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Rusty075 · 05-13-2006, 12:09 PM

Yeah, if you factor in cost or time as part of "performance" there's really no way WC'ing is going to compete with air cooling in terms of noise. Not now. A few years ago sure, but air cooler's performance has increased at a much faster rate than WC performance has. The delta is even bigger if you describe performance in terms of cooling/dBa.

Your 7700 isn't even all that great a HSF, compared to some of the newer models.

In order to beat the best aircoolers, a WC rig would have to have, at most, a single 120mm running at <7v, a completely silent pump, cost <$75 for the entire system, and be installable in less than half an hour. That's a tall, tall order.

But having said all that.....

If you're trying to cool a really high-end overclocked, overvolted Intel monster with a couple of fire-breathing SLi'd GPU's, then the balance probably shifts to WC'ing as the quieter option. Dumping all that heat out of a single rad with a couple of 120mm's beats any of the current air-cooled VGA options.

05-13-2006, 12:09 PM	#9
Rusty075 Cooling Neophyte Join Date: May 2004 Location: usa Posts: 14	Re: A challenge! Yeah, if you factor in cost or time as part of "performance" there's really no way WC'ing is going to compete with air cooling in terms of noise. Not now. A few years ago sure, but air cooler's performance has increased at a much faster rate than WC performance has. The delta is even bigger if you describe performance in terms of cooling/dBa. Your 7700 isn't even all that great a HSF, compared to some of the newer models. In order to beat the best aircoolers, a WC rig would have to have, at most, a single 120mm running at <7v, a completely silent pump, cost <$75 for the entire system, and be installable in less than half an hour. That's a tall, tall order. But having said all that..... If you're trying to cool a really high-end overclocked, overvolted Intel monster with a couple of fire-breathing SLi'd GPU's, then the balance probably shifts to WC'ing as the quieter option. Dumping all that heat out of a single rad with a couple of 120mm's beats any of the current air-cooled VGA options.