# Noctua NH-D14 vs Liquid Cooling



## TIGR (Feb 8, 2010)

Anybody seen a recent (2010) test comparing the NH-D14 and other air cooling solutions to liquid cooling setups? I haven't seen such an air vs water comparison done for quite a while and am wondering what the state of things is. I understand the Noctua will match or even outperform Corsair's H50.


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## johnnyfiive (Feb 8, 2010)

I had a NH-D14 on my i7 setup and it was the best air solution I've ever used, hands down. No clue how it would compare to water though, not on my setup at least.


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## TIGR (Feb 8, 2010)

To the best of my knowledge, it is _the_ best [unmodded] air cooling solution available.


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## mstenholm (Feb 8, 2010)

None water-NH-D14 comparisons as far as I know besides the Corsair. I run 30-37 C above ambiente at 4 GHz in a open rig @ 8 treads/100% 24/7. I'm happy.


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## assaulter_99 (Feb 8, 2010)

I'd take the noctua any day, not too fond of water cooling (afraid of accidents). It is among the best but the looks are pretty meh lol. Maybe that's the price for excellent air cooling, besides its real price


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## PaulieG (Feb 8, 2010)

High end air will never compete with anything but low to lo-mid water. It's simply impossible to create the temps produced with a solid custom loop. That's coming from experience, and why I'm back on water after running Mega's for months.

Thing is, you can put a good custom loop together with used parts for around $150, and i7's just beg for water to get the most out of them.


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## mstenholm (Feb 8, 2010)

There is no doubt that a good custum water loop will out perform any retail air coolers. The problem for many beginners is to build the good WC for $150.


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## assaulter_99 (Feb 8, 2010)

Can you really get a good WC setup for ~$150?


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## theonedub (Feb 8, 2010)

^ Thats what I'm thinking. Second hand surely, but new?


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## PaulieG (Feb 8, 2010)

assaulter_99 said:


> Can you really get a good WC setup for ~$150?



Yes.



theonedub said:


> ^ Thats what I'm thinking. Second hand surely, but new?



With some used parts, and some new. Thing is, most used blocks, pumps and res' are as good as new. One of my loops actually cost $130, and the only thing I bought new was the Rad and tubing. That included a D4 pump, EK Rad and res, and an Enzotech block.


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## TIGR (Feb 8, 2010)

Let's compare apples to apples here (new to new). Air cooling can be bought used as well.  I've seen two TRUEs go for $45 (shipped) or less in the past two weeks.


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## assaulter_99 (Feb 8, 2010)

^^^ true and cheaper, I guess!


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## PaulieG (Feb 8, 2010)

TIGR said:


> Let's compare apples to apples here (new to new). Air cooling can be bought used as well.  I've seen two TRUEs go for $45 or less in the past two weeks.



But why do that? It's illogical when used water is better than new air.


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## theonedub (Feb 8, 2010)

I got my Mega for $45  

Im going to wait for another air cooler to come out and convince Paul to go back to air, then I will buy one of his 'budget' loops cheap


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## TIGR (Feb 8, 2010)

Paulieg said:


> But why do that? It's illogical when used water is better than new air.



Because you mentioned how inexpensively you could get a water cooling setup used. If you want to compare prices, you should compare used to used, not used to new.

It goes without saying that water can out-cool an air setup.


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## assaulter_99 (Feb 8, 2010)

interesting though, I never thought WC could be ~150. Might look into it. The only thing that's still keeping me out is the number of parts you need to get.


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## PaulieG (Feb 8, 2010)

TIGR said:


> Because you mentioned how inexpensively you could get a water cooling setup used. If you want to compare prices, compare used to used, not used to new.
> 
> It goes without saying that water can out-cool an air setup.



I'm simply stating how to get the best cooling possible on the cheap. People avoid water thinking that it's crazy expensive, when it's really not.


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## lemode (Feb 8, 2010)

i can't speak on water cooling as i do not want to deal with liquid (no matter how OCD and secure i think it is) near my components. i have used Noctura heatsinks for a few years. until a solution comes out that makes me trust water cooling (becasue i dont trust myself), i will stick to good air solutions.


