FEATURED [2013] What kind of cooling do you use?

[S_I_N]

no thats just the amount of time in which they will replace or repair if it breaks. Properly taken care of they should last a very very long time.

 

[doyll]

I wonder how long CLC coolers will last? Considering their cost, pump size and wattage, radiator and pump quality I don't see how they can compete with air coolers that cools as good or better and quieter than these CLC's do. And the fact there is no way to service them or top up the coolant leads me to believe 3-4 years life is probably a good guess... and I've seen some failing in the 2 year range.. and that's excluding all the failures in first weeks/months of use because of defect and/or poor quality control.

Only one I know of that I consider quality is Swiftech H220 and it's not anything like other CLC's on the market. 3 times the pump power, copper/brass radiator instead of aluminum/plastic, and can be topped up or opened up and expanded with more blocks and/or radiators.

 

[Nebulous]

Cpu: XSPC Rasa/RX360 Rad/MCRes
Gpu: Corsair H80

I forgot what running on air coolers was it's been so long

 

[Gh0sT-NoVa]

no thats just the amount of time in which they will replace or repair if it breaks. Properly taken care of they should last a very very long time.

Hmm but AIO Coolers are all sealed up and such , i can't even replace the coolant , how is it " taken care " as you mentioned ?

You mean like not being rough when installing / removing / working around with the cooler ?

But the coolant inside it will evaporate one day right ?

 

[GTXJackBauer]

Its a free maintenance kit. Its just basically a slow death till the pump dies to put it in laymens terms. Only thing you can do is remove the dust from the rad fins, make sure the fans and pump still run and make sure you got some good past under the block. I think that's all you can do.

 

[Nebulous]

Its a free maintenance kit. Its just basically a slow death till the pump dies to put it in laymens terms. Only thing you can do is remove the dust from the rad fins, make sure the fans and pump still run and make sure you got some good past under the block. I think that's all you can do.

I concur. An AIO cooler is designed specifically to just "set and forget". No need for regular maintenance as with a custom loop ( aside from what Jack just mentioned). By the time the fluid inside evaporates the pump will be long dead.

You can always mod it like so , but then it won't be maintenance free.

 

[Gh0sT-NoVa]

I concur. An AIO cooler is designed specifically to just "set and forget". No need for regular maintenance as with a custom loop ( aside from what Jack just mentioned). By the time the fluid inside evaporates the pump will be long dead.

You can always mod it like so , but then it won't be maintenance free.

Didn't expected you can actually remove the old piping and change it to another one...but i do hate this original pipping , im using an Enermax AIO but same piping as this Corsair you shown me , it's very solid....not flex to it , i wonder is it it good , i feel unsafe for it feels like it break easily since it's so " stiff " instead flexible like most new AIO Coolers , even Corsair have move to flexible piping on their new coolers......

But the coolant , I could use those full water cooling coolant for it then ?
Are they same with automotive coolants ?

 

[Mjolnir]

I clicked Air... Because I don't consider my H60 SE as water cooling (TBH I didn't read the text in brackets til after I voted haha).. Plus before that I was using a Noctua U9B SE2; which gave me very similar performance to my current H60 SE. Also when I swap into an ITX case (waiting for the NCase M1), I'll be moving back to air only. So I'd still consider my vote accurate for 2013.

 

[Nebulous]

Didn't expected you can actually remove the old piping and change it to another one...but i do hate this original pipping , im using an Enermax AIO but same piping as this Corsair you shown me , it's very solid....not flex to it , i wonder is it it good , i feel unsafe for it feels like it break easily since it's so " stiff " instead flexible like most new AIO Coolers , even Corsair have move to flexible piping on their new coolers......

But the coolant , I could use those full water cooling coolant for it then ?
Are they same with automotive coolants ?

The coolant inside the AIO is a mixture of some sort to prevent rust/corrosion as they're mixing metals; copper plate on the pump/block assembly and aluminum for the rad.

If you're going to mod the one you're using by the link I posted, I suggest you use some sort of anti corrosion fluid mixed with distilled water.

