Peltier vs. watercooling for the noob

[CAD4466HK]

I've always wanted to try a differnet approach to cooling my CPU,
but price,moving my rigs around all the time and the adverse affects water has on PCB's, has pretty much just kept me useing reg HSF's.
Untill now,I've been seeing all kinds of TEC's and WC setups for the average guy.Being a noob to these exotic coolers,puts me at a disadvantage.

I want something maintence free,and easy to setup,without the worry of frying my shit.
I wont use WC,heard and seen too many things.
My main question is,would this TEC be good for a noob like me,or are there better choices out there?:confused: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/964/vigor_gaming_monsoon_ii_hsf_heatpipe_and_peltier_c ooling/index.html

[Bbq]

Think of a Real peltier cooling, as an extension to water. Ignore those 'monsoon' peltier-air coolers. They don't really get great temperatures. My friend went with swiftech watercooling parts, and a big powerful pelt. He gets -17 degrees on the CPU at full load. I don't see those "tec" coolers there getting anywhere near that.

The way a peltier works, is that there's a hot and a cold side. Assuming it's 100w, and your cpu puts out 100w. The colder you keep the hot side, the colder the cold side becomes, the lower the temperatures go. Assuming the best case scenario with a 100w cpu and a 100w pelt, you have to have something capable of removing 200w of heat. Air just isn't up to it.

Go all the way or go home.

[CAD4466HK]

Think of a Real peltier cooling, as an extension to water. Ignore those 'monsoon' peltier-air coolers. They don't really get great temperatures. My friend went with swiftech watercooling parts, and a big powerful pelt. He gets -17 degrees on the CPU at full load. I don't see those "tec" coolers there getting anywhere near that.

The way a peltier works, is that there's a hot and a cold side. Assuming it's 100w, and your cpu puts out 100w. The colder you keep the hot side, the colder the cold side becomes, the lower the temperatures go. Assuming the best case scenario with a 100w cpu and a 100w pelt, you have to have something capable of removing 200w of heat. Air just isn't up to it.

Go all the way or go home.

I guess the search is still ongoing then,is there anyting out there that you would recomend?

[dBTelos]

Take a look at this from your link:

- Pros
Exceptional cooling
Combines heatpipes and Peltier cooling
Monitor sounds alarm if Peltier dies
Only 5A draw from 12v rail
Installation isn’t difficult
- Cons
Price

[CAD4466HK]

Take a look at this from your link:

Yeah,I saw the con on the price,but to a guy who has money, it might not be a con,plus I wouldent know how to compare others to that product,
like I said,I'm a noob when it comes to these:(

[MI-Tazz]

Water Cooling is not that bad as long as you follow the basic guidelines. It can be a pain if you tear your system down a lot. I have had water cooling on mine for almost a year now and have not had the first problem with it.

[madmat]

I've been running WC for years literally and as long as you do an exhaustive leak test (24hr for me) to make certain there are NO drips, drizzles or squirts you're golden. Using 7/16" tubing on 1/2" barbs and good clamps (like the ones in the Swiftech kit) will doubly insure no leaks.

Don't fear the water my man.

[CAD4466HK]

Water Cooling is not that bad as long as you follow the basic guidelines. It can be a pain if you tear your system down a lot. I have had water cooling on mine for almost a year now and have not had the first problem with it.

That is one of my main problems.I re-wire my shit every other week,plus I move it around alot also,I just wouldent want to take a chance hooking it all up,then just to tear it all down again to make room for another rig.

Being as nobody really has anything to say on the TEC's,guess I'll just stick to the Zalman.
Thanks for all the advice,mabey I'll get brave one day!:D

[MI-Tazz]

Can understand that, that is the biggest problem I have with mine, I tear it down constantly and have to jack with the WCing every time. I am seriously thinking of moving the water cooling over to another setup and putting this one back on air.

[CAD4466HK]

Can understand that, that is the biggest problem I have with mine, I tear it down constantly and have to jack with the WCing every time. I am seriously thinking of moving the water cooling over to another setup and putting this one back on air.

I've seen one too many fried video cards and CPU's due to a pin size hole
that the user didnt realize till it was too late.
Now I would be interested in a on board WC kit on my video card{once I get one that works} Like the Black Pearl that eVGA use to sell,but of course cheaper:D

[MI-Tazz]

Yup, that is something that could always happen with water cooling. Then again theres is always something that can happen with any setup :). They also make non-conductive coolant.

[CAD4466HK]

Yup, that is something that could always happen with water cooling. Then again theres is always something that can happen with any setup :). They also make non-conductive coolant.

yeah, I guess I could experiment on one of my throw together rigs,
non-conductive,just means you have to dry it out after a leak occurs?:confused:

[Praxis1452]

yeah, I guess I could experiment on one of my throw together rigs,
non-conductive,just means you have to dry it out after a leak occurs?:confused:

Non-conductive isn't really non-conductive. After a few months in your loop the metal from your blocks will have made it conductive. Maybe it'll be non-conductive for a month or a week but it won't stay like that.

[CAD4466HK]

Non-conductive isn't really non-conductive. After a few months in your loop the metal from your blocks will have made it conductive. Maybe it'll be non-conductive for a month or a week but it won't stay like that.

now thats what I call a waste of money,unless the cost is the same:)
I know some people use tap water with an anti-algae additive or what have you,
is it something you just add to water,or is it a complete formula?

[Praxis1452]

don't use tap. Distilled water+antifreeze+ a few drops of iodine. Or marci on XS posted a whole mix that he got from someone else on an optimal mix but what I said above is the norm.

[CAD4466HK]

don't use tap. Distilled water+antifreeze+ a few drops of iodine. Or marci on XS posted a whole mix that he got from someone else on an optimal mix but what I said above is the norm.

I myself would not use tap, but as I've said before earlier in the thread,
I've done little to no research on WC, just what I've heard around and seen in person on other peoples rigs.
Thanks for the info:D That topic will be a good start for me:)

[Bbq]

Actually, to begin with, non-conductive is still conductive. It should be called, "less conductive". Not to mention, just leak test it for a day, if it doesn't leak you're set.

[Slartibartfast]

I was actually looking into WC for a bit earlier this year, decided against it for expense reasons, and I also am often moving hardware around a fair amount, which is a big negative.

Another thing with WC is that it's still a pretty niche market, so everybody and their mom has different methods/theories, so it can be hard to get a "yes this is exactly right" sort of answer. I'm pretty sure XS has a really good intro to WC guide that I read through a number of times. Also, I'm told that even if your loop springs a leak, you can save it by heating the components in the oven - a guy on [H] has told me he's done this a bunch of times.

Anyways, peltiers are pretty sweet. If you don't know how they work I suggest reading up on it a bit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peltier-Seebeck_effect

Cool stuff :)