CPU Water Cooling Cheap & Easy?

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Solid Lifters

Solid Lifters

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http://www.pcper.com/comments.php?nid=7252

Corsair H50

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Wow, this looks exactly what I need! Cheap, not too complicated, better than air, not prone to dust problems and cheap!

Anybody on air plan to try this? I hope it's a winner. I'd rather go water than air, but it's too pricey and not as simple as I'd like.
 
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I thought it was a crazy idea when my friend got his first water cooling system in his PC. But it ran pretty fine and my local radio shack had one in there for looks.
 
I doubt that kit will offer much greater performance than air. There's just not enough to it. Most self-assembled watercooling rigs are much bigger, with radiators that use 3x 120mm fans, and there's usually at least a litre of coolant fluid in there. This kit looks tiny, with just a single fan that requires you to replace one of your existing exhaust fans.

And what are you hoping to get your processor to, anyway? I'm at 3.8GHz, sub 80 degrees C with a Noctua air cooler. Apparently the Fenrir ones are more efficient for an increase in noise. And my cooler was £58.

I understand that water rigs need topped up, but this one looks sealed. Can you add fluid to it?

In short, I don't see the point in water unless you're prepared to put in a proper loop, and unless you're aiming for more than 4GHz. And a proper loop is difficult to do for less than £300.

(If you're hell-bent on a sealed rig, have a look at the ALC Domino)
 
GilesGuthrie
I doubt that kit will offer much greater performance than air. There's just not enough to it. Most self-assembled watercooling rigs are much bigger, with radiators that use 3x 120mm fans, and there's usually at least a litre of coolant fluid in there. This kit looks tiny, with just a single fan that requires you to replace one of your existing exhaust fans.

And what are you hoping to get your processor to, anyway? I'm at 3.8GHz, sub 80 degrees C with a Noctua air cooler. Apparently the Fenrir ones are more efficient for an increase in noise. And my cooler was £58.

I understand that water rigs need topped up, but this one looks sealed. Can you add fluid to it?

In short, I don't see the point in water unless you're prepared to put in a proper loop, and unless you're aiming for more than 4GHz. And a proper loop is difficult to do for less than £300.

(If you're hell-bent on a sealed rig, have a look at the ALC Domino)
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I thought this thing looked a bit too skimpy. I have my doubts if it can really beat out some of the top air coolers out there like the Ultra Chiltech or the CM V8 and V10. I read it could beat the Thermaltake 120, but the other air coolers I mentioned could do that too.

I've read up on the ALC Domino and some of the other top brand air coolers beat it. Plus, this thing has its problems. It's hard to install and it leaks! No way I want that.

I'll stay with air cooled, for now. But, I'll keep a close look at the H50 in the future.
 
That looks like a nifty little cooler, but seeing as my current system can hit 4.11Ghz on air, It doesn't look too useful outside of saving space.
 
I don't see what's wrong with this simple, and modest setup. :rolleyes:

Edited: In all honesty, unless you went with a custom setup, I wouldn't get any kit unless it was a swiftech kit. I would start with their H20-120 compact cooling kit. You can see more at their site: http://www.swiftnets.com/products/h20-120-compact.asp

H20-120-COMPACT.gif
 
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Some new easy small water kits can actually be quite deceiving because they usually dont offer any improvement over air and are very noisy with a tiny motor. If your going to go water get a reasonable sized unit with a pump which is atleast the size of your fist!

Robin.
 
Robin.
Some new easy small water kits can actually be quite deceiving because they usually dont offer any improvement over air. If your going to go water get a reasonable sized unit with a pump which is atleast the size of your fist!

Robin.
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I am using a Swiftech MCP355 pump, that I can attest is not as big as my fist and it works quite well.

Check the specs here: http://www.swiftnets.com/products/mcp355.asp

It does quite well. I even have it mounted to the bottom of an acrylic reservoir for a nice combo install.

In this picture, you can see the pump mounted to the bottom:
DSC_0046.JPG


I don't want to be all negative on new products. I will say, however, that although the H50 doesn't look like a power house of cooling, the dust management does look nice. I haven't looked, but what are the dB's compared to air cooling? Does it offer lower noise levels? You still have a 120mm fan, from the looks of it.
 
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I remember a test between the TRUE and the coolit domino, they were neck and neck most of the time, but domino pulled ahead just a few times, by only a degree or two.

I do like water cooling, but if you aren't going to use the equipment to its full potential, its just no worth it. My Xigmatek is working great with my E7200 @ 4Ghz
 
Pako
I am using a Swiftech MCP355 pump, that I can attest is not as big as my fist and it works quite well.

Check the specs here: http://www.swiftnets.com/products/mcp355.asp

It does quite well. I even have it mounted to the bottom of an acrylic reservoir for a nice combo install.

In this picture, you can see the pump mounted to the bottom:
DSC_0046.JPG


I don't want to be all negative on new products. I will say, however, that although the H50 doesn't look like a power house of cooling, the dust management does look nice. I haven't looked, but what are the dB's compared to air cooling? Does it offer lower noise levels? You still have a 120mm fan, from the looks of it.
Click to expand...

In all fairness your fist is probably massive Pako! :sly: But seriously I had a look at the link and it seems a decient size although it does say its not recommended for 'users seeking silent operations' which is most likely due to a smaller rotor having to spin faster to move the same amount of water. Swiftech has a very good rep in the water dept.

Im really talking about those micro units where the pump is very small (like a coin) with a tiny rotor wizzing away. They often end up sounding like those fans in the back of external HDD caddys.

Robin.
 

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