which one u guys more prefer with when u overclock:
a)liquid cooling
b)fan cooling
c)other types of cooling

please describe the advantages and disadvantages of ur answer
thanx....

Air Cooling:
Pros - simple and easy.
Cons - cooling is influenced by ambient temps around it, might be loud with a high CFM fan, case ventilation is a big factor also.

Watercooling:
Pros - can be very quiet, some setups can cool up to 500Ws (air cooling cannot do that), looks cool with water snaking in your case.
Cons - there is always the danger of leakage, tedious setup process (leak testing, getting rid of bubbles etc.), water level has to be checked from time to time, when pump stops working cooling doesn't work.

Phase Change:
Pros - very cold(up to -60C for single stages and -100C for cascades), can be quiet, can be easy to setup if you buy retail units like Vapochill and Prometeias, can be used 24/7
Cons - condensation can happen if parts are not insulated well, tedious setup for custom built phase change units(insulate everything with foam and conformal coating as well as the socket with dielectric grease), heavy and mobility is affected, electric bill will be higher.

LN2/Dry Ice
Pros - very very cold (up to -150C at least), quiet setup, does not use electricity to cool.
Cons - not practical as it cannot be run 24/7 because you have to replenish the LN2/Dry Ice when they have evaporated, tedious setup(insulate everything with foam and conformal coating as well as the socket with dielectric grease), messy and DANGEROUS!

Hope I didn't leave anything out.....ehhehe.

This post has been edited by kcnyc: Oct 12 2006, 11:32 AM

Ditto everything you said....May I add....

Air Cooling:

Pros:

Basic stuff.... cooler the air (ambient/case) , cooler the temps, noisier the fan, better the temps...yada yada.... no brainer really. Chuck it in...ready to go.

Latest and greatest towers already up there with watercooling... 0.16c/w <-- this eats Bigwater and the likes.

Really easy for those "I feel the need for speed" .."let's hit X benchmark" situations.... throw in a few fans here and there... move over the table fan...crank up the AC....

Cons:

I seriously think those towers these days are getting ridiculously big.

The temptation of adding screamers for that extra 1C.

Aircooling for VGA really doesn't cut it anymore...big ass coolers bends vgas and eats up expansion slot.

Watercooling:

Pros:

Looks cool...looks 1337...except those totally un1337 kits ler.

VGA cooling.. Accept no substitute

Cons:

Component (chips, board, mosfet etc) cooling can be a b1tch without airflow.

This nagging feeling that something will die and end up flooding something... being paranoid about smelling burnt electronics..... Constantly checking the tubes to see if it has developed a mini-ecosystem...or WAIT!!! Is the pump making a funny sound.

It's like living with a hot women who constantly needs your attention and ya never know when she's gonna shag the garderner.

Phase Change:

Pros:

If ya gotta hang out with the 1337 folks... brag factor.

Cons:

Mucho busaaar equipment and power bills.....and not for the "will I kill my cpu if I overclock it" folks.

Terribly hard to explain to the Dad's and Wife's why you need sub-zero temps.

Needs to buy a bigger house with bigger room when your PC takes up half a room.

Will be a real b1tch if someone puts a merom powered notebook on top of your phase cooled once-1337 Opteron rig that's the size of national power generators for some 3rd world countries..

= the need to stay updated to the latest and greatest stuffs

Damn power exxageration man. LOL But mostly true, just taken out of proportions. ahahahha