Liquid CPU Cooler....worth it?

[NDBoost]

Coolermaster H80 - upgraded 120mm fan, and added an additional fan for push/pull. With the fans on full blast, I can run my i7 920 D0 @ 4.2ghz stable with temps in 120-140F range

 

[Daniel8902]

Just because you are OC, go with Liquid, but you should buy the "good" ones, cuz the cheaps and even the expensive ones may leak, you have to search in internet to see how many cases of leaks show up in the options that you have thought to buy, but for OC the best option is a Liquid cooler.

 

[Solidww]

I have been using an Antec 620 with two fans for a while now. I wasn't able to push a i7-875K past 3.8 Ghz without it getting too hot in my opinion. Could have just been the chip I personally had thought.

I used this cooler with an i5-3570K and was able to push to 4.5 Ghz reliably. I backed off too 4.3 though for reliability reasons as I prefer to keep computers for 3-5 years.

The pump noises most have experienced I have never had an issue with it except on start up. After about 10 seconds or less the system is completely quiet. It has only occurred when the computer sat without use for a couple of days or more. Bare in mind I am using a P180 Mini. A great case if you love quiet computing.

 

[superstargoddess]

So I'm running an i7 3930k OC'd at 42X, I was running it at 45X but had to scale back because during peak CPU usage (Aftereffects rendering) it was overheating above 80C.

Right not I'm using an air-cooled CPU heat sink with a single fan. At 42X my peak temps run around upper 60's/low 70's.

I've been eyeing the Corsair H80i and the Antec 920 (both around $100).

My question is...are they worth it? Will I see enough cooling improvement from what I am using now (Cooler Master air cooler) to allow me to bump back up to 45X or even higher?

And if so which is better, the Corsair or the Antec?

Many thanks!

I have the Corsair H60, which I bought a while back when it was a bit newer, and it's still running perfectly fine and keeping everything frosty. I have an i5, but I'm sure the newer one that you are wanting to get will do just fine. If the one you are thinking about getting is anything like mine, it's a breeze to install, and so much easier than messing with huge fans that take up so much room in the case.

 

[brandong777]

I had an H60 but the water pump was DOA when I took it out of the box. Got me thinking, radiator, water pump, just like I have in my cars.... just like the ones I have to replace every so often. Never had a heatsink go bad. Less points of failure/maintenance is better in my book. I'm sure others will disagree but that's just my 2 cents. Back to a Cooler Master 212+ from here on out for me.

 

[nzalog]

I had an H60 but the water pump was DOA when I took it out of the box. Got me thinking, radiator, water pump, just like I have in my cars.... just like the ones I have to replace every so often. Never had a heatsink go bad. Less points of failure/maintenance is better in my book. I'm sure others will disagree but that's just my 2 cents. Back to a Cooler Master 212+ from here on out for me.

Nope I absolutely agree... Was kind of surprised how many people were promoting water cooling. I can run my noctua d14 fanless on my ivybridge 3770 and I don't have to worry about anything failing. No pump to fail, no chance for leaks and no fan either. I will mention it is not overclock, but add a fan and it's not a problem. I think water cooling just adds too much complexity where there is no need for it. I've played with it in the past with external radiators and the benefits were tiny compared to the complexity they add.

 

[fuzzyblaster]

Running an H100 with Corsair Air Series SP 120mm Fans. 2600K OC'd to 4.6 running at full bore peaks at 70 C. Idles at 33 C. Room temp about 24 C.

It's been great!

 

[Mario_Orva]

Closed loop water coolers are good... however they don't necesarily outperform air coolers. Everywhere I've seen comparison between the 2 you can see them performing nicely but also better performing (and cheaper) Air coolers. The main reason I went air is the price to performance ratio.

Here's a reference link, you can see where the Corsair H100i and H60 stand against other coolers.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/cpu_cooler_roundup_2013_q1_review,8.html

 

[ATB]

Closed loop water coolers are good... however they don't necesarily outperform air coolers. Everywhere I've seen comparison between the 2 you can see them performing nicely but also better performing (and cheaper) Air coolers. The main reason I went air is the price to performance ratio.

Here's a reference link, you can see where the Corsair H100i and H60 stand against other coolers.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/cpu_cooler_roundup_2013_q1_review,8.html

Nice link, very informative. Thanks for posting that.

 

[nismailm]

Closed loop water coolers are good... however they don't necesarily outperform air coolers. Everywhere I've seen comparison between the 2 you can see them performing nicely but also better performing (and cheaper) Air coolers. The main reason I went air is the price to performance ratio.

Here's a reference link, you can see where the Corsair H100i and H60 stand against other coolers.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/cpu_cooler_roundup_2013_q1_review,8.html

Thanks for sharing.