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## assaulter_99 (Feb 8, 2010)

lemode said:


> i can't speak on water cooling as i do not want to deal with liquid (no matter how OCD and secure i think it is) near my components. i have used Noctura heatsinks for a few years. until a solution comes out that makes me trust water cooling (becasue i dont trust myself), i will stick to good air solutions.



What about h50? seems to be easier to setup?


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## TIGR (Feb 8, 2010)

One concern with the Noctua is that it is rather heavy. Some might not like that.

Paulie, "on the cheap," "crazy expensive," etc. are not really concrete enough to work with here. Personally, I wouldn't even bother with the Noctua for my personal rigs. I consider the best bang for buck to be my $25 Xigmatek S1283. Others consider a $300 cooling setup to be cheap. The OP was really about seeing _how much_ performance difference there is, for the ultimate purpose of determining the cost of different levels of cooling performance. Naturally, I'd say a $150 liquid cooling setup had damn well better outperform an $80 air cooler; the question is, by how much?

I could also say phase change that can be had for _only_ $500 used is not as "crazy expensive" as many people think and will outperform water.


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## PaulieG (Feb 8, 2010)

lemode said:


> i can't speak on water cooling as i do not want to deal with liquid (no matter how OCD and secure i think it is) near my components. i have used Noctura heatsinks for a few years. until a solution comes out that makes me trust water cooling (becasue i dont trust myself), i will stick to good air solutions.



Fair enough. This is the only potential downside. However, if you follow certain steps, the risk is minimal. I'm OCD about my loops, so I triple check that everything is sealed and tight, and I use plubers tape on all my barbs. Then I run my loop away from components for 12 hours before I install it. 



TIGR said:


> One concern with the Noctua is that it is rather heavy. Some might not like that.
> 
> Paulie, "on the cheap," "crazy expensive," etc. are not really concrete enough to work with here. Personally, I wouldn't even bother with the Noctua. I consider the best bang for buck to be my $25 Xigmatek S1283. Others consider a $300 cooling setup to be cheap. The OP was really about seeing _how much_ performance difference there is, for the ultimate purpose of determining the cost of different levels of cooling performance. Naturally, I'd say a $150 liquid cooling setup had damn well better outperform an $80 air cooler; the question is, by how much?



Everything is relative. I will say this. On water in an unheated garage, I idle in the teens, and never break 60c on a highly overclocked i7. My Mega could never come within 10c of that.


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## assaulter_99 (Feb 8, 2010)

TIGR said:


> One concern with the Noctua is that it is rather heavy. Some might not like that.
> 
> Naturally, I'd say a $150 liquid cooling setup had damn well better outperform an $80 air cooler; the question is, by how much?



Plus I think the noctua covers some ram slots. 

Good question, is 5 - 10 degrees worth the risk and cost? Maybe it depends on your enthusiasm!


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## TIGR (Feb 8, 2010)

Indeed, which leads us the the OP, where I'm looking for actual side-by-side tests. 

All is relative, but some hard numbers would put them into perspective.


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## Binge (Feb 8, 2010)

It'd be impossible to compare.  Low end WC is a single 120mm rad.  Once you go dual or triple then air cooling can't beat it not even the NH-D14


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## TIGR (Feb 8, 2010)

Binge said:


> It'd be impossible to compare.  Low end WC is a single 120mm rad.  Once you go dual or triple then air cooling can't beat it not even the NH-D14





TIGR said:


> ....a $150 liquid cooling setup had damn well better outperform an $80 air cooler; the question is, by how much?





TIGR said:


> ....which leads us the the OP, where I'm looking for actual side-by-side tests.
> 
> All is relative, but some hard numbers would put them into perspective.


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## ZenZimZaliben (Feb 8, 2010)

Not to mention once you Invest in watercooling, you will have a watercooled PC for a long time, through many hardware changes. Only thing you may need to upgrade is a $3 bracket add/remove tubing. I have had the same pump and radiators since socket 939.


