Water cooling for PC, yay or nay ?

Lukeyson · 02-03-2006, 02:13 PM

AS the title suggests, does water cooling offer any extra cooling advantage than some good fans ?
I have a Thermaltake Tsunami Dream case on my pc, and its got 3 fans built into the case, but its in a fairly enclosed area (because of space and its not dusty at all where it is) so i am considering water cooling, as i do alot of video rendering and it gets quite warm.

Luke

ON_DUBS · 02-03-2006, 03:01 PM

if u dont mind the pump.

performance wise u wont notice a difference between a water-cooled or fan cooled case. water cooling helps with overclocking a bit but hey if you can afford it and install it yourself then why not

max^power · 02-03-2006, 03:31 PM

Is the machine on 24x7?

Lukeyson · 02-03-2006, 03:42 PM

yes its on 24x7, normally i set it up to render jobs through the night.
not going really for performance, just cooler has to make everything last a bit longer?

goldfire · 02-03-2006, 03:45 PM

yeah water cooling is good, i your cpu ir running at say 60 deg under full load, a good water cooling solution should bring that down to the high 40's low 50's. will help with stability.

However you still need case cooling and air management solutions as well, so my suggestion would be to study the airflow in and around your case, where is it being drawn in, where is it being exhausted etc.

I can go over this more with you later if you want.

chief · 02-03-2006, 07:06 PM

If your leaving it on all night to render then it will be good for it. Just don't listen to the water pump.

:

347_XR8 · 02-03-2006, 07:36 PM

I got a Soprano case (step down from the Tsunami Dream). Seems to hepld up to high temps pretty well. Wouldn;t like it for a long time tho.
If you are going to go water cooled make sure EVERYTHING in the case is insured.

svo347 · 02-03-2006, 07:42 PM

or just spend that extra for a refrigerated system.

LUXO_8 · 02-03-2006, 07:53 PM

just get a fridge / freezer combo, in the room where the pc is....pc in freezer, beer in fridge, hmmmmmm beer

jonk · 02-03-2006, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goldfire

yeah water cooling is good, i your cpu ir running at say 60 deg under full load, a good water cooling solution should bring that down to the high 40's low 50's. will help with stability.

However you still need case cooling and air management solutions as well, so my suggestion would be to study the airflow in and around your case, where is it being drawn in, where is it being exhausted etc.

I can go over this more with you later if you want.

Your kidding right !?

My tsunami dream case has the cpu sitting at 36 deg with just normal air cooling !

A proper liquid cooling setup should get you to between 10's - 20's no prob... overclocking though is a different matter.

Martyvan · 02-03-2006, 09:21 PM

My Pc with just the sides off runs around 33 @ night and 40 during the day. Doesnt even have a case fan, only a CPU fan. But in saying that, the cooler the temp of the CPU/Case, the more efficient everything can run, and it may make expensive equipment last longer.

It even be cheaper to get a room air con(some are only $299), so the intake temp of the current setup would be a bit lower?

max^power · 02-03-2006, 09:36 PM

proper cooling care should be taken on your hard drives too, as they will get very hot. (mine were with little to no load 24x7), what ever solution you decide on, make sure to remember your hard drives - i didn't and lost 4 of them in 9 months :P

efgiar · 02-03-2006, 09:43 PM

i was running a custom water cooling setup a while back, quote from aussiefalcon: performance wise u wont notice a difference between a water-cooled or fan cooled case.:

BULL, i had my water cooling setup to run 11degres constantly! were the standard fan ran 35. the BEST and quietest water cooling out now is the zalman resenator cooler, its well worth the money and VERY quiet with optional GPU cooling block. go for that one.

edit: i was running a 240volt 1/2 inch garden pump, with 1/2 inch tubing and a cyclone water block, i used an xf heater core aswell, no fans

edit2: when you do it, use DISTILLED water, as it doesnt conduct electricity, there is a video clip going around of a guy using some type of oil, running it at -60 IIRC (yes 60 degrees below zero)

MITCHAY · 02-03-2006, 09:47 PM

There's a cool solution for everyone!

efgiar · 02-03-2006, 09:48 PM

the only thing id worry about putting it in a fridge is condensation will fry your hardware. has been done before but not easily done without alot of knowledge

LUXO_8 · 02-03-2006, 09:48 PM

obviously a nerds fridge / cooling setup... i see no alcohol!

Big_Fella · 03-03-2006, 12:07 AM

go a refidgerated system, if ur that worried.
But with yours though, I dont think those cases have exhaust fans up top, so i add one or two there, depending on what you can fit. duct another to your cpu, are you running amd or intel? i recomend the 'Thermaltake Big Typhoon' for your cpu, if amd. thermaltake offer quite a few quiet fans which work really well. And even a hard-drive cooler too. Its a bummer the you can only fit one up front, but i think that'll cool down your comp enough. Add a suitable fan speed and temp function panel and your set. crank them up at night when ur in bed, then slow them down if its too loud when ur on it. Depends how deep your pockets are i supose....
i have a mate using 12 fans, but i think thats a little silly. I questioned that one day and he said " because fans are soooo cool " i thought.... richard cranium