water cooling v. fan\heatsink

 

I've been thinking about getting water cooling for my AMD 4200 X2, but
have been reading reviews that say they're only getting around 3 to 6
degrees lower than with fan\heatsink. My case has 5 80mm fans and one
smaller one (50mm, I think), not counting PS/CPU fans. I live in OR
where it does get hot (90 - 100+) in summer. CPU temp sits around 40C
idle. I'm a casual gamer.

Is water cooling worth the extra $$?
--
Biostar GeForce 6100-M9 939
AMD 4200+ X2
2 gigs Kingston ram
EVGA nVidia 7600GT PCI-E
450W PSU

 

taragem:

Probably not except it should be quieter than all those case fans. I used
to run a water setup and if you do it, cool everything (cpu, video, mb)
with water.



--
Mac Cool

 



Ok, thanks. Next question: I currently have a run-of-the-mill CPU fan/
heatsink (fan is smaller than 80mm). Would you recommend a beefier fan/
heatsink? For example: http://www.directron.com/amdopteronfan.html

Noise isn't a concern, unless it sounds like a buzz saw. I actually
like some fan noise as it acts like white sound and helps me sleep.

However, awhile back I ordered a cooler with a 120mm fan for an AMD 64
3000 and it literally sounded like a buzz saw and didn't make the CPU
run a bit cooler than the thermaltake heatsink with an 80mm fan that
was originally on there. I sent it back. There are so many different
designs I don't know what works and what doesn't.

 

taragem:


If you like white noise, there is a water set up that will produce both
white noise and cool better than fans or a typical closed water system and
that is an evaporative system. Rather than being enclosed and cycling
through a radiator and fan, you either trickle the water over a waterfall
or mist it through something like a shower head or pipe in which you've
drilled tiny holes. This was the type of system I ran when I did use water
cooling. You need to add swimming pool chemicals to the water to keep it
from getting slimy and a filter helps, but the chemicals are cheap.
Occasionally you will need to add water since the system is evaporative.
If you add a fan to the system, it's possible to cool the water below
ambient room temperature.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooling_tower
--
Mac Cool

 



Thanks. Looks like a project I'd like to tackle. :)

Why did you stop using water cooling?