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## PaulieG (Feb 8, 2010)

ZenZimZaliben said:


> Not to mention once you Invest in watercooling, you will have a watercooled PC for a long time, through many hardware changes. Only thing you may need to upgrade is a $3 bracket add/remove tubing. I have had the same pump and radiators since socket 939.



VERY good point, though I can't help but upgrade my loop occasionally.


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## TIGR (Feb 8, 2010)

ZenZimZaliben said:


> Not to mention once you Invest in watercooling, you will have a watercooled PC for a long time, through many hardware changes. Only thing you may need to upgrade is a $3 bracket add/remove tubing. I have had the same pump and radiators since socket 939.



I've moved my S1283 from 775 to AM2+ to AM3 and soon it's going to 1156.

So, same.


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## Binge (Feb 8, 2010)

@TIGR-The only way would to be able to explain to you the fundamentals of heat transfer, and I don't have the time.  Get out a Thermodynamics text book, and check out the transfer properties of water, copper, and air.  Then create a diagram and try and factor in some personal logic to see where the weaknesses of a transfer medium are overcome by design and engineering.

Quoting yourself and adding an emoticon won't satiate your curiosity, and it won't happen by demanding other people make observations for you.  If you want an answer you can get behind then do it yourself.  Otherwise you're going to look at a graph and take it at 1/10th the value of the information gathered in that test.


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## lemode (Feb 8, 2010)

Paulieg said:


> Fair enough. This is the only potential downside. However, if you follow certain steps, the risk is minimal. I'm OCD about my loops, so I triple check that everything is sealed and tight, and I use plubers tape on all my barbs. Then I run my loop away from components for 12 hours before I install it.



One day I will be able to do this...

I don’t trust myself as of now because my (soon to be ex) wife’s sh*thead antics cause me to drink some nights. And to tune her out, I work on pcs while she’s awake. Hopefully by the time the dust settles I can stop destroying my liver and focus on what the hell I’m doing!


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## Binge (Feb 8, 2010)

TIGR said:


> Relax, and maybe eat a banana. The point is, you're entirely off the point of the thread. There is nobody here uneducated enough to claim air is more effective than water at transferring heat. No need for a intellectual pissing contest either; the thermal conductivity of copper, water, and air (at room temp) are 401, .67, and .026 W/m K respectively. Their specific heat capacities are .385, 4.181, and 1.005 kJ/kgK respectively. Knowing this and how it relates to PC cooling does not grant you the right to arrogance; it simply means you know what pretty much everyone else here knows.
> 
> Now, as far as demanding that other people make observations: if I never looked to others for observations, I would know nothing. The same goes for you. Guess what, I got the thermal conductivity and specific heat capacities above from a book! I didn't observe them myself. Have you measured them yourself or did you read about them somewhere? There are benchmarks and tests all over the Internet regarding the performance of various computer components. This thread is about finding out whether there is a recent one comparing the best air cooling setup with other air as well as liquid cooling configurations. Heck, toss in phase change and LN2, because I'd like to see how they _all_ stack up.
> 
> If you don't like this thread, feel free to not post in it. And I _highly_ recommend you eat that banana now. You're the only one getting riled up here.



Are you trying to get me worked up by accusing me of it?  If you read what I wrote it makes sense.  I'm telling you the steps to figure out the truth and to the letter of the law.  Since my opinion based on fact wasn't enough then that's the way you go about figuring it out.  Come on


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## TIGR (Feb 8, 2010)

Binge said:


> @TIGR-The only way would to be able to explain to you the fundamentals of heat transfer, and I don't have the time.  Get out a Thermodynamics text book, and check out the transfer properties of water, copper, and air.  Then create a diagram and try and factor in some personal logic to see where the weaknesses of a transfer medium are overcome by design and engineering.
> 
> Quoting yourself and adding an emoticon won't satiate your curiosity, and it won't happen by demanding other people make observations for you.  If you want an answer you can get behind then do it yourself.  Otherwise you're going to look at a graph and take it at 1/10th the value of the information gathered in that test.





