Do i need watercooling?

Wilzaint · 2 May 2011 at 23:22

Just wondering if i need watercooling or if my temps will be fine.
I'm probably gonna overclock the processor to 4Ghz and in a few year times go higher but i'll get watercooling then. For now is it safe just to air cool and only overclock the CPU to 4ghz?

Plec · 2 May 2011 at 23:26

You don't need watercooling for such a minor clock.

4Ghz will be totally fine on air - even using the stock cooler. And anything upto ~4.6GHz the Noctua cooler, in your basket, should handle perfectly well.

Dokinator · 2 May 2011 at 23:35

To me, water cooling in most cases in not a necessity but instead something that makes a PC unique and that tad cooler. In some cases you will need it but in yours, you should be okay.
By all means if yo have the money to include water cooling then go for it

Liquid · 2 May 2011 at 23:47

I'm running a 2600k at 4.9ghz on a Noctua D14 cooler and it primes around 72-75c and most I have seen in an intensive game is 62-64c. You should be fine

Might want to look at watercooling the video card though.

Greboth · 2 May 2011 at 23:49

I don't think there are many people who need watercooling. Wanting it for one reason or another is a different matter. As said above, you should have no problem cooling what you have with the cooler you have picked.

rjk · 3 May 2011 at 09:58

watercooling is not required on my 2600k. i could easily hit 5ghz on a decent air cooler.

however with a 6990 i would consider watercooling.

i have 480sli and it needs to be under water. there is no ifs or buts.
i ran my second 480 on air for a month until i could source a second block and it was horrible.
implimentation also depends how proficient you are with hardware.

in honesty, if you have to ask if you need watercooling, then you probably dont.

Frozennova · 3 May 2011 at 13:05

Watercooling is more of a want, a high end cooler will give temps low enough even for the highest of clocks. The beauty of water comes in when you want a low noise system.

All of my fans run at 700rpm or thereabouts where as on air I was running at around 2000rpm with a titan fenrir

JeffyB · 3 May 2011 at 13:11

rjkoneill said:
watercooling is not required on my 2600k. i could easily hit 5ghz on a decent air cooler.

however with a 6990 i would consider watercooling.

i have 480sli and it needs to be under water. there is no ifs or buts.
i ran my second 480 on air for a month until i could source a second block and it was horrible.
implimentation also depends how proficient you are with hardware.

in honesty, if you have to ask if you need watercooling, then you probably dont.

Agreed, the main reason to watercool is rapidly becoming hot gpu's and to reduce noise. These newer cpu's like the 2600k are running so cool now it looks like putting them under water will gain very little.