Custom watter cooling vs water cooling vs air cooling in my situation

[icegod]

Hello guys, im currently working on something of my own, and ill build a small case that will only leave at maximum 9CM of height for a cpu cooler, and i do want to overclock it, so i need people opinions

1. Would it be better to buy a cpu air cooler (name one small as i said before)
2. Should i buy a normal watter cooling setup (when i say normal i am saying something like corsair H100i, and again, suggest me one)
3. Should i go for a custom loop?

 

[rubix_1011]

If you aren't overclocking at all, the boxed cooler that comes with the CPU should be just fine.

 

[icegod]

If you aren't overclocking at all, the boxed cooler that comes with the CPU should be just fine.

Already said in the begging that i want to overclock..

 

[rubix_1011]

My fault, I read that incorrectly.

What is your budget? What speeds and temps are you looking to achieve?

 

[xapoc]

9 cm clearance is nothing. Just go with liquid cooler, make sure the radiator will fit in your case. Get like a corsair h80 or h100.

 

[rubix_1011]

So, why do you recommend this route? Because the words 'liquid cooling' appear in the title of the cooler? That doesn't mean it performs any better than a good air cooler. This is the debate I'm trying to make. There is a very large misconception that the words 'liquid cooling' on a box mean a closed loop cooler outperforms air coolers and to the level of watercooling loops - it is very much the opposite. You get what you pay for.

 

[xapoc]

He has 9cm clerance, which will fit only 60mm fan. At this point push pull config. is very limited and he wants to overclock on top of it.

 

[madmatt30]

What exactly are you running in your rig ??

No mention of CPU makes it hard to recommend anything.

90mm max cooler height makes it fairly certain that you won't fit a 120/240mm aio without case butchering at the very least & custom external loops are EXPENSIVE.

There are air coolers that will do a good job but it depends on CPU & the rest of the case cooling.

 

[rubix_1011]

I have a full watercooling loop (CPU + GPU + 140mm rad + 240mm rad + single bay pump/res) in a mITX case, Corsair 250D.

I didn't have to modify the case at all to fit any of the contents.

 

[madmatt30]

You're using a high end case which is totally designed around water cooling though - I got the impression this guy is actually 'building' his own case.

 

[xapoc]

I've personally seen cardboard box cases that did the job. They are highly modular you know haha!

 

[rubix_1011]

The 250D isn't necessarily built for watercooling, but there are a few out there who have done it. The problem is that if you run a video card that is high TDP (like a Titan, etc), you run the risk of not having enough room for radiators in the case.

I've also built my own case, with mixed results. If he is doing this, he should be able to design a case to fit whatever cooler he wishes, unless he has already started building it. 9CM high for the CPU socket is enough for a good air cooler, maybe not a massive one, but it also depends on what other space he has in the case.

One thing I would caution around homemade cases: make sure you have good enough airflow and correctly placed fans.

 

[madmatt30]

^ agree 100%

The raijintek Pallas is an exceptional 68mm high cooler & will cope well with anything apart from a very highly overclocked i7 - you have to have sufficient airflow through the case to allow it to do its job though - that's pretty much where an aio wins really - you can get away with far less internal airflow.

 

[rubix_1011]

You still need airflow over the MB and other components that the air cooler would create out drafts to circulate air through - a waterblock or closed loop cooler means this no longer exists and must be supplemented by case airflow in these areas.

Another misconception of watercooling is that you can run a case without fans...you actually need more; case fans + radiator fans.

 

[icegod]

Didnt bought anything yet, but will probably buy a i7 6700k and a mitx motherboard, just waiting a few months to see if prices come down or something

Yes, im building my own case, its design and organization (in the inside) is inspired and it will be something like this: http://www.digitalstorm.com/img/products/Bolt3/Overview-1.jpg

Im trying to know what is the best option for cooling so i can adjust the case to what im buying and puting in there

For now, i wont need a gpu block, only a cpu one if im going with a custom loop

 

[rubix_1011]

That case image actually looks like it has a Swiftech H220-X or H240-X cooler in it, which is a great cooler for the money and is easily expandable if you wanted to add a GPU block and another radiator to the loop at some point in the future. [Note: adding a video card means the watt total of the loop will increase, so you'll need to account for this by increasing the radiator space in the loop]

 

[icegod]

That case image actually looks like it has a Swiftech H220-X or H240-X cooler in it, which is a great cooler for the money and is easily expandable if you wanted to add a GPU block and another radiator to the loop at some point in the future. [Note: adding a video card means the watt total of the loop will increase, so you'll need to account for this by increasing the radiator space in the loop]

That is like a custom loop already mounted or is it a closed loop like the corsair ones? I didnt got that part

And do you know where can i buy this in Europe?

 

[rubix_1011]

It's kind of....both. It's a closed loop cooler with a good pump and radiator, but can have the tubing disconnected from the fittings and add more tubing, blocks and radiators if you wish to expand.

And in Europe....uncertain.

 

[icegod]

It's kind of....both. It's a closed loop cooler with a good pump and radiator, but can have the tubing disconnected from the fittings and add more tubing, blocks and radiators if you wish to expand.

And in Europe....uncertain.

Thanks, already found 2 stores that can sell it, both the 220x and the 240x versions, which one should i get?
I mean, the smallest would be the best, but is the 240x a lot better? In the reviews i found they are pretty close, but i can be wrong

 

[rubix_1011]

Just a difference in radiator size; 220 is 2x120mm and the 240 is 2x140. Swiftech uses a different convention for radiator size than most others, for example, their 360 rad is actually the MCR 320, or "3x120".

 

[icegod]

Just a difference in radiator size; 220 is 2x120mm and the 240 is 2x140. Swiftech uses a different convention for radiator size than most others, for example, their 360 rad is actually the MCR 320, or "3x120".

Could you recomend a small air cooler to have as a backup since the 6700k doesnt come with a cpu cooler

 

[rubix_1011]

What do you mean as a backup?

 

[icegod]

What do you mean as a backup?

Just name one small so i can have it here if something goes brakes after time

 

[rubix_1011]

What would you see breaking that necessitates a backup?

 

[icegod]

What would you see breaking that necessitates a backup?

i just asked for a cpu fan as a backup, if you dont want to say any, thats okay, thanks for the help in everything