Liquid or not

[PawWoj]

Hi there, just a quick question about these 2 configs. Is the Liquid cooling worth the extra 1K? or should i stick with air?


Air:

Case COOLERMASTER MASTERCASE SL600M GAMING CASE
Overclocked CPU Overclocked Intel® Core™ i9-10940X 14 Core (3.30GHz @ up to 4.6GHz)
Motherboard ASUS® ROG STRIX X299-E GAMING II: ATX, USB 3.2, SATA 6 GB/s, Wi-Fi AC - RGB
Ready
Memory (RAM) 32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card 11GB ASUS ROG STRIX GEFORCE RTX 2080 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive 2TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply CORSAIR 750W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable 1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling Corsair H115i PRO Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [MUP-00003]

Warranty 3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

Total Order Price Ex VAT £3,081.67
Total VAT (20%) £616.33
Total Order Price £3,698.00


Liquid:

Case LIAN LI O11DYNAMIC XL ROG CERTIFIED GAMING CASE
Custom Liquid Cooling Kit Liquid Series RGB Lian Li PC011D – EK
Tubing Clear Hardline PETG Tubing (Bent/Metallic Fittings)
Graphics Card Cooling GPU Water Block - For One Graphics Card!
Coolant Colour Mayhems Pastel Pure Black
Overclocked CPU Overclocked Intel® Core™ i9-10940X 14 Core (3.30GHz @ up to 4.6GHz)
Motherboard ASUS® ROG RAMPAGE VI EXTREME ENCORE: DDR4, 6Gb/s, CrossFireX/SLI, Wi-Fi
AC - RGB Ready
Memory (RAM) 32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card 11GB ASUS ROG STRIX GEFORCE RTX 2080 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive 2TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
Power Supply CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable 1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Braided Power Supply Cables CORSAIR Premium Individually Sleeved PSU Cable Kit Pro - Red/Black
Thermal Paste ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
Sound Card ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [MUP-00003]

Warranty 3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)

Total Order Price Ex VAT £4,064.17
Total VAT (20%) £812.83

thanks for any advice.

 

[Charlas]

Liquid is quieter, and sometimes (not always) cooler.

If interested have a look at some of the videos on cooling over on gamers nexus (YouTube) Air is usually able to cool as well as liquid, but liquid looks cooler (personal opinion) and almost always quieter than forced air cooling.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Can I ask what the builds are for? Custom loops are only beneficial for a small set of use cases.

 

[PawWoj]

This build will be for gaming, 3d rendering and engine work, potentially streaming further down the line

 

[Charlas]

For the most part, then it will be an aesthetic or acoustic based decision for you. If you like RGB and are going to put it in a clear sided case, then water cooling will look cool. If enclosed case you can't see, then I'd save the money and go air, or perhaps AIO on the CPU as a half and half sort of thing.

 

[PawWoj]

For the most part, then it will be an aesthetic or acoustic based decision for you. If you like RGB and are going to put it in a clear sided case, then water cooling will look cool. If enclosed case you can't see, then I'd save the money and go air, or perhaps AIO on the CPU as a half and half sort of thing.

As a statement Liquid does look cooler, but i was more interested in the cooling potential of a GPU and CPU in a closed loop over air cooled under heavy load, and weather the benefits are worth the extra £££

 

[Charlas]

Lots of benchmarks around (have a look at LTT / Gamers Nexus on YT) but the downlo is that IF liquid cooling does save you the temperature, it's not a lot as a rule, and it's rather done nowadays for the look.

The take away they both had was water can cool better, but for their day to day builds they would use air, it's less maintenance, less hassle, less to go wrong.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Closed loop coolers are so effective these days and so much cheaper that custom loops are really only used for stuff like rendering systems where gpu is on 100% load for extended periods, but even then, I’d just buy a hybrid GPU with a closed cooler on it and save a fortune.

 

[PawWoj]

I didn’t see an option in the custom setup for a closed loop gpu cooler, unless I missed something?

As for the case, is that a good choice for the air cooled spec? I watched a lot of the gamers nexus reviews and it’s seems good, is there a better choice anyone would recommend?

 

[SpyderTracks]

I didn’t see an option in the custom setup for a closed loop gpu cooler, unless I missed something?

As for the case, is that a good choice for the air cooled spec? I watched a lot of the gamers nexus reviews and it’s seems good, is there a better choice anyone would recommend?

You’d just source your own and fit yourself and select “none, I have my own graphics card” in the configurator.

 

[PawWoj]

Ok thanks, I’ll look into it, any advice on the case?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Ok thanks, I’ll look into it, any advice on the case?

If you were to do away with custom loop cooling, then it opens up a whole realm of better builds.

AMD would absolutely walk all over anything Intel have to offer, just literally destroy it, about double the multithreaded performance whilst being better in gaming also as much higher base clocks. I would do an entirely different build if it were mine.

 

[PawWoj]

I guess I just auto pilot to Intel because of past bad experiences with AMD, but I guess im out of touch!

