Is GPU Water Cooling Worth It? (or is Liquid Cooling Dead?) - Probing Paul #85

Should You Water Cool Your GPU? (or is Liquid Cooling Dead?) - Probing Paul #85
▷ MY STORE - shirts, pint glasses & hoodies: paulshardware.net
► TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Welcome to Probing Paul #85
0:51 Pre-Probing Notes
1:01 Should I Water Cool My GPU? (or is Liquid Cooling Dead?)
• Liquid Cooling is Dead...
6:18 How does a monitor’s resolution/size/refresh rate affect gaming performance?
10:23 What keyboard is the white one you use?
www.corsair.com/us/en/p/keybo...
11:43 How is the DIY home surveillance system doing?
• DIY Home Surveillance ...
• I Have a LOT to Learn ...
• I told myself this wou...
• The Final Teardown - P...
13:57 Was that a Radeon RX 7900 GRE??
• Cleanest Build Ever - ...
14:29 Looking forward to the Mini ITX build!
• Maximum Upgrade, Minim...
14:56 MAIL TIME (Sort Of) - Big Overhead Softbox Light Parts
Philips LED Flicker-Free Frosted Dimmable A19 Light Bulb, Daylight (5000K) 8W=60W - geni.us/hSqg
Kasa Outdoor Smart Dimmer Plug - geni.us/yETP7
Neewer 12x5 feet/3.6x1.5 meters Polyester White Seamless Diffusion Fabric - geni.us/sZZXH
FocusFoto 4-in-1 E27 Base Socket Splitter Light Lamp Bulb Head Adapter - geni.us/SmwwU7T
Please note that links above may be affiliate links -- clicking them earns me a small commission if you make a purchase and helps support my KZbin channel. Thank you!
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► Edited by Joe Aguilar - ShaostylePostProductions
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[@ervingoss5442]

Yes, Yes, I'd like to see a DYI video on a soft box.

[@jwdickieson]

Paul I'm not going to lie to you you could make a video of you just cutting what little grass you have in the backyard with the occasional thumbs up towards the camera and I would watch it because I like you as a person and have enjoyed all of your content... 🙂 So yes I would thoroughly enjoy watching you build this little rig or set up for lighting

[@zodwraith5745]

I've often found it odd that CPUs get all kinds of crazy exotic cooling solutions everywhere from cheap hunk o' metal to "you're gonna need to sign a release form for this", but GPUs get hunk o' metal to bigger hunk o' metal and maybe a paltry 240 AIO with a Chinesium pump that will likely die in a year. Not only do GPUs pull far more wattage than CPUs on average, but they're far more likely to be running full tilt in realistic everyday scenarios like playing a game, while CPUs are only running full tilt if your favorite game is Cinebench. I'd like to see GPU cooling become as ubiquitous as CPU cooling where you can upgrade your solution with a few screws and $100 instead of needing an engineering degree and $500 in hardware to upgrade it.

[@hanswichmann5047]

Of COURSE we want to see the light box build!!

[@dangerwr]

I would love to see more DIY videos for any project you do. They've always been informative and inspiring. 👍

[@dn7783]

I'm using a $20 transmission radiator for 20 bucks, And a $20 12 V wholehouse water pump for 20 bucks And hoses from home depot and everything runs fine.

[@cj_guinn]

This is how my Mechanical Mind works and put things into functional applications. If computer parts weren't so extremely expensive it would be cool to see a DIY build that is completely functional yet using non-functional computer parts to build. If I were you I would have added some duct tape to the joints just for good measure LOL and for the added aesthetic of course. It would be sweet to see a picture!

[@dn7783]

@@cj_guinn I am on tictok as hellscapedmn there some pictures

[@Grihmmy]

Would appreciate an assembly video indeed. I really liked your home fixing videos / how to build etc as well to be both educational and enjoyable. Gives a lot of great ideas and a good step by step feel to it as well. Keep up the great work and have a nice day.

[@rgracon]

Thanks for the GPU water cooling and AIO topic… It’s actually great timing with the upgrade I’m considering right now!

[@xDownSetx]

The first card I put an AIO on was a reference R9 290. It turned a literal hair dryer into a whisper quiet GPU that never saw above 55c, that's with a single fan 140mm AIO. GPU dies are so massive compared to CPUs that the benefits of watercooling are insane. Even today with my 7900XT on a custom loop, my GPU temps rarely break 45c, 65c hotspot.

[@t.v.9696]

Thanks for considerable probing, Paul 😁!

