 
Just built a new rig with a 7990, didn't plan to water cool it, ordered watercooling parts after less then a day.
 
King Icewind said:
Get the NZXT G10 (when you can) and a compatible AIO for the 7950 (you will need a shim). It can be used for future GPUs. You can do the same for the 4770k if you wanted. They aren't as good as a custom loop, but they are quiet, fairly low profile, and perform well for what they are and cost.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link to the NZXT G10, I didn't know that existed. I actually bought a refurbed H60 on sale that I had planned on doing "the mod" with but I've been too lazy/undecided to get around to buying the copper shim (0.3mm? 0.5mm?) and the heatsinks for VRM & mosfets. I was planning on just zip-tieing it to the 7950, since it seems to work for other people. (After the Dwood package disappeared).

I did unbox the H60 and plug it in to test it out. It is very quiet, only has the noted clicking noise at certain angles.

Truth be told I'm just too undecided as to mod the 7950 now or wait until I can find a 290 ~$300 or with a waterblock for ~$400. The 7950 is great, but I'd really like ~30% improvement for 1440p. The 7950 just cant max out games like Last Light & Tomb Raider at that resolution. I usually wait for games to drop <$20 so I figured the 290 would be a set-it-and-forget-it option for ~3 years.

*edit- I also read a review that a 120mm AIO cooler + gpu got either too hot to touch, or almost too hot to touch.
 
A radiator is supposed to get hot. So, you really shouldn't touch it. Here's a good review with Kraken X40 which is 140mm rad AIO, but 120mm rad isn't too far off.
 
I would never go back to "air" cooling. I have been water cooling sense the socket 370 days, and most recently I have added a second loop for my video cards :D
 
Been water cooling over 10 years now back when it was just danger den and koolance. Just started a new build with a 900d will be fully water cooled with dual video cards and a 3930k. Going with acrylic tubing going to be fun. It's also going to be over clocked to the sky but be so quite you won't know it's on at least that's the goal. Main reason for water cooling is noise for me. I hate fan noise. Couldn't ever go back to air. Tried it with my corsair 700 build and it lasted a week 6970 was way to loud.
 
I do not do it anymore, it's a novelty that is certainly fun and I always liked the stable consistent temperatures. It is not about the cost, its about the convenience. If you want to do good water cooling you have to hit the CPU and GPU, I used to even do the north bridge. The problem was that effectively tied the entire system together and made it a complete pain if I wanted to swap out a part. You have the radiator attached to the case and then all the compnents tied to that. VS with air cooling all the components are separate. And of course you might need to swap a block too depending on the GPU. Maybe if I did it up real good and had some quick disconnects I would like it more who knows.
 
What stops people from just pulling the stock fans off a graphics card and strapping some gentle typhoons or something similar in place? Basically a DIY Accelero. Quiet fans don't move enough air to adequately cool the card at load?
 
Wouldn't go back, I love having some extra overclocking headroom without the extra noise.
 
Yes and no.

Water cooling is fantastic though it is expensive (especially if you are a little picky like me).
Gpu block aside I would not hesitate to update my system using the same watercooling parts

For me the greatest benefit aside from it being a fun hobby is the silence. My overclocking isn't too hardcore (1260mhz 670 and 4.6ghz 3770k) but having it cool and really freaking quiet no matter what I throw at it is great. My fans are jut set to never ramp up.

I can take time and effort especially with a new build. My previous attempt at WC didn't work out but I'm glad I went back as I couldn't be happier with it now.

If I was starting from scratch again it would depend on my mood. I could just get a 27" Imac or something. Go all out with a custom water cooling or go stuff it and get an all in one.
 
deadpool_ said:
I've been considering water cooling for awhile but don't think it's for me. For those of you with both water and air experience, if you could go back in time, which would you choose and why?



:I was thinking of throwing a 360mm radiator in an Antec P180 (either to the exterior back, or interior top). 4770k & I would buy a r9 290 w/ waterblock (have a Assus 7950v2 now).

I'd only do it because of noise issues with the stock 7950 fans. They're not *loud*, but a lot noisier than the silent Hyper 212 + Nexus DS12 120mm fan.

I'm thinking it's a much better idea to slap some 120mm fans onto the 7950 and call it a day. Figured I'd be spending ~$275 on the wc loop for no real reason (other than the 4770k is supposed to run on the hot side). Air cooling may not be elegant but it's maintenance-free & cheap:


Anyway, just curious because I've seen a lot of, "I'd never water cool again" stories. I wondered if they were related to the headache of newer builders trying to build fancy setups instead of very basic functional ones.
Click to expand...

most people go into their first water cooling setup for the performance/noise/temperature improvements, but it quickly turns into an addiction and a game of how pretty you can make your computer look

i'd say most people who are currently running on watercooled hardware would tell you that it's more of a hobby that sparks some creativity, than it is for the physical benefits (it really isn't worth the price premium IMO after having been doing this for about 3 years, but i would never go back to air, i've already invested too much money into it)
 
nothing beats the tubes of green goo for aesthetics. many parts transfer to the next build. if you keep your parts cool there can be substantial power savings under load due to less leakage
 
itsgettingcold said:
For me, I got on water and never look back. After you buy your first set of equipment, upgrading wouldn't be that costly. Low noise and overclocking is a huge plus.
Click to expand...

agreed.

