Help with Watercooling

[evamvid]

If I were to OC an i7, and water cool it, How much would it cost, and how hard would it be to implement for a first time builder?

 

[rubix_1011]

Have you read through the Watercooling Sticky?

How much would it cost

Depends on budget and expectations.

and how hard would it be to implement for a first time builder?

Depends on how much knowledge you pick up and employ during this process. We're here to help, don't get me wrong, but we also aren't going to just give you all the answers. Why? 1) Because only you can answer some of these questions, 2) It doesn't help you learn and understand what you need and how to use it, 3) we can't be there 24/7, so the more you know, the more you know!

First off, what is your cooling budget? Second, what are your intended overclocks and performance expectations? Third, have your read the sticky yet?

 

[inzone]

I learned everything the hard way by doing it myself and would have like to have had a place to ask questions like this place. I started water cooling long before I started coming here so now I will gladly help someone out but as rubix has said you have to do things yourself sometimes because that's the best way to learn and when you stuck or want some advice then this is the place to come to.
Some people will water cool every part in their computer and other people will just want to do the cpu or just the video cards.
Heavy gamers will want to do the video cards and people who want to get high overclocks on thier cpu will water cool that.
So if your just water cooling the cpu you still need the main parts , the resivoir , pump , radiator and cpu water block. There are several of each part to choose from and the prices vary. You can also get a kit which gives you all the parts in a kit and instructions on how to set it up.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=59_202_972&products_id=33588

This kit allows you to select certian parts to go with the kit and you may still need to buy some parts , like fittings and clamps and liif ports and drain ports.

 

[azed3000]

Well first time builder, i would recommend just getting a Corsair h80 watercooler which is ready made, would cost you about 120 dollars. Or a h100 if your box can support it. Its suffcient to overclock a bloomfield i7 to 4.4ghz, sandybridge i7 to 5ghz, ivy bridge to 5ghz, gulf-town to 5ghz.

 

[inzone]

That's not the same as putting a water cooling system together by yourself and it's really just like putting on a heatsink which will give you no experience at all. You need to put the parts together and see what it takes to run a water cooling system , that's the only way to gain experience.

 

[rubix_1011]

Well first time builder, i would recommend just getting a Corsair h80 watercooler which is ready made, would cost you about 120 dollars. Or a h100 if your box can support it. Its suffcient to overclock a bloomfield i7 to 4.4ghz, sandybridge i7 to 5ghz, ivy bridge to 5ghz, gulf-town to 5ghz.

Why would you spend that much on a cooler that performs as much as one 1/2 it's price? For a few dollars more you can actually get into real watercooling.

 

[azed3000]

Why would you spend that much on a cooler that performs as much as one 1/2 it's price? For a few dollars more you can actually get into real watercooling.

But his a first time builder? It would be easier for him to just get a ready made cooler, it will do the job fine for him with no worrys. My view is that custom watercooling is for the intermediate to experts, in the end its his choice but thats just my personal opinion. In my view its better to have a zero maintenance cooler for a first timer.

 

[Lutfij]

oh no this again...an H100 fanboy.

@ azed3000 - First timers always think they'll wreck something. Every person before getting a drivers licence feels the same way. When you learn how to take the curves, you're all set and provided your not drunk - you'll be the most reliable driver on the road.

FYI - I just plainly put it, assembling a watercooling kit isn't rocket science nor does it take calculus to accomplish. If you can install a regular air cooler on a motherboard then a watercooling kit won't be any challenge whatsoever.

@ inzone - I learnt the hard way too, but we don't just prescribe parts like they do on the homebuilt section we show people the ropes and without holding their hands while doing so.

*Learn how to perform the balancing act and you'll be off to a great system*

@ evamvid - like rubix+ inzone mentioned, reading the sticky is your best option in figuring things out.

** welcome to the wonderful world of real watercooling + hope this helps.

 

[azed3000]

oh no this again...an H100 fanboy.

@ azed3000 - First timers always think they'll wreck something. Every person before getting a drivers licence feels the same way. When you learn how to take the curves, you're all set and provided your not drunk - you'll be the most reliable driver on the road.

FYI - I just plainly put it, assembling a watercooling kit isn't rocket science nor does it take calculus to accomplish. If you can install a regular air cooler on a motherboard then a watercooling kit won't be any challenge whatsoever.

@ inzone - I learnt the hard way too, but we don't just prescribe parts like they do on the homebuilt section we show people the ropes and without holding their hands while doing so.

*Learn how to perform the balancing act and you'll be off to a great system*

@ evamvid - like rubix+ inzone mentioned, reading the sticky is your best option in figuring things out.

** welcome to the wonderful world of real watercooling + hope this helps.

Haha im not a fanboy =p But you seem to have made your point quite well, i was just suggesting the h100 since i thought it was the easiest option. Ive personally never purchased a custom watercooling kit so i didnt know the difficulty, hence why i assumed it was hard for a first timer to do. But your explanation proved me wrong =) Might invest in one myself now.

 

[inzone]

Buying and installing a closed loop water cooler is the same as installing a cpu heatsink , you gain no exerience from it since your not putting it together all your doing is bolting ths cooler to the cpu socket and screwing the fan/radiator to the case. 0 degree of diffeculty. Even a single loop with just the cpu being cooled will give a person experience with cutting tuging and attaching the tubing to the fittings and running the loop from the resivoir to the cpu block to the pump to the radiator will give you experience , filling and draining the system will give experience.

 

[rubix_1011]

Watercooling isn't that difficult, but if you don't want to take the time to research and determine what you need (or simply don't like connecting parts of a boxed kit) then a closed loop cooler is right for you.

Simply put- if you would otherwise choose air cooling, but want something a little different, a closed loop cooler would be your best choice.

 

[Proximon]

This topic has been closed by Proximon

 

[Proximon]

Best answer selected by Proximon.