[@doryiii]

I agree with other comments on here; I added my custom loop because of how quiet it is compared to other options. Even an AIO cannot compare because you generally cannot control an AIO's fan speed based on water temperature delta over ambience, which is really the only metric your loop's fan speed should be based on.

[@dozerd42]

I remember you saying last time that you didn't have time to re-organize the office/set. It looks like you got to that! I have to say, it looks really nice! 👍🏻

[@Kwijibob]

Water cooling makes a bigger difference for GPU performance than for CPUs due to GPU running at 100% almost continuously while gaming. It also reduces the amount of heat the GPU is dumping right below the CPU, which matters a lot if your CPU is air cooled. Add on to that it reduces the weight and size of the card itself so it isn't prone to sagging.

[@LifeStartsAtrpm-ru1xo]

This

[@ChrisVirgilio]

Water blocks aren’t exactly light weight… But lighter than heat sinks, yeah by a little bit.

[@murraystechtime8530]

Yes Paul, I would like to see a video on the dimable lightbox you are building. Keep up the great work on your content, thanks...

[@LuckyArmpit]

Soft Box Video? Yes, please! I look forward to seeing the process (should you choose to make a video of it).

[@71janas]

As an photographer it would be interesting to a light defuser box build. Thanks for all Paul

[@cynanomite]

I've been running the same pump (Laing DDC) on a custom loop for the last 12 years.

[@Neopulse00]

I am for watercooling a GPU. What I don't get is why AIB partners make large size, dual-slot ITX and Low Profile GPUs like the RTX 4060 and don't try tapping into more the huge SFF market. For example, I own an off brand case that's 7.3L and fits a Micro-ATX motherboard. It's comfortable enough for one to fit a 67mm+ high CPU cooler and can still fit in a backpack, but it only uses low profile cards. And yet the case is spacious enough to fit a dual 80mm radiator setup which would be good to mounting a low profile version of a GPU like the 4070 or 7700XT in it. This would help remove the 8GB bottleneck gpu most sub

[@lives4trauma]

Love all the DIY videos.

[@jasonlange780]

Yes, very much, so I love DIY projects of any description, but I have a special love for lighting and studio type projects that are geared towards saving money…. So I guess what I’m saying is YES, PLEASE PAUL !

[@Frost640]

It's funny, you can tell Paul and GN Steve both came from humble beginnings. They both very pro-consumer and keep budgets in mind with sensible upgrade paths despite having large platforms where they could easily say "bigger number better, go get bigger number". Cheers Paul.

[@itsdeonlol]

Yes we want to see the light box build!

[@radupopescu4241]

I quit aio 6 years ago . Not missing them . Air is Good , silent , and waterproof

[@pottingsoil723]

Did you have something leak? 😅

[@ghomerhust]

i have 18 noctua fans (including the dual nhd-15s) in my single corsair 900D tower. dead quiet, ice cold, and it's not gonna stop working for AGES

[@Azureskies01]

and last longer than 3-5 years AND will be able to go from build to build for 10+ years (AM3/4/5 is goated)

[@_Mike.P]

In the response to the first question I just want to say that I love my PowerColor Liquid Devil 7900TXT.

[@PhantomYouTubeOfficial]

Thank you for your answer Paul! Never thought I would actually get an answer directly from you! I'm super grateful for the insight thanks!!

[@KillerKermie]

I am up for any DIY video you do, always entertaining and educational

[@morenoise8086]

Definitely yes on the light box build. Love the DIY videos.

[@AdamMPick]

I love watercooling. Had been doing it since the 90's. Love all about it. The tinkering. We used to make our own cooling blocks. The lower noise. The better temps. Yet, my system right now does not have water in it. Performance wise the difference has gotten super small, with "air" collers, which are basicly liquid coolers, without pumps. Heat pipes are little liquid coolers, after all. The only thing I miss is the quiet running. Custom loop watercooled PC is a whole different world of quiet, than the best air cooled one. It has gotten better too on that front and 80% of people won't mind the fan noise. The main reason, why I have at least 1000€ worth of watercooling stuff laying around, but nothing in my personal PC is that I cannot afford to break stuff, with those prices. Custom loops are always slightly dangerous. I have not killed any components with water, yet. But I have seen enough GPUs with dribbled water on them that have gone the way of the Dodo. Also, I have seen water on my own parts, but never burned anything, yet. AIOs I could never get behind. Mainly because of the limited lifespan. I will go back in the future. Mostly for the silent running and the tinkering. Water is life.

