Upgrading System Keep Watercooling?

Just under 4 years ago I built my current rig. 1700+ tbred b (cost £43 at the time, talk about bang for buck over 4 years) running at about 2300mhz. In fact I just found the original thread from when I was designing it LOL!!!

http://www.ocforums.com/archive/index.php/t-169035.html


Anyway save you reading all that its currently being cooled by:-

Overclockedpc Abyss 2x120mm radiator
Overclockedpc Atlantis waterblock
ehiem 1048 pump

Over the last 4 years it has run brilliantly with load temps in the low 50's with the 120mm fans at a very low speed. In fact I feel shamed to admit it but I have never even changed the water because it has always run so well and the water still looks clean to me.

Anyway now its time for an upgrade since even though my machine is still fairly fast compared to whats available now my e-pride is feeling low. I have more or less decided to go with a Core2Duo e4300 once they are out and trying to get it to about 3.2-3.4. I have been looking at the huge monster size tower heatsinks available now and I am caught between the two.

I have been looking at reviews and these monster HSF's seem to be closing the gap between air and water. so the million dollar question, do I stick with my WC and just buy a new block like the White Water, or do I buy a monster HSF for about the same price?

What sort of temps am I looking at with that pump and rad with a WW block? I am seeing about 50-55 with the tuniq tower heatsink in reviews. Is it worth the hassle of putting my WC in a new case which I would have to mod?

Any view welcome please.

Just another quick question, been looking at a few reviews and the DD TDX seems to have silimar performance but less flow restriction, would I be better getting this over the White Water?

The White Water is an excellent performer. If its cheaper than the Danger Den stuff in England I'd go for it. Another option would be to make a new hold down for your current waterblock and see how that performs before changing things around.

My current block is not even in the same league. Look at this review from this site:-



The Atlantis scores bottom.

Most modern blocks don't even have double digits on the graph ...

Ah now I think people are seeing my dilemma. Both water block and new giant heatsink both cost around £30. Theres a difference of maybe 5-8 degrees. Is water cooling worth the hassle of hacking a new case and trying to isolate the pump?

Why won't the new motherboard fit in your old case? All you'd need to buy is a CPU block and change coolant.

I have the same pump, an older Swiftech 2X120 rad, and 3/8" tubing so my system is probably similar to yours. Keeps my overclocked Conroe nice and cool. Lots quieter than air cooling too.

True, high end heatsinks and high flow fans have certainly narrowed the gap between air and water nowadays, but if you already have almost all the parts, why not stay watercooled?

My case is a really old aluminum one. It cost £50 when most aluminum cases were £150+. Its more or less made out of foil and hence it vibrates loads and is a horribly noisy case. It also does not have 120mm fan holes and also I would like a case with rubber hdd mounting grommets. Over the years I have stuck foam and all sorts to try and dampen the case, but it hasn't really worked. A new case is definitely in order.

Thanks for you view on the watercooling. It would seem silly I guess to switch to air when I have all the other bits. The noisiest thing in my system at the moment is the pump. When I rebuild I will try and suspend it somehow instead of being directly mounted to the wooden box beneath my case. Heres a pic from a few years ago to show you what I mean.

Like you, I moved to water about 4 years ago for quiet operation. But on my current computer I moved from water to heat pipes because I got quiet operation without the maintenance. So if you want to overclock and overvolt then I think water is still the way to go. But if you just want quiet then a heat pipe works well.

I’m currently building a new computer that will go back to water because, oddly enough, the case I’m using is way too small for a high-end heat pipe.