Air cooling vs Water cooling

[Semper Fi]

Ok, I'm pretty new to the cooling scene. Could somebody give me a list of advantages and disadvantages of each type of cooling system?

[Anonymous]

Air Cooling:

Cheap
Easy
Wont get as good cooling
Safe

Water Cooling:

More Expensive
More Complicated
Dangerous if done incorrectly
Better Cooling

[Senater_Cache]

I tend to focus on the positive aspect of things....
-Water...
More stable temperatures
Less change in cpuT between Idle and Load.
Far less noise (can be inaudible)
Very fun hobby
Different from the "norm"
Usually better tempertaures than Air

-AIR...
Less expensive
Free cooling-help for NB and Ram heatsinks
Can be made to look really clean and bold

hope this helps.

-Since we dont have an extensive sticky section as of yet, feel free to ask any questions. But dont forget to "get your feet wet" through some research also 8)

Until then maybe the below link may help clear up some misconceptions you may have:
http://www.cryo-laboratory.com/forum...topic.php?t=34

SenC.

[Anonymous]

just to clarify the above post a bit

cpuT is the cpu temperature
idle is when the cpu is doing virtually nothing
load is when it is doing a lot

[Senater_Cache]

Originally Posted by SewerBeing

just to clarify the above post a bit

cpuT is the cpu temperature
idle is when the cpu is doing virtually nothing
load is when it is doing a lot

Thanks, SB
I guess I shouldve been more in-depth, but I was trying to encourage a little research

nonetheless thanks for clarifying.

-----------------------------------------

as for cons of AIR and H2O:

-Water...
requires some maintenance and wit
potentially dangerous if executed carelessly
expensive
space consuming
much to learn

-AIR...
noise
tends to get boring quickly
lots of wheight on your socket and cpu

SenC.

[clocker]

Originally Posted by Semper Fi

Ok, I'm pretty new to the cooling scene. Could somebody give me a list of advantages and disadvantages of each type of cooling system?

Cooling systems are commonly referred to as "cooling solutions"...for a good reason.

Your first step is to determine what your system requirements are and then design a solution to handle them.
This approach requires that you assemble a new system using the stock
HSF and gathering some baseline data to see how it performs.
You might be surprised how capable these components can be.

THEN you can make an informed decision regarding the path you want to follow.
I have dabbled extensively in cooling for the past few years...both air and water, and find that there is little to recommend one method over the other.
Both methods can effectively deal with most systems.

Air cooling is by far the cheapest, easiest to implement and easiest to maintain.
Water has an undeniable "bling factor", but is far more difficult to install elegantly and effectively ( this caveat includes my own efforts BTW).

Ultimately the decision is yours obviously, but don't start with unrealistic expectations or either path will lead to disappointment and frustration....not to mention the expenditure of lots of cash.

[rhino56]

ive recently just cooled my graphics card with water.
with so many water blocks, tubing, pumps and fitting and then what do you run for fluids?

it seemed a bit overwhelming but as i started to assemble the parts i realized just how simple it all is. and not only the simplicity of it, but just how great water cooling is.

i added yellow highlighter into my delco antifreeze 50/50 mix so it glows pretty nice.

you might think thats all bling bling fast and the furious ricer stuff but if it leaks at all you will see it really easy.

i say go for it.

after just seeing how easy and nice water cooling is i want to make a completely water cooled system. water cooling rocks, i do not regret doing it. i really wonder why i waited so long.

[Semper Fi]

Thanx a bunch for the advice, everyone

[Senater_Cache]

youre welcome,
make sure you show some pics when you get all the stuff

[Mark620]

The only reason I have not gone to water cooling is I am terrified of having leaks.