[@Chris-ji8jw]

Good video Paul. Thanks for all of you and your team's hard work. I would like to see the dimmable light bulb project. That sounds interesting/useful. And, i was wondering about underclocking CPU/GPUs. Is that something, that you generally get on board with. Enjoy the videos!

[@thomasl.3663]

I have that exact smart plug I use for our outdoor dimmable string lights, works great!

[@AlainTabangin]

I custom loop my 4090, I couldn’t stand how big the air cooler was. Just my personal preference though, plus it runs cooler.

[@mastervorn6380]

I have the Corsair K70 MK.2. Got it new a few years ago for $80 USD on sale at Best Buy. Great Keyboard!

[@MichelBertrand]

If you take the money you save by going from an AIO to a regular air cooler, and then spend the money to go from say a 14700k to a 14900k, you may regret not having an AIO... even worse if you stretch to a 14900ks. I probably spent too much on a Corsair H150 AIO for my build, but I read before I bought that their warranty was good (even replacing damaged components from an AIO leak), so decided to go with that. My PC looks great, I'm happy with the performance of the 13700k, and it's totally silent. I say build it they way *you* like it.

[@djtribo8925]

I enjoy these so much; thank you, Paul! I have been following you since the Newegg days, and I commend you on all your hard work! I am not too sure if anyone has asked this in a previous probe, but whatever happened to Arctic Panther? Cheers! 🍻

[@joncope9175]

I had a 1080ti FE that was loud as hell, and over time the blower fan wasn’t working well, with the temp hitting as high as 88C. So I used an NZXT G12 kit to add a 240mm AIO to the 1080ti. It worked great. Much quieter and temps were mid 50s to 60C under load.

[@JohnTheMutt]

completely agree on the water cooling assessment. Only really worth it when overclocking, etc. the highest version cpu or gpu. So many excellent air coolers out there. I've had to change out a couple of aio water coolers already due to pump failure and moving to air cooling works fine and much more reliable imo.

[@kevlarandchrome]

Very interested in seeing the attempt at a softbox construction.

[@goranstewart4726]

I enjoy building custom loops, mainly for the look and a quieter set up. As I refresh all hardware, at least every other generation, I’m not too concerned about cleaning, I replace everything including the case when I rebuild. My eldest son has a 14900K and RTX4090 custom loop whilst my youngest is on the 5800X3D with RTX3090, so he will get an upgrade when the AM5 and 5000 series come out.

[@reigovahtre8418]

I have custom water cooling, not because it has high-end components, but because the computer works much quieter. And because of the gpu temperature too. 48c(now) vs 70c

[@TdrSld]

This is my deal right now, My XFX Merc 310 7900 XT in a close case with good fans runs a 90C on the hot spot and 65-70C on the package (90C is its throttle limit and she walked a fine line with it). I have now got the system in an open wall mount case (Thermaltake p3 pro TG) as I have an Alphacool AIO coming for the GPU and the old case could only handle one 360 rad and my CPU AIO was already using it. Now that its in the new case it holds about 85-87C on the hot spot and 60 on the package. the AIO will help a ton in keeping it cool. A cool running chipset is a long life chipset and I don't plane on needing to upgrade for the next 4-5 years lol.

[@chronometer9931]

That's not the way to go anymore if you care about the noise. You get a cheap fanless computer as your general use computer and if you want to game or do something that takes more performance then you just connect to the big PC remotely. Just keep the computer somewhere you can't hear it. Technology has come so far that doing it that way is obsolete

[@chronometer9931]

You don't even need wires between the basic computer and the server. WiFi 5 is just good enough for 4k, but WiFi 6E and WiFi 7 would be even better. Moonlight+sunshine is da way

[@mjc0961]

Ah yes, remote gaming. I love huge input latency. Seriously, I tried Steam's remote play once with both computers connected to the same switch and it was so laggy that even playing Ace Attorney was unbearable. Get outta here with your complete nonsense.

[@BonJoviBeatlesLedZep]

Okay but WHY do you want to keep the temperature so low? There's no tangible benefit for it, the PC outputs the same amount of joules as heat regardless. Also watercooling setups can be noisy. For your PC at home, watercooling is mostly done as a hobby. Just for the fun of it. And it's okay to admit that

[@Lurch-Bot]

Totally agree 100% and even on the top tier hardware, it is merely optional. you can also underclock/undervolt if you want less noise. It is just generally good practice these days if you don't want your 500W CPU to run at 100C and burn itself up in a couple of years. You quite literally can't have it all. You can chose a statistically insignificant boost to benchmark performance and appearance or you can just have a solid gaming/streaming/productivity PC that will just work. Do some basic maintenance, tolerate slightly more noise (it isn't hard - I have extra sensitive hearing and I'm not quibbling over a couple dB) and have a reliable PC that will work the same in a decade as it does today, with few worries. I use cheap 87 key keyboards with genuine MX switches that cost around $70. They have been rock solid for several years. The only real improvement I could make to them would be PBT caps. They are heavy and stable keyboards. Even Cherry only charges around $90 for a wired mechanical RGB keyboard. Some of the companies building 'gaming keyboards' are really just taking consumers for a ride. They're building their own pale imitations of Cherry switches just to squeeze even more money out of the uninitiated.

