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Do I need watercooling or not for this new build?

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 Thread : Do I need watercooling or not for this new build?
 
Profile: stranger
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I plan on building a new gaming system in November/December when i return from overseas.  Here is a list of my components so far:
 
CPU                 Intel duo core 6600   325.00
M/B                 Asus P5W DH Deluxe   287.00
RAM                 Corsair 2gb xms2/800  250.00
CPU COOLER  Asetek High-End Kit (03-L-1242)                  269.00
CPU COOLER Zalman 9500                    65.00
SOUNG CARD Sound Blaster -X Fi                  137.00
VIDEO CARD ATI X1900xt 512mb                  330.00
H/D  1  Seagate Raptor 74GB   160.00
H/D  2  Seagate 750GB    330.00
DVD 1  LG GSA-H10A 16X     40.00
DVD 2  LG GSA-H10A 16X     40.00
Case  Antec P180   150.00
P/S  Seasonic S-12 600W   155.00
19" LCD Monitor Viewsonic VX 922   255.00
 
Prices are mostly from Pricewatch.com.  The double LG's are for burning, of course and if anyone knows better ones, please feel free to chime in!  
I plan on gaming on this system and am not sure whether or not it needs the water cooling kit.  I DO plan on overclocking the CPU and Video card, but not excessively.  Games will include Oblivion, Fear, RTS and WOW.  Resolution for most games will be 1600x1200 max.  I Would appreciate any help/suggestions!
Thanks

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WR2
Profile: Honorary Poster
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Quote :

I DO plan on overclocking the CPU and Video card, but not excessively.  Games will include Oblivion, Fear, RTS and WOW.  Resolution for most games will be 1600x1200 max.

Excessive = watercooling.  Zalman 9500 will do just fine for you and save $200.
 
If you are getting the Viewsonic VX922 for gaming then you'll be using 1280x1024 resolution.
Or was I missing something here?

Profile: Eternal Poster
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I agree that watercooling is overkill.
However, the Zalman 9500 is not a good choice, because it doesn't comply with the 2nd part of Intel's thermal spec, which requires the CPU fan to blow air down onto the MB and out in all directions to cool the nearby PWM components, and (in your MB) the big radiator from the northbridge.  Get a flower-style hsf instead, such as the Intel OEM, Golden/Blue Orb II, or Zalman 7700.

Profile: Ancient Poster
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I dont think you would need water cooling if you arent going to OC like there was no tomorrow.
The Scythe Infinity or Scythe Ninja paired with a high RPM (<1600RPM), the Silverstone FM121 is the best ive seen so far.
 
If yould got some money laying around and would want to get into water cooling I would get a custom kit from dangerden.com or swiftech.com Theyll outperform any other "kit" in the market.
 
I will soon post my buyers guide (ill be a sticky dont worry) where you can get many other recommendations for your setup.

Profile: journeyman
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For DVD burning duties I always vote for Plextor, Ive had one for 4 yrs and have had no problems with it. Also, save some dough and just get one burner, a little slower but the extra cash could be used on something else. My .02

Profile: stranger
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Thanks for the advice!  Upon further research, i discovered you were exactly right.  I just hope a zalman 7700 will fit on my mb without to many problems.  Zalman apparently is still updating their "compatability with mb xyz" part of their website.

Profile: Ancient Poster
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Quote :

Thanks for the advice!  Upon further research, i discovered you were exactly right.  I just hope a zalman 7700 will fit on my mb without to many problems.  Zalman apparently is still updating their "compatability with mb xyz" part of their website.


 
No dude dont go with zalman they make horrible overpriced products, they just look good thats all.
 

Quote :

The Scythe Infinity or Scythe Ninja paired with a high RPM (<1600RPM), the Silverstone FM121 is the best ive seen so far.


 
The Thermalright Ultra-120 is another one to consider.

Profile: stranger
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Thanks for the tips, never heard of 'Dangerden.com' before but looking their site up...impressive stuff for noob water cooling.

Profile: enthusiast
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i think water cooling is overkill, the only reason that i got it for my build is so that my comp will look kool with my case. The Scythe Ninja with a blue fan will work fine

Profile: Honorary Poster
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My advice, you don't need watercooling unless your really going to push your FSB, and it doesn't sound like you are. However, if you want to run a quiet PC, then watercooling might be an option, but your graphics card is going to drown out everything else anyways...
 
Nov/Dec... get a DX10 card...
 
Scythe Infinity in a push/pull would rape all configurations. If you want, you can get a TEC like Titan Amanda or Vigor Monsoon. Your choice.
 
Samsung 18x DVD-burner is nice, or the NEC-3550.

Profile: stranger
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I was also considering a Asetek VapoChill Micro.  The review I saw for it was amazing, as good as water cooling it looked like!

Profile: addict
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I agree with others that have posted in saying you need a "flower style" or other cpu cooler.
 
No one mentioned a good VGA cooler for you yet. If you're going for air cooling then the Accelero is pretty good from what I've read.
 
I wouldn't get the Scythe Ninja because (unless I'm wrong) I'm pretty sure that blows "across" the heatsink just like the Zalman 9500 does. You want as stated before something blowing vertically such as Big Typhoon or Zalman 7700
 
There may indeed be a better heatsink by a degree or two out there than these suggestions but they are just that, suggestions. :)

Profile: addict
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Forgot about the Vapochill Micro. For its size it is a good cooler. If you can find a comparison of any of the other heatsinks people have suggested I'm sure you can make a good choice. I've given more thought to the passive sinks on your mainboard and I was a bit hasty maybe. If you aren't going to extremes overclocking then just the normal turbulence in your case might be enough cooling for those assuming you have a good intake in the front and good fan to exhaust the air out the back.

Profile: Ancient Poster
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Quote :


I wouldn't get the Scythe Ninja because (unless I'm wrong) I'm pretty sure that blows "across" the heatsink just like the Zalman 9500 does. You want as stated before something blowing vertically such as Big Typhoon or Zalman 7700
 
There may indeed be a better heatsink by a degree or two out there than these suggestions but they are just that, suggestions. :)


 
These is actually beneficial because you can set it to blow across and then directly into the exahust fan at the back of your case so the hot air wont keep on circulating like a top-blowing HSF would.
You can also attach a second fan to the Scythe Ninja and Infinity in a push&pull setup to get that hot air out of the case even faster.
The Big Typhoon is a nice cooler, although not a top performing one.


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