Water Cooling vs Air Cooling

[jacklinderman]

So I have an NZXT H440 and I want to cool my CPU and GPU (for gaming). for CPU, should I go for Corsair H100i or something like the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO? My GPU is the Asus ROG Poseidon GTX 780 which is a hybrid cooling GPU, so there are fittings on it to water cool it directly. If I wanted to cool both, how could I do it in this case without having to build a custom loop? (I don't have the money for a custom loop)

 

[jaimelmiel]

what cpu do you have? are you going to be gamming and overclocking?

 

[jacklinderman]

what cpu do you have? are you going to be gamming and overclocking?

I have an i5 4670k and yes, I will be gaming (lots... lots... of it... That's what I built this PC for) and overclocking.

 

[ssddx]

did you want to air cool or water cool?

if you wanted air then the hyper 212 evo is fine for the cpu as long as you dont go into the realm of extreme overclocking. the onboard cooler on the gpu is also sufficient for air.

if you wanted to go water cooling you have two options for the cpu. you could go with a h100i (or nzxt kraken) or you could use it in a custom water loop with the gpu. the gpu needs a custom water loop no ifs, ands or buts if you want to watercool it.

as long as you have good case airflow then air cooling is sufficient, no need to go water (but if you dont go water then its a waste to have a hydro ready gpu.)

 

[jacklinderman]

did you want to air cool or water cool?

if you wanted air then the hyper 212 evo is fine for the cpu as long as you dont go into the realm of extreme overclocking. the onboard cooler on the gpu is also sufficient for air.

if you wanted to go water cooling you have two options for the cpu. you could go with a h100i (or nzxt kraken) or you could use it in a custom water loop with the gpu. the gpu needs a custom water loop no ifs, ands or buts if you want to watercool it.

as long as you have good case airflow then air cooling is sufficient, no need to go water (but if you dont go water then its a waste to have a hydro ready gpu.)

I like the closed water cooling concept. My case supports the Kraken x60. So I'll probably use that. I don't have the money to go custom loop like I said, So I will switch out my graphics card for a different model.

 

[ssddx]

the normal gtx770 from asus (direct cu-ii) is great.

 

[jacklinderman]

the normal gtx770 from asus (direct cu-ii) is great.

What about the EVGA model? How does this look:
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3NfyK
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3NfyK/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3NfyK/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X60 98.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($229.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.43 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT H440 (Red/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($136.50 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($102.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VE278Q 27.0" Monitor ($240.06 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan ($17.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan ($17.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan ($17.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan ($17.98 @ OutletPC)
Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K70 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Other: ASUS USB 2.0 Black External Slim CD/DVD Writer Model SDRW-08D2S-U ($29.99)
Total: $1806.79
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-19 20:19 EDT-0400)
Or swap the EVGA for Asus?

 

[ssddx]

evga is a good company and they have great customer service however their products are only mid ranged at best. the asus direct cu-ii is the better card of the two.

as far as your build is concerned... a few comments...

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Micro Center)
...looks fine
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X60 98.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($129.99 @ Newegg)
...looks fine
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste ($6.98 @ OutletPC)
...looks fine
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($229.99 @ Newegg)
...you could get by with a $100 cheaper motherboard if you wanted to. while i do really like the ROG products (i use one myself) you could use the money saved towards a new gpu or perhaps a ssd. the base level z97 products from asus are also all black now and not the ugly colors they were before.
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
...for $72 (cheaper than what you picked) you can get gskill ripjaws x 1866mhz cas 9 ram 2x4gb. its faster and cheaper.
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.43 @ OutletPC)
...looks fine
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
...i would suggest the asus direct cu-ii instead. if you tweak other parts you might be able to fit a 780 or 780ti in your budget.
Case: NZXT H440 (Red/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($119.99 @ Amazon)
...while an interesting concept its kind of silly that it has no optical drives or support for any front bay devices at all. also the 3x120mm arrangement doesnt really have all that more fan area than 2x140mm which is available already on other cases. i would suggest the corair 750d. its a very nice case and can be had for $125 if you get it on sale. it doesnt have a side fan though but there are other cases which do (but a side fan isnt really 100% necessary anyways).
Power Supply: SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($136.50 @ Newegg)
...for about $65 or so you can get a quality xfx (made by seasonic) or antec HCG unit which is also quality. you can use the extra money towards a better gpu or a ssd.
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($102.98 @ Newegg)
.... i would suggest windows 7 instead for $85 since its cheaper and in my opinion better. your choice though.
Monitor: Asus VE278Q 27.0" Monitor ($240.06 @ Amazon)
....your pick
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan ($17.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan ($17.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan ($17.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan ($17.98 @ OutletPC)
....up to you but most cases come with fans which are sufficient for minor overclocking. i know the 750d i recommended does okay at minor overclocks without replacing fans. also i wouldnt bother with the quiet edition fans... go for the performance fans and dial them down. its a better solution.
Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K70 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
.....your choice
Other: ASUS USB 2.0 Black External Slim CD/DVD Writer Model SDRW-08D2S-U ($29.99)
....i would get an internal instead. cheaper and more reliable typically. also it doesnt take up space on your desk.