[@azntactical4884]

I just built a luchbox size pc. 14900k with a 135mm tower cooler wasn't working to well. Lowered the wattage to 275 too. Once I did a custom dual 92mm radiator, temps were much better and took longer to hit 100c before throttling down to 90c.

[@hyperactvehuman]

I'm planning to buy a 16GB VRAM GPU. My current preference is NVidia and I always go for the 60series. Currently using 6GB 1060 with a 1440p monitor. My past GPUs are 4GB 960, and ~800MB 260 (till it broke). I am stating all this to give you context as I always go for a higher ram within my budget. For some reason, I think that higher ram will serve better in the long term. Whatever games I am playing right now are working well (racing games). So the Q is, is buying 4060 16GB is a good idea right now if I want to keep it for ~6years? Or should I wait another generation. Note that I used GTX 260 for ~6years, GTX 960 for ~7years, then 1060 for ~2years now (got it second hand).

[@user-md8jw2dx2x]

In my case, I built my latest system for modding Skyrim/Nolvus. That mod took my MSI 4090 to 84 deg solid/100%. Clocks didn't like it. At all. So I went to a custom loop for the card. Block/pump/res and a monsta 360 w/nf12 industrial fans. Temps now under 50 deg under max load and clocks happy. Worth it for me. Much better. One fan will keep it cool on max speed. but 3 at lower speed is a much quieter experience.

[@beardedgaming3741]

i have a dual 360 hard lined loop on my 3080ti. i did this to fit a look i wanted, and to keep it quiet. its wall mounted as my media center pc in my living room so i wanted zero fan noise. i also have a 360 hard line on my 5600x as well. it has its uses but it takes time. this was a two day build that took band saws, drills, paint guns, welders, and 3d printing

[@andrewpoptanich5284]

Hi Paul, always love a good probing. I've been thinking of upgrading to a OLED monitor (MSI MPG 321URX). The room my PC is in is fairly bright. How much will glare effect the monitor? I'm currently running a Pixio 329 VA 1440p 32" 165 hz.

[@mtgcardzandreview2756]

I think when it comes to AIO's it's a personal choice and also who's going to maintain the computer. In particular graphics cards i think there are of course unique use case where it may not only make sense, but the case/build doesn't give you air cooled options that generally are available in general case designs.

[@patrickdubois7692]

Great info as usual. 2 Very Quick Question: 1) How often should one replace the thermal paste? 2) For those of us that game and do video editing what's a good baseline build? (my current build is starting to stutter when I try to do anything else while working with Adobe (photo/video editing) ... Older machine Ryzen 9 3900x; Rtx 2070; 64gb ram

[@sandervanhooij]

For the white keyboard Paul is using, there's simply a newer version of the K70 in white, which is widely available. I recently bought the K70 PRO WHITE. After careful consideration of lots of keyboards. And I'm very happy with it. I've been using it for around 3 weeks now. I upgraded from my old K65 TKL from 2017, to this one. Well worth the upgrade. I most definitely wouldnt want to go back. The K70 Pro White has PBT keycaps, so no ABS which wears. It has optical switches, which means a long lifespan of the switches. 150 mill clicks. And as was tested on Rtings, this keyboard has a response time of only 3,8 ms. Which is short, also compared to other top tier keyboards. As for how the keyboard feels in use. The keycaps have a bit of a rough texture, which is nice. Your fingers won't slip, even when sweaty. And this texture will remain because it's made from PBT plastic and not the cheaper ABS plastic. The total travel distance feels pleasant as well, and most notably it has a somewhat soft landing at the end of it's travel distance. Which is especially nice in use, for typing or gaming. It doesnt make much noise either, although it is still audible. Compared to the K65 it's a night and day difference in sound. The RGB is really well done, and it shines amazingly with the white keycaps, and the brushed aluminium top. Enough ways for the light to bounce, and stay bright. It has the option to save RGB-profiles on the onboard memory. With this, after having stored the profile on the onboard memory, the iCue software doesnt even need to be running on the pc anymore.

