Why can't Air & Water cooling exist in one unit?

[joneemcdowell]

I'm just wondering why can't there be a product that combines a CPU waterblock that includes heatpipes with fins? That way I can benefit from water cooling and fans cooling.

 

[belial2k]

water cooling does use air cooling for the radiator...you would gain little by adding heat pipes to the water block, and it would make it very hard to plumb. TEC cooling uses hybrid air/heatpipe fan cooling most of the time.

 

[joneemcdowell]

Thanks belial2k for the insight... I've just graduated from CSUN with my M.I.S. degree and boy after reading some of the threads that all of you post, I feel way behind on the technology. What would you say is the best water cooling setups out there that I can put together? My girl friends and I are planning to setup a gaming cafe next to our university, and we need some badass attractions.

 

[xc0mmiex]

are you looking for the looks, or performance, or price?

 

[belial2k]

There are a lot of variables involved as the above post points out....and to do water right it is not cheap. How many machines do you want, and what is your budget per machine? I would think water cooling would be out of the question for your intended purpose do to the potential for damage, expense, and maintaining them. A lot will depend on the monitors you choose...the lower the resolution the lower the demands on the machine. Of course if you want a couple of showcase machines you don't let any idiots touch you could maybe do it to those. But just my guess, if a bunch of girls are running a gaming cafe you will already have all the "attractions" you need to be a maximum capacity.

 

[joneemcdowell]

There are a lot of variables involved as the above post points out....and to do water right it is not cheap. How many machines do you want, and what is your budget per machine? I would think water cooling would be out of the question for your intended purpose do to the potential for damage, expense, and maintaining them. A lot will depend on the monitors you choose...the lower the resolution the lower the demands on the machine. Of course if you want a couple of showcase machines you don't let any idiots touch you could maybe do it to those. But just my guess, if a bunch of girls are running a gaming cafe you will already have all the "attractions" you need to be a maximum capacity.

Well, to grade my own looks, I'm not hot, but fairly cute. But I can't say the same for my I.T. girlfriends, they are not much of lookers if you know what I mean. I might have stock a full bar if I plan to attract clients based on the chicks that work there. But I do want to show case a few PC's but don't want break the bank either. The cheapest way to go is core i7 920 D0 stepping. I see alot of people can get it up to 4.2Ghz. I read up on the Ikonic Ra x10 watercooled case that might resolve my concerns, but it's boring going that direction. I really like the danger dan cases, but are they the way to go? Can you give me a few recommandations? What would you pick for your parts?

 

[belial2k]

I have used several different brands, and basically it all comes down to the radiator. And bigger is better. The more fans and more surface area, the more it will cool. A pump is a pump, fittings are fittings, and waterblocks are pretty basic. If you do your research and know the basic plumbing, it will all come down to what radiator you use. The smaller compact water units are really no better than air cooling, you really need a unit with 3 120s or more to make the trouble of water cooling worthwhile. I really don't know what is best on the current market, as I've moved to TEC cooling for most of my extreme rigs. If you are just looking for good overclocks, any good air cooler will get you over 4.0 with the D0 stepping.