Average Joe's PC vs Enthusiast PC's

[geordiejc]

Hello all,

Beautiful PC's with water cooling vs Average Joe's Air PC... that's the subject of discussion here. I really enjoy seeing enthusiast PC community builds which are not only high performing but aesthetically stunning. I've never had the courage or 'want' to make a beautiful water cooled but my hobby seems to be taking me down this route... RGB lighting isnt my thing, but seeing a water cooled system with an attractive colour scheme has me eager to start considering my options.

Temperature Performance

Putting cost & aesthetics aside for a moment, focusing on solely on temperature related performance - how much are you able to overclock your CPU & GPU on water cooled PC's vs Air PC's ? i ask this question in an effort to understand is the performance of water vs air? For example can a CPU or GPU achieve higher overclocks when running at lower temperatures (putting silicon lottery aside)

Acoustics

Which louder (if using the same case) a custom loop or air (say 2 intake 2 exhaust) ?

Cost

Excluding PC hardware, how much is a decent water cooled set-up these days?

Edit: I understand there's a difference between full custom loops and sealed AIO coolers.

Maintenance

How often do you need to change the water/liquid on a typical system?

Im really keen to get your thoughts and opinions on the above, it will help shape my decision.

I own a Define R4 Titanium case with a 212 EVO with 4 intake 2 exhaust silent series fans - my PC is very quiet and completely 'plain' i guess its built for function (Quiet Gaming) but it does lack the visual appeal.

 

[Rroff]

I've found watercooling hit and miss acoustically - I've had kits that were dead silent but my last AIO had the worst pump whine imaginable. I've put a few AIO/CLC into builds for other people again even with the same model quite varied acoustics.

 

[ubersonic]

how much are you able to overclock your CPU & GPU on water cooled PC's vs Air PC's ?

Silicon lottery aside, more. One of the issues with overclocking anything is keeping it cool (without the cooling sounding like a wind tunnel) and water will do this better than air (and LN2 better again) if you're aiming for high clocks and the high voltages/heat that requires.

Which louder (if using the same case) a custom loop or air (say 2 intake 2 exhaust)?

It depends, if you are going for say a 5GHz CPU running fixed speed then water all the way, if however you are only aiming for a moderate overclock then it depends on the usage, these days air can actually work out better at idl, (I.E a Noctua D15 and an MSI Gaming GPU cooler will be quieter at idle than a custom loop due to zero fan or pump noise, but obviously when things start getting intense they will become notably louder.

Excluding PC hardware, how much is a decent water cooled set-up these days?

This would depend entirely on how much you want to spend, if you just want it to work and work well then it can all be done for about £200 (CPU/GPU blocks + pump + tubes, res, rads, fans, coolant) or a lot less if you don't mind used parts. But if you want it to look stunning as it sounds you do, then the cost of the loop can easily exceed £500 if going all out.

How often do you need to change the water/liquid on a typical system?

This is down entirely to which coolant you use, some specialist pc cooling fluids are specifically for show and only last a few weeks, some last a couple of years. If you're using engine coolant (don't laugh it works fine and was the only thing available before companies started making specialist fluids at 10x the price) then it can last well over 5 years (as it has a significantly easier life in a pc loop than in an engine loop).

 

[geordiejc]

With regards to performance, can a water cooled system yield higher overclocks due to lower temperatures as you can increase voltage and disperse the heat more efficiently? - or is it simply down to silicon ?

 

[Brizzles]

Acoustics - not much difference really as you still rely on fans to cool. Radiators will allow you to run fans slower so the noise could be reduced compared to an air cooler without the hit in performance.

Cost - Ball park £500 for a good custom loop

Maintenance - Might drain after a year ( if i keep my hardware long enough ! )