Building my dream FSX machine

[PieEater 10]

Sorry, but I respectfully disagree... Before spending 70-89 dollars in a "top of the line" air cooler that will simply put a huge fugly "brick" inside my case (not to mention needing slimmer ram that fits), I would rather spend 20-30 more which is insignificant and get a Corsair AIO one...

 

What are you disagreeing with exactly, you appear to be just expressing your personal preference !?! I don't have a problem with the fact that AIO's can be more aesthetically pleasing but I expect most people are not in the habit of regularly opening up their case to gaze in wonder at the 'beauty' of their PC's components. In most normal cases having a "huge fugly brick" that cools an overclocked CPU just as effectively as an AIO but with less cost, less noise and less chance of failure, is going to be a non issue and the preferred option.

 

Exactly well said - I dont get it much easier to install also -good luck installing that brick

 

Anyone who can't install an air cooler shouldn't be attempting a PC build, and for those getting the system built for them it's a non issue anyway, so that's a bit of a daft statement.

 

I don't have a problem with people making an informed choice to purchase an AIO and appreciate many on these forums have made that choice and are happy with the results. The problem I have is the perceived wisdom that keeps being stated as fact in these threads that AIO coolers are the one and only choice if you want to overclock, when there is absolutely no basis for this.

[PieEater 10]

Use arctic silver - dont use that factory paste - when it squashes down almost metal to metal - useless - how do I know did a fresh install on my gpu with factory paste then removed it to see what it looked like - did not look pretty

 

I don't want to appear picky but do want to clear up any misconceptions. The best achievable heat transfer between processor and heatsink is through direct metal to metal contact, the purpose of thermal paste is just to fill in any air gaps between the two metal surfaces with a substance that is better at transferring heat than the air it replaces. So it's a bad idea to put too much paste between the processor and heatsink or to apply paste in a method that is likely to form air pockets as both scenarios will prevent proper heat transfer leading to high temperatures. Arctic silver is a quality product that has been around for many years, however there are newer kids on the block that offer better performance.

[stans 703]

I've not used it... yet, but Arctic Silver does have a ceramic based paste that conducts heat extremely well, but is electrically non-conductive.

[Raven9000 272]

What are you disagreeing with exactly, you appear to be just expressing your personal preference !?! I don't have a problem with the fact that AIO's can be more aesthetically pleasing but I expect most people are not in the habit of regularly opening up their case to gaze in wonder at the 'beauty' of their PC's components. In most normal cases having a "huge fugly brick" that cools an overclocked CPU just as effectively as an AIO but with less cost, less noise and less chance of failure, is going to be a non issue and the preferred option.

 

 

Anyone who can't install an air cooler shouldn't be attempting a PC build, and for those getting the system built for them it's a non issue anyway, so that's a bit of a daft statement.

 

I don't have a problem with people making an informed choice to purchase an AIO and appreciate many on these forums have made that choice and are happy with the results. The problem I have is the perceived wisdom that keeps being stated as fact in these threads that AIO coolers are the one and only choice if you want to overclock, when there is absolutely no basis for this.

 

Not really.. my personal opinion is that said coolers are ugly (fugly really...). What I disagree with is stating that they're "a lot more expensive".

 

Regarding opening up the case, yeah, I don't, that's what side panel windows are for...  Regarding your last statements of your paragraph, "less noise, prweffered option, etc", yes that isin fact *your* opinion... Definietley not my preference and not others' either...

 

 

I do agree that it's not the only choice of course. I just don't care to have such a monstrous cooler period.

I don't want to appear picky but do want to clear up any misconceptions. The best achievable heat transfer between processor and heatsink is through direct metal to metal contact, the purpose of thermal paste is just to fill in any air gaps between the two metal surfaces with a substance that is better at transferring heat than the air it replaces. So it's a bad idea to put too much paste between the processor and heatsink or to apply paste in a method that is likely to form air pockets as both scenarios will prevent proper heat transfer leading to high temperatures. Arctic silver is a quality product that has been around for many years, however there are newer kids on the block that offer better performance.

 

Metal to metal? Yes, in an ideal (and unreal) world where surfaces are perfect...

 

Agree on all the paste statements.

[vc10man 732]

watch the memory height on the Noctua.

Had no problems whatsoever fitting 4 x 4Gb sticks Corsair Vengeance on Asus Z-87A boards, but they did not have high-profile heatsinks.

 

Agree with you, PieEater, that the application of a thermal paste is a very thin skin later to compensate for the 'pits' that appear on what in theory should be totally flat CPU heatsink metal cap and the opposite  mating flat surface of a cooler.

[Ian S 214]

I've had many enjoyable house on FSX, but do yourself a favour and invest $50 of your budget in Prepar3d. That is how you will get the most out of your new kit.

[OneWhoKnocks53 51]

Use arctic silver - dont use that factory paste - when it squashes down almost metal to metal - useless - how do I know did a fresh install on my gpu with factory paste then removed it to see what it looked like - did not look pretty

 

Just to give you another informed opinion, arctic silver used to be my go to thermal paste, but in recent times I have started using Gelid. Its the same consistency but I did have a noticeable result of 3-4 degree temp. drop. Its the same price and I believe its the better paste. Its just a little harder to find in the stores.

[PieEater 10]

What I disagree with is stating that they're "a lot more expensive".