[@deweysellers1452]

I am wondering how you like the Corsair chair after you have used it for more than a year?

[@runiniscrazy]

Another scenario is if you enjoy tinkering with overclocking not for game performance but just to maximize and see how fast you can make your components run.

[@donunderwood5798]

Yes, I'd like to see a build video for you light box.

[@behelith]

Back in 2010 I built a custom fully water cooled system with an EVGA X58 Classified motherboard, an Intel Core i7-980X CPU and two AMD Radeon HD 6970 graphics cards in crossfire setup. This system has been running every day for 14 years and is currently being used by one of my friends without any issues. The main reason why I'm building water cooled system is to have a silent system, with benefits being reliability and low maintenance. Of course I have overclocked the system but the benefits aren't really worth the cost in my opinion, especially these days since overclocking CPU's and CPU's us much more restricted than before. Maybe the pumps aren't as reliable as before, but that water cooling has been way more reliable than any air cooled system. To conclude: if you build a water cooled system do it for the extremely low noise properties.

[@simontemplar8719]

I have two separate AIOs, and the GPU dumps heat out of the top of the case. It absolutely helps. The air cooled card heated everything inside the case because it's blowing hot air directly onto the motherboard and everything.

[@captainminxley]

Love to see another DIY video, please.

[@cmdrtromak]

Hi, Paul! Is that a small LCD screen on your monitor's bottom bezel? If so, did that come standard with the monitor or was it a custom mod you made? Thanks!

[@abscess7476]

I have the corsair h100i closed loop cpu cooler. I have been running it for about 10yrs without having to do any maintenance. Cpu under full load sits at a average of 63 degrees.

[@aberkae]

I have the suprim liquid 4090 at 3 ghz in an itx h210 case. All in one liquid 4090s are the only way to run an itx build oit of the box. I do have the 7800X3D with air cooled Noctua d15 that helps mitigate throttling.

[@coolpoete]

Hey Paul! Thanks for doing these. My question is will there be any break in AM5 motherboard prices? Even the cheapest AM5 board is as expensive as the processor itself.

[@TheForce_Productions]

All in all and beyond those potential issues, it's never a good idea to mix water and electrical systems, and even more when the PC parts prices are like we have nowdays.

[@helnkellrfresh2deaf]

when it comes to purely performance, I agree that liquid cooling is largely impractical. However, when we factor in acoustics, I would argue that liquid cooling is in certain cases the only good option since you can achieve the same performance but at lower DB. I like my PCs to be whisper quiet, and on my desk. It is hard to achieve this with specific CPUs due to [surface area : power draw] ratio (5800x over here) even with water cooling. Without hampering performance you have to do some tweaks to get it performing well while being quiet (undervolting + limiting power so the clocks are the same but it runs cooler). With GPU is can be worse depending on your stock cooler. My 3080 ICX 2.0 (i think) could not run at max performance for more than a few min. and it was LOUD. In order to run it at max settings, i needed to liquid cool it. That also came with the added benefit of making run nearly silently. Given the option, I would air cool everything IF i could get the performance and acoustics of watercooling. Until then, ill be watercooling as needed.

[@KDarkmoon1]

I have a custom water cooling loop for my AMD Ryzen and RTX 3080TI based system. I use an Alphacool NexXxos Monsta 560mm radiator and Byski water blocks on my Ryzen and 3080Ti. I have the fans on the radiator and the PWM pump plugged into a powered fan hub that shares the PWM fan header for the CPU so that it varies the pump and fan speeds based upon CPU temp. It keeps my CPU in the upper 50s C under load and low 30s C when idle. My GPU core tops out in the upper 60s C while auto boosting to 2150 Mhz and the RAM is OC'd to 10,300 Mhz and stays in the low 70s C under load. It works amazingly well although was rather expensive when I built it. It cost nearly $1000 U.S. for the radiator, XSPC fittings, Alphacool quick-connects, tubing, XSPC pump and reservoir, and the two Byski water blocks. Despite the 8 fans on my radiator and two at the top of my case, my system is nearly silent because the fans are all quiet, low RPM fans.

[@johnh1353]

My main reason for getting AIO 4090 (msi suprim) was the physical size of the card .... the 3.75 slot air cooled cards just seem overboard and I needed access to my other full size pci slots. However the AIO does do a good job of cooling

[@LifeStartsAtrpm-ru1xo]

Same for me with the a Inno3D RTX 4090. An aircooled card will not fit in my pc case and the temps stay very low, even in pathtraced Cp 2077.

