What parts to pick, tube bending
techniques, and more, by Zak Storey
THERE’S NOTHING QUITE LIKE having
a custom-built liquid-cooled PC. There’s
something about configuring every
last element of your rig that gives you
an incredible feeling of satisfaction.
Compare it to restoring a classic car. You
know each and every component that
you’ve bought, how it works, how you
installed it, where the problems might
lie, how to fix it when it goes wrong, and
best of all, you know that it’s going to
perform better than it did before, and it’s
unique. Much like that restoration, with
liquid cooling you become attached to
your work; it suddenly has a personality,
a soul, a temperament, and it’s a machine
that you’ll remember for years to come.
Yet deciding to embark upon this
advanced mode of PC building can be
daunting. It requires in-depth knowledgeTHE
ULTIMATE
GUIDE TO
LIQUID
COOLING
YOUR PC
of a vast multitude of parts, intricate
experience and instinct that sometimes
can’t be taught. And, of course, there’s
plenty of room for failure, especially
when mixing electricity and H 2 O.
That said, we recommend that every
PC enthusiast and system builder tries
liquid cooling at least once. A lot of
these problems can be overcome with
some smart planning, time, and a little
knowledge. And better yet, the benefits
to your system extend far further
than just looks. Whether it’s the extra
overclocking headroom or the reduced
overall noise, we believe it’s well worth
the investment. In fact, that last part
is probably the biggest bugbear you’ll
find when it comes to liquid cooling
your rig: cost. However, the reality is
that you really don’t need to spend allthat much on it. You can easily convert
a fully built system to liquid cooling,
chilling both the GPU and the CPU with
copper components, for just a little over
$400. That’s still a fair amount of cash,
sure, but not quite the $1,000-plus spec
lists that we often throw at our builds.
Of course, with more investment comes
better performance and an easier build
process, but that’s not always necessary,
and a bare minimum loop when it comes
to fittings and complex components will
likely yield similar if not identical results
if configured correctly.
This issue, we’re going to divulge all
of our liquid-cooling secrets and give
you the deepest-level low-down, so you
can decide whether it’s worth making the
commitment to build your own unique rig
that’s perfect for you.liquid cooling
22 MAXIMUM PC MAY 2020 maximumpc.com