Joined
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2,845 Posts
Rukkee/DrDeville,
I've got a BigWater SE kit - It shaved 9°C or so off my full load temps (3.0GHz Pressy @ 3.6GHz) compared to my previous air cooling, which was an XP90 with a 92mm SilenX fan on top with another 92mm SilenX feeding that with cool air from out-side the case. It has also lowered my idle temps (not that they're really all that important) to (sometimes) as low as 30°C.
I know the water cooling guys on here know their stuff and know that, performance/price wise, it's better to build a custom set-up, but their seemingly profound dislike for off-the-shelf water cooling kits isn't entirely justified IMO.
If you're new to water cooling (like me) and just want to try it out without concerning yourself too much with the multitudinous minutiae of custom kits, off-the-shelf kits are a good option. They will (in my experience) yield better performance than even very good air-cooling and are simple enough to set up, so that the majority of noobs will have no trouble. If, at a later stage, you decide water cooling is going to be a permanent feature of your current and future rigs, you can always upgrade to a custom build, or simply upgrade your existing kit, bit by bit.
Good luck with the new water cooling Rukkee!
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Highly-Annoyed
I've got a BigWater SE kit - It shaved 9°C or so off my full load temps (3.0GHz Pressy @ 3.6GHz) compared to my previous air cooling, which was an XP90 with a 92mm SilenX fan on top with another 92mm SilenX feeding that with cool air from out-side the case. It has also lowered my idle temps (not that they're really all that important) to (sometimes) as low as 30°C.
I know the water cooling guys on here know their stuff and know that, performance/price wise, it's better to build a custom set-up, but their seemingly profound dislike for off-the-shelf water cooling kits isn't entirely justified IMO.
If you're new to water cooling (like me) and just want to try it out without concerning yourself too much with the multitudinous minutiae of custom kits, off-the-shelf kits are a good option. They will (in my experience) yield better performance than even very good air-cooling and are simple enough to set up, so that the majority of noobs will have no trouble. If, at a later stage, you decide water cooling is going to be a permanent feature of your current and future rigs, you can always upgrade to a custom build, or simply upgrade your existing kit, bit by bit.
Good luck with the new water cooling Rukkee!
Highly-Annoyed
