Opinions On Cooling

[Bino]

I'm refining the wish lists of components on various websites, looking to build my next machine soon.  I'll most likely use a 1366 motherboard, a generous power supply, some sort of current ATI graphics subsystem, etc.  The cost for the basic machine will be right around $1900.

But for cooling the various toasty bits, it looks like it will cost about:

• $200 for total system after-market air cooling (Zalman, Enzotech, etc.)
• $500 for total system liquid-cooling (Dangerden, EK, etc.)
• $400 for phase-change CPU-only cooling (OCZ)

What would you do?

[gyrene81]

What kind of a case you gonna use? I'm a cheapskate so air cooling would be my choice but...

[Ghastly]

Unless I were planning to

a) operate the system in an uncooled room
b) dramatically overclock the system
c) re-use water cooling equipment I already had
d) required near silent operation at all times

I'd not be inclined to do anything other than air on today's Intel Processors.  I'd consider water cooling if any of the above were true, and would not be inclined to ever use phase-change cooling again unless it were the only solution that could work effectively in the environment I was building for.

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[Masherbrum]

With a high end system I'd go Water.   The maintenance required would be worth it.

[Bino]

What kind of a case you gonna use? I'm a cheapskate so air cooling would be my choice but...

For the moment, I'm thinking about the NZXT Tempest Evo.  Looks like it should have good air circulation, and it also has provision for a twin-fan radiator in the top.

[Spikes]

The Temp is great for air cooling as well, hence the airflow king.

[Wingnutt]

you can spend $200 on extra cooling to run a setup overclocked

or spend the $200 on a better setup that stock will run the same speed as the overclocked setup did.

and I will laugh  HARD at anyone who has sunk close to half a grand into just cooling.. thats absurd.

[Masherbrum]

you can spend $200 on extra cooling to run a setup overclocked

or spend the $200 on a better setup that stock will run the same speed as the overclocked setup did.

and I will laugh  HARD at anyone who has sunk close to half a grand into just cooling.. thats absurd.

If you build a $2000+ PC and don't even for one second think about Water Cooling it, you need to question your logic.   IDGAF if you OC it or not.   Water Cooling reduces temperatures, which in turn increases the Life of the Kep Components of a PC.   It's effective, not as cheap as Air Cooling, but offers superior results.  

[L0nGb0w]

For the moment, I'm thinking about the NZXT Tempest Evo.  Looks like it should have good air circulation, and it also has provision for a twin-fan radiator in the top.

Check out the Antec 1200, it's what I use and it has 6x120mm fans, 1x250mm, and plenty of space for a liquid cooling system with ports out the back for pipes to the radiator.

[skribetm]

watercooling info: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=224976 (cpu block performance)

aircooling info: http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm

[katanaso]

Check out the Antec 1200, it's what I use and it has 6x120mm fans, 1x250mm, and plenty of space for a liquid cooling system with ports out the back for pipes to the radiator.

There's also the Coolermaster HAF 932 to consider for either air cooling or water cooling.


mir

[Ghastly]

If you build a $2000+ PC and don't even for one second think about Water Cooling it, you need to question your logic.   IDGAF if you OC it or not.   Water Cooling reduces temperatures, which in turn increases the Life of the Kep Components of a PC.   It's effective, not as cheap as Air Cooling, but offers superior results.  

I tend to disagee with respect to the "results" statement.  The best water cooling systems usually run about 15-20' over ambient ( http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/Swiftech-Koolance-Zalman,2040-8.html ) at max fan speeds, and the best air cooling systems run about the same  ( http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2480&page=5 ), without the added expense and potential risk of a leak.

Where water has it all over air generally is noise, and where airflow constraints limit efficient removal of heat from inside the case.   (Talking about "real" water cooling, not the "All-in-one" units like the H50).

But that's just my opinion, of course.

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[38ruk]

I've been watercooling for the last 4 years and after 6 hours of prime 95 my temps are 9 degrees above ambient .  If they were 20 degrees above i wouldn't bother .

[Masherbrum]

I've been watercooling for the last 4 years and after 6 hours of prime 95 my temps are 9 degrees above ambient .  If they were 20 degrees above i wouldn't bother .

That is about what credible results I've seen myself.   Which is why if I had a kickass PC, I'd water cool it. 

[Ghastly]

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That is about what credible results I've seen myself.   Which is why if I had a kickass PC, I'd water cool it. 

*Shrug*

OK - it's your dime, spend it on what you want.

But air cooling has come a LOOOONG way since the introduction of heat pipe technology.  This review shows the results of various coolers tested the same way, unlike most reviews of cooling products which concentrate on either water or air but not both, meaning you can't quite so easily compare the two.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-cooler-charts,1967-9.html

Note that at 100% load and high fan speed, 2 air coolers performed better than the best water cooled solution (MSI Hydrogen) and 3 better than the Zalman Reserator XT.   Also note that among the best, the delta was a few degrees at most.   

Other than pointing to reviews like this one - I don't know what else to say.  At one time, a serious system meant watercooling, Pelzier, or phase-change cooling.  But a Zalman will set you back about $450, while a top of the line air cooler will set you back about $80.  That's $370 to spend on a lot of goodies that are going to be a lot more useful than a degree or two of cooling one way or the other.  At least in my opinion at any rate.

My gaming system is watercooled - but that is because I already owned the water cooling components other than the CPU block for the new CPU, and the motherboard I bought had a watercooling/air hybrid block on the chipset.

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