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Is water cooling right for me?

Tags:
  • Overclocking
  • Water Cooling
  • Intel i7
  • Components
  • closed loop
  • NZXT
  • Air cooling
  • Cooling
  • Heat
  • Build
  • Corsair
  • Hot temperatures
  • Heatsinks
Last response: in Components
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September 1, 2014 8:50:19 AM

Hello! I currently just "finished" my first custom PC build with these specs:
intel i7 4790k
16 gb crucial ram
gigabyte ga z97x ud3h motherboard
nvidia Geforce GTX 760, running 3 24in monitors
All in a NZXT H440 case

Currently i am using the stock heat sink fan included with the i7. after watching my temperatures spike to 95-100 degrees Celsius, I knew right then and there, its not going to work. Just internet browsing brings it to 45-50 degrees. I am currently not overclocking, however i might want to try it later on. Is water cooling right for me though? I was planning on getting a closed loop (NZXT Kraken X61) but at the $140 price is it overkill for what i want to do? I was thinking about picking up a Noctua heat sink, but thought mines well put it to a water cooler. I know if I got the Kraken, or a Corsair equivalent, I would probably never have to worry about temperatures spiking that high again, but I am having a hard time spending that $140 on the spot. Would it be a smart investment just to buy the big closed loop system? Or is it not for me? Again, overclocking will probably be something I do in the future, proabbly starting out mild. And feed back/ recommendations are helpful, thanks!

More about : water cooling

a b K Overclocking
September 1, 2014 8:57:36 AM

A Noctua NH-D14 will do fine for a mild overclock and it's much cheaper than similarly-performing AIO watercooling kits. I personally can't stomach the design of the thing but that's personal preference.

RAM clearance may also be a problem with that cooler, but that's something you always need to look at with big air coolers.

If you're going to spend ~$140 on a cooling kit you might also want to look at Swiftech's coolers. The H220X in particular performs a tiny bit better than top-end Corsair and is a lot quieter. It's hard to find though.
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a b K Overclocking
September 1, 2014 8:58:39 AM

Personally, I only use closed loop coolers if I have an open window on my case and want things to look nice. Otherwise I stick with air cooling.

If we're talking about the NH-D14 for example, it performs a little below the 240mm closed loops but is quieter / cheaper. For example the H100i (one of the most popular choices) cools 4-5 degrees lower than the NH-D14, but is more expensive and makes more noise.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhd14




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a c 139 K Overclocking
September 1, 2014 9:02:48 AM

I have become a bit jaded on the subject of haswell cooling for overclocking.
How high you can OC is firstly determined by your luck in the bin lottery.
I had high expectations from the Devil's canyon parts and their better thermals.
I found out that the thermals really do not matter unless, perhaps, you are a competitive overclocker.
Haswell runs quite cool, that is, until you raise the voltage past 1.25v or so.
Once you go past 1.3v, then you really do need very good cooling to keep stress loads under say 85c.
But, voltages higher than 1.30 are not a good thing for 24/7 usage.
Even if you can handle the heat, how much do you really need that extra multiplier from say 4.4 to 4.6?
My thought is that it is better to use the exotic cooling funds for a quieter and less expensive air cooler.
Anything extra can go to a stronger graphics card for the gamer or a SSD.

Your 4790K will run at 4.0/4.4 at stock.
Using a $30 cm hyper212 might well do the job.
$60-$75 gets you a nice noctua or Phanteks tower type cooler.

