Is water cooling necessary in my system?

[David.zrg]

Hi,

Before I speak any further, this will be the system in question:
Intel Core i7 7700 3.6GHz
GTX 1060 6GB
16GB 2133MHz DDR4 RAM

I am going to be building a new gaming PC very soon and I have always been very curious about water cooling. Some say they are used primarily for aesthetics, but also they can greatly reduce noise & heat levels.

I am undecided whether I should be investing in water cooling as I am worried my system may get very heated up. Frankly, the PC will be on a lot (5+ hours a day at least, mainly playing games) which is why I am coming here to ask the question. I don't want my PC very heated or even very loud and happy to spend the money if it's actually impacting my system well.

The processor won't be overclocked, or any components won't be boosted up in speeds in anyway. I understand water coolers are typically used when overclocking, I am just still very unsure whether I should use one or continue with air cooling.

Thank you, any feedback will be great

 

[gx_saurav]

A liquid cooling kit is not needed for a mere 65W TDP based CPU like a Core i7 7700 non-K version.

The bundled Intel CPU cooler will be fine but will get noisy at higher RPMs. A Noctua NH-U12S or Cryorig H7 or even a cheap Cooler Master Hyper 212X will be sufficient.

 

[David.zrg]

A liquid cooling kit is not needed for a mere 65W TDP based CPU like a Core i7 7700 non-K version.

The bundled Intel CPU cooler will be fine but will get noisy at higher RPMs. A Noctua NH-U12S or Cryorig H7 or even a cheap Cooler Master Hyper 212X will be sufficient.

Ok, excellent. Those fans suggested will still run fine even after excessive use? For example, 12 hours a day on a game? (Summer holidays approaching may as well occupy all the time off lol) As long as the pc isn't scorching or sounding like a jet engine I'm happy.

Thank you

 

[Valantar]

Ok, excellent. Those fans suggested will still run fine even after excessive use? For example, 12 hours a day on a game? (Summer holidays approaching may as well occupy all the time off lol) As long as the pc isn't scorching or sounding like a jet engine I'm happy.

Thank you

12 hours a day for 4-5 years, then you can start to worry about replacing the fans if they're cheap sleeve bearing fans (like the Hyper 212 series). You'll hear it long before they fail, though. And most CPU coolers use bog-standard case fans, making replacements easy, cheap and abundant.

And no, a PC with a 65W CPU and a 120W GPU does in no way require water cooling. No parts really need it, as long as you have the space for a big heatsink. Modern high end tower coolers are even more quiet than water coolers due to fewer sources of noise too - just one or two fans, no pumps or other stuff making noise. Just make sure you have intake fans blowing cool air onto your CPU and GPU, and you'll be fine. And don't buy a GPU with a cheap blower cooler unless you have a case with very, very restricted airflow.

 

[David.zrg]

12 hours a day for 4-5 years, then you can start to worry about replacing the fans if they're cheap sleeve bearing fans (like the Hyper 212 series). You'll hear it long before they fail, though. And most CPU coolers use bog-standard case fans, making replacements easy, cheap and abundant.

And no, a PC with a 65W CPU and a 120W GPU does in no way require water cooling. No parts really need it, as long as you have the space for a big heatsink. Modern high end tower coolers are even more quiet than water coolers due to fewer sources of noise too - just one or two fans, no pumps or other stuff making noise. Just make sure you have intake fans blowing cool air onto your CPU and GPU, and you'll be fine. And don't buy a GPU with a cheap blower cooler unless you have a case with very, very restricted airflow.

Ok that's great to hear, I will now be considering buying the Noctua fan like the other person suggested.

As for the case, could you please tell me if this case seems alright for the correct airflow:
FRACTAL DEFINE C BLACK GAMING CASE (WINDOW)

Thank you

 

[Linflas]

I built a new system with a I7-7700K and an EVGA 1070 FTW. I just stayed with air cooling using a Zalman CNPS9900MAX-B all installed in a Fractal Design Define R5 it is very quiet.

 

[David.zrg]

Great to hear. I imagine every system would be whisper quiet after being built, its after 6-9 month of heavy use that I'm worried about but the reassurance I have here is great.