TIGR said:


> It goes without saying that water can out-cool an air setup.



Relax, and maybe eat a banana. The point is, you're entirely off the point of the thread. There is nobody here uneducated enough to claim air is more effective than water at transferring heat. No need for a intellectual pissing contest either; the thermal conductivity of copper, water, and air (at room temp) are 401, .67, and .026 W/m K respectively. Their specific heat capacities are .385, 4.181, and 1.005 kJ/kgK respectively. Knowing this and how it relates to PC cooling does not grant you the right to arrogance; it simply means you know what pretty much everyone else here knows.

Now, as far as demanding that other people make observations: if I never looked to others for observations, I would know nothing. The same goes for you. Guess what, I got the thermal conductivity and specific heat capacities above from a book! I didn't observe them myself. Have you measured them yourself or did you read about them somewhere? There are benchmarks and tests all over the Internet regarding the performance of various computer components. This thread is about finding out whether there is a recent one comparing the best air cooling setup with other air as well as liquid cooling configurations. Heck, toss in phase change and LN2, because I'd like to see how they _all_ stack up.

If you don't like this thread, feel free to not post in it. And I _highly_ recommend you eat that banana now. You're the only one getting riled up here. 

Edit: accidentally deleted this post while editing. It should be before Binge's last one. Binge, relax. You're not contributing and I won't reply to you again unless in a future post you have something useful to add to this thread.


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## Binge (Feb 8, 2010)

You're totally right buddy.  I'm not contributing a block diagram, charts, and graphs because I don't have the time.  You, by saying, 

'....a $150 liquid cooling setup had damn well better outperform an $80 air cooler; the question is, by how much?'

'....which leads us the the OP, where I'm looking for actual side-by-side tests.

All is relative, but some hard numbers would put them into perspective.'

admit that you want a method in which to find out an answer.  I gave you the method now spend the money and figure it out.  Nobody here wants to work that hard, and everyone who's used both water and high end air are speaking in relative terms of performance where good is good and better than good is variably better than good.  Maybe you should check out http://martin.skinneelabs.com/ so you can learn how water systems are measured in efficiency.  That will give you a good idea about how all of the parts in the loop transfer heat and how double the surface area of a water radiator is exponentially greater in cooling capacity than double the surface area of a stand alone copper/aluminum cooler.


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## phanbuey (Feb 8, 2010)

1. yes it will outperform an h50.  h50 is the lowest end watercooling you can possibly buy... next to the domino ALC.

2. it will not outperform a dual rad... it will get slaughtered, by how much depends on the chip and the heat that it puts out, as well as a plethora of other factors.  But it will get creamed.

3. is it worth it? IMO If you're trying to get the max OC on a new intel quad (i7/i5 etc) then yes, if you're running a chip which is not limited by temps on the OC (like AMD phenom II's or anything dual core) then no.


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## TIGR (Feb 8, 2010)

Binge: What I want is to see the results of testing. 99% of the good people here at TPU, including myself, don't have the money or time to buy and compare all the cooling setups we'd like to see tested. That's why we look at articles, benchmarks, and tests by others. Most of us, myself included, are well aware of how the various systems work. I realize it can be fun and satisfying to make condescending, disparaging remarks about the knowledge of others, and it helps mask your lack of ability to contribute anything relevant, but at the request of the OP, please don't clutter this thread with any more of it. I don't care how many posts or Thanks you have here or anywhere else; you're going to have to earn the status of a person with valuable ideas/information/thoughts to contribute, from square one, before I respond to you any further. So if you don't get responded to after this, now you know why.

phanbuey: thanks!


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## johnnyfiive (Feb 8, 2010)

Just look at reviews of a NH-D14. There are plenty to read. Now, consider what a water cooled setup may consist of, performance will vary depending on parts used. Here is the easy answer.