I made this configuration just before you posted, looks the same just has the threadripper, so on the same page:


COOLERMASTER MASTERCASE SL600M GAMING CASE
Overclocked AMD Threadripper 3970X 32 Core (3.7GHz @ up to 4.3GHz)
ASUS® ROG STRIX TRX40-E GAMING (DDR4, Wi-Fi 6, CrossFireX/SLI) - RGB Ready! 32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
11GB ASUS ROG STRIX GEFORCE RTX 2080 Ti - HDMI, DP
NOT REQUIRED
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 4400MB/W)
NOT REQUIRED
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIESTM MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
CoolerMaster MasterLiquid ML360 RGB TR4 High Performance Liquid Cooler STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRO

 

[Charlas]

@Scott @SpyderTracks Would a Threadripper be more beneficial here given the 3-D rendering use?

All depends on the package, more cores is as a rule always better 😁

But sometimes too much is just a waist if its not gonna be used, but only the user will know specific use cases and what the software is capable of, also remember you will probably need windows pro, not home for a Threadripper build.

 

[Charlas]

Oh side note, Threadripper + gaming are not necessarily great friends, just so you know, almost always benchmark Below ryzen 3000 parts on same setup otherwise (especially 1% and 0.1%, due to cache latency)

 

[Scott]

What is the software being used?

 

[PawWoj]

What is the software being used?

Primarily games, but also 3ds Max, photoshop, After FX, Premiere, Unreal, Unity

 

[Scott]

I would also be looking at the Ryzen 3000. You would probably be fine with the 3900X but the budget is there for the 3950X and it will smash your requirements. I don't think you need a TR4 build to be honest, I think that would be overkill on the processing grunt without focusing on the gaming grunt.

This is extremely lavish. A dream build to be honest. You don't need the Strix items, and the GPU is hugely over-priced, but you know EXACTLY what you are getting so it's probably worthwhile.

You don't need the 1000W PSU, so if the 750 or 850 RMx come into stock, just swap them over.

With the storage, 1TB is your primary, the 2TB drive is for fast loading games and a scratch/cache drive. I would partition the 2TB drive personally so that you can have 500GB for cache/scratch and 1.5TB for games/other stuff. Will be less confusing that way.

Case
FRACTAL MESHIFY S2 BLACKOUT TEMPERED GLASS
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 16 Core CPU (3.5GHz-4.7GHz/73MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
11GB ASUS ROG STRIX GEFORCE RTX 2080 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 4400MB/W)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 4400MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i RGB PLATINUM Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 15 to 18 working days
Price: £3,729.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/Ts7TA5tQvy/

 

[Scott]

Lots of benchmarks around (have a look at LTT / Gamers Nexus on YT) but the downlo is that IF liquid cooling does save you the temperature, it's not a lot as a rule, and it's rather done nowadays for the look.

The take away they both had was water can cool better, but for their day to day builds they would use air, it's less maintenance, less hassle, less to go wrong.

Just to add, I'm very suspicious and wary of all "tests" like this. Linus did a similar test.

IMO they are leaving the cases open and not allowing proper stressing soak to occur. There is just no way an air cooler would get close to the H115i on my 9900k. Even buying the biggest chunk of metal to hang off the motherboard wouldn't keep it in check. The air coming out of those coolers is hot.... then swirling around the case. It's not good for the GPU, the CPU will heat soak and the motherboard will take the strain of the hunking big chunk of tin.

Linus was of the very same opinion and said exactly the same things...... but his "day rigs" all have AIOs in them. Every system he builds has an AIO in it.

Given my actual hands on experience with the differences in the cooling options, there's something VERY fishy going on.

 

[PawWoj]

I would also be looking at the Ryzen 3000. You would probably be fine with the 3900X but the budget is there for the 3950X and it will smash your requirements. I don't think you need a TR4 build to be honest, I think that would be overkill on the processing grunt without focusing on the gaming grunt.

This is extremely lavish. A dream build to be honest. You don't need the Strix items, and the GPU is hugely over-priced, but you know EXACTLY what you are getting so it's probably worthwhile.

You don't need the 1000W PSU, so if the 750 or 850 RMx come into stock, just swap them over.

With the storage, 1TB is your primary, the 2TB drive is for fast loading games and a scratch/cache drive. I would partition the 2TB drive personally so that you can have 500GB for cache/scratch and 1.5TB for games/other stuff. Will be less confusing that way.

Case
FRACTAL MESHIFY S2 BLACKOUT TEMPERED GLASS
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 16 Core CPU (3.5GHz-4.7GHz/73MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F GAMING (USB 3.2 Gen 2, PCIe 4.0) - RGB Ready!
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
11GB ASUS ROG STRIX GEFORCE RTX 2080 Ti - HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive
NOT REQUIRED
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 4400MB/W)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
2TB SEAGATE FIRECUDA 520 GEN 4 PCIe NVMe (up to 5000MB/R, 4400MB/W)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 1000W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H115i RGB PLATINUM Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Firefox™
Warranty
3 Year Platinum Warranty (3 Year Collect & Return, 3 Year Parts, 3 Year labour)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 15 to 18 working days
Price: £3,729.00 including VAT and Delivery

Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/amd-am4-gen3-pc/Ts7TA5tQvy/

Thank you Scott, appreciate the help.

I will probably go for the ASUS Crosshair VIII Hero instead of the ASUS® ROG STRIX X570-F because of the extra ports and minus the integrated GFX which has caused me headaches in the past.

Is there any particular reason you would stick with the STRIX motherboard?