View Full Version : To watercool or not?
jEnkinsX
Jun 2nd, 2006, 02:53 PM
Advantages? disadvantages?
is it beter to just buy a kit or buy each item individually?
can ppl that are watercooling kindly post some sexy pictures :) ty
cipher
Jun 2nd, 2006, 03:34 PM
If you're watercooling so that you can overclock, why not just buy a faster CPU? Why spend all that money on water cooling when that money can go towards the CPU?
Fallen_Paladin
Jun 2nd, 2006, 03:43 PM
If you're watercooling so that you can overclock, why not just buy a faster CPU? Why spend all that money on water cooling when that money can go towards the CPU?
Hot parts break. Watercooling can help prolong the life span of your components (as long as it doesn't spring a leak) I suppose.
Besides, maybe he already has some of the best components and just wants to make em better by overclocking?
supernerd
Jun 2nd, 2006, 03:45 PM
If you're watercooling so that you can overclock, why not just buy a faster CPU? Why spend all that money on water cooling when that money can go towards the CPU?
because the overclocking you get might be more than increase you can buy with the same amount of money.
other benefits of water:
- generally quieter than most air options.
- its a geeky thing to do -- which, for geeks, is cool (no pun intended) and fun.
- it can replace your chipset and video cooling solutions at the same time.
cons:
- it costs $$$
- it takes more effort to install
- if you're not careful, it can leak
- draws more power (you gotta power the pump and one or more fans)
- takes up more space (but in a way, this is a benefit as well, as your cooling options are no longer restricted to simply what you can attach to the CPU)
Silver Bullet
Jun 2nd, 2006, 03:46 PM
If your sig config is the one you plan on overclocking, i would just upgrade your chip to a good Opty 170 and OC it up to around 2.7/8Ghz. That should keep you going for a while longer until you upgrade to AM2 or Core. WC is just too expensive to be worth it on such a low powered chip. I would spend the $350/$400 on getting a good stepping Opty 170 and an IS-120 and fan than getting WC'ing and OCing your rather out of date 3200+