In stock form the NH-D14 is the best air cooling solution available. It will cost you $90+ when you factor in shipping. You can take a lapped TRUE, that has a lapped CPU, with two 2,000RPM fans and I bet it will perform very similar to a stock NH-D14 setup. 

Now factor what I typed above to a water setup. It varies from setup to setup. _<---- thats the answer BTW_
If you want concrete, factual data, Google or Bing (that varies too) up comparisons and formulate you're own conclusion. Unless someone has both a NH-D14, a water setup, and plenty of time to do all this work for you, I don't think anything anyone else says is going to satisfy you.


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## Kantastic (Feb 8, 2010)

I have to wonder because D14 and Venomous X performance vary between different reviews, so which one is ultimately better?


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## johnnyfiive (Feb 8, 2010)

lol... stop it kan, you're adding rocket fuel to this pink fire.


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## Binge (Feb 8, 2010)

TIGR said:


> Binge: What I want is to see the results of testing. 99% of the good people here at TPU, including myself, don't have the money or time to buy and compare all the cooling setups we'd like to see tested. That's why we look at articles, benchmarks, and tests by others. Most of us, myself included, are well aware of how the various systems work. I realize it can be fun and satisfying to make condescending, disparaging remarks about the knowledge of others, and it helps mask your lack of ability to contribute anything relevant, but at the request of the OP, please don't clutter this thread with any more of it. I don't care how many posts or Thanks you have here or anywhere else; you're going to have to earn the status of a person with valuable ideas/information/thoughts to contribute, from square one, before I respond to you any further. So if you don't get responded to after this, now you know why.
> 
> phanbuey: thanks!



TIGR- Why would I have linked you martin's liquid lab if I wasn't trying to meet some sort of compromise to explain the information I presented in previous posts?  You should check out the link.  Martin, created that site in order for people to understand water cooling and it's effectiveness by making it comparable to ANY cooler benchmark.  His tests/recorded results give YOU the means to make informed observations when looking at the results of others and how to form your own.  You would learn a lot, and I sense that you're taking a lot of what's being said and reading it with undue inflection.  I hope you know nothing I said was meant to demean you.  It's really hard to get the point across without being blunt, so that's all the explanation I have for my actions and enjoy the info @ martin's and the framework I've given you to make your own observations.  If you happen to record anything useful along the way don't make the same mistakes I did and keep the info disorganized.  For some reason folks like charts


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## Kantastic (Feb 8, 2010)

johnnyfiive said:


> lol... stop it kan, you're adding rocket fuel to this pink fire.



I'm oblivious to all arguments on this forum. When I get sick of it I'll hit the report button a few times and go on with my quest for knowledge here @ TPU.


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## TIGR (Feb 8, 2010)

Lol sorry guys, I already decided to stop reading (much less replying to) said argument. Honest to god, I was trying to be fair, mature, and objective ... and not too serious. 

But Kantastic, you bring up a good point; the discrepancies between reviews beg a larger, carefully done test. Someone posted a rather comprehensive on air coolers recently, but it'd be nice to see more options included, from entry level to top end. I posted this topic because after seeing roundups of 80 types of TIM, dozens of CPU coolers, etc. who knows what else is out there that I haven't found....


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## johnnyfiive (Feb 8, 2010)

I just found the answer for you TIGR.
http://artofmanliness.com/2010/02/08/the-world-belongs-to-those-who-hustle/


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## TIGR (Feb 8, 2010)

Edit: nvm.


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## johnnyfiive (Feb 8, 2010)

I hope everyone is reading that article and learns to hustle.


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## phanbuey (Feb 8, 2010)

johnnyfiive said:


> I hope everyone is reading that article and learns to hustle.



I will start hustling after I play mass effect 2.


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## assaulter_99 (Feb 9, 2010)

phanbuey said:


> I will start hustling after I play mass effect 2.



A little off course, just finished ME2, this game is truely worth it, its just awesome, especially the last 30 mins! Its like some kinda sci fi movie. Pity I didn't play the first one . I won't miss the 3rd one though!


