Is liquid cooling worth it?

[firewall597]

Researching a new build for this winter season, and I was intrigued by the thought of water cooling. I've always just depended on good ol' Noctua HSF.

I won't be doing too much OC, and acoustics are a priority for me. I've heard a few peeps say that water cooling isn't necessarily quieter than a quality air solution, since the radiators require fans anyways. True?

The other angle is academic; I've built quite a few rigs in my day, but always with air. Is there a practical reason to learn how to install liquid cooling, or is it basically a specialty or boutique solution that I'll never have to consider? More trouble than it's worth, maybe?

 

[Gam3r01]

If you are going to be doing low to medium overclocks air is the better option, for the most part it will be quieter and will cool the same, if not better than liquid with medium OC. Liquid is really only worth it for heavy overclock and that would be something like the H100i. The fans on the radiators can get loud as well. So no to medium OC go air, for max OC go for high end liquid. Low end liquid gets out performed by air for the most part.
P.S. Marshmallows.