Another question I may ask please is how much watts do I need in the PSU? After searching apparently I need only 350w but that's seems unbelievably low, I was thinking I'd need 550? I don't know what made me assume that however I have seen very similar systems to mine and they have minimum 650's so I really don't know.

I will post the full setup here sorry for all the questions lol:

Motherboard:
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z270H GAMING: ATX, LG1151, USB 3.1, SATA 6GBs

Processor:
i7 Quad Core Processor i7-7700 (3.6GHz) 8MB Cache

RAM:
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2133MHz (2 x 8GB)

Graphics:
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB

1st Hard Disk:
256GB BiWIN 2.5" SSD, SATA 6 Gb/s

2nd Hard Disk:
1TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 32MB CACHE

Cooling:
Noctua NH-U14S Ultra Quiet Performance CPU Cooler (thank you for suggesting this)

Thanks guys

 

[Valantar]

For that hardware, you'll never exceed 250 watts even under extreme power vitus loads, so a 350W PSU is plenty. The biggest issue is the complete lack of decent quality units in that wattage range on the market. There are some decent units in the 450-500W range, though. You definitely don't need more than that, no way, no how.

 

[David.zrg]

For that hardware, you'll never exceed 250 watts even under extreme power vitus loads, so a 350W PSU is plenty. The biggest issue is the complete lack of decent quality units in that wattage range on the market. There are some decent units in the 450-500W range, though. You definitely don't need more than that, no way, no how.

The only PSU available for me at that wattage is the Corsair 350W VS Series which I thought is a popular line of PSU's, right? That is really crazy to me that this system is regarded as what, a powerful mid/high end PC? (at least to me) but utilises the lowest wattage available.

Would that PSU be ok to use then?

Thank you again

 

[UsandThem]

The only PSU available for me at that wattage is the Corsair 350W VS Series which I thought is a popular line of PSU's, right? That is really crazy to me that this system is regarded as what, a powerful mid/high end PC? (at least to me) but utilises the lowest wattage available.

Would that PSU be ok to use then?

Thank you again

That PSU is ok. Downsides are its 350w rating is at 40c (better units typically are rated for full load at 50c), and sleeve bearing fan.

While I have a very similar system, and Valantar is correct in his estimation of power usage (I can pull up to 270w when pushing it, 230w typical gaming), I would personally look for a 450w-550w unit rated for full load at 50c (Seasonic, EVGA, etc). This will allow you more possibilities for future upgrades (more powerful card, hard drives, overclocking, etc.). They usually also have all Japanese capacitors, ball bearing+ fans, and longer warranties.

Not sure of the prices in your neck of the world, but typically they do not cost much more than basic units when on sale. For example:
https://slickdeals.net/f/10171092-s...fter-20-rebate-free-s-h?src=SiteSearchV2Algo1

https://slickdeals.net/f/10171432-s...r-power-supply-39-90-ar?src=SiteSearchV2Algo1

 

[gx_saurav]

You don't buy a PSU and Cabinet for one build. You buy it for many years to come. You never know if you might need more power in future.

These are two things on which I recommend spending good money. You can get a Corsair CX600 + you already have a cabinet. Those two will be enough for even your 2nd or 3rd build in future.

 

[Valantar]

I have to say I agree with @UsandThem - my post was more statement of fact and lamentation of the state of the PSU market than anything else. If you can afford it, I would get an EVGA Supernova G3 550W. It's not the cheapest PSU out there, and it is indeed way overpowered for you, but at least it'll be quiet, very efficient even at loads you'll actually see, and it has a long warranty (7 years, IIRC). There are good models from other brands too, of course, but after reading reviews of the G3 series I really couldn't see myself buying anything else these days. They're some of the best PSUs out there, period.

I just really really wish someone would launch a high quality, decent efficiency (Gold or up) series of 250-400W PSUs. That would be sweet.

As for your build, the GPU places it in what I would term lower midrange performance. Your CPU is very good (although at that price (and clocks, given that it's not the K) I would personally get a Ryzen 1600X instead), but the GPU is four tiers down from the top. Still a great GPU, though, even for some 1440p gaming. GPUs in the $170-250 range these days are pretty awesome.

