There seems to be an issue with cooling the i5-6400 and GTX 970.
There seems to be an issue with cooling the i5-6400 and GTX 970.
After my last thread, I was planning to begin my custom water cooling loop for the components I already have. I intended to acquire a new case this week and collect the necessary parts over the coming weeks once the loop is finished in about a month or two. However, (and that’s a significant point), I came across this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iogqnEJBKRQ
It raised some concerns for me. The idea presented seems valid—if it means lowering performance from a 980Ti to a 970 or an i7 to an i5—it makes sense to keep the current air cooling setup for now. Perhaps I should upgrade my CPU and GPU first, then consider water cooling later. I’m quite satisfied with my current performance, especially since I’m running all games at 1080p with a 60Hz monitor, so upgrading to an i7 and a 980Ti before going water-cooled doesn’t seem necessary right now. My current build includes:
Intel i5-6400
Gskill Ripjaws 16GB DDR4 2400MHZ
GTX 970 SC ACX 2.0
EVGA 750W Supernova
Gigabyte Z170 DH3P
Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200 RPM HDD
ADATA Premier 240GB 6GB/s SSD
5 Deepcool TF120 Red’s
CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO
Corsair Spec 01 Case
A few random CD drives for installing programs and ripping old CDs to WAV files.
So, my question is: should I be making a big mistake by installing water cooling in a new case before upgrading the components, or should I upgrade first and then install water cooling?
Thanks for your help everyone!
Jay presents some solid arguments in the video regarding his $1200.00 investment in Skunk-Works water cooling. He believes it fits well within the setup he describes behind him. My thoughts are as follows:
He is discussing a complete scratch build with water cooling, which represents a budget compromise and reduces funds available for premium components that could have been bought instead. I understand his perspective!
On the other hand, water cooling parts can be used in another configuration, so from my view, such an investment should stand alone and not be merged with a scratch build.
Additionally, overclocking has different implications...
Watering cool your locked CPU might seem like a good idea since it can handle everything at stock speed for several years. However, it could be seen as a waste of money. The same applies to upgrading the GPU—just wait for the next generation and invest in a better one.
If you already possess the watercooling components, aim for at least a 6600k/6700k model with a premium Z170 board before proceeding with the loop. Otherwise, upgrading would require meticulous disassembly. If you decide to upgrade, ensure the new motherboard supports an unlocked CPU to enable sufficient overclocking potential. Watercooling becomes unnecessary if you don’t intend such enhancements.
Alternatively, without watercooling, opt for a high-end air cooler—modern ones perform comparably to mid-range water coolers.
Gingerbread:
Why would you keep your locked CPU running at stock speed for years to come? That’s a poor use of money. It’s just like upgrading your GPU—wait for the next generation and invest in a solid one. Right now I have an I5 OC’d to 4.6Ghz with the Hyper 212 Evo cooler, it’s stable under stress and stays below 60°C. I’d prefer a cooler and quieter setup, just like the 970, which is noisy during games too. I’ll definitely upgrade soon, but as far as now, that’s the plan. 😉
Thanks for your thoughts
Mr Kagouris:
If you already possess the watercooling components, then at least opt for a 6600k/6700k model with a high-end Z170 board before proceeding with the loop; otherwise, you’d need to carefully disassemble it during an upgrade. And if you decide to upgrade, ensure you have a high-end motherboard with an unlocked CPU, or else you won’t be able to overclock sufficiently to take advantage of watercooling. If you’re not planning such an upgrade, then watercooling may not be worthwhile.
If you lack the necessary watercooling parts, you can simply choose air cooling instead. Premium air coolers perform comparably to mid-range water coolers.
Would the Gigabyte Z170 HD3P qualify as a suitable high-end motherboard for overclocking? I intend to use water cooling while running middle-of-the-pack components and plenty of airflow, so I don’t think air cooling would be competitive. However, I can’t install a cooler larger than the Hyper 212 Evo right now because it would slightly touch the RAM. I’m planning to upgrade to the highest I7 LGA 1511 at the time of purchase, which would further benefit water cooling. At that point, I wasn’t able to secure an unlocked CPU capable of surpassing the i5-6400 BCLK overclock, so I went for a more cost-effective performance option.
