Liquid Cooling really is the best choice..

[gman97005]

And i will tell you why, not only does it tame APU/CPU temps better than any traditional heatsink/fan assy but it relocates the CPU heat exchanger outside the case which makes for a MUCH cooler running system, no longer is the CPU adding to the heat inside the case, only the GPU, RAM, HDD and Motherboard are left to dissipate heat inside the case and you can always move the drives outside if so inclined but for the price and all the advantages it offers compared to the traditional method you can't go wrong with liquid cooling, just my $.02

 

[stickmansam]

issue imo is the extra point of failure and there is a slight price premium

custom loops though are in a category all to their own though

 

[USAFRet]

Might be the best choice for you. But not for me.
I'd rather not have that extra fail point. A good air cooler has but one moving part, and will never, ever leak.

 

[rundotcmd]

@USAFRet. I Agree to an extent, but I think it also depends on how much you trust yourself and your skills in your build. It is quite safe if one is cautious and takes a slow, steady and educated building process.

 

[USAFRet]

@USAFRet. I Agree to an extent, but I think it also depends on how much you trust yourself and your skills in your build. It is quite safe if one is cautious and takes a slow, steady and educated building process.

I trust my construction skills completely. But unless there is a major performance increase, I prefer simplicity.
One less thing to worry about.

 

[rundotcmd]

Yea. It is a bit more to be aware of. But I do see quite a bit of performance increase in a lot of areas. My gpus can run harder longer and at half the temp of the air coolers on them before. And I can push the cpu harder in my music programs. So I suppose for my purposes its worth the worry. What kind of fans and heatsink do you use?

 

[USAFRet]

Yea. It is a bit more to be aware of. But I do see quite a bit of performance increase in a lot of areas. My gpus can run harder longer and at half the temp of the air coolers on them before. And I can push the cpu harder in my music programs. So I suppose for my purposes its worth the worry. What kind of fans and heatsink do you use?

i5-3570k
Gigabyte 6670
Coolermaster 212 PLUS
Antec ONE case
Fans - Front intake, top exhaust, rear exhaust. 120mm, I think for all.

Max temp ever seen is 69C (Prime95 100% load after a couple of hours)

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

I like BIG AIR.

FX8350 \ Asrock 990FX Extreme 9\ 5.1GHZ. \ 1.384 VOLTS

Phanteks PH-TC14PE with Scythe Slipstream 110 CFM fans attached.

 

[gman97005]

major [/i]performance increase, I prefer simplicity.
One less thing to worry about.

The performance increase comes VIA a cooler running system, cooler temps enable faster CPU, RAM, etc speeds

 

[rundotcmd]

major [/i]performance increase, I prefer simplicity.
One less thing to worry about.

The performance increase comes VIA a cooler running system, cooler temps enable faster CPU, RAM, etc speeds

It doesn't really increase any max potential of any those. They are still limited in terms of how far the tech will let you push it. Water cooling just alleviates a lot of the heat stress from running max loads on your hardware, or over clocking. That doesn't mean you should jack your cpu way up in volts. And I think USAFRet was simply stating he prefers the simplicity and ease of air cooling as compared to the hastle and maintenance of liquid cooling when for all the stress it saves your hardware from enduring you risk completely fing your system.

 

[gman97005]

All good replies and i will just add that liquid cooling systems have come a long way since their introduction and for the most part are no longer a hassle to install and a lot of the systems are closed loop and maintenance free, just my $.02

 

[rundotcmd]

All good replies and i will just add that liquid cooling systems have come a long way since their introduction and for the most part are no longer a hassle to install and a lot of the systems are closed loop and maintenance free, just my $.02[/quotemsg]

Yea. I would agree it is way safer and components are better manufactured then previously, but there is always still that risk factor. And if you make any mistakes it is a huge risk factor. With air cooling if a gpu burns out from overheating its just the gpu that's fried, but if you have a leak or install a block or your pump wrong or don't leak test it first; your whole computer could end up a swimming pool. A few hundred dollars compared to a few thousand is probably more preferable to most people. I love my water cooling system but it is definitely something I worry about and maintain all the time. I would be super pissed if a fitting came loose and destroyed my equipment.

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That's a lot of expensive stuff to have a leak.