Air vs. liquid cooling latest AMD GPU&CPU system

[Broc Kelley]

This is my first PC build, and I plan on purchasing either the parts or the entire system within the next month..hopefully after prices drop. My plan is to game on high settings at 1080p for as long as possible before upgrading. I'm going AMD mostly because it's cheaper and partly because of mantle. (I'll have another question asking whether mantle/amd is worth it for single screen 1080p gaming, but I don't think it should be in this discussion grouping.) I feel this question is warranted mostly because other posts have been answered/asked by people too short sided (no offense..) to give either side of either the airVliquid or AMDvINTEL overclocking discussions the light of day. As an aside, I am new here, so feel free to lambaste me for calling people short-sided.

Now, as the title says:
Question... With all factors included (cost, ease of use, effectiveness, maintenance) which is better for both overclocking and normal use of this Cpu/Gpu combo:

CPU: AMD FX 8350
GPU: R9 280X 3GB (non reference for discussion sake)

All fitting in this case:
Corsair Obsidian 650D (can fit 1x120mm and 2x200mm fans, and has 240mm liquid cooling support)

Additional INFO:
Assuming power supply is adequate, etc. etc.
Assuming I, a first time PC buyer/builder/gamer, will be the one putting it together and maintaining it.

My 2 cents: I'd much rather go with air, as it's easier to maintain and safer. Additional 200mm fans, especially certain brands, seem to do a great job with airflow and noise level.


I'd love to hear about your experiences, that don't necessarily have to do with these specific parts, with any air and liquid cooling systems you've had. And certainly, what systems you deem to be the best for the money and for the time needed to start-up and maintain them.

--Thanks

 

[Quaddro]

well, best air cooling can handle fx8350 at maximum clock for daily usage...5Ghz..
for example phanteks ph-tc14pe..

and 280x is not too hot..so, air is enough..

if you talk about cost, ease of use, maintenance, of course air solution is the answer..
but is you want effectiveness, liquid cooling slightly better..

 

[Executeorder66]

Mantle lol. It's a sdk that I don't see why people so excited for? Its entirely worthless unless a developer actually uses it.

 

[Broc Kelley]

well, best air cooling can handle fx8350 at maximum clock for daily usage...5Ghz..
for example phanteks ph-tc14pe..

and 280x is not too hot..so, air is enough..

if you talk about cost, ease of use, maintenance, of course air solution is the answer..
but is you want effectiveness, liquid cooling slightly better..

Thanks for the feedback. What's your set-up like? And what would it be if you had a $1300 budget?

 

[Broc Kelley]

Mantle lol. It's a sdk that I don't see why people so excited for? Its entirely worthless unless a developer actually uses it.

Related to this thread:

Besides mantle and almost entirely useless remarks 😛, do you have any opinions couched in more logical processes or your own experiences? I would honestly love to hear what has worked for you


Related your response:

lol, "useless unless it's used" can be said of many things that deal with technology..also more use usually equals more innovation.. Before I actually respond, let me preface this by saying as a potential pc owner it's my duty to play devils advocate here.. So, sure maybe Mantle is just reskinned OpenGL, but I'd take both over DirectX..at least anything before 11.2, because I haven't seen that in action really..It's the only real answer for upgradable consoles, and certainly will help with PCs as well. Also, more cores and threads are being utilized by more games, not just battlefield 4 (with mantle), so the effectiveness is certainly coming along. Either way performance per dollar has always been on AMD's side, and like it or not, most PC gamer's are on a budget.

Not saying AMD will perform better than intel, that would be impossible to say and also improbable by my guess..but the gap will and is shortening, but the price differences are not.

The most important factor: it would stupid for any body NOT to use something being developed by what is hands down going to be the largest company in gaming..every next gen console they make money on, pretty obvious stuff.

 

[Quaddro]

Thanks for the feedback. What's your set-up like? And what would it be if you had a $1300 budget?

