Recommended/Best water cooling system for PC

**pmeswani** · 2 April 2009, 06:29

Originally posted by OwlHoot View Post

Anyone know if there are any generally recommended top-of-the-range kick-ass water cooling systems for gaming PCs?

I'm fed up with my expensive PC (bought three years ago) cutting out due to overheating after five minutes at 95% CPU.

Last time a PC repair guy fixed this by slurping a load more thermal grease under the cooler. But evidently this grease has now evaporated *again*. So I'd like to beef up the cooling.

(When I bought the PC, the cooling fan was described as "ultra-quiet", but now makes a noise not unlike a 747 taxiing on the runway!)

I'm sure a build up of dust is contributing to the problem, by forming an insulating layer over the boards So I'll try blasting some air through the ventilation slots to clear this. But I fear the thermal grease has gone AWOL again.

You could probably get a better kick-arse machine for the same price as one of those water cooling cases anyway.

**voodooflux** · 2 April 2009, 08:01

Originally posted by OwlHoot View Post

Anyone know if there are any generally recommended top-of-the-range kick-ass water cooling systems for gaming PCs?

I'm fed up with my expensive PC (bought three years ago) cutting out due to overheating after five minutes at 95% CPU.

Last time a PC repair guy fixed this by slurping a load more thermal grease under the cooler. But evidently this grease has now evaporated *again*. So I'd like to beef up the cooling.

No specific recommendations, but there's loads of info on watercooling rigs over on the Overclocking & Cooling forum at OcUK.

Never had an issue with thermal paste evaporating - things must be getting pretty hot in there. What case fans have you got? Doing any overclocking?

**DaveB** · 2 April 2009, 08:48

Almost certainly dust causing the problems if you dont clean it out regularly.

Pop the case open and use a vacuum cleaner hose attachement to *carefully* clean it out. Apply the nozzle to all the vents on the PSU you can reach as well to clean out dust that will have built up inside it and do the same with the CPU Fan to suck out all the crap that will have built up between the heat sink slots underneath.

You can clean out the hard to reach bits with a clean, dry 1/2" paint brush to loosen the crud and then hoover it out.

Leave it plugged in but switched off at the mains to earth it so you dont cause any static problems.

**Ardesco** · 2 April 2009, 12:40

I use one of these:

http://www.quietpc.com/gb-en-gbp/pro...g/reserator-xt

You can change the fan speed from silent to a a low hum and it shows the temp of the coolant, fill level, etc. Very easy to install as well just cut the supplied tube in half and plug it into the cpu heatsink and the big coolant tank.

I think it's great, my top tip however is use all the tubing supplied, don't cut it short. If you cut the tubes short there is less cooling time as the coolant is shuttled around the system giving you higher water temps.

Mine is cooling my CPU and GFX card (8800GTS and a quad core Phenom) and I have had no problems at all.

**ba55meister** · 2 April 2009, 12:50

i have a SwiftTech one! works perfectly

**AtW** · 2 April 2009, 13:58

You don't need water to keep it cool and quiet - get decent CPU like core i7 - it's very cool.

**ba55meister** · 2 April 2009, 14:29

Originally posted by AtW View Post

You don't need water to keep it cool and quiet - get decent CPU like core i7 - it's very cool.

i used my watercooling to get my 2.4Ghz core 2 duo E6600 running stable at 3.6Ghz and it was still quiet and very cool

**voodooflux** · 2 April 2009, 14:36

Originally posted by ba55meister View Post

i used my watercooling to get my 2.4Ghz core 2 duo E6600 running stable at 3.6Ghz and it was still quiet and very cool

That's decent - what memory (and timings) are you running in that rig?

**DaveB** · 2 April 2009, 14:38

Originally posted by ba55meister View Post

i used my watercooling to get my 2.4Ghz core 2 duo E6600 running stable at 3.6Ghz and it was still quiet and very cool

I have a 24" iMac. It's pretty

Recommended/Best water cooling system for PC