Hello all. Question for the community:
I just got that new MB and CPU combo going fairly quick, and ran into a problem: I need a water cooler setup for this rig. I was looking at the Corsair H100, but it has been pulled from store shelves to be replaced by the H100i, having some needed user-interface included. However, that now makes the cost of this cooler $130, instead of the $99 I was hoping for. That makes other, formerly more expensive and less-considered options slightly more competitive now.
Is there anybody using this setup, or for that matter anybody, using a water-cooled setup that got them to 5GHz, or at least one that folks are using and would recommend?
I've never used an H2O system before, and was always slightly deterred by the thought of a liquid in your PC case. It just sounds fundamentally flawed. But people are now using them with great success, and I figure I'll not get to 5GHz without one.
Thank you!

Speed of flight wrote on Feb 18^th, 2013 at 12:52am:

It's near the end of the month. Have you washed yet? I guess that it doesn't matter much, you're far enough away.

(I know that you must know this, so you can skip down to the nitty gritty. This is for people who don’t want to buy stuff online)
I never used to order ANYTHING on the internet. But at some point I realized that I was cutting myself off from a wider variety and lower prices than what I can get local. So to protect myself I opened a checking account with no minimum. Well you had to have at least a few dollars, but not a lot. This is totally separate (not even in the same bank, which is important if your primary account has overdraft) from our account where our paychecks are automatically deposited.

With that account I got a debit card. What that got ME was an account that was, effectively, theft proof. When I order something online I don't have to worry what happens if someone breaks into the sellers system. And it does happen. But the most that anyone can get from my account is $10-$50. When I want to buy something on the internet I deposit the cash that day.


I just plugged in "Corsair H100" and "Corsair H100i" into Amazon and it looks like you can get it for around $100, or even less. Checked with Newegg and they have the Corsair H100 for $99.99 with free shipping.

The reason that I started using Amazon is the greater variety and the fact that if you say that it doesn't work for you they'll issue you a UPS pdf that you can attach to the box and just drop it off at any UPS store. NO charge.

Another reason that I like them are all of the product reviews. About those reviews. I think that the reason a lot of people return stuff and give it a bad review is that they just haven’t got a clue about how to use whatever it was that they bought. Some bad reviews are quite funny.


I bought most of the upgrade parts (motherboard/CPU/memory) from Newegg with the intention of overclocking it at a later date. And years later when that doesn't seem fast anymore I'll buy the fastest CPU that my motherboard would take. Because, by that time, the fastest chip for my 1155LGA socket would be (relatively) dirt cheap. BUT my system would be faster than it had been with the old chip, so I win.


NITTY GRITTY
Go to Amazon and Newegg, read the reviews.

I was looking at the Corsair Hydro Series also, but I would probably get a used one from Amazon.

And just because it's used doesn't mean that its been pumping away for 20 years. Someone may have bought it, found that it was too large for their micro-mini case, and sent it back. Once opened they can't sell it as new. So you get a good deal.

When you get one, new or used, attach it to a power supply and lay it on some packing tissue paper, outside the case if need be. Let it run for a couple of weeks before putting it in your case.

Remember, if you get it from Amazon you can return it no charge/no hassle. Just notify them within 30 days.

I think I need to explain something...

I'm posting this stuff not because I want to brag about it, but to help, and inform.
I am not of exceptional means, and I'm not extraordinarily brilliant. Just determined.
So, if my setup is similar to someone else's, then they, too should be able to do what mine does.

Here's hoping someone else benefits from my effort!