I'm still using ancient cpu 1090T 4.2ghz + 2x5850 :lol:

well, for $1300, then you should go with intel based system..
something like this..
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($222.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($76.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($124.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Hitachi 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card ($457.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($71.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1259.89

 

[Broc Kelley]

Thanks for the feedback. What's your set-up like? And what would it be if you had a $1300 budget?

I'm still using ancient cpu 1090T 4.2ghz + 2x5850 :lol:

well, for $1300, then you should go with intel based system..
something like this..
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($222.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($76.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($79.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($124.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Hitachi 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($55.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card ($457.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($55.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($71.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1259.89

Edit: that system of yours doesn't seem that bad!
If you already had a case, and an hdd, what would you change? And why does everyone want intel>AMD? As an outsider I can't help but see that the amd cpu/gpu has the most potential. Also, are you saying that the evo 212 cpu cooler isn't all it's cracked up to be? Are you saying the r9 280x is worse than the r9 290 despite the 290s heat and noise problems?

Please don't see this as me seeming one-sided, as I've said once before I need to play devil's advocate. And also, it really seems like people are holding onto intel because of how good it used to be in comparison to AMD, from what I've read, and it seems that gap is shortening by the day almost.

Edit 2: it seems from your build preferences you like buying a system that will last a long time, even if it means almost wasting a little money for the first few years you own it.. I admire that to an extent, but also would like confirmation on whether or not that is why in your pcpicker build you chose a 4gbvram gpu? And is that why you chose the more premium cooler, for crazy over clocking?

 

[Quaddro]

a case, and an hdd, what would you change? => artic cooling accelero III (a gpu heatsink, if you can wait board partners), good headphones, nice keyboard and mouse and a good soundcard..

why does everyone want intel>AMD? => well, sad but true, but intel (i7/i5) based system is the only cpu which is able to extract any highest end gpu real performance..and that's a fact.. we are not talking about fanboyism here..

Evo 212 cpu cooler isn't all it's cracked up to be? Evo 212 is best performance price ration. it's not the best performer..
delta performance between Phanteks PH-TC14PE and 212 evo is more than 10'c in full load..
and every degree is worth in processor temperature..

Are you saying the r9 280x is worse than the r9 290 despite the 290s heat and noise problems?
absolutely..290 faster than 280x in any condition..even if you add max clock and give max voltage in to it..
but like i usually said, wait for board partners with their own cooling solution..

 

[Quaddro]

Edit 2: it seems from your build preferences you like buying a system that will last a long time, even if it means almost wasting a little money for the first few years you own it.. I admire that to an extent, but also would like confirmation on whether or not that is why in your pcpicker build you chose a 4gbvram gpu? And is that why you chose the more premium cooler, for crazy over clocking?

yeah...
very overkill in first year, less overkill in next year, and still be "more than enough" after these 4 years..

i've running this system on 1440x900 monitor lol..still able to play any games available at the highest setting..
maybe for next year it's become "enough", and it 2-3 years it'll be "not enough".
at that point, i'll upgrade my system..
see.. after 6-7 years..😀

so the point is, get the best that you can afford today, then don't tempted by any hardware review..it's save my wallet..a lot..😀

premium cooler, yes, you can reach high overclock result with it..but that's not only for crazy overclocking..
well, better cooling system is really affect your processor durability..
and somehow big cooler can feast my eyes..😀

 

[Broc Kelley]

I found a couple of r9 270x IceQ X2 edition cards with 2 times the fans for the same price as the r9 290 you mentioned. The crossfire solution would result in a 30-50% performance increase while @equal-ish temperatures (never over 88 degrees on both and never more than a 5 degree or 5 decibel difference on benchmarks). With the gpu's being the same generation, and given your 6-7 year plan, would you go with the more complicated set up or just ride the 290 til she breaks? Meaning, what unforeseen problems may arise, and would those problems be worth it, if you had the psu and cooling available? (even though it doesn't absolutely need extra cooling in comparison to an overclocked r9 according to reputable site)

By the way, you're helping me out a ton here, thanks. Forums are so much nicer than disqus based news outlets and youtube videos haha. I just hope someone else who stumbles onto this can get as much out of it as I do.