# [SOLVED] Is water cooling just marketing hype?



## kkid106 (Sep 21, 2011)

I noticed that in your recommended builds page for 2013 it says that there is no benefit to water cooling and it merely introduces the risk of leaks. Is this true? If so, why do people watercool?


----------



## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

*Re: Is water cooling just marketing hype?*

They like the looks of the tubes.

People also claim that it is quieter which is not true due to you hear the sounds from the pump and fans on the radiator.

Air cooling is just fine and will never leak water. Besides, who though it was a good idea to put water next to many electric parts?


----------



## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

*Re: Is water cooling just marketing hype?*

Water cooling is quieter, does cool better but requires a lot more preventive maintenance then air cooling. Back in the days of a Pentium 4 when overclocking provided a larger benefit and the CPU ran a lot warmer then today it was worth it.
Today what we all see is a builder who is avid about water cooling and overclocking then in a year and half to 2 years it wears off and the inspections and cleaning stops the hoses crack and leak coolant onto the components, or the fluid breaks down leaving deposits in the water blocks effecting cooling ability. 
Bottom line does it work - yes, is it worth it in the long run - no.

Here is thread from a former Manager at TSF and issues he had with what was at the time a high end water cooling system> http://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f76/water-cooling-problems-a-sitrep-376303.html

And no the current favorite self contained systems are not better.


----------



## Fjandr (Sep 26, 2012)

*Re: Is water cooling just marketing hype?*

Water coolers actually don't use water. Most use non-conductive coolants so that they don't fry circuitry if there's a leak.


----------



## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

*Re: Is water cooling just marketing hype?*

And yet when it puddles on a video card it still fries it.


----------



## Fjandr (Sep 26, 2012)

*Re: Is water cooling just marketing hype?*

Then the coolant isn't actually non-conductive. :smile:

I'm sure there are manufacturers out there who lie about the actual content of their product.


----------



## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

*Re: Is water cooling just marketing hype?*

Just to add to what everyone else has already said...

Just as important as your chip-cooling solution is overall system cooling.

Even though the chips (CPU/GPU) produce the most heat and require the most aggressive cooling, the rest of the components in your system require cooling as well.

A mistake many novices make, especially when water-cooling, is they neglect overall system airflow.

In the real-world (normal PC use - No OC) water-cooling offers little benefit over the traditional HS/F combination. With modern heat-sink technology and temperature controlled fan-speeds, a well set up PC that is air cooled will run quietly and keep the system well within it's operating temperature range.

In the case of an over-clocked system and/or one that is used for heavy gaming (max res for hours on end) a well set-up and maintained water-cooling system will be able to shed heat more efficiently and quietly than most Air cooling systems. But are MUCH more expensive.

*In my opinion*, the mainstream, closed-loop liquid cooling systems (i.e. Corsair H80) offer no real benefit to a comparable air cooling system. The only way to reap any benefits from liquid cooling is to use a well designed system that fits that particular application.

I must also point out that there is a clause in most Retail CPU warranty information that the use of any cooler but the one provided will void the CPUs warranty...


----------



## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Is water cooling just marketing hype?*

Best option, to void any concerns, is to use air and the OEM heatsink/fan is usually quite capable.


----------



## T_Rex (Oct 21, 2012)

*Re: Is water cooling just marketing hype?*

^Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO is 95% of most H20 units, and quiet too. If you run a non OC'ed system standard air cooling with he stock HSF is good enough with the exception of the FX 8320/8350. With those processors you can use the stock cooler if your case is already setup for good cooling. 

If you care to keep your warranty in your CPU I would seriously advise just using your stock cooler.


----------



## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: Is water cooling just marketing hype?*



kkid106 said:


> If so, why do people watercool?


Primarily because they are uninformed or misinformed. 
Liquid cooling sounds like a great thing but, in reality, rarely offers any benefit. 
Much like multiple GPU's, large amounts of RAM, a multitude of case fans, etc.


----------



## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

*Re: Is water cooling just marketing hype?*

No sense in my adding to what has already been said but also to reemphasize that today's systems run much cooler to begin with as Wrench suggested than the old P4 Prescott cpus or Athlon XP cpus you could fry eggs on.


----------



## Rataru101 (Aug 12, 2008)

*Re: Is water cooling just marketing hype?*

I use liquid cooling... And here's a secret... :uhoh: It's not even hooked up to anything! The air flow in my rig is plenty. Even OC'd, i've enevr had a problem. The only stock heatsink I dont have is for my CPU. 

The only reason I have it in my rig is for the look. The liquid is UV responsive so it glows a nice green color, and makes it look fancy. 

I will say this! My resivour/pump is fairly decent and keep the water temture very cold. (As its not runnign through any components to warm it up) Cold enough that just putting my hand near (not on) the tubing, I can feel the cool air. So, i suppose that, very slightly, helps keep the case cool also.


----------



## upscaleDM (Aug 22, 2013)

*Re: Is water cooling just marketing hype?*



Masterchiefxx17 said:


> They like the looks of the tubes.


Really? Don't you think that opinion is a little biased? Not wishing to start a fight here, but I have to disagree whole heartedly.



> People also claim that it is quieter which is not true due to you hear the sounds from the pump and fans on the radiator.


PWM controlled fans and pumps are quieter, especially when run at lower speeds. Granted, PWM fans, pumps and controllers come with a price tag to match, but they also come with like benefits. 



> Air cooling is just fine and will never leak water. Besides, who thought it was a good idea to put water next to many electric parts?


Water is much more effective at carrying away heat than air. Consider a radiator in a car. If air was as effective an agent in carrying away heat, cars would wouldn't be using fluid filled radiators to eliminate that heat.

As far as water next to so many electric parts go, there are non conductive cooling fluids available. And, it's very highly recommended to properly test your water cooling setup a suitable amount of time away from your electronics before actual use.


----------



## upscaleDM (Aug 22, 2013)

*Re: Is water cooling just marketing hype?*



Rataru101 said:


> I use liquid cooling... And here's a secret... :uhoh: It's not even hooked up to anything! The air flow in my rig is plenty.
> 
> The only reason I have it in my rig is for the look. The liquid is UV responsive so it glows a nice green color, and makes it look fancy.


If just having UV light effects were all you wanted, you could have just used UV tubing, UV light and no fluid at all. :smile:


----------

