are you talking about the water cooling or the actual cost of putting the pc 2gether
1366 Buildup
nipper575
#22
I assume you know the cost of the actual system and that you are asking about the cost of water cooling.
The cost of water cooling far exceeds that of air cooling. A decent air cooler will set you back ~$100, a decent entry level water cooling system will cost closer to $400 - $500. My setup has cost me around 700 to date, add in motherboard and video card cooling and that will jump up to a minimum of ~$1500 to do it properly. You can buy kits cheaper but they are absolutely rubbish, I wouldn’t put one in my worst enemy’s PC.
Water cooling is not for the unfamiliar I’m sorry to say. There is a lot of setting up and maintenance required and it only gives a benefit to those who push their systems. You will need to do a lot of research as the only insurance policy you have over water ruining your new PC is your own knowledge and skill of setting it up in the first place.
If you are new to system building, a good after market air cooler will exceed your expectations and won’t destroy your pride and joy if you get it wrong.
nipper575
#23
Here’s an example of two different water cooling loops, the first is basic, the second is a bit more extravagant but still by no means as far as you could go.
Mac
#24
Save your money and just get a decent air cooler, i’ve had two watercooling systems .Yes they do cool alot better . But at the end of the day the max overclock achieved from water vs air will be fark all so with your extra $300-$400 buy a ssd etc imo…
nipper575
#25
That all depends, my 940 was far too hot for my U12P with any serious OC on it, pumping anywhere near 1.3V with HT on would take temps far over safe limits. Water cooling increased my maximum OC by a huge amount as it meant I could keep my temps down. If you manage to hit a high OC on air, then there is no guarantee that you’ll get any higher on water, but if temps are holding you back on air rather than voltage, water will help in a big way. Instead of being limited by temps, I am now limited by voltage. Big difference.
If it didn’t provide some sort of benefit, then nobody would buy it. I agree with the rest of what you are saying though, there are other things that will offer a more noticeable difference performance wise than forking out $400 dollars on water cooling. It is only for enthusiasts.
Schpasm
#26
Fair enough, I don’t know that much about system building, but I am intrigued and I would like to start doing it. So thanks for the advice guys, looks like an Air cooler it is! And yeah I was going for a nice SSD anyways 
Azalin
#27
if i could afford the $400-$500 i would def go WC … with my i5 temps getting too high for a 24/7 4ghz @ 1.3 odd volts
Put it under water and i recon 4.2 would be very feasable.
Schpasm
#28
Wow nice, so say if I got an i5, and i run it at stock (3.8ghz) with one of those fans, would it be fine?
Azalin
#29
the i5 750 like I have run at 2.66ghz … myself and john have both cranked them up to 3.8 … john uses a noctua u12p , i use the noctua d14 too cool them. The stock fans arent good for overclocks… they cant handle the heat… i think Buz still has a stock and has chipped his 750 upto 3.2 ? … but you get into mad temps very soon after.
Schpasm
#30
So they run fine at 3.8 with your fans? Like you could leave them 24/7??
I might go to 3.2 or 3.4 or something.
johnnywazza
#31
Yeh 3.8 is a 24/7 OC. We’ve both punched up to 4.0GHz (did Az get further? dunno) but temps and volts start going nuts.
Schpasm
#32
Okay so if i got a fan likes yours or Az’s, it would be fine at 3.6? Coz I haven’t done OC’ing before, and if I do it, I don’t want to kill shit!
nipper575
#33
Just to clarify, you need a heat sink and fan, not just a different fan. Commonly called a “HSF”
Yes if you get a HSF like John’s, or a bigger version like Azalin’s, there is a very good chance that you will be able to hit similar clock speeds.
system
#35
mmm
What will happen when i change all my hardware. Will W7 ask for verification shit? As some may know, its not really legit 
EDIT: Ive purchased my 920, got it for $290pp off ocau (d0 stepping, should still o/c fairly well, hit 4.2 on insane volts from what ive read) and will probably be going with air cooling Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler
Azalin
#37
the D0 will o/c fine … touted as the best chip for it.
Familiar lookng hsf there. Make sure you get low profile ram
when you change all your hardware i would advise a format … so W7 will no doubt want to eb verified … grab an OEM home prem … $130… cheap as shit.