Putting my toe in the water

[muse108dc]

How would I go around water cooling my CPU, and is it worthwhile to only go for the cpu? I'm not exactly sure how much I want to spend, well as little at I can, so I cant exactly water cool my entire pc but for my next pc I think I want to at least get my cpu as I dont really change that that often and it might be beneficial to my overclock.

So what exactly would I need, thinking of getting a HAF as well, for the best temps per dollar?

[enaberif]

Depends on what you plan to do with your machine.

Push overclocking? Water is necessary.
Just a minor overclock? Go for air.

[odis172]

Well todays graphics cards are bottlenecked by the cpu, so a good overclock can do alot. What are your system specs? In terms of cost your looking at least 100, not much more then that if you pick up some used parts.

[muse108dc]

Well it will be an i7 920 most probrably (unless Deneb is completely epic) and I do quite enjoy a nice overclock, current one is probrably pushing it a little on air. If it keeps the temps down significantly over air and extends the life of the processor due to those lower temps. Probably money will make me go air again but I just want to see how much it would take and what I would need.

[enaberif]

Originally Posted by odis172

Well todays graphics cards are bottlenecked by the cpu, so a good overclock can do alot. What are your system specs? In terms of cost your looking at least 100, not much more then that if you pick up some used parts.

The difference between 3ghz and 4ghz in processing vs gpu is so minimal that you maybe gain perhaps 5-10fps in games.

Originally Posted by muse108dc

Well it will be an i7 920 most probrably (unless Deneb is completely epic) and I do quite enjoy a nice overclock, current one is probrably pushing it a little on air. If it keeps the temps down significantly over air and extends the life of the processor due to those lower temps. Probably money will make me go air again but I just want to see how much it would take and what I would need.

Until overclocking actually proves to be beneficial with the new i7 chips theres no real need yet to water cool them.

[Sniper]

I'd say just keep your eyes open for some used gear. It's everywhere you look lately to. Pick up a used dual or triple rad, pump, Fusion V1, V2, GTX or supreme for cpu, res then whatever you want for hoses, clamps, barbs ect. You could come out in the 2-300 area if your lucky & find the parts cheap enough.

[Sniper]

Originally Posted by enaberif

The difference between 3ghz and 4ghz in processing vs gpu is so minimal that you maybe gain perhaps 5-10fps in games.



Until overclocking actually proves to be beneficial with the new i7 chips theres no real need yet to water cool them.

They will need to be WC if your trying to get a half decent OC out of them. Remember the memory controller is in there now & not in the NB right. Added heat there without a doubt.

[Chilly]

If your just looking to cool the CPU a basic shopping list would be this,

Pump - MCP355 or MCP655
Rad - Some sort of 120.2 or 120.3(ie, dual or triple), I recommend the PA, or the MCR series
Block - I personally recommend the Swiftech GTZ, but the Fusion and EK Supreme are also VERY nice blocks
Res - I'd recommend the Micro Res V2, but with this aspect you can't really go wrong, you could use a pop can(and some people HAVE) for this purpose

Your looking at around 150-250 used or 200-300 new. That said, once you have the basics, future upgrading can be done relatively cheap.

[CanadaRox]

My recommendation is pretty much the same as Chillly's. MCP355 (with an after-market top) or the MCP655. For the rad, I'd suggest getting the MCR220 (Swiftech's dual 120mm rad) as its cheap and effective. If you are planning on putting you GPU(s) on the same loop in the future, I would recommend stepping up to the MCR320, or plan to have room for an extra rad. For the CPU block, the Swiftech GTZ is a great block and a bit cheaper than the Fuzion and Supreme, while still offering nearly identical performance. The reservoir is all up to you. For on a budget, a t-line would be best, but they can be a PITA to fill/drain/bleed. The Zalman ZM-F3's are great with their low noise adapater and can be gotten for cheap if you price match them at NCIX.