150$ Air vs. Water Cooler
150$ Air vs. Water Cooler
So, I was thinking about whether to choose an air cooler or a water cooler. The models I considered were the "Noctua - NH-L12" and the "EKWB EK Fluid Gaming A240 Complete Dual 120mm Water." Both have a high price, which worries me since I want the best option. For a $150 air cooler, it feels expensive. Also, I’ve heard that cooling i9 chips is tough, and I’m not sure if that’s true for all i9 models—especially since I’m planning to overclock my i9-7900X. This is the build I was considering (instead of the air one). I’d appreciate any advice on which one to pick and some tips for the setup. Thanks!
I don't see the Noctua cooler priced above $60, but it might be a PC Part Picker issue.
What sets these items apart is:
The first link shows a Newegg product page, the second is an Amazon listing, and the third appears to be another Newegg URL with missing parameters.
The i9 10-core processor should perform adequately with any premium air or liquid cooler, given its 140W TDP, which matches the stock performance of a 6-core i7 5930k I use for cooling reviews on Tom's...
As mentioned earlier, Noctua is a $60 cooler, not $120. It's also a low-profile model that generally provides inferior cooling compared to a similarly priced tower cooler, so consider it only if your case requires it. The Noctua NH-D14 remains the preferred high-end air cooler according to what I know.
This is a top end build where I suspect budget is not an issue.
I imagine that the main purpose is for gaming since you have dual GTX1080ti cards.
If you need multithreaded batch apps, that is an entirely different proposition.
I have some thoughts:
You will win synthetic fps benchmarks with sli GTX1080ti, but your gaming experience is likely to be better with a single good card.
Dual gpu has some issues with screen tearing stuttering and non support in some games.
I do not think that the 2560 x 1440 monitor really needs dual gpu.
I think I would start with a single EVGA GTX1080ti FTW.
If the rumored GTX1180 arrives within 90 days, you might be able to use the evga step up program for a gtx1180.
For gaming, the higher clock rate of a overclocked I7-8700K is going to be as good as it gets.
More than a max overclock on a 7900x.
Very few games can effectively use more than 2-3 threads so the 12 you get with a 8700K is more than enough.
If you buy a i7-8086k, you will get a guaranteed good bin, but that is mostly not worth it.
For a guarantee, go to silicon lottery, they sell a guaranteed delidded 5.2 8700k for $680
https://siliconlottery.com/collections/coffeelake
A downdraft cooler like the noctua NH-L12 is not very effective.
But your case has 160mm of headroom for an air cooler.
Buy the noctua NH-D15s, there is nothing better.
It will cool just as well as a top end liquid cooler.
In the process, it will be quieter, more reliable and will not leak.
It is designed to clear tall ram heat spreaders like the tridentz and it is also redesigned to clear graphics card backplates.
Love the 970 pro.
Seasonic is also excellent, but even 750w would be ok for sli gtx1080ti cards.
I have no problem overprovisioning a PSU a bit. Say 20%.
It will allow for a stronger future graphics card upgrade.
It will run cooler, quieter, and more efficiently in the middle third of it's range.
A PSU will only use the wattage demanded of it, regardless of it's max capability.
geofelt - great input... that's quite detailed. I fully support the 2x GPU analysis as well as the CPU conversation. Most of this hinges on the intended use of the machine. I understand that every PC is a versatile device, but is it mainly for gaming/entertainment or more focused on workstation and gaming?
I've developed a strong liking for both Noctua and be quiet! air coolers – the quality between these brands is truly outstanding right now.
geofelt :
This is a top end build where I suspect budget is not an issue.
I imagine that the main purpose is for gaming since you have dual GTX1080ti cards.
If you need multithreaded batch apps, that is an entirely different proposition.
I have some thoughts:
You will win synthetic fps benchmarks with sli GTX1080ti, but your gaming experience is likely to be better with a single good card.
Dual gpu has some issues with screen tearing stuttering and non support in some games.
I do not think that the 2560 x 1440 monitor really needs dual gpu.