[@ChrisPkmn]

Hey Paul, quick question for next probing paul: I'm thinking about upgrading RAM capacity from 16 to maybe 32 or 64GB on my 5800x3D rig. My question is, do I give my PC a mullet and go with 64GB of ECC 3200 or just stick with 32GB B die? Context: I am on a Vision D-P B550 (ECC support), my current 16GB ram is OC'd to 3600 CL 14. I do way more single player games than I do Solidworks & FEA , but I keep running into situations where I'd like at least 32GB of Ram. The motherboard, cpu, and ram are all destined to be server hardware (currently a i5 2500k & 32GB ddr3).

[@jeremybarber2837]

Heck yes to the DIY soft box!

[@nicktayloriv310]

Yes I would like to see a video of the building of the light box.

[@devencherry8976]

I would definitely be interested in the build process for the soft box.. please if you’re able to, make a video about it.. Also, I love the videos.. I wanted to say, keep up the great work..

[@fracturedlife1393]

Eiswolf II on a nitro+ 69xt. Much fun at 450w+ It was £120 refurb, I originally ran it for a further 18 months on a 68xt. Now it's on a £360 69xt that was a "for parts or not working" (sounded like it was overheating, on block it coil whines like a banshee over 200fps/300w). Might top up soon as it has a fill port and they sell a bottle of their stuff.

[@kenhoughton9519]

Would love to see a build of new lighting.

[@Smedleydog1]

I have 2 computers. One is running a Corsair AIO on the CPU that has been through 2 upgrades, is about 6 years old and still cools just fine. The other has a custom loop cooling the CPU and GPU. It has been running, almost 24-7, for 3 years now. Neither have ever hiccupped. In the custom loop I run straight clear Primochill PC Ice coolant with no dyes. I keep thinking I might tear it down an check the water blocks, but my temps haven't gone up and I don't want to risk creating any leaks. the only real problem with liquid cooling your GPU is the expense of a water block.

[@jghogg6570]

Paul I'd love to see the soft box build.

[@Razor2048]

Will we ever get a mechanical version of the Logitech G510S keyboard? While an older keyboard membrane, I have yet to find any mechanical keyboard that offers the macro keys (awesome for binding to various keyboard shortcuts in photoshop and davinci resolve), media controls, and the built in LCD that offers system stats.

[@safetydown]

Hello Paul! I'm going to put together a new system in the next year or whenever the GTX 5070 drops. Can you explain what Intel chipset is the best? How do I choose a chipset? Are there any rules of thumb in selecting a chipset.

[@randydean23]

I am super down for DIY light modifiers!

[@fallenphoenixfilms]

Always down for a good DIY video.

[@Davidsquirl]

I'd love a video on the soft box!!

[@csjpokey]

Damn getting deep on that probe Paul

[@FiveMissiles]

my aio has lasted 8 years so far. still chugging

[@POVwithRC]

I did watercooling for my 2080ti back in the before time. My current system GPU (6950) I couldn't care less about such things.

[@BradleySmith1985]

yes i would like to see how you build the light

[@RAM_845]

I'm still rocking Corsair Hydro Series H150i PRO RGB 360mm Performance Liquid CPU Cooler but with BeQuiet Silent Wings 3 on the radiator as exhaust, had that AIO since 2018 and still going strong. Originally powered my 8086K back in the day then 3900X and now 5800X3D. This is my system: Motherboard: MSI MAG X570S TORPEDO MAX CPU: 5800X3D GPU: AsRock Challenger Pro RX 6800 RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws (2x16gb) 32Gb 3600mhz Storage: 2x 2tb Samsung 980 Pro Cooler: Corsair Hydro Series H150i PRO RGB 360mm Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (Stock RGB fans been replaced with BeQuiet Silent Wings 3) Case: BeQuiet Silent Base 802 PSU: Corsair TX850M 850W 80 Plus Gold Semi-Modular Power Supply Monitor: LG 32GP750-B 1440p 165hz

[@EdwardViaTomato]

I just build custom loops for fun. It also capitalizes on my laziness and keeps me from upgrading too soon, which comes with somewhat diminished returns, in terms of actual experience. I upgraded like five times in a span of five years (2012-2017), and I never really reminisce about the FPS (or res, or quality settings) I had, and I honestly don't even know what I was running when I played anything during those times. Now I'm only really interested in upgrading for noticeable reasons and/or because my HW doesn't seem up to reasonable par for a decent number of new things. I have a 3080-10GB and my next upgrade will likely be back to Radeon with more VRAM, since Nvidia's been doing single gen planned obsolescence anyway.