Thanks for your feedback—it’s really appreciated!
Your thoughts seem to align: if you intend to upgrade to higher-end parts, continuing with water cooling would make sense, and you could complete the loop before the CPU upgrade, since you’ll be able to remove the chip easily.
Do you consider water cooling if you're interested in it, or is it only for performance? If you need tasks that demand a very fast CPU, it might not be worth the cost since most people don’t really need it. It could become more of a hobby rather than essential. It would likely boost performance by about 100-200mhz, but you'd wonder if it would be quieter. High-end water coolers can make pumps sound like a vacuum running at 1500W, which makes me doubt their quietness.
Jay presents some solid arguments in his video regarding the $1200.00 he invested in Skunk-Works water cooling. His setup reflects a balanced approach within a limited budget, though it does reduce funds available for premium components. I have a few thoughts to add.
Firstly, he discusses a complete scratch build that includes water cooling—a practical compromise given the overall budget. Removing certain high-end parts to accommodate the cooling hardware makes sense, and I agree with that perspective. However, these cooling parts can be swapped out for another configuration, so investing in them shouldn’t be tied to a scratch build.
Secondly, overclocking is subjective and varies from person to person. Let’s focus on CPU overclocking as an example. There are different thresholds; some users push their CPUs beyond safe limits, triggering internal protection that reduces performance. This means that regardless of cooling method—air or water—the point at which the CPU throttles comes sooner.
In his video, Jay claims his setup handles load without fans increasing noise excessively. That’s because he’s kept the fan speed low enough for a quiet operation. But if he were to push the CPU further with more radiators, the risk of throttling would rise, and performance would drop.
I find it interesting that he feels proud of his stable overclock even when running at full capacity. That suggests he’s satisfied with the balance he’s achieved. For me, if I only wanted a less advanced setup, I wouldn’t bother with water cooling at all—since a top-tier air cooler could achieve similar results for just $1200.
Thirdly, my own approach to water cooling is about maintaining CPU stability 24/7, even if I don’t run the machine continuously. As long as temperatures stay low, I’m happy. My investment is roughly $200 less than his, and it lets him push his CPU overclock further without triggering protection.
I appreciate Jay sharing the cost details of his water cooling system—it’s a significant saving compared to his setup. However, not everyone uses water cooling for the same reasons. Some are drawn to the concept itself, while others prioritize performance gains. My take is that water cooling extends hardware life by keeping temperatures down, regardless of whether you overclock or not. Still, it’s important to understand its limits—radiators and heat pipes can only handle so much heat.
My two cents! Ryan
Gingerbread:
If you're thinking about water cooling, consider it only if it suits your needs, not for performance gains. Which tasks demand such high CPU speeds? Unless absolutely necessary, spending extra money here isn't worthwhile and isn't really required by most people. It might offer a slight boost—around 100-200mhz—but will it make things quieter? The pumps from top-tier water coolers sound like a vacuum running at 1500W, so I'm not too sure.
I'm not sure where you're getting your ideas from, but I use two high-end D5 water cooling pumps, which are the quietest in my setup.
Your claim about a 100-200mhz improvement for a locked CPU might matter to him, but since my CPU is already overclocked by 1500mhz compared to stock, it doesn't apply universally.
My suggestion is, if you're unsure about what you're saying, make sure you're clear first, okay?
4Ryan6 :
Gingerbread :
If you're thinking about water cooling, consider it only if it suits your needs, not for performance gains. Which tasks demand such a fast CPU? Unless absolutely necessary, spending money on it isn't worth it—most people don't really need it. It might offer a slight boost, around 100-200mhz, but the noise level could be an issue. High-end coolers make loud noises like a vacuum at full power. I'm not sure about your setup. Your performance improvement from 100-200mhz might matter to him, but since my CPU is already overclocked by 1500mhz, it's not applicable to everyone or every overclocker. My suggestion is to be clear before making a claim. I was referring to standard water cooling; does your setup match that?