Dilema... air or water?

Hi i have a little dilema and was wandering whether you guys could help. This is the story:

I live in a little room here at uni with my computer but currently it is very loud, especially considering i have to live with it. I want to leave it on all night to fold but its quite noisy. What should i do? Upgrade to an expensive air cooling setup (slk-800 with suitable silent fan - any suggestions?) or shall i buy a water cooling kit?

Consider im on a tight student budget, so will a water cooling kit pay off? If i get the air cooling kit will i end up fed up and upgrading to water cooling in the end???


Thanks
Seal

I haven't done quiet air since I went water cooled on my workstation; all my DC Project rigs are on LOUD air....
And in my basement.

Some of the new high-end heatsinks like the SLK-800 and AX7 are reputed to work very well with low-noise fans, but at that noise level they will no longer be competitive with water cooling temps, period.

Water cooling may not run you much more money if you shop wisely and do a homebrew setup, and it will be quieter and cooler.

Air can be as cool but much louder, OR nearly as quiet with somewhat higher temps.

So it is up to you: either can probably meet your needs, unless you are a very light sleeper, but water will get the best results.

AX-7, Tornado and ear plugs! jk You might want to look at rheostates to turn down the fan at night. Temps will rise but you can compinsate by lowering the room temp a bit while you are snug in your bed. No bolt on blocks, pump, hoses and the possible need for high end PSU or possible leaks. Not to mention will a H2o setup fit in your case?

a homebrew watercooling setup shouldn't cost more than 100 or so which is not that bad if you consider the cost of the ax-7 and fans to bring down the temps. also the air system will never be as quiet as a watercooling setup. i say go with the water.

Hmmm, turning down the fans isnt really an option, tried that last night and the high temp alarm woke me up 10 mins later. (im running folding, and overclocked)

Anyone got any suggestions of good watercooling kit i should build? Im in the uk so have a limited access of the things i can get my hands on. I can get:

Innovatek ( http://www.over-clock.co.uk/ )
Swiftech ( http://www.pclincs.co.uk )
Black Ice ( http://www.over-clock.co.uk/ http://www.pclincs.co.uk )
Einhem ( all of the shops listed )
Maxxxpert ( http://www.theoverclockingstore.co.uk/ )
Atlantis ( http://www.overclockedpc.co.uk/ )

Will any combinations of those makes, make me a good wc kit? I run an AMD 2200xp.

Thanks
Seal

Well, I did my own homebrew setup, on an eheim 1046, 1/2 inch tubing, a BeCooling aquacoil and a 120mm fan on the 5volt rail. Hardly any noise from the fan - and that was mounted onto the radiator directly. It did make some noise, but I could have mounted it on dampners to lessen it a little. The point is, now I'm running back on air, until parts I'm upgrading to come in, and it's just soooo noisy compared to watercooling. I was going for quiet anyway, rather than performance or looks, but it's like sitting next to a windtunnel now, as I've got a coolermaster hhc 001, and a thermaltake volcano7 (dual cpu setup) plus the case fans to make sure the air's circulating. I can't wait until my new radiator and res comes in. It'll certainly be quieter. Oh yeah, it might cost more - but if you're trying to get to sleep next to any kind of noise - isnt it worth it?

I'm also having a hard time deciding between more fans or a water cooled system. If I were to make a homebrew setup, what kind of tools would i need to make waterblocks? Would a Dremel rolleyes: ) be enough (give or take lots and work and hours)? I would also assume that using aluminum would be easier for me if i didn't have access to heavy-duty tools. If anyone has links, i would like them.

Hey, I made my own watercooling setup which runs good. My CPU is at 30*C right now. The only thing I suggest to you is don't make the waterblock yourself, it takes lots of experience and time, and most likely won't come out as good as a pre-made waterblock. I made one, which didn't turn out to good (passage wasn't big enough), and instead of worrying about leaks and everything else, just buy a maze 2 or better and feel secure. I got a maze 2 waterblock for 25$ new, and it comes with everything you need, including nylon bolts and screws to hold it down. Other than that I got the raditor from the junkyard, pump for 20$ online, I used an old container that had body building mix in it for my res, and left over fans for the rad.