FWIW:
My canned rant on liquid cooling:
------------------------start of rant-------------------
You buy a liquid cooler to be able to extract an extra multiplier or two out of your OC.
How much do you really need?
I do not much like all in one liquid coolers when a good air cooler like a Noctua NH-D15 or phanteks can do the job just as well.
A liquid cooler will be expensive, noisy, less reliable, and will not cool any better
in a well ventilated case.
Liquid cooling is really air cooling, it just puts the heat exchange in a different place.
The orientation of the radiator will cause a problem.
If you orient it to take in cool air from the outside, you will cool the cpu better, but the hot air then circulates inside the case heating up the graphics card and motherboard.
If you orient it to exhaust(which I think is better) , then your cpu cooling will be less effective because it uses pre heated case air.
And... I have read too many tales of woe when a liquid cooler leaks.
google "H100 leak"
-----------------------end of rant--------------------------

I suggest a noctua nh-D15 or phanteks with dual 140mm fans.
Your pc will be quieter, more reliable, and will be cooled equally well
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September 14, 2014 11:28:54 PM

how many intake/exhaust fans do u have in the case? a hyper 212 is probably your cheapest good option, its a great bang for the bucks cooler.
my 4670k (stock voltage, 3,8ghz) never hits more than 43C, and it sits behind a radiator
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September 15, 2014 3:12:49 AM

hypergon said:
how many intake/exhaust fans do u have in the case? a hyper 212 is probably your cheapest good option, its a great bang for the bucks cooler.
my 4670k (stock voltage, 3,8ghz) never hits more than 43C, and it sits behind a radiator


I have 2 140mm fans, one on top pushing air up and one on the back. Ones the normal nzxt 140mm fan and that back one is a corsair led 140mm fan. I will probably have to take off the top one if I watercool
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September 15, 2014 6:55:20 PM

Tweetme0d said:
Hello! I currently just "finished" my first custom PC build with these specs:
intel i7 4790k
16 gb crucial ram
gigabyte ga z97x ud3h motherboard
nvidia Geforce GTX 760, running 3 24in monitors
All in a NZXT H440 case

Currently i am using the stock heat sink fan included with the i7. after watching my temperatures spike to 95-100 degrees Celsius, I knew right then and there, its not going to work. Just internet browsing brings it to 45-50 degrees. I am currently not overclocking, however i might want to try it later on. Is water cooling right for me though? I was planning on getting a closed loop (NZXT Kraken X61) but at the $140 price is it overkill for what i want to do? I was thinking about picking up a Noctua heat sink, but thought mines well put it to a water cooler. I know if I got the Kraken, or a Corsair equivalent, I would probably never have to worry about temperatures spiking that high again, but I am having a hard time spending that $140 on the spot. Would it be a smart investment just to buy the big closed loop system? Or is it not for me? Again, overclocking will probably be something I do in the future, proabbly starting out mild. And feed back/ recommendations are helpful, thanks!

If your planning extreme overclocking and or feel that custom liquid cooling is the way to go. And it is the best way. You will spend a lot more than $140.00. But you will do fine with a Noctua NH-D14 or the Phanteks Phanteks ph-tc14pe.

D-14:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Phanteks:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
I would have recommended The Thermaltake Frio Extreme that I have. I know it is better than the two I mentioned.
But it will will set you back $106.00 and change from Amazon. And @ high rpm's it is noisier. But cools Better.

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September 16, 2014 4:08:20 AM

Hey everyone! I was editing a video and watched my temperatures spike up to 100 C so I immideatly shut it off and decided I would go for the best close loop I could buy. Some one earlier mentioned the Swiftech H220X so I went and looked for it. Swiftech actually restocked so I went ahead and ordered one of those. I figured if I ever wanted to add more or do something else I could with that semi custom loop. Thank you guys for all your support! And I will let you know how it goes!
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September 23, 2014 6:52:53 PM

Update time! Got the Swiftech installed and running great. Instillation was quick and painless. Immediately I noticed a drop in noise as well as temperature! I edit a lot of videos, and before rendering them was a problem. No more! My system kept it at 65 the whole time! Could not be happier! Thank you Vexillarius for the idea of purchasing the H220X. Also thank you to everyone who submitted!
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a b K Overclocking
September 24, 2014 3:48:56 AM

Awesome, glad to hear it's working out!
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