Can someone sum up the cost/benefit ratio of watercooling vs. air-cooling?

I have tried to answer my questions from reading the forums, but there doesn't seem to be a good summary sticky. If I missed it, please tell me the link and I'll do the rest.

I am running a AthlonXP 3000+ overclocked to 3200+ specs. This is in an Antec 835 case with one intake fan and two exhaust fans. The CPU has a CoolerMaster Aero 7 HSF. My CPU temp as reported by ASUS PC Probe is 23-24degC above the motherboard temp which is always within 1-1.5degC of ambient temp when running at full load. I am NOT using an expensive thermal compound like Artic Silver 5.

Right now, I see MB temp of 26degC and CPU temp of 50degC at full load.

How much would I have to spend on a typical DIY watercooling kit?

How much of a CPU temp drop could I expect?

Assuming that a more radical overclock would make the best use of a watercooling kit, what is the best overclock I could expect from my setup with a typical DIY watercooling kit?

when I first looked into this, I quickly learned water cooling is about the least cost efficient thing you can do. you may as well know that now.

a setup can cost 150-200$, and go up to 300 if you add GPU and NB blocks as well.

from what Ive seen, most with good setups shoot for the 40degree range at very very least, some with better setups, bigger radiator, better water block, bigger pump ect, they can get down to 30degrees even.

but should be mentioned I think people have done better than you on air, so while these number look alot better than yours, a good air setup would probably get you near 40degrees.

I hear water deals with overclocking better, overclock an air and a water system, the water system will heat up less. probably somewhat of a case by case thing though.

Also you gotta remember, watercooling became a hobby of mine, i dont really have much to do in the suburban town i live in, so watercooling is somewhat of an acticity for me.

and i dont think any aircooler could hold a 2800+ @ 2.5ghz (200fsbx12.5) @ 2volts -- COMPLETLEY SILENT.

i had the Aero 7+ on my 2800+, load temps were 52-53C. then i replaced it with the aerocool HT-101 (22db is the reason i got it) and my temps dropped about 8C under load, and MB and CPU difference is neve higher than 15C. i was using AS5 on both HSF's. i will be WCing soon, but still researching. i will be selling the HT-101, holler if you decide to stay with air. and if you do stay with air get a better HSF, the sp97 is best. if you decide to stay with the aero 7+, AT LEAST switch to a normal fan, the blower sucks- i tested it against the 22db 2500rpm aerocool fan, and the blower at 3/4 speed (loud, ~40db) felled to match the aerocool. better yet just try a different fan while you decide on the WC.

my current system is a 2800+ at 230x10.5= 2.42ghz w/ 1.75V load 45C, it can hit 2.48ghz 225x11 w/ 1.825V load 48C, all with the aerocool Ht-101 at 22db

from estimates of my WC setup with quality parts is around $200, but that is for cpu only, another 60-70 bucks for NB ab GPU

temps are hard to estimate, as each setup and factor are different, but i would guess at least a 10-15C drop on load temp, because of the ****ty HSF, sorry but it is a POS.

I think that if you can make your own watercooling setup, that you can be done for around $100.- There really is no reason to go a lot higher than that.

i made my own external box, so if you do it yourself like me, there will be a few things that you'll end up doing differently. Temp drop is retty good, and it's a lot quiter. On air i would hardly ever leave my pc on at night time for the noise, with water it is no probem whatsoever, because the fans for the radiator only make a little bit of noise as compared to the very noise heat sink fans that are out nowadays

Your own watercooling setup would probably be ~100-200 bucks and would probably give you 30-40C temps depending on how much you OC and your ambient temp. And it's deffinatly quiter, same temps and OC with much less noise is one thing that you could do (or maybe lower temps, higher OC, and less noise, depends on what your temps and OC are now )

It's deffinatly not the most cost effective thing but it is great if you consider computers a hobby. It would also take a little more effort than air and has a little more danger to your hardware if you mess up so it can cause a little more stress (but that may be just me ).

You're opening Pandora's box, bud. I think that's how a lot of us got into watercooling. "I don't like my temps. What's watercooling?" Heheh.

Hmm... cost/benefit ratio? It depends on your outlook of this scene. If you want to milk your CPU and spend as little as possible, I'd reseat that heatsink, or mount with Arctic Silver 5. Another thing might be to switch to a better HSF like one of the Thermalright SLKs.

Now that 3000+ being a desktop Barton, my guess is that you can bring from your current 2.2 GHz @ 50ºC to 2.2 GHz in the low 40ºs by reseating your heatsink. For about $40-$50 with AS5 and a better HSF, you'll probably get to 2.4 GHz - 2.5 GHz. You didn't mention anything about silence, but I think it's intuitive that a larger OC usually means more noise in an air setup.

With a W/C setup with your current chip, you'll probably get to the same O/C, maybe a little more, but see a temp drop to say, 37º-40ºC load. Maybe lower depending on where you are, where the comp is, and how extreme you go with the W/C parts. The benefits would be noise, education of W/Cing, you know the deal. To get this, you'll end up paying a real $175. ($25 for a rad, $15 for tubing, $40 for a block, $15 for misc fittings and such, $15 for fan & shroud, $40 for pump =~$150, which are reasonable prices. Then throw in shipping b/c you'll probably be getting a lot of the parts online.)

I'm not trying to scare you, but W/Cing for max O/C also depends on your motherboard and memory. In order to clock higher, you at least need FSB and multi, right? You came to the right place for info though. Wanna chime in on these things?

you can do it for about $100, and the radiator and pump will be fine for a long time, so the only upgrades to worry too much about are blocks, so after the initial investment it is about equal to air cooling for cash. It is also more fun to tinker with.

Oh, and CrashOveride, here is a blanket statment that is true for you: Mutilating babies for fun is wrong

Another thing to consider with the cost of water cooling- although I concur that on a pure cost-effectiveness basis it is beaten by air cooling- most of the system will last a lotlonger than you have any given computer.
The initial investment buys parts that can be used for years. Even if you change to a different socket and need a new water block the other components will still be fine as long as the system is maintained well. (Not difficult to do: use distilled water and a bit of something to prevent organic growth.)

I still use a rad and pump I've had for 3 years or so. They've been in 5 or 6 different systems too.

And as others have said before me (in different ways) what hobbies cost Nothing?

Thanks, everyone, for your feedback. Not sure if I want to jump into the watercooling game just yet (have to manage the funds), but probably will when the time is right.

bobmanfoo, how much do you want for that HT-101?

SwampKracker:
Trading is NOT allowed in the open forums.

Another plus to water cooling to consider... I am replacing my ATI9500 Pro today due to the stock cooling fan dying. Had I gotten around to building my external WC box (cpu NB GPU cooled) I would be ordering my new mobile XP and some better ram for the same money...
So for me the ratio would have been more than acceptable