- Joined
- Aug 13, 2003
- Location
- SW and SE Michigan
Ok, I'm about to be moving from my nice air conditioned house into a stuffy, warm, swealtering dorm. As such, I'm doubting whether or not my trusty Zalman 7000cnps-Cu can actually keep my system cool (2.4c @ 284 fsb). As such, I'm looking to upgrade my cooling system. I figure at the very least, it's gotta do a better job cooling my system, not to mention be quieter than the massive array of fans I've got in there right now to keep things cool.
So when it comes down to alternatives to air-cooling (that out-perform it, at any rate), there's mainly water cooling, and phase-change cooling. As I see it...
Water Cooling:
PROS:
-Can cool your CPU, Northbridge, and GPU
-Easily updatable for any of the components
-Quieter than air cooling
-Cheaper than phase-change
CONS:
-Malfunction/leakage means an almost certainly fried system
-Louder than phase-change (from what I've heard)
-Unable to keep the processor as remotely as cool as a phase-change system
Phase-Change:
PROS:
-Keeps CPU at sub-zero temperatures
-Extremely quiet
-Allows for incredible overclocks
-Can be upgraded with each change in processor cooling mechanisms (At least the prometeia can. Not sure about vapochills. I know I worded it horribly, but you get the idea of what I meant)
-The geeky alure of being one of the few people with a phase-change system
CONS:
-Can't cool GPU/Northbridge with it
-Much more expensive than water-cooling
-requires a whole lot of power
-Vapochill (PE/SE) are cheaper than prometeia, but require modification to fit underneath the case
-Condensation
So that's how I see it. I realize that water cooling means I can cool my northbridge with the same system, along with my GPU, too. However, would that make up for the amount of overclock phase-change would allow beyond a watercooling system? I'm really lost when it comes to making a decision between the two, so maybe the pros can help me out with this one.
Keep in mind with either system, I intend to fabricate a box to sit my CPU on to house the cooling system. This means the CPU will rest at least 2 feet above the cooling system most likely. (unless I remove the bottom of the case entirely)
So when it comes down to alternatives to air-cooling (that out-perform it, at any rate), there's mainly water cooling, and phase-change cooling. As I see it...
Water Cooling:
PROS:
-Can cool your CPU, Northbridge, and GPU
-Easily updatable for any of the components
-Quieter than air cooling
-Cheaper than phase-change
CONS:
-Malfunction/leakage means an almost certainly fried system
-Louder than phase-change (from what I've heard)
-Unable to keep the processor as remotely as cool as a phase-change system
Phase-Change:
PROS:
-Keeps CPU at sub-zero temperatures
-Extremely quiet
-Allows for incredible overclocks
-Can be upgraded with each change in processor cooling mechanisms (At least the prometeia can. Not sure about vapochills. I know I worded it horribly, but you get the idea of what I meant)
-The geeky alure of being one of the few people with a phase-change system
CONS:
-Can't cool GPU/Northbridge with it
-Much more expensive than water-cooling
-requires a whole lot of power
-Vapochill (PE/SE) are cheaper than prometeia, but require modification to fit underneath the case
-Condensation
So that's how I see it. I realize that water cooling means I can cool my northbridge with the same system, along with my GPU, too. However, would that make up for the amount of overclock phase-change would allow beyond a watercooling system? I'm really lost when it comes to making a decision between the two, so maybe the pros can help me out with this one.
Keep in mind with either system, I intend to fabricate a box to sit my CPU on to house the cooling system. This means the CPU will rest at least 2 feet above the cooling system most likely. (unless I remove the bottom of the case entirely)