[jaydee]

Originally Posted by LPorc

The way I see it, there are several local builders that are differentiating themselves by putting WC in their high end systems. Yes, they are aimed at the power user/gamer kind of systems, but that sort of thing spreads trends. Everything that works for the local builders (differentiation that drives sales) eventually finds its way into an OEM system.

Dell and the like, while representing a significant part of the market in volume, don't drive what people want. An OEM can rarely do that. Far from driving the mainstream market desires, they are the players capitalizing on it with volume. OEMs are always a step behind what people want, and always playing catch-up. It's not cost-effective for them to differentiate themselves too much until after the demand is already present in the market. It is the local builders and specialty shops that find and prove the demand before then.

In other words, an OEM won't integrate an idea until AFTER it is mainstream, and certainly not until it is old news to the enthusiast market.

Disagree completely.

When AMD and Intel start recommending water cooling for their CPU's then it is mainstream. Untill then it is an after market mod.