Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: water cooler - lifetime?

  1. #1
    Registered+
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Posts
    37
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked
    0 times in 0 posts

    water cooler - lifetime?

    how long will a water cooler last? say a "Corsair Memory Cooling Hydro Series H80"
    i'm not sure my cpu will need cooling much as i dont plan on doing much processor intensive stuff like game playing. but still i would like to know that it will be working in a few years time. or will it need replacing after say 4 or 5 years? am i better off with a normal air cooler?

  2. #2
    root Member DanceswithUnix's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    In the middle of a core dump
    Posts
    12,334
    Thanks
    714
    Thanked
    1,406 times in 1,188 posts
    • DanceswithUnix's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus X470-PRO
      • CPU:
      • 3700X
      • Memory:
      • 32GB 3200MHz ECC
      • Storage:
      • 1TB Linux, 1TB Games (Win 10)
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Asus Strix RX Vega 56
      • PSU:
      • 650W Corsair TX
      • Case:
      • Antec 300
      • Operating System:
      • Fedora 33 + Win 10 Pro 64 (yuk)
      • Monitor(s):
      • Benq XL2730Z 1440p + Iiyama 27" 1440p
      • Internet:
      • Zen 80Mb/20Mb VDSL

    Re: water cooler - lifetime?

    Why are you after water cooling?

    Usual reasons are a quiet PC or overclocking.

    If you aren't pushing your CPU hard, then there are plenty of air coolers out there that are quiet. Just go for something with a big fan, they don't have to turn very fast to push lots of air around.

  3. #3
    Registered+
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Posts
    37
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked
    0 times in 0 posts

    Re: water cooler - lifetime?

    as well as being more efficient for cooling (obviously) they look alot smaller than the air coolers iv'e seen. but you do need a place in the case to mount a fan.. iv'e not checked my new case yet but dont see this being a problem. will probably stick with a stock cooler for now and concentrate on getting the main parts of my system working. dont have all the parts yet. also the air coolers iv'e seen need thermal paste applying whereas the H80 its pre-applied i think so a doddle to fit?
    will probably want to overlock my new build at somepoint in future, maybe not straight away.

  4. #4
    Not a good person scaryjim's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Gateshead
    Posts
    15,196
    Thanks
    1,230
    Thanked
    2,291 times in 1,874 posts
    • scaryjim's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Dell Inspiron
      • CPU:
      • Core i5 8250U
      • Memory:
      • 2x 4GB DDR4 2666
      • Storage:
      • 128GB M.2 SSD + 1TB HDD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Radeon R5 230
      • PSU:
      • Battery/Dell brick
      • Case:
      • Dell Inspiron 5570
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10
      • Monitor(s):
      • 15" 1080p laptop panel

    Re: water cooler - lifetime?

    Quote Originally Posted by northernpcgeek View Post
    as well as being more efficient for cooling (obviously) they look alot smaller than the air coolers iv'e seen. ...
    not really - they still use 120mm fans, and there's a big radiator: they're a very similar size really, it just moves some of the bulk from the motherboard to a case-mount. Plus you have to power a pump and a fan, so they (I would guess) use a little more power than an air cooler.

    Most air coolers come with some thermal paste pre-applied and also a small tube for reapplication if you ever take the cooler off for any reason.

    Top end air coolers are just about as effective as all-in-one liquid coolers, and obviously the liquid coolers have more things to go wrong; the pump could break down, the liquid could leak - you just don't have those concerns with an air cooler. If you want an easy life and something that will last longer than your PC, go with a decent air cooler. After all, the only thing that can really go wrong with an air cooler is that the fan could break, and you can always fit another fan. If the pump breaks down or the loop leaks in an all-in-one there's no easy way to fix that.

  5. #5
    Registered+
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Posts
    37
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked
    0 times in 0 posts

    Re: water cooler - lifetime?

    i think im right in thinking then that there will be some loss of liquid over time.
    how easy is it to transfer the mobo over to a different case once an air cooler is fitted? i have 4 PC cases to choose from! but one is being used for my current PC so will probably not use that one for a new build. i have 3 mid size cases (not sure if they all have same number of drive bays..) and 1 tower case. the tower case has loads of room inside and easy access. im inclined to use the tower case whilst im testing a new build out..

  6. #6
    Seriously casual gamer KeyboardDemon's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    London
    Posts
    3,013
    Thanks
    774
    Thanked
    280 times in 242 posts
    • KeyboardDemon's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus Sabretooth Z77
      • CPU:
      • i7 3770k + Corsair H80 (Refurbed)
      • Memory:
      • 16gb (4x4gb) Corsair Vengence Red (1866mhz) - (Because it looks good in a black mobo)
      • Storage:
      • Crucial M550 SSD 1TB + 2x 500GB Seagate HDDs
      • Graphics card(s):
      • EVGA GTX 980 SC ACX 2.0 (Warranty replacement for 780Ti SC ACX)
      • PSU:
      • EVGA 750 watt SuperNova G2
      • Case:
      • Silverstone RV03
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit
      • Monitor(s):
      • Asus Swift PG278Q
      • Internet:
      • BT Infinity (40mbs dl/10mbs ul)

    Re: water cooler - lifetime?

    The AIO water coolers are sealed so theoretically there should be no water loss as the liquid can't get out, even through evaporation the vapour will turn back into liquid as it cools down again, at least that's how I understand it.

    As for moving your mobo, this is easier with an air cooler as the cooler is only attached to the mobo and not the case like it is with the rad on a water cooler.

    I've had an H50, I still have it actually but I'm not using it at the moment, and I liked the smaller cooler on my CPU and I hid the rad by removing all of my drive trays at the front of my case and installing it there so only the pipes could be seen, but if I ever went back to my H50 now I would just install it to use the fan at the top of the case.
    Last edited by KeyboardDemon; 14-12-2012 at 07:42 PM.

  7. #7
    Registered+
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Posts
    20
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked
    0 times in 0 posts

    Re: water cooler - lifetime?

    Corsair coolers come with a 5 year warranty, so they should last a good long while barring leaks.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •