Liquid Cooling

[DaftMan85]

Do I rly need to have Liquid Cooling or can I just use a fan?

 

[HeadShot]

Your preference, if you are a beginner, I recommend Fan, as it will be a pain in the neck to RMA something that has fluid all over it after a tube leak. I use fan, and I dont like taking chances. The only loud component in my case is my beastly XFX6970.

 

[a pet rock]

Water cooling is never a necessity.

 

[ddily]

i dont like water cooling either. just the thought of a liquid flowing threw out tubes that may burst. will most likely destroy your computer

 

[Ph?bus]

i dont like water cooling either. just the thought of a liquid flowing threw out tubes that may burst. will most likely destroy your computer

Distilled water/ coolants aren't conductive. It's still possible that it might short something, but that's why you check for leaks before running it 24/7.

As APR said, it's never a necessity. Plus if you have to ask, you probably do not need it.

 

[Celtic]

As said before, isn't really needed.
As long as you have decent fans that push a good amount of air (CFM) you should be set. Just need to make sure you have good cable management to maximize airflow. Also a good point to make is to look for quiet fans.
I have 5 Thermaltake Silent Cat 120mm fans. Push 62cfm and are only 16dBA.
http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.aspx?C=1164&ID=1727#Tab1
In my book, the price out weights it's performance.
Though when done right, it looks amazing.
If you'd like to get into water cooling the Corsair H70 is a self contained water cooling system that you don't need to refill and monitor for your CPU. It ranks way up there with CPU heatsinks/water blocks.
Corsair H70- Out of stock atm.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181013&Tpk=Corsair H70

 

[frankth3frizz]

H80 is in stock

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-Froogle-_-Water+Cooling-_-Corsair-_-35181016

 

[Krumlov]

Water cooling IS necessary
BUT only is you have built your computer in the last 6 months. Power consumption and heat levels are growing in new systems, but not more than a few fans can control.

Water cooling would be a commodity, but you would see some benefits.

 

[a pet rock]

Water cooling IS necessary
BUT only is you have built your computer in the last 6 months. Power consumption and heat levels are growing in new systems, but not more than a few fans can control.

This whole part right here, is completely wrong. I could build a Llano HTPC rig that runs passively and handle all the 1080p viewing I want and Llano just got released this summer.

Water cooling would be a commodity, but you would see some benefits.

This, however, is true. I'd say luxury instead of commodity, but it does have it's worth.

 

[BetterDeadThanZed]

I've always been afraid to try liquid cooling. Besides, I consider a quiet computer unnatural.

I've got the Antec 1200 case. Comes with lots of fans and room for extra fans.

 

[Celtic]

Really only depends on what you're running. If you're just running just one GTX 580/590 or 6970/6990, you'd be just fine with fans. Start getting into SLI and Crossfire, especially 3 GTX 580's, you'll NEED it.
You don't really need it for your CPU either unless you plan to OC crazy high.

This is a good example of needing water cooling. 3 GTX 580's (3GB versions) and he overclocks the i7 2600k to ~5GHz (Can't remember the exact number). Yeah the video is 33min, but you can skip ahead.
This is the external unit that he's using
Koolance ERM-3K3UC maybe the 3K3UA he never said so. Not a whole lot in price difference. the 3K3UA is $980
http://www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=1172

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo9B1cnQ-34&feature=channel_video_title[/ame]

 

[Freakwent.Failure]

Power consumption is going down, not up. All new generation processors use less power than the previous generation. Lower power = Lower heat. Water cooling is a solution to a problem, but it has return on investment only if your system exceeds the cooling capacity of a fan based heat sink. I run a stock cooler in my rig with no issues over clocking to 4.3 ghz. However my gaming case has 5 other fans helping the environment. A properly ventilated (active or passive) case will play a big part in any temperature sensitive situation.

 

[thebigrobbyrob]

Water cooling is more of a custom thing and not so much a necessity. I put water in my PC becuase I really wanted to do it...... Sure it helps cooling and has really quieted down my PC, but I could have done without it.

...and watercooling done right doesnt leak!

 

[Celtic]

It is necessary under the right circumstances. Like I said above. If you're running a single graphics card, even a higher heat card, you won't need it. But once you start getting into 3+ cards you need it. CPU cooling I'd say is geared more towards how high of a OC you're doing. Yeah it is also for custom looks, but it has function, just depends on what you're trying to do with it.