Closed circuit entry-level water cooling
 

Hey everyone, I was wondering if the new closed circuit entry-level water cooling was worth checking out? Think Antec H2O 920 or Corsair H70.

The old adage is that cheap water cooling is no better than expensive air cooling. Does this hold true for these closed circuit kits?

These kits tend to come at the same price as expensive Noctua or Thermalright air cooling. I'm buying a case that is large enough to fit it in easily and retain good air flow, but I'm not convinced of the benefits over the more expensive air cooling solutions.

most tower heatsinks with 6 (+) heatpipes and 120mm fan support will offer better performance/noise/value than any of these all-in-one kits; you don't need the most expensive Noctua €70 HSF to have such results; Even a €35 Scythe Mugen 3 will give you excellent thermal performance at half the price
product: http://www.scythe-eu.com/en/products...r/mugen-3.html
price: http://www.google.de/products/catalo...ed=0CE8Q8wIwAA
review: http://www.computerbase.de/artikel/g...rienbelueftung

I also don't see this changing in the future, heatsinks and waterblocks are pretty much "as good as it gets"; heatpipes have also found their peak, peltiers are too expensive, CPU/Radiator fans can only move so much air without making too much noise. Liquid metal cooling proved on par with heatpipes. So what's left? More expensive solutions with dedicated water cooling solutions for passive cooling, which are more expensive to buy, take more time to install, and more cumbersome to maintain/run. Or larger heatsinks with risks of breaking your motherboard PCB due to weight.

all hope is not lost, but improvements year over year are so small that what was valid in 2008 as conclusion still is valid in 2011. Where as before year over year you had heatsinks improve over previous designs with 5-10°C, now we're supposed to be "thrilled" by a 3°C difference, tested with a margin of error at best of 1°C. Which means HSF 1: 60°C, HSF 2: 57°C. Might as well be HSF1: 59°, HSF2: 58°C.

If only a Mugen 2 would fit on the motherboard I've got in mind (and a Mugen 3 cannot be found anywhere at the time of this writing, and compatibility is unknown).

Anyhow, your answer is pretty much what I expected. Aside from doing away with clearance issues, the closed circuit watercooling doesn't have much to offer at this time.