Ulysees said:
A problem with pc's is noise. One solution is slower CPU's made with today's chip technology so they need no cooling fans. Coupled with power supply fans designed for minimum noise.
But someone suggested converting any high-spec contemporary PC into a very quiet one by replacing the power supply and the CPU and GPU cooling fans with liquid-cooled versions, for 300 euros.
Is that a good idea? Is it safe? Does it last?
Also heard about huge copper coolers that remove heat without any moving parts, by conduction alone.
Are these a good idea? Can they cope with high-spec PC's today? Are they more expensive than liquid cooling?
There's a few bases to touch on, so i'll try to cover them as best I can. (Please excuse my ADD
)
For the most part with liquid cooling, it comes down to practicality. The primary purpose of liquid cooling is to cool processors that would typically run outside of their recommended operating temp; ie, overclocked processors. There are quite a few typical fin and fan coolers on the market now that can cope with a decent amount of heat from overclocking (Thermalright, Noctua, Scythe, ect), but even they have their limits and can only transfer so much heat. That's where liquid cooling steps in.
Liquid cooling becomes a viable option when typical cooling methods become impractical due to the excessive noise produced by fans that have to spin at high RPMs, just to be effective. If your components are not producing an excessive amount of heat, there's really no need to move to liquid cooling as there is most likely a typical cooler on the market that can handle your heat output without being noisy.
Liquid cooling systems can be pretty cumbersome; You have to monitor the coolant level to make sure you don't run low, depending on you reservoir size it may have to be mounted outside the case. If mounted inside the case you immediately limit your reservoir size and therefore the heat load that the system can handle... the system will become heat saturated sooner. That's why with the water cooling systems I've built I always run an external reservoir (3-5 liters). It makes for easier filling when low as opposed to if mounted inside where you will have to remove the case cover every time you need to check the level and fill. You also have to make sure that the case you are using has room inside for the coolant tubing to route. Most high-end PC cases ($) now have provisions on the back of the case for the tubing to route through. If your's doesn't have these, you will have to cut holes for these tubes (if the reservoir is mounted outside).
Airflow. When it comes to airflow, liquid cooling can
sometimes be a double edged sword. When you eliminate all the fans (assuming you go with low RPM, ultra quiet case fans) you severely limit the overall airflow within the case. That's when you notice that your system/case temperatures start to exceed that of the CPU which isn't good for the northbridge, southbridge, RAM, CPU, capacitors, ect, and since the northbridge is THE main player with overclocking, eliminating the CPU fan and heatsoaking it could actually make you hit yet another wall when trying to push the system bus speed. Your CPU fan typically provides enough airflow to cool the northbridge. You can solve that problem by purchasing a northbridge liquid block and just add it to the loop.
I personally haven't used any of the passive coolers out there, but they do look like viable options for systems running at factory spec speeds, if not in hot environments. The last thing I would do is try to push a 'passive system'. Temperatures can rise VERY quickly without proper airflow. So far THE best fans I have found are Noctua fans. They provide the most amount of airflow at low RPMs than any other fan currently on the market. Near silent operation... at a cost of around $20-22 US dollars per 120cm fan. I've experimented with almost every fan out there and when I plugged my first Noctua in, I fell in love... though they are quite ugly.
All in all, it's a balance between performance and practicalty. If your not pushing the system for maximum overclocked performance, save yourself some time, hassle and money and just stick with a quiet CPU cooler and thrown in a couple of large diameter/low RPM case fans. Large fans produce greater airflow per RPM vs smaller fans allowing them to run at lower RPMs and still provide sufficient airflow.
If you have any other questions, just ask. I'm not sure if I covered everything since I just woke up.
Brett,