I bought an expandable kit a few years ago and have just slowly upgraded the components. For me, with AMD using the same CPU sockets, it's been cheaper. I've bought a generation old GPU's here with block already on them so I basicly get free blocks (normally, blocked GPUs and stock sell for the same price, close to, or even sometimes the blocked ones go for cheaper).

I wouldn't go back. I know my strategy isn't the same as yours, but I love near silent builds, even at full load. As long as you're strategic on your case and part choices and take care of them, some parts will last a very long time. I've had a dual 140 rad serving me well for 4 years and a single 120 for a little longer. I had used the same pump for 7 which I just replaced out of caution, but it still serves as a good backup. I've even used the same CPU block for at least 3 generations.
 
Years ago, I watercooled an Athlon64 which was great but leaked a little when the pipes got nudged due to inserted pipe sealing connectors.
Then I got socket 775 and a TRUE 120 cooler, the cooler was pretty good, but was a pain to clean as it has very close fins that are wide enough to let dust in, but hard to get it out without removing it from the case.
It also didnt help my video card overclocks and the video cards heat didnt help my CPU overclock.

Now I use a hybrid approach.
I watercool my CPU and use the Accelero Xtreme coolers for video cards.
The watercoolers radiator is outside the PC so is simple to clean, gets fed cool air, doesnt interfere with video card overclocks and isnt affected by video card heat either.
The video cards Accelero cooler is wide fin so doesnt block with dust, is easy to clean also and gives close to the same performance as water cooling.
Awesome solution!
 
I would absolutely do it again. It was a great time putting everything together and planning for everything (which is my favorite part).

Watercooling is rather expensive but I enjoyed it a great deal and I like the flexibility. My setup isn't the quietest without fan control, but being able to move the fan speed up and down with minimal difference in temps is great. When it's time to change something out, I call up my father and we make it a weekend project out of it so it gives us an excuse to do something together (we live around four hours away from each other and don't get a lot of time together). Those memories make it worth it even if other things don't.

As small as it may be, I really enjoy the aesthetics as much as the performance.
 
SticKx911 said:
agreed.

I bought an expandable kit a few years ago and have just slowly upgraded the components. For me, with AMD using the same CPU sockets, it's been cheaper. I've bought a generation old GPU's here with block already on them so I basicly get free blocks (normally, blocked GPUs and stock sell for the same price, close to, or even sometimes the blocked ones go for cheaper).

I wouldn't go back. I know my strategy isn't the same as yours, but I love near silent builds, even at full load. As long as you're strategic on your case and part choices and take care of them, some parts will last a very long time. I've had a dual 140 rad serving me well for 4 years and a single 120 for a little longer. I had used the same pump for 7 which I just replaced out of caution, but it still serves as a good backup. I've even used the same CPU block for at least 3 generations.
Click to expand...

Any links/info about your various setups? That lifespan/cycle sounds really good. Too bad build threads focus on the beginning, and then don't always update periodically. Or only show issues or part failure.
 
My original setup was a bigwater 735 kit I got on clearance for $50 iirc from Tt directly. The stock pump/rez combo that came with that set was what lasted me so long. The first thing I upgraded was the radiator with a "new" one on the forums ($20). The one that came with the kit was rather flimsy. I replaced the cpu block with a heat killer I also got on here barely used ($40). I added a dual 140 before planning to add a gpu. I bought that new at microcenter ($80). I've bought maybe 2 kits worth of colored hoses ([email protected]) and a few extra barbs (most used parts came with them, $20). In this last build I bought a small res here used for $15 and a new Tt pump from microcenter for $50.

so other than my gpus, in 8 years of water cooling I've only spent just over $300 on my gaming pc...and all of this is usable on my next build. Your mileage will vary, but just a point that the parts you get are investments, and people unload GOOD stuff here for great prices. Just do your research and try to make good buys.

and fwiw the last two cards I bought I paid less than street price and blocks were already installed.
 
I definitely would, though I would definitely do some things differently.
 
I think a lot of people seem to forget the most important thing about watercooling, and that is that it can be reused over and over again.
I personally invested in a D900 case which I will NOT change for a long long time, because lets face it, why would I when it has so much room, especially for watercooling parts.

The part I mentioned about watercooling, unless you change your whole entire system like the CPU and Video Card, then you would have more expenses such as new waterblocks, but for me, I will get at least 2-3 years out of my current system until I switch to new GPUs and CPU. You wouldnt have to change the radiators unless you wanted to add more to your loop, nor their orientation.

There is more maintenance such as changing the fluid every 6 months and tubing, but besides that there is nothing else you would need to worry about.

It does cost more, but that is where the whole hobby aspect comes into play. There is not a single hobby that is cheap, you have to put money out to enjoy it. The best part is putting it all together and seeing it come to life.

The best suggestions I can give you is, if you can afford it then get it. But do a lot of research so you dont screw it up.
 
Since my first water build back in 2002, I seem to alternate between water and air. Tends to work out for me since I tend to bulk upgrade my system about every 18-24 months, rather than go piecemeal, so no worries about tearing down a loop to add an upgrade.

Just finished a new build this week on water, but I had to start from scratch because I left all my old watercooling bits behind when I moved from Canada to Malta this year.

And you know what? Glad I did have to start over, even if my bank account isn't.

Parts have become a lot better since my last big investment back in 2008. Better fittings, better rads, better blocks, better tubing, better fans, better pumps, better reservoirs, better cases, better bling options, the works. And that makes it just plain easier these days.

I'll do it again.
 
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