Is Liquid Cooling Worth It?

Building a new PC? Wondering whether you should for an AIO or go all out and build a custom loop? We help answer the question: is water cooling is worth it?

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Is water cooling worth it? Or more broadly: is liquid cooling worth it? Well, that really depends on your setup and what you use the computer for. We have already gone over the difference between air vs liquid cooling, so let’s discuss whether an open loop or close loop cooling system is worth the cash. Strictly speaking from a performance point of view, a custom open loop would be the absolute best way to cool your components, as long as you know what you are doing. A fully built custom loop is going to surpass the capabilities of both air and closed loop cooling, so for the enthusiast, open loops are often worth the hiked price. With liquid cooling, you get the added benefit of enhanced aesthetics, along with thermal performance but for the general PC user, a simple air stock cooler is often more than enough and free.

Read below for everything you need to know, plus take a look at our Black Friday CPU cooler deals and Black Friday Gaming PC case deals pages whilst you’re here.

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Is liquid cooling worth it for you?

If money was no object then liquid cooling is absolutely worth it. Keeping the temperatures of your components down is a great way to keep them running efficiently and could prolong their life.

The pros of liquid cooling:

• Better thermal performance
• Incredible aesthetics
• Fewer clearance issues for RAM
• Can see more of your motherboard
• The best way to truly customize your PC

The cons of liquid cooling:

• Can be louder
• Extremely expensive
• Requires extra tools to complete
• New skill required
• Risky (leaks)

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Is liquid cooling the same as water cooling?

Basically yes – liquid cooling is the more encompassing term and reflects the fact that the liquid used within a looped system is often not water but some other form of cooling liquid, or water mixed with something else. You do have to be aware though that different liquids can have different corrosive effects upon the metal/plastic/rubber components of your cooling system – so a water cooling system may not always support the use of a different kind of liquid.

Is it Worth Liquid Cooling A CPU?

Liquid cooling a CPU is only really worth it when we are dealing with high-end desktop processors. Intel and AMD’s latest flagship CPUs can run at some impressive speeds, which can generate a lot of heat, so liquid cooling a CPU does make a lot of sense.

If, however, you are building a budget PC or a computer without one of the top shelf CPUs, then liquid cooling starts to become more of an aesthetic luxury.

There are air and liquid cooling options that can provide some excellent cooling performance, so it comes down to your preference and budget primarily. Liquid cooling outperforms air with ease in most instances, however, if the custom loop is small, you may find the cooling performance lacking.

Is It Worth Liquid Cooling A GPU?

GPUs, like CPUs, run at some insane speeds and the best graphics cards produce some of the highest amount of heat when it comes to a PC component. Liquid cooling a GPU not only helps you play those AAA titles with maximized performance but it also keeps the internal temps of your entire build down as there is far less hot air circulating.

The main factor to whether it is worth liquid cooling your GPU would be if you wanted to overclock your card. Overclocking, as we know, essentially removes the speed limitations, resulting in higher amounts of power and performance, therefore producing extra heat. While the fans on your GPU sufficiently cool it, this only really applies when the card is limited to its specified speeds.

Like with a CPU, the aesthetics of water cooling a GPU are unreal, with amazing blocks being created from a variety of brands, vertical GPU mounting, and the added bonus of hardline tubing.

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Final word

So, in summary, is liquid cooling worth it? Well, the answer to that question is almost always yes. The only time liquid cooling stops becoming worth it is when we factor in the cost of budget-focused or lower-spec PC builds. Liquid cooling is the best way to cool your components and is the only way to ensure performance for some enthusiasts. Liquid cooling can be very expensive though and when we get into elaborate custom open loops, it requires extra skill and brings about risks to the building process.

Regardless of the price and risks, liquid cooling looks unbelievable and creates some of the best aesthetics you are likely to find with a PC build.