 

[Gh0sT-NoVa]

The coolant inside the AIO is a mixture of some sort to prevent rust/corrosion as they're mixing metals; copper plate on the pump/block assembly and aluminum for the rad.

If you're going to mod the one you're using by the link I posted, I suggest you use some sort of anti corrosion fluid mixed with distilled water.

Well that sounds exactly like automotive radiator coolant , they are actually anti rust and anti freeze , they are usually made from either Ethylene Glycol and Propylene Glycol.

I should have gotten the Swiftech H220 AIO Cooler , i only found out we actually import them right after i bought my Enermax....

You can actually drain the radiator , even change the tubing if you want to. They made it sort of like a normal water cooler instead a of a sealed up type like ours

Basically its kinda like an AIO Cooler but is maintainable ?

http://www.swiftech.com/h220.aspx#tab2

 

[GTXJackBauer]

Well that sounds exactly like automotive radiator coolant , they are actually anti rust and anti freeze , they are usually made from either Ethylene Glycol and Propylene Glycol.

I should have gotten the Swiftech H220 AIO Cooler , i only found out we actually import them right after i bought my Enermax....

You can actually drain the radiator , even change the tubing if you want to. They made it sort of like a normal water cooler instead a of a sealed up type like ours

Basically its kinda like an AIO Cooler but is maintainable ?

http://www.swiftech.com/h220.aspx#tab2

And add more to it. (ie. reservior, radiators, waterblocks etc) Just like Gabe said (Swiftech CEO), its to fill in the gap between a AIO and a custom water cooling loop.

 

[Gh0sT-NoVa]

The Swiftech H220 really is amazing...and i saw FrozenPC is only selling it for 140$ I think i find it's more worth it compared to Corsair's H110 / H100 / H100i

If it do sell for only 140$ , it's hell lot cheaper, even compared to H80 , which is selling for the price of 136$ here and it's only a Single Rad

Well the great thing if you buy Corsair is their 5 Years long warranty
While Swiftech only provides 3 Years...

In your opinion guys who is better , Swiftech / Asetek

If your going for " Full Water Cool " which is the best brand out there

 

[ThorV2]

I will be using custom water cooling

 

[Conumdrum]

Swiftech. You can read about it in the WC forum. Again and again. Swiftech.

 

[modd]

i have both lol water cooling on my gaming rig, and midrange air on my whs 2011 server... both work out great for what i need it for. i do like water cooling better.

 

[Leegit]

Air baby air.

 

[PolePosition]

For me, its the Intel RTS2011LC (made by Asetek), which to me is the happy medium between air and a custom loop. Its been performing great for about a year now. Some say pump life is around 3 years, but I feel it can vary with all brands, including the ones used in custom loops, where some can fail in a year while others might last 10 years, depending on how much stress and corrosion contaminents get into the system and around pump rotor bearings.

@Nebulous
That was a great link to the Corsair mod you provided, and has given me some ideas down the road once my warranty is up.

 

[Conumdrum]

@Nebulous
That was a great link to the Corsair mod you provided, and has given me some ideas down the road once my warranty is up.

Was the idea the round file? About 2-3' from the modern office desk?

 

[OCMusicJunkie]

Just saw the most recent poll numbers here. Wow I never would have guessed that water had become almost the majority pick. I almost think it's worth breaking AIO/Custom into their own categories, since there is a massive difference in the amount of cost/labor/performance associated with each.

I guess it's time for me to get on past air and see what I'm missing....

 

[Culbrelai]

Just saw the most recent poll numbers here. Wow I never would have guessed that water had become almost the majority pick. I almost think it's worth breaking AIO/Custom into their own categories, since there is a massive difference in the amount of cost/labor/performance associated with each.

The reason it's so high is because AIO is bundled in with it, where AIO really shouldn't be as its closer to air cooling in performance, and price as a matter of fact. The Noctua NHD14 and the Thermalright Silver Arrow and a bunch of others beat the H100 and come within 5C of the H100i, I'm not sure about any others but AIO's should have either A: their own class, or B: bundled in with Air, as actual custom loops cost much more than AIO and perform better.