 

I'm not going to address any of the other statements in your post as folks can read between the lines and make up their own mind.

 

AIO coolers *are* a lot more expensive than 'fugly bricks' it is just inherent by design, they have to incorporate pumps, hoses, radiators, fans,LED's, circuitry etc and be covered by a warranty for all of these sufficient to make them attractive, if this did not make them a lot more expensive I would have to question why. On the other hand these units have to be built to a price and because of this compromises are made, for instance the quality of the standard fans supplied. I'm aware that many users end up replacing the standard fans on their AIOs with quieter aftermarket options adding significantly to the original cost, just start typing in "replacement fans" into google and see what heads the list. In contrast Greggy_D has posted that his $30 Air Cooler keeps his 2500K sufficiently cooled to allow an overclock of 4.8GB, that's the cost of a couple of replacement fans........Sorry that you disagree but you're entitled to your opinions.

Just to give you another informed opinion, arctic silver used to be my go to thermal paste, but in recent times I have started using Gelid. Its the same consistency but I did have a noticeable result of 3-4 degree temp. drop. Its the same price and I believe its the better paste. Its just a little harder to find in the stores.

 

I use Gelid GC-Extreme myself following reviews and recommendations and have been happy with the results.

[Richard Sennett 2,499]

I find air coolers a bit of a pain to install - have to look into Gelid - thanks

[OneWhoKnocks53 51]

have to look into Gelid - thanks

 

Don't be surprised if initially your temps don't improve, its got a two week "break in" period.

[Richard Sennett 2,499]

Don't be surprised if initially your temps don't improve, its got a two week "break in" period.

 

Nice actually I have noticed cpu temp has gone from highest temp 50 to 47 - you smart guy

[Raven9000 272]

I'm not going to address any of the other statements in your post as folks can read between the lines and make up their own mind.

 

AIO coolers *are* a lot more expensive than 'fugly bricks' it is just inherent by design, they have to incorporate pumps, hoses, radiators, fans,LED's, circuitry etc and be covered by a warranty for all of these sufficient to make them attractive, if this did not make them a lot more expensive I would have to question why. On the other hand these units have to be built to a price and because of this compromises are made, for instance the quality of the standard fans supplied. I'm aware that many users end up replacing the standard fans on their AIOs with quieter aftermarket options adding significantly to the original cost, just start typing in "replacement fans" into google and see what heads the list. In contrast Greggy_D has posted that his $30 Air Cooler keeps his 2500K sufficiently cooled to allow an overclock of 4.8GB, that's the cost of a couple of replacement fans........Sorry that you disagree but you're entitled to your opinions.

 

 

I use Gelid GC-Extreme myself following reviews and recommendations and have been happy with the results.

So you use a $30 cooler huh? Tell me, what is the price difference between the air cooler you actually use and a corsair H100i?

[PieEater 10]

So you use a $30 cooler huh? Tell me, what is the price difference between the air cooler you actually use and a corsair H100i?

 

This is a photograph of my PC which shows my ThermalRight HR-02 Macho air cooler which cools my 2700K overclocked to 4.7Ghz. 

 

Cost of HR-02 £36.11

Cost of H100i £87.10

Price difference £50.99 or 241%

 

Can we stop now? I think the OP's thread has been trashed sufficiently, the appropriate points have been made, opinions aired, and now it's just getting nit-picky. Starting up an AIO vs Air thread might be more constructive !?!

[G-BANX 1]

Thanks to all who have commented. I'm Currently away but this info will be so useful when I'm back

This is a photograph of my PC which shows my ThermalRight HR-02 Macho air cooler which cools my 2700K overclocked to 4.7Ghz. Cost of HR-02 £36.11Cost of H100i £87.10Price difference £50.99 or 241%Can we stop now? I think the OP's thread has been trashed sufficiently, the appropriate points have been made, opinions aired, and now it's just getting nit-picky. Starting up an AIO vs Air thread might be more constructive !?!

Would I be correct in saying that in this pic the top fans are intake, front fan is intake, rear fan is exhaust?

[JDWalley 354]

Another perspective would be that you wait until August and look at building your "Dream Machine" around the new Skylake CPU and associated DDR4 based platform which would according to leaked statistics give you a 15% boost on your proposed build plus allow the opportunity to upgrade your CPU at a later date using the same platform. A Haswell (4790K) build is a dead end as far as upgrades go, as your motherboard and memory will not be compatible with newer tech.

Skylake may well be worth waiting for (although the figures I've seen indicate only about an 8% boost). But I'm wondering about your last sentence -- how many people here typically upgrade their builds "down the road?" I've found, time and again, that I have made the decision on each new build to go with recently-introduced technology, with the point of being able to easily upgrade in the future. Yet, by the time I get to the point where I feel the need to upgrade, I find that said technology has moved on to new platforms, sockets, etc., and that any performance gains I could get from, say, dropping a new, faster CPU into the same motherboard pale in comparison to what's currently the new standard…but which requires a ground-up rebuild.

 

Now, that may not be true for others, especially if you're in the habit of upgrading every six months to a year. But, if you change out your hardware less-frequently than that, like me, it might be wiser to just figure that you'll need to start from scratch every time, and make the build decision without worrying whether the motherboard you're considering is a "dead end," because, for you, any would be.