I think I would start with a single EVGA GTX1080ti FTW.
If the rumored GTX1180 arrives within 90 days, you might be able to use the evga step up program for a gtx1180.
For gaming, the higher clock rate of a overclocked I7-8700K is going to be as good as it gets.
More than a max overclock on a 7900x.
Very few games can effectively use more than 2-3 threads so the 12 you get with a 8700K is more than enough.
If you buy a i7-8086k, you will get a guaranteed good bin, but that is mostly not worth it.
For a guarantee, go to silicon lottery, they sell a guaranteed delidded 5.2 8700k for $680
https://siliconlottery.com/collections/coffeelake
A downdraft cooler like the noctua NH-L12 is not very effective.
But your case has 160mm of headroom for an air cooler.
Buy the noctua NH-D15s, there is nothing better.
It will cool just as well as a top end liquid cooler.
In the process, it will be quieter, more reliable and will not leak.
It is designed to clear tall ram heat spreaders like the tridentz and it is also redesigned to clear graphics card backplates.
Love the 970 pro.
Seasonic is also excellent, but even 750w would be ok for sli gtx1080ti cards.
I have no problem overprovisioning a PSU a bit. Say 20%.
It will allow for a stronger future graphics card upgrade.
It will run cooler, quieter, and more efficiently in the middle third of it's range.
A PSU will only use the wattage demanded of it, regardless of it's max capability.
Oh my gosh, thank you for your help, it helped out so much. So I got a few questions. First one, you stated that two GPU's would cause some screen tearing. So my question is, is even with the gsync monitor would the screen tearing still occur and if it does not what would I be giving up. Also I am really thinking about the i7-8086k. I looked at the specs and it looks amazing I think I agree with everything you said.
Second question: Should I just get a 1180 over dual 1080 ti. I know nothing about this new graphics card so I have no idea. On top of that, will the 1180 be better than the Titan Xp and IF it is what is the expected price difference.
Also another thing is, is there any risk in a delidded possessor.
So here is my updated part list
http://
BTW depending on your response I will put a 1180 in there instead of dual 1080 ti's. Also for the record this computer is supposed to be able to do mostly everything including light programming, play triple A games and 2k 144 fps, and very very very small amount animation.
The 8086K is a waste of money, just get the 8700K.
Nobody knows how the 1180 will perform or what it will cost. I think it's safe to assume it will outperform the 1080 Ti though. If you aren't in a rush to build your PC and don't mind waiting a couple months, it might be a good idea to wait for the 1180 and see what it offers. An 1180 isn't going to perform as well as two 1080 Tis in games that support SLI well, but you'd still be better off with the single more powerful card.
Delidding your CPU voids your warranty. I'd assume there's at least a small amount of risk of damaging your CPU during the delidding process itself if you're not careful.
TJ Hooker :
The 8086K is a waste of money, just get the 8700K.
Nobody knows how the 1180 will perform or what it will cost. I think it's safe to assume it will outperform the 1080 Ti though. If you aren't in a rush to build your PC and don't mind waiting a couple months, it might be a good idea to wait for the 1180 and see what it offers. An 1180 isn't going to perform as well as two 1080 Tis in games that support SLI well, but you'd still be better off with the single more powerful card.
Delidding your CPU voids your warranty. I'd assume there's at least a small amount of risk of damaging your CPU during the delidding process itself if you're not careful.
Is the 8086k not better? I'm not to worried about the price difference. Also is setting up a air/water cooling system for a delidded CPU different? So my exact question is setting up a cooling system for a delidded CPU different than setting up one without a lid. Thanks
The single core turbo in the 8086K runs 300 MHz faster, but in real use you rarely notice it. Multi-core turbos match the 8700K in behavior. Stock performance remains almost the same. The 8086K is slightly more precisely tuned, possibly giving a bit more overclocking room—around 100 MHz extra on average—but you’ll likely need to remove the heat spreader after replacing the TIM. If you leave it exposed, extra care must be taken when adding a heatsink or waterblock to protect the die.