[@sgp9700]

Great video, as always. I totally agree with you that water cooling is okay, not a necessity, but nice to have if you want to spend the cash. I do have my complete system water cooled but I have enjoyed it and the performance over the past couple of years.

[@Mettasutta1970]

Paul, I want a 'mid range' GPU. does the DLSS of the 4070 super make it a better purchase than say AMD's AI on the 7800xt? Also does the lower amount of RAM of the 4070 vs the 7800xt make a difference? Thanks in advance.

[@avreylavelle9008]

Hey paul I've been out of PC for a bit, used to watch you back in the day. Looking to upgrade. I have a 3800x on an x470 with a 3070. How worth would it be to fully redo my system and go to am5 chip (7800x3d) and going form 3070 -> 4070 S?

[@SDLNEXUS]

Although i would generally agree here with Paul, noise, form factor and the specific components & potential for improvement i think are worth giving thought to when considering WC. In the example here 7900XTX sure although it's less expensive but very similar 7900XT is one i think you would see larger performance gains from WC before you get into specific power draw mods

[@Dwight.Schrute69]

Hi Paul, I have perhaps a silly, no brainer question. I recently purchased a Pixio P277p 27 inch 1440p monitor, 165hz, upgrading from an Alienware AW2521HF 24 inch 1080p 240hz monitor. It seems like after using the Pixio monitor for a bit, it's a bit underwhelming. The Alienware monitor appears to have way better colors and obviously a higher refresh rate. What is the upside to the 1440p monitor, other than the bigger size and being 1440p? Should I just stick with the Alienware as my main monitor? I know it probably ultimately comes down to what I prefer, but was wondering if I would be losing out on anything if I go back to the 1080p monitor. Thank you in advance!

[@bbailey446]

I built my first custom water cooled PC, and I built a custom case. It's currently Open air simply because I haven't cut the acrylic side panels. It has an Asus ROG STRIX B650E-I, AMD Ryzen 7 7700x, Asus ROG STRIX GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, 32gb of DDR5-6000 CL30, a Silverstone SX1000-LPT 1000w SXF PSU, a 1Tb gen3 m.2 SSD for OS, and a 1Tb Crucial T700 gen5 SSD for games. As for the water cooling setup I have two Alphacool NexXxoS UT60 radiators with push/pull fans and a Quantum Velocity² DDC pump/res/block from EK. My GPU NEVER gets hot, but the CPU gets hot no matter how fast the pump and fans are running. Yes, I know that's how the CPU is designed to work. Now for the questions: How thick does the radiator need to be before you recommend to have the fans in push/pull? What is the minimum radiator size you recommend per overclocked component that it cools? What quiet fans would you recommend for having a good price with decent pressure/airflow? I'm currently using eight ARCTIC P14 PST 72.8 CFM, would you recommend an upgrade? I love just how silent my computer can be while staying very cool, that's why I water cooled. Oh, and the performance of this custom setup kicks any AIO I've ever used to the curb.

[@lonewolfrcs1331]

hey paul quick question should i run my AIO pump at 100% or will it hurt the performance

[@upgrade1373]

Here I am planning on switching everything over to air cooling so I don't have to worry about maintenance

[@minskwatcher]

Dust removal is still kinda maintenance.

[@josephmccartney5951]

@@minskwatcher hoesntly dust isnt tht big of a deal nowadays. maybe back in the early 90s and 2000s but now its not even a problem. bought my pc in 2016 and i dusted it out the first year and after that never again and still no problems. cant wait to drop 5k on my next pc once the new gpus come out RTX 5090 here i come

[@TheRogueWolf]

I went to air cooling because I really didn't like that looming worry of something leaking.

[@ZiggyAndTheSpiderFromMars]

After a decade my Corsair closed loop finally failed so I went with an air cooler for the first time on the old Haswell 4770k overclocked to 4.4g. I'm happy I did because the tech has come a long way. A well chosen $25 cooler now easily handles the 110 watts or so the chip puts out. When I built this rig it would have taken a super larger and expensive air cooler to OC at good temps.

[@fleurdewin7958]

@@ZiggyAndTheSpiderFromMars If you have a 4770K, the first thing you should do is delid it and put liquid metal on the die. Temp will drop drastically. After all these years , the thermal poop that Intel put between the IHS and the die will dry out . Those are the dark years that Intel use thermal poop instead of using indium solder to cut cost.

[@jaymacpherson8167]

I will go custom water cooled when I get better at bending 316 stainless. Do the water blocks use standard NPT threads?

