AIO watercooler - lifespan/water going bad?

[Zymper]

Hi there

I wanted to buy one of those all in one watercooler. I have searched google, and couldn't find any concrete answer about this.
In the store, one of the employees told me the water can evaporate, and after about a 2-3years, the cooler can go bad since there isn't enough water anymore. On one hand, it might be logical, but on the other it seems like complete bullsh.. to me. It is a closed loop, so where would that water go?

So my question, is there any truth in this? Can the water level drop, making a closed loop go bad after a couple of years? And does anyone have an idea about how long of life span they have in average?
Since it's about a home pc with two VM's I'm building, I don't plan on replacing it any time soon. Would like to keep it running at least about 5 years.

 

[Mr Kagouris]

Your thinking is correct with CLCs. CLCs are extremely tightly insulated, so evaporation isn't an issue. However, the pumps used in commercial CLCs are extremely low quality, so it's likely it will fail within that 5 year period regardless.

For reliability, go air cooling.

 

[leo2kp]

The above being said, the Kraken X61 has a 6-year warranty.

 

[Zymper]

I had indeed been thinking about just buying another air cooler. But I've never had water cooling, and seeing as I would love to try this AIO coolers for once, I wouldn't like to have a broken pump in a couple of years.

I heard Cooler Master has a 5 year warranty on its AIO coolers, however I can't manage to find the link. Or could there be another brand with a 5 year warranty?

I'm pretty sure in 5 I'll be building another one. But offcourse I wouldn’t want to have to replace the cooler in that period. I do like the upcoming Seidon 240v, but I believe their life expectancy of “70.000” hours might be a bit exaggerated.

Will look into normal water cooling. Will probably be enough, though not as badass 😀

(and Mr Kagouris, I really love your avatar 😀)

 

[n0ns3ns3]

those crappy CLC AiO made by asetek are designed to work for ~5 years.
there are better optinions like the the kits from Swiftech , alphacool and (a bit more expensive) EK Predator.
check it here:
http://www.swiftech.com/H220-X.aspx
http://www.swiftech.com/H240-X.aspx
kit's from those companies are more reliable, can be refilled, can be expanded and usually perform better at lower noise level. The are made of the same components that are used in custom loops.

 

[Mr Kagouris]

70,000 hour rating is probably in relation to the fan on the Seidon, not the pump.

But as n0ns3ns3 stated, Swiftech HX and EK Predator are made from high quality components and have much greater life expectancy AND performance. Granted they cost more too though.

In any case, if you're not doing any heavy overclocking then air cooling is what you should go for.

 

[n0ns3ns3]

^ not really more expensive. the H220-x is 110$. it is the same price range as Corsair and friends

 

[Ecky]

My experience has been that high quality pumps tend to last 4-5 years of continuous use.

I built and ran custom loops for more than a decade, and eventually decided they're money pits and mostly a bad idea. AiO watercoolers tend to be less effective and more noisy than equally priced air coolers, making them a poor value. Ultimately, they're air coolers too, you just have the added complexity and cost of a pump and water to move the heat to your cooling surface rather than a solid piece of copper or a sealed heatpipe, which are idiot-proof and have no way of failing. Best to stick with an air cooler, I think.

What processor will this be going on?

 

[n0ns3ns3]

^lol ...
I have a cheap thermaltake pump running for ~10years both quite and effectively.
The D5 pump is lying for couple of month as I'm too lazy to replace it.
I still have no idea why I ordered the D5.
watercooling is way better, though kinda expensive.

 

[Ecky]

Most review sites have shown the Noctua D15 to perform on-par with 2x120mm and 2x140mm watercoolers, while generating less noise, for $40-60 less.

 

[n0ns3ns3]

did they happen to test it in closed case with hot GPU ?
From my experience, in case with less than 2x120/140 intake and 2x 120/140 exhaust fans + hot GPU, air coolers suck.
if the system built right, liquid will allow overall better temperature and noise.

 

[Ecky]

As long as the case has adequate airflow so that temperatures inside are not higher than outside, an air cooler will not be at a disadvantage. Pumps make noise and dump the power they consume into the liquid as heat, which is extra heat a tower cooler does not have to dissipate.

Ultimately, cooling is about surface area, and a liquid cooler can, in theory, allow you to have a larger cooling surface than you can hang off of a motherboard. However, the Noctua D15 has more cooling surface than 2x120mm and even 2x 140mm radiators, as it's a 2x150mm cooler. Plus liquid coolers are disadvantged by the added heat from the pump.

 

[glytch5]

As long as the case has adequate airflow so that temperatures inside are not higher than outside, an air cooler will not be at a disadvantage. Pumps make noise and dump the power they consume into the liquid as heat, which is extra heat a tower cooler does not have to dissipate.

Ultimately, cooling is about surface area, and a liquid cooler can, in theory, allow you to have a larger cooling surface than you can hang off of a motherboard. However, the Noctua D15 has more cooling surface than 2x120mm and even 2x 140mm radiators, as it's a 2x150mm cooler. Plus liquid coolers are disadvantged by the added heat from the pump.

the inside of your case is as cool as it is outside of your case? How is this possible?!?!?! I've never had the air inside my computer be the same as the air outside... hence all the parts in the closed off case generating heat!

I'm with you on air coolers though.