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Author Topic: Liquid cooling CPU - rebuild  (Read 3975 times)

nemophoto

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Liquid cooling CPU - rebuild
« on: November 06, 2013, 12:30:59 pm »

I've built the majority of my PC's for the past 25 or so years. One of the few "store bought" PC's is my current computer from Cyberpower. I bought it about three years ago, and about 1-1/2 years ago upgraded the CPU to an AMD Phenom x6 1100T. I'm ready to rebuild again. As I often do, I recyle come things, upgrade others.

My question is this: My computer cam ewith liquid cooling for the CPU. It's operates well, no issues, seems to be in good shape. I bought a new motherboard so I could and use the new AMD FX 9590 CPU. The cool thing (no real pun intended) is that it comes with a liquid cooler. Does anyone see a real issue with me recycling and reusing my current cooler and not installing the new one, but keep it as a potential backup? Thanks.

Nemo
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kaelaria

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Re: Liquid cooling CPU - rebuild
« Reply #1 on: November 07, 2013, 12:47:22 am »

Things to consider are - the mounts need to be compatible and there have been significant design changes in the way heatspreaders work giving different heat zones to the block (or heatsink).  I would use the newer one.
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cunim

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Re: Liquid cooling CPU - rebuild
« Reply #2 on: November 07, 2013, 09:30:58 am »

Hmmm.  I build liquid cooled PCs because I am a nut about noise and simply MUST have the most powerful CPU out there.  High wattage CPUs = noisy fans.  Most of the LC people are hard core gamers with the mentality of hot-rodders.  Check out this site if you want to see where it can all lead (http://www.caselabs.net/).  Is there some reason you want to maintain the LC loop?  As the computer ages the pump, seals, etc. will always be potential trouble points.

Your CPUs don't seem particularly hot.  Why not just get a CPU fan?  $25 should do it and no worries about fluids running around your PC.
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nemophoto

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Re: Liquid cooling CPU - rebuild
« Reply #3 on: November 07, 2013, 10:03:37 am »

Hmmm.  I build liquid cooled PCs because I am a nut about noise and simply MUST have the most powerful CPU out there.  High wattage CPUs = noisy fans.  Most of the LC people are hard core gamers with the mentality of hot-rodders.  Check out this site if you want to see where it can all lead (http://www.caselabs.net/).  Is there some reason you want to maintain the LC loop?  As the computer ages the pump, seals, etc. will always be potential trouble points.

Your CPUs don't seem particularly hot.  Why not just get a CPU fan?  $25 should do it and no worries about fluids running around your PC.

Thanks for the link. I'll check it out. As for keeping the old LC... call it laziness. It's already installed, has a little larger radiator than the one supplied with the FX chip. My original came with the Liquid Cooler, so I'd rather keep one in the system. The new FX9590 CPU pulls a lot of watts, so would tend to generate a lot of heat. I'm not a gamer, so I don't tax my system the same way, but for longevity, Liquid is the way to go. Guess, for the extra 10 minutes it will take me, I'll use the new cooler. Your point is well taken regarding the pumps, etc.
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MirekElsner

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Re: Liquid cooling CPU - rebuild
« Reply #4 on: November 07, 2013, 10:52:14 am »

If it fits the motherboard and the cpu, you can use the old cooler and watch temperatures. If you don't like it, you can use the new one. Might be a good time to clean the pipeline from buildup and replace the cooling fluid though.

That said, I wouldn't personally build a water cooled system again:

1. The noisiest part of the computer in my case wasn't the CPU, but the GPU. Cooling GPU requires disassembly of the card and the cooling blocks are expensive and specific for each model. This makes the upgrades expensive and somewhat laborious
2. Leaks can happen. Not only they can damage the computer, but the cleaning is a pain
3. My liquid cooled computer wasn't quiet anyways. The radiator needs to cool CPU, GPU and the motherboard and keeping the temperatures down required three high pressure fans. Even the quietest high pressure fans on the market aren't really quiet.
4. I don't do over clocking and simple Noctua CPU cooler and fans do the job well and maintenance free.
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nemophoto

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Re: Liquid cooling CPU - rebuild
« Reply #5 on: November 07, 2013, 11:55:33 am »

If it fits the motherboard and the cpu, you can use the old cooler and watch temperatures. If you don't like it, you can use the new one. Might be a good time to clean the pipeline from buildup and replace the cooling fluid though.

That said, I wouldn't personally build a water cooled system again:

1. The noisiest part of the computer in my case wasn't the CPU, but the GPU. Cooling GPU requires disassembly of the card and the cooling blocks are expensive and specific for each model. This makes the upgrades expensive and somewhat laborious
2. Leaks can happen. Not only they can damage the computer, but the cleaning is a pain
3. My liquid cooled computer wasn't quiet anyways. The radiator needs to cool CPU, GPU and the motherboard and keeping the temperatures down required three high pressure fans. Even the quietest high pressure fans on the market aren't really quiet.
4. I don't do over clocking and simple Noctua CPU cooler and fans do the job well and maintenance free.

Thanks for the thoughts. My noisiest part of my current computer is actually the power and cooling fans. In rebuilding, I'm updating the GPU, but specifically with an ASUS model that touts extra quiet and better cooling, etc. I generally only overclock about 5% or so -- I've often ended up with Windows boot errors if I overclock much more. So far, knock on wood, or perhpas plastic and metal, no issues with the liquid cooling. The one i currently use and the one from AMD are both closed loop units, so theoretically less likely to leak since they are sealed from the factory.
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MirekElsner

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Re: Liquid cooling CPU - rebuild
« Reply #6 on: November 07, 2013, 02:29:10 pm »

My noisiest part of my current computer is actually the power and cooling fans.

If that bothers you, take a look at Noiseblocker and Noctua fans with appropriate RPM and Seasonic power supplies. They can shave off a few dBs. You probably know http://www.silentpcreview.com that has some reviews of components and recommendations.
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