What to go for?

[andy_93]

Hi,i am due to upgrade my pc,i am buying a Core i5 2550 and intend to OC it,now i have been looking at two cooling solutions,the Corsair H80 which is a self contained Water cooling system which you never need to clean(according to a YouTube video) or the Corsair A70 air cooled solution. Having never had the water cooling before i just wondered basically which is best. Any advice would be very much appriciated.

 

[rubix_1011]

Your overclocking is pretty limited on non-K processors, so I'm not sure what goals you are shooting for, there.

Those closed loop coolers aren't really considered 'watercooling' by actual watercooling enthusiasts, but they do operate on the same fundamental principles. That being said, there are no user serviceable components unless you void the warranty to open it.

 

[willard]

You can't overclock the 2550. Unless there's a K or X at the end of the model number, it's locked down.

 

[andy_93]

Thank you for your reply. I have read that the core i5 can overclock to at least 4.6Ghz,this is why i was looking at aftermarket coolers. The store where i am buying the cpu from sell overclocked bundles, http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=43&catid=2053&sortby=priceAsc

As you can see,they only use the A50 coolers but i want to make sure that i am getting some good cooling to the cpu. So with that said,which of the two should i go for. I have watched numerous videos which still leave me in doubt as to which to go for,this is why i have turned to Tom`s.

Ps,sorry its a Core i5 2550k

 

[rubix_1011]

So what do videos tell you? I've never watched a video review that made me want to buy anything.

You can get so much more detailed information in a professional test and write-up. However, the answer to this question will be based on your budget, your expectations and your understanding of overclocking.

Please fill in those blanks.

 

[andy_93]

Tbh,i am new to overclocking but want to learn but have not got the funding to replace parts if it all goes wrong. I have tried it on my own with very little results. I was going to buy a pre overclocked bundle but then you are limited to what ram,motherboard and the like your budget will suit. I will be very honest with you,i have no idea about watercooling,so as my first build with this type of cooling in mind i thought it might help going for something like a H80. I know thats not what you would call watercooling as in water blocks,tubing and the like. My budget will be around the £800 mark,this is the site i use http://www.overclockers.co.uk/ I dont want people to do it for me,just to be pointed in the right direction.
Thanks.

 

[rubix_1011]

Budget = cooling budget.

The best thing you do is gathering as much research as you can since it seems like you are attempting to jump in all at the same time. To be honest, most good air coolers will suffice for cooling an i5 or i7, even when moderately to somewhat aggressively overclocked.

What have you found so far to help guide you to overclock successfully? Please understand that overclocking isn't just taking someone's numbers you find on a forum and just plug them in and call it a day...your CPU might require more/less voltage to be stable at a specific clock...or might not reach it at all based on actual hardware.

Please do as much research as you can- this will greatly benefit you when the time comes and help answer some of these questions you are unsure about.

 

[andy_93]

Thank you for your reply. Tbh i have not overclocked that succesfully,currently i am running a AMD 9950 BE 2.6Ghz,i OC it to 3Ghz just using the multiplyer,but when i come to have a go at changing voltages i started having problems,now my pc freezes,crashes,sometimes wont boot into windows,so this is the reason i ask advice as i dont want to damage the new parts i will be buying. £800 is kind of my total budget for GPU,CPU,MB,memory,HDD and cooling,i may be able to stretch to £1000.

 

[rubix_1011]

There are a lot of stickies on many forums (including Tom's) that discuss in detail on how to overclock and information on what to consider. Google will easily point you to a lot of information.

 

[andy_93]

Ok,many thanks for your help,its very much appriciated,i will look further into it before buying,thanks again.