[@rgracon]

Which is a more meaningful monitor upgrade? 2K To 4K, or VA to OLED? Or should I go for both?

[@SilverKnight16]

I literally never thought to check if it was possible to have multiple instances of calculator open at the same time. I learned something new today! Question, though: I've typically gone 3-5 years between builds, but this time around, it seemed more difficult to get a build that felt "future-proofed" enough to last that long. I've finally be able to "settle down" with a build (went from 10700 + 3060, to 5600X3D + a750, and now to 5600X3D + 7800 XT). I know it's impossible to see into the future, but how long do you think a build like that would stay 'relevant' to use before upgrading? I'm a bit burnt out of building stuff at the moment lol Edit: And in case anyone asks, that 10700 + 3060 build was given to a family member as a gift, since he was running an IED of a SFF 4th gen optiplex with an RX 570 shoved in there...somehow.

[@DigitalDemonicDavros]

Do you recommend XPG New case ? The mid tower with back connect cut-outs.

[@MrColinwil]

Hi Paul is the thermal grizzly Kryosheet graphene pad worth using as a forever solution.

[@seethruhead7119]

been air cooling for a while now used to be watercooling only going back to watercooling soon tho first time in 10 years i think want a smaller quieter system

[@RANDOMNATION907]

ID-COOLING FROSTFLOW X 280 AIO is awesome for anything up to a Ryzen 7700X, and it $55 bucks on Amazon.

[@dtectatl1]

Thanks so much for answering my question! I've been considering an aftermarket aio solution over a custom loop. A company called alphacool makes GPU aios that can replace the stock cooler.

[@ShermSpinner]

I dont think there's anything inherently wrong with liquid cooling, but with the current state of air coolers, it is really something that you buy because you *want* it, for one reason or another, rather than something you buy, because you *need* it. If you want to spend en extra 50-100 dollars or more on an AiO, because you highly value the aesthetics or being able to run the fans really slowly for nower noise, thats perfectly fine in my eyes - as long as you know that's where your money is going and can make that informed buying decision. On the other hand, I dont think its wrong to keep mentioning that liquid cooling is largely unnecessary from a technical standpoint, because the old believe that "air cooling is lowend and liquid cooling is just better" still holds strong in a lot of people. This seems to hold particularly true with products like the current AM5 CPUs that run hot by default despite not actually using that much power thus not actually requiring a lot of cooling to keep them under control. Lots of people just dont understand that the cooling you need correlates primarily to the power that goes through the CPU rather than the actual temperature it's runnning at. 7800X3D is probably the worst offender here - it caps out at like 90w, petty much any tiny, cheap air cooler can handle that, yet i've seen so, so many people thinking they absolutely need a 360 AiO for it because of a mixture of "AM5 runs really hot" and "Its one of the most powerful CPUs, it *must* need a ton of cooling, right?"

[@Lurch-Bot]

These days, the CPU will just boost right up to the temp limit regardless of what cooler you put on it and gains for getting a couple hundred MHz extra on a modern CPU are negligible which is why I tune my CPUs myself. Intel can say it is ok to run at 100C all they want but that doesn't make it true. When testing a Haswell i7 recently, I noticed it just ran at 70C regardless of what cooler I put on it. They've been doing it for a long time but this last generation or two, both AMD and intel have lost the plot, choosing utterly suicidal temp limits and hitting them constantly as a matter of 'normal operation', lol. My hypothesis is that x86 is nearly dead and we'll all be using ARM CPUs in a few years. MS full on commitment to Windows on ARM is some clear evidence. I think they are basically just tuning your CPUs according to planned obsolescence at this point and your 14900K is only going to last 3-4 years running at 100C. There will also likely be noticeable performance degradation well before then if you run your CPU hard.

[@Mistner]

​@@Lurch-Bot lol my cpu *tries* to boost to temp limit (7950x3d) but never gets beyond 81°c in stress tests.

[@petert3355]

The thing with air cooled systems is you need to think not only about the air cooler on your CPU/GPU but also you MUST think about the air flow of your case. Air coolers in a glass box just don't really work.

[@MrJet30]

What is a good video card to pair with my 5600x CPU ??? I'm talking bottle-necking and such. I do play lots of games my current card is a GTX 960 4GB version' It's old but still good.. I know my CPU can run a much better card. My monitor is a 24 inch 1080p 60hz, i plan on upgrading that to but it's gonna be a while. I dont care to much about 4k gaming as 1080p has been fine for me.

[@mikeireland2428]

Yes, lighting video please.