OK. .. I was at Comp USA the other day and the salesman was trying to sell me a water cooler for my CPU. I told him I was going to go with a  Nocuta CPU Fan (which was recommended on the board a few times) but he kept trying to tell me this corsair water cooler is better than any kind of fan.
 
So which is correc?
 
Let's just say that I have a Intel i7-2600k Sandy bridge CPU overclocked to 3.8 to 4.0.
 
which would be better. Fan Cooler or water cooler?
 
Clifford

How loud is that water cooler's pump?  I say just go with a fan, there's less to go wrong and there are known quiet ones.  If the salesman that is pushing a water cooler has no experience building DAWs, then I wouldn't listen to a thing he had to say.

While I can't say I've seen water cooling in person, I've usually only heard of people using it when they are highly overclocking the machine.  Typically in those cases the water cooling solution will work better and will be quieter than a million fans.  That said, I don't think you need to do anything crazy with a DAW machine and water cooling is going to be overkill. 

I don't think you are overclocking that processor so much that you need water cooling.  People on newegg are claiming to get that processor to 4.4 using aftermarket fans.  Usual comment however is the stock heat sink is a joke so it isn't recommended you OC with that.

but he kept trying to tell me this corsair water cooler is better than any kind of fan.

 
The Corsair self-contained water coolers are OK.
Top tier air cooling is slightly superior to the Corsair H50 (lower temps)
 
You have a fan either way.
The radiator has to have a fan blowing over it.
With water cooling, you also have a pump.
The Corsair pumps aren't particularly loud... but they're not silent.
Outside of self-contained units, water cooling is more of a PITA than its worth.
 
You can run a SandyBridge 2600k at 4.5GHz (cool and quiet) with a top-tier air cooler.
 

tarsier


How loud is that water cooler's pump?  I say just go with a fan, there's less to go wrong and there are known quiet ones.  If the salesman that is pushing a water cooler has no experience building DAWs, then I wouldn't listen to a thing he had to say.

 
Well that is exactly what I was thinking as well........So we are on the same page...Thanks for your thought
 
Clifford

xxxlambo


While I can't say I've seen water cooling in person, I've usually only heard of people using it when they are highly overclocking the machine.  Typically in those cases the water cooling solution will work better and will be quieter than a million fans.  That said, I don't think you need to do anything crazy with a DAW machine and water cooling is going to be overkill. 

I don't think you are overclocking that processor so much that you need water cooling.  People on newegg are claiming to get that processor to 4.4 using aftermarket fans.  Usual comment however is the stock heat sink is a joke so it isn't recommended you OC with that.

 
Well that is why I was thinking of only OC ing just a little IF any ......stability for me is most important....and besides upgrading to and i7 2600k  I'm thinking will be a step I will notice so OC'ing may not even be a called for.....
 
so this is really just a thought on comparison......
 
Thanks for your thoughts
 
Clifford

Jim Roseberry

but he kept trying to tell me this corsair water cooler is better than any kind of fan.

 
The Corsair self-contained water coolers are OK.
Top tier air cooling is slightly superior to the Corsair H50 (lower temps)
 
You have a fan either way.
The radiator has to have a fan blowing over it.
With water cooling, you also have a pump.
The Corsair pumps aren't particularly loud... but they're not silent.
Outside of self-contained units, water cooling is more of a PITA than its worth.
 
You can run a SandyBridge 2600k at 4.5GHz (cool and quiet) with a top-tier air cooler.
 
Jim
You know how much I respect your opinion and this is good reasoning for going with a fan.
 
I already have a fan picked out and intended to go that route.....but I still wanted other opinions....The Corsair unit he was showing me was a self contained unit....but I still thinking about what happens if they leak? or what kind of maintainence do they need and is it really more work that I need to put into it.....
 
So I am really thinking fan.......If I do OC it will be no more than 4.0 if that.... I really want a stable system......and of course quite as well.....
 
Thank you for your thoughts and guidance.
 
Clifford
 

for water cooled i prefer the cool-it systems as they are quiet but as mentioned way overkill
the Noctua would be best. we do 4.5 to 4.7 GHz OCs all day long with them. and yes quiet.

jcschild


for water cooled i prefer the cool-it systems as they are quiet but as mentioned way overkill
the Noctua would be best. we do 4.5 to 4.7 GHz OCs all day long with them. and yes quiet.

Thanks for the  help on this. You and Jim provide a wealth of information to the rest of us and it is much appreciated.
 
I have a CPU fan picked out based on your suggestion to some one else in this column and intend on following that advice.
 
I have always been told Zalman fans are the quietest and have never heard of the Noctua fans before....but I figure since you build all day your two guys know way more than I will ever hope to.
 
but you OC that much huh?.....and you have no issues with stability? That is good to hear. Cause I really want stability.....and quiet.....
 
Clifford

i can hit 5GHz on air (well have hit) but its not common nor would i consider selling it that high
but 4.5 all day long 100% stable. 4.7 is not uncommon.

mind you we are very conservative with voltage increase etc for professional workstations.
(heat, noise, stability, warranty all that jazz)

if i were doing gaming systems i would be selling the 5GHz+ and water cooled