Water cooling concerns

Teki187 · 25 Sep 2006 at 22:50

Hey everyone,

I was just wondering if some people could reply with there thoughts and experiances with it?

I've got a lot of reservations about making the switch from air to water, mainly electricity + water = :eek:

So any information would be appreciated.

Thanks

Hades · 25 Sep 2006 at 23:05

If it passes a 24hr leak test then there should be no concerns

img · 25 Sep 2006 at 23:16

stick it and and turn the pump and check for leaks. hose clips on all ends. ive took my last setup with everything cooled to many lans without any leaks even with my driving.

Teki187 · 25 Sep 2006 at 23:18

Thanks for the reply.

Are the temp reductions really noticeable in comparison?

Are they noiser?

How often do you have to change the water?

Thanks

mercyless · 25 Sep 2006 at 23:46

Are the temp reductions really noticeable in comparison? yes under load

Are they noiser? no, 7v them down or fan controller, very quiet.

How often do you have to change the water? every year will do

i was asking same questions couple years back, made the change then,
and now happy i done that , cant see myself going back to air

Teki187 · 25 Sep 2006 at 23:51

Thanks for your reply.

Any recommendations on kits?

Thanks

Hades · 25 Sep 2006 at 23:54

mercyless said:
Are the temp reductions really noticeable in comparison? yes under load

Are they noiser? no, 7v them down or fan controller, very quiet.

How often do you have to change the water? every year will do

i was asking same questions couple years back, made the change then,
and now happy i done that , cant see myself going back to air

Agreed. I just moved to water. Yes it will be a sligh hassle when I next change my mothernoard (new case in a couple of days so it's a hassle then too). But right now I wouldn't go back. My system is not yet much quieter because my CPU and gfx fans were actually quiet anyway. But it's enabled me to overclock further (can put more voltage into the CPU) and keep the case fans spinning slower. When I get around to replacing my PSU, which is the noisiest part of my system, then I should notice how quiet water it.

One point ot note - water doesn't mean you can get rid of all fans. You still need airflow in the case to cool other components. In fact it can worsen temps in some ways. For example my voltage controller and the memory now get hotter because there is no residual airflow from the CPU fan (because there is no CU fan!). As a result I've temporarily bodged a 120mm fan inside the case to cool those areas. This shouldn't be necessary on a case with good airflow of course.

I'm currently loving water

EDIT: The only kit mostpeople here will recommend (including me) is the Swiftech H20 Apex Ultra or Ultra+. I have the Ultra+ which includes graphics and chipset waterblocks (the standard Ultra only has a CPU waterblock).

Teki187 · 26 Sep 2006 at 09:20

Thanks everyone for your information, you've helped me a lot.

img · 26 Sep 2006 at 12:36

only kit would say is the one mentioned above.

I never bought a kit you can get good custom from 100squids and upwards

pastymuncher · 26 Sep 2006 at 19:53

I bought seperate components for my rig and i certainly would not go back to air cooling again. It's a hell of a lot quieter, it looks cool and most importantly i have got massive temperature reductions. I do have the rad mounted on a windowsill though. Just for comparison:-

Air
Thermalright SI-120 + Thermaltake 120mm Thunderblade
CPU idle=29 degrees
CPU load+38 degrees

Zalman VF-700 x1 + AC NV silencer x1
GPU's idle=45 degrees
GPU's load=65 degrees

Water
CPU idle=20 degrees
CPU load=29 degrees

GPU's idle=31 degrees (i think it's lower but Nvidia CC can't read lower)
GPU's load=35 degrees (why i think idle is lower)

As you can see massive differances but bear in mind i am in Scotland and the rad is next to an open window.

Best advice? Do plenty of reading up on here and on other forums, review sites etc. It's what i did and it got rid of any anxiety i had about switching to water and when you get your bits you will be less worried and also less likely to make mistakes when installing.

Teki187 · 26 Sep 2006 at 20:13

pastymuncher said:
I bought seperate components for my rig and i certainly would not go back to air cooling again. It's a hell of a lot quieter, it looks cool and most importantly i have got massive temperature reductions. I do have the rad mounted on a windowsill though. Just for comparison:-

Air
Thermalright SI-120 + Thermaltake 120mm Thunderblade
CPU idle=29 degrees
CPU load+38 degrees

Zalman VF-700 x1 + AC NV silencer x1
GPU's idle=45 degrees
GPU's load=65 degrees

Water
CPU idle=20 degrees
CPU load=29 degrees

GPU's idle=31 degrees (i think it's lower but Nvidia CC can't read lower)
GPU's load=35 degrees (why i think idle is lower)

As you can see massive differances but bear in mind i am in Scotland and the rad is next to an open window.

Best advice? Do plenty of reading up on here and on other forums, review sites etc. It's what i did and it got rid of any anxiety i had about switching to water and when you get your bits you will be less worried and also less likely to make mistakes when installing.

Thanks a lot for that reply. I've been reading a lot about water cooling the last couple of days and it doesnt seem to worry me as much as it did. Some of my main concerns are still there but through some advice that you have given and others above i think everthing should be fine.

Again thank you all for your replies