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## TIGR (Feb 9, 2010)

You can go off course as much as you like lol, this topic is officially derailed.


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## assaulter_99 (Feb 9, 2010)

TIGR said:


> You can go off course as much as you like lol, this topic is officially derailed.



Feels kinda strange, a thread starting with noctua v/s WC ending up discussing about mass effect...


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## TIGR (Feb 9, 2010)

So how bout that Superbowl?

(kidding)


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## assaulter_99 (Feb 9, 2010)

ok lets just mix it up then, why not the effect of superbowl on geeks?  Kidding too!


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## TIGR (Feb 9, 2010)

Lol you know what's sad ... I played CoD4 through the entire Superbowl.  A friend kept texting me every time someone made a touchdown. I frustrated him by asking if Michael Jordan or Mark McGuire or Wayne Gretzky were playing for either of the teams.


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## Reefer86 (Feb 9, 2010)

i have custom water and i sit idle on a 965 overclocked at 4.0 and i sit at 24c. I had a true before going water and believe me custom water loops are really good if used correctly. 
One thing i could suggest to others  who are thinking about water cooling is, take it slow only water cool your cpu first don't try to jump to cooling the whole rig like me .....was fun but a pain.


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## PaulieG (Feb 9, 2010)

Reefer86 said:


> i have custom water and i sit idle on a 965 overclocked at 4.0 and i sit at 24c. I had a true before going water and believe me custom water loops are really good if used correctly.
> One thing i could suggest to others  who are thinking about water cooling is, take it slow only water cool your cpu first don't try to jump to cooling the whole rig like me .....was fun but a pain.



Yeah. It's a really good idea to start slow. Hell, in all honesty, I usually only WC the CPU anyways. My ambient temps are generally pretty low, so my board and graphics cards stay relatively cool. 

Another benefit of water cooling is once you have a loop setup, swaping out chips is way easier on a water block (with backplate) than any air solution. It literally takes me 1/3 of the time taking a block off of a chip than it does with my Megahalems. 

I know that not everyone is comfortable taking the step up to water cooling. However, it can bring great rewards to those willing to try it, and if you are thrifty, you can do it on a budget.


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## phanbuey (Feb 9, 2010)

Paulieg said:


> Yeah. It's a really good idea to start slow. Hell, in all honesty, I usually only WC the CPU anyways. My ambient temps are generally pretty low, so my board and graphics cards stay relatively cool.
> 
> Another benefit of water cooling is once you have a loop setup, swaping out chips is way easier on a water block (with backplate) than any air solution. It literally takes me 1/3 of the time taking a block off of a chip than it does with my Megahalems.
> 
> I know that not everyone is comfortable taking the step up to water cooling. However, it can bring great rewards to those willing to try it, and if you are thrifty, you can do it on a budget.



i second that  ^^^ i upgraded from a S775 system to a S1156 system with just installing the enzotech adapter, and then taking out the old motherboard/chip and putting the new on in... i didnt even take the gfx out of the loop.  Took 25mins tops while watching 30 rock.

easiest upgrade ever


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## Naekuh (Feb 9, 2010)

The only time when you cant take your existing h2o eq to your new setups, is when you get full (x) blocks.

Like full board blocks, or full card blocks. 
These are basically a one time thing... meaning chances are they wont fit on the later generation. 

Cpu blocks, depending on manufact. will have adapters for the new sockets. 
The Apogee series is probably one of the oldest circulating blocks. 

You can get mounts for P4 -> S939 -> AM1-3 -> LGA775, LGA771, LGA 1156, LGA1366..   

Pumps you can also take with you on your new system, which is why i tell people the pump should be either your #2 or #3 most expensive EQ in your loop. 

If you have/buy a good pump it will last you 2-3-4-5 yrs, depending on quality.


From experience... i learned that if a newbie sets up great custom kit, he will NEVER go back to air.
If a newbie has a disaster the first time they build, they will NEVER attempt water.

