# Debating Water Cooling



## Darth Peen (Apr 14, 2016)

So I definitely need better cooling for my new rig, and I am debating to get nice fans or to try out water cooling. I have no idea how to go about water cooling, and have heard its overkill. Basically what I want to know is if it will benefit me enough to merit it, I am willing to spend the money if it means silent cooling and not having to worry about temps at all. I just don't quite understand how it effectively cools the system. The kits I see have a pump and reservoir that connect to the CPU. This doesn't seem like it would cool the system off, only the processor. 

Current specs:
Fractal Define r5 case
i5 6600k processor
Gigabyte 980ti G1
Asus z170 deluxe mobo
16gb Crucial DDR4
750w Firepower Silencer MK III PSU
Samsung 840 EVO 250gb (OS drive)
OCZ agility3 125gb SSD
2TB HHD


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## Aus_Karlos (Mar 10, 2007)

The majority of the heat comes from the CPU and GPU and you'll still need case fans to push some minor heat from the other components out the case. 
I'm also contemplating liquid cooling because i love to overclock my system. But at the moment it seems aftermarket heatsinks and high quality case fans are doing the trick. 

However saying that i thinks its beneficial to have the GPU liquid cooled especially if you have a multi-GPU setup. It can get quite nosy with two GPUs fans cranked right up.

When choosing a cooling kit stay away from the premade stuff like Corsair Hydro series, my Noctus D14 blows the Corsiar H100i out of the water. I tested the H100i on this rig and with a decent CPU OC and was reaching 75-80c with the liquid cooler. The Noctus keeps it at 62c.


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## Darth Peen (Apr 14, 2016)

Thanks for the input, so you think it's worth looping the GPU?


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## Aus_Karlos (Mar 10, 2007)

If you want to loop the GPU in get the full sized water block. These cover the entire GPU and its VRAM which will also get hot. A GPU block that only covers the processor isn't worth it.

The other thing to consider is where to mount the radiators, the point of radiators is to remove the heat from the component. Placing the radiators over the fan exhaust ports of a case or mounting them inside the case in my opinion is negating the effect of removing the heat. 
Your not only reducing the overall airflow through the case to remove excess heat but your still containing the heat to the case.

Im purchasing this case in a couple of weeks.
https://www.thermaltake.com.au/products-model.aspx?id=C_00002562

It has two main compartments, components and liquid cooling. The radiators are located in a separate compartment from the GPU, CPU, M/B and HDD. This reduces the ambient temperature around the components. 
Its a big case but if you really want to get into liquid cooling this would be the way to go.


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## Fjandr (Sep 26, 2012)

This video helps dispel some tenacious misconceptions about radiator placement and how they affect cooling efficiency.


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