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Watercooling, also known as liquid cooling, is a method for regulatingPCtemperature with liquid coolant instead of fans. While having liquid flowing in your PC rig might seem risky, it’s entirely safe if set up correctly.
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Liquid cooling is highly popular among gamers and other hardcore PC enthusiasts who use a lot of resources and require a high level of computational efficiency. All CPUs (central processing units) get hot. The more resource-intensive your computing needs are, the harder your CPU must work, and the hotter it will get.
What Is Watercooling? How It Works
Most PCs use air coolingand thermal sinks to transfer heat away from the CPU. Thermal sinks use a special type of thermal paste to dissipate heat from the CPU and onto a heat sink. Fans cool down your computer by drawing cool air in, moving the cool air over hot parts, and expelling warm air.
Liquid cooling, on the other hand, uses a coolant – which can be just distilled water – to transfer heat from the CPU, GPU (graphics processing unit), and other computer components.
The water is pumped through tubes in the computer case to transfer heat away from the CPU, after which the liquid ends up in a radiator. There, outtake fans cool down the heated water, which is then recirculated throughout the system, and the process repeats itself.
Benefits Of Watercooling For Gamers
Watercooling is highly efficientas water has a high heat capacity, which means it can absorb a lot of heat before it starts to feel hot. For the temperature of one kg of water to increase by one degree Celsius,it must absorb4,184 Joules of heat.Gaming is very resource-intensive, and standard air cooling systems are often not sufficient to keep your system cool.
An overheating CPU will cause a variety of performance issues, such as lagging and sluggish gaming performance. If it gets too hot, your PC may randomly shut down. You can avoid that by installing a watercooling system.
If you’ve noticed that your computer is experiencing sluggish performance, check your CPU usage inTask Manager or Resource Monitor on Windows. You can also check your CPU’s temperature in your computer’s BIOS or UEFI.
If you don’t know how to navigate your BIOS, or if you would like to avoid shutting down and restarting your PC, you can install an app calledCore Tempto check your CPU temperature.If your CPU is overworked or overheating, consider switching to liquid cooling.
Compared to air cooling systems,liquid cooling is around2.5 times more efficient, depending on the setup and your usage. It also retains heat four times better than air does.
Another benefit of liquid cooling is how silent it is. Air cooling can get quite noisy, especially if you use a lot of resources, requiring the fans to work extra hard.
If you decide to stick with air cooling, and you want to reduce noise levels while gaming,get larger fans. Small fans have to work harder, which is why they tend to be noisier.
If you plan on overclocking your CPU, installing a liquid cooling system first is highly recommended.Overclocking refers to modifying your CPUs internal clock (cycle frequency) so that it works faster than intended. While overclocking improves gaming performance, it also increases the risk of your CPU overheating.
Even with a liquid cooling system, overclocking can lead to overheating, system instability, errors, crashes, and freezes.Start by overclocking just one core, and constantly monitor your PC’s performance to see how much it can handle.
Drawbacks Of Watercooling For Your PC
While liquid cooling is highly effective,it is more expensive than air cooling. However,it’s not as pricey as you may have been led to believe.
High-quality all-in-one liquid cooling systems start at around $100and offer excellent value for money. If you want a custom loop that will cool down your GPU and additional components, though, it will cost more. Meanwhile, fan cooling systems will usually set you back just $30-60.
Watercooling also comes with some safety risks.The biggest risk is leakage, which could not only damage your PC but also lead to an electrocution hazard if you don’t handle your PC components properly.However, if you purchase an all-in-one liquid cooling system as opposed to a custom setup, this risk is low.
Another risk is corrosion to the tubing, radiator, and other components of the liquid cooling system. With proper maintenance, though, and by using the right coolant, you can avoid this.
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How To Get Started With Watercooling
There are two types of watercooling systems on the market:closed loop and open loop systems. Open loop systems require you to put together various liquid cooling components yourself. While they allow for more flexibility (you can set it up to cool your GPU as well, for example), they carry the greatest risk of leakage.
Most beginners to PC building should opt for closed loop systems. AIO (all-in-one) liquid cooling systems have a low leakage risk and are safe to use.
Closed loop systems come in several sizes. 120 mm (one fan), 240 mm (two fans), and 360 mm (three fans) are the most common. If you are a hardcore gamer, you will need a larger system, but ensure your computer case has the space to accommodate it.
Checkyour computer’s manualto see which size watercooling system it can accommodate.
Installing the AIO system isn’t particularly difficult, but it requires a basic understanding of what different PC components are and what they look like. Refer to the AIO’s installation manual for instructions, but if you’re experiencing difficulty or are afraid of messing around with your PC, call a certified technician.
How To Maintain Your Watercooling System
If you get an AIO liquid cooling system,it will require minimal maintenance. The manual that comes with your system will provide instructions for how to maintain it, but here are some general guidelines to follow.
Once a month, you should be checking your system for signs of leakage.If your PC is overheating regularly, despite having installed a watercooling system, you should be checking for buildup of gunk within the system or dust within the radiator.
By using distilled water instead of colored or specialized coolant,you will significantly reduce the risk of corrosion and gunk buildup.
Around once or twice a year, you should dismount the watercooling system from the case, replace the coolant, and clean the radiator with a can of compressed air.You can also run tap water through the radiator grill and use a dust brush to remove stubborn dust particles.
Always disconnect your PC from the power supply before doing any work on it!Also, get an ESD anti-static strap, a face mask, and safety goggles when cleaning your PC.
Final Thoughts
Liquid cooling will increase your computer’s performance and allow you to play more resource-intensive games without lagging or overheating.It also looks incredibly cool – you can get colored coolants to enhance the aesthetics of your gaming rig. Make sure you install it properly, and you’ll notice a night and day difference in your gaming performance!