Do it right, slowly, and ask a lot of questions. 
(if you messed something up.. STOP... clean... and b4 you try to fix your messup, ask vets on a solution.)
A spill or leak isnt bad especially if your system isnt on. 

If you leak while on, it means either:
1. Block failure
2. You rushed. 

Water isnt for everyone, but once done correctly, its like a black hole... theres only 1 way left, and thats further to the event horizon.


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## mstenholm (Feb 11, 2010)

TIGR said:


> Anybody seen a *recent* (2010) test comparing the NH-D14 and other air cooling solutions to liquid cooling setups? I haven't seen such an air vs water comparison done for quite a while and am wondering what the state of things is. I understand the Noctua will match or even outperform Corsair's H50.



Yes I have....http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1212/6/


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## Reefer86 (Feb 11, 2010)

just wanted to add, ive had both air and water but the chart/results you are looking for air vs water cannot be done. 
My custom loop is different to everyone else's here. The pump, rad and block can all make heat differences to the temps, hell even the lengths of tubing can make a difference........or the size of tubing. 
This is why there is no definitive chart or graph to show results. As it would be totally a waste of time.


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## TIGR (Feb 11, 2010)

Reefer86 said:


> just wanted to add, ive had both air and water but the chart/results you are looking for air vs water cannot be done.
> My custom loop is different to everyone else's here. The pump, rad and block can all make heat differences to the temps, hell even the lengths of tubing can make a difference........or the size of tubing.
> This is why there is no definitive chart or graph to show results. As it would be totally a waste of time.



Your custom loop is different from everyone else's custom loop, sure. But your ambient temps are different from everyone else's too. Your case is different, your fans are different, the frequency with which you clean out dust is different, how much dust there is in your environment is different ... so _all_ testing must be taken with a grain of salt (this should go without saying).

I've run both air and water cooling as well.  Besides my past personal rigs, there are about a dozen TIGR-branded water-cooled rigs out there that I built for customers before deciding it wasn't worth the risk to continue offering that option in my professional builds.

The important thing is that such a test be done under controlled conditions (all factors besides the CPU HSF/WC setup kept identical). You look at the test setup, consider the best option there, and modify as desired/needed. Just because your existing setup is different from others' doesn't mean that such a test doesn't exist, "cannot be done," or is "totally a waste of time." In fact, all this considered, I found mstenholm's post to be quite useful, despite not being particularly definitive or thorough, because it gives a basic idea:



mstenholm said:


> Yes I have....http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1212/6/



Thank you!  You're the one person who actually contributed what the original post asked for....


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## Naekuh (Feb 11, 2010)

TIGR said:


> Thank you!  You're the one person who actually contributed what the original post asked for....



you still should take that XT ranking with a grain of salt.

We have no idea what rad setup he has, nor what ambients are held. 

People usually dont cross compare platforms unless its a fully prebuilt water setup.

As reefer explained, everyone's setup is different. 
And water has its own tiers in setups, from mid -> uber high.


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## TIGR (Feb 11, 2010)

I've been keeping that in mind. I'm going to start looking around at a lot of different tests and see if I can't come up with some kind of useful comparisons by linking the differences and similarities according to the various results.


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## phanbuey (Feb 12, 2010)

Naekuh said:


> you still should take that XT ranking with a grain of salt.
> 
> We have no idea what rad setup he has, nor what ambients are held.
> 
> ...



so true... he could be running a quad rad and using his bathtub as a reservoir.

generally it will look like this (given equivalent fans)
@ 3.8+Ghz i7 @ 1.38+V

Noctua
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>75.6C
Corsair H50
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Fail
Single Rad WC system
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>78-80C
Double Rad WC system
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>65C
Triple Rad WC system
>>>>>>>>>>>>>56-60C
Quad Rad WC system
>>>>>>>>>>>>54-56C

these results are within +/- 50% of accuracy


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## exodusprime1337 (Feb 12, 2010)

looks like the do a small comparison here in this review to the swiftec apogee blocks(must be water cooling) and the noctua doesn't come close imho.  here is the link noctua comparison


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