 

[UsandThem]

As for your build, the GPU places it in what I would term lower midrange performance. Your CPU is very good (although at that price (and clocks, given that it's not the K) I would personally get a Ryzen 1600X instead), but the GPU is four tiers down from the top. Still a great GPU, though, even for some 1440p gaming. GPUs in the $170-250 range these days are pretty awesome.

I agree. I think Ryzen has been out long enough now where many of the early adopter issues have been worked out (same thing happens when Intel launches new chipsets/CPUs). The 1600x would definitely be worth a look. Even if a person wanted to stay with an Intel build, at this point in the life cycle of Kaby Lake CPUs, I would think it would be better to spend the extra few bucks and get a 7700k (can be overclocked down the line, also runs stock at 4.2 ghz vs. 3.6 Ghz of the 7700), a Z270 motherboard, and faster RAM than DDR4 2133.

That's how I look at it when I build. So I will spend a little more up-front. When I build, I do so wanted to have a high performance system for 4-5 years (outside of a possible GPU upgrade).

 

[David.zrg]

Ok I understand, thank you very much everyone. Is the MHz boost in RAM really worth paying extra? I know a little about computers and components but never really considered paying extra for a 2666 MHz RAM stick instead of the usual 2133.

I appreciate all your responses, saved me a bit of money and made me choose clearly more logical components to the system. Was a good idea signing up here

 

[UsandThem]

Ok I understand, thank you very much everyone. Is the MHz boost in RAM really worth paying extra? I know a little about computers and components but never really considered paying extra for a 2666 MHz RAM stick instead of the usual 2133.

The price difference between ddr4 2133 and say DDR4 3000 - 3200 usually isn't that much. Plus, faster RAM never hurt anything, and helps in some games and programs.

If I were building today, I would pick up a DDR4 3200 kit.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

The price difference between ddr4 2133 and say DDR4 3000 - 3200 usually isn't that much. Plus, faster RAM never hurt anything, and helps in some games and programs.

If I were building today, I would pick up a DDR4 3200 kit.

I'll second that motion.

The OP's original question makes one wish there were "rules-of-thumb," and there probably are.

I've described my own air-cooled system enough. I spent $50 on "CPU-modification" with a CLU-re-lidding. At 100Mhz below the maximum clock I can reach with an i7-6700K (binned), my stress-test temperatures can be reduced another 5C to 8C by water-cooling, but on air I can still set the clock for another 100Mhz if I choose to increase maximum voltage to between 1.41+V and 1.42+V. I might have to use a stress-test that produces less heat, but that's still in the cards. Otherwise, water-cooling doesn't really buy me much.

I'm fairly convinced that a hexa-core or octo-core Intel processor would require water cooling for the upper-range of possible overclock settings. Re-lidding the processor is not an option there.

The OP's motherboard choice seems very promising. With that board, I would still be inclined to buy the "K" version of his processor. I might even choose to re-lid it with CLU. But if I paid for the re-lidding, the total cost including that of a top-end heatpipe cooler would still be $50 less than a Kraken X62 or similar.

The only other possibilities for these quad-cores with polymer TIM include a delid without a relid. In that case, you should positively use a waterblock and water-cooling.

 

[David.zrg]

Does anyone know of a good gaming chair/comfortable office chair that isn't at a mind-blowing price (less than £130 ($170) please) that is actually a good chair and not at that price because they sponsor tons of teams

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Does anyone know of a good gaming chair/comfortable office chair that isn't at a mind-blowing price (less than £130 ($170) please) that is actually a good chair and not at that price because they sponsor tons of teams

If you live in UK, I wouldn't know whether the chair manufactures and models here in the states overlap what is offered there.

I've been using a folding wooden chair at my desk for years which was manufactured in Norway for the IKEA store. And I'd been meaning to buy the sort of chair you seek. If I do choose to buy that chair next month, I will make the purchase at this store:

Staples -- site-search for "chair"

Like many other things, shopping online is something I prefer, but for an item of furniture like a desk chair, it is helpful that I can drive three miles so that I can sit in one and assess how it's put together. Of course, Staples does as much business online as Newegg.