• Welcome to TechPowerUp Forums, Guest! Please check out our forum guidelines for info related to our community.

Does a computer that uses watercooling need a system fan?

Joined
Nov 12, 2011
Messages
773 (0.17/day)
Location
UT,US
System Name Asrock 2012
Processor AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz
Motherboard ASRock 970 PRO3 AM3
Cooling Corsair H70 for CPU
Memory 64GB DDR3 1333mhz 16GBx4
Video Card(s) NVIDIA 1080 with stock fan
Storage 1TB GIGABYTE SSD NVME PCIE 2.0 + Samsung SSD Evo 850 250GB with Ubuntu + Samsung SSD 860 500GB win7
Display(s) LG HDR 31.5"
Case Big Black Tower
Audio Device(s) Realtek
Power Supply CORSAIR RM850X
Mouse wired chinese gaming mouse
Keyboard Microsoft ergonomic keyboard
Software Windows 10 64bit
Benchmark Scores +
Isn't the system fan needed to cool down the air for the different internal fans to cool the system components, wouldn't using water cooling blocks eliminate the need of a system fan and unnecesary noise?
 

TheMailMan78

Big Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2007
Messages
22,599 (3.68/day)
Location
'Merica. The Great SOUTH!
System Name TheMailbox 5.0 / The Mailbox 4.5
Processor RYZEN 1700X / Intel i7 2600k @ 4.2GHz
Motherboard Fatal1ty X370 Gaming K4 / Gigabyte Z77X-UP5 TH Intel LGA 1155
Cooling MasterLiquid PRO 280 / Scythe Katana 4
Memory ADATA RGB 16GB DDR4 2666 16-16-16-39 / G.SKILL Sniper Series 16GB DDR3 1866: 9-9-9-24
Video Card(s) MSI 1080 "Duke" with 8Gb of RAM. Boost Clock 1847 MHz / ASUS 780ti
Storage 256Gb M4 SSD / 128Gb Agelity 4 SSD , 500Gb WD (7200)
Display(s) LG 29" Class 21:9 UltraWide® IPS LED Monitor 2560 x 1080 / Dell 27"
Case Cooler Master MASTERBOX 5t / Cooler Master 922 HAF
Audio Device(s) Realtek ALC1220 Audio Codec / SupremeFX X-Fi with Bose Companion 2 speakers.
Power Supply Seasonic FOCUS Plus Series SSR-750PX 750W Platinum / SeaSonic X Series X650 Gold
Mouse SteelSeries Sensei (RAW) / Logitech G5
Keyboard Razer BlackWidow / Logitech (Unknown)
Software Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)
Benchmark Scores Benching is for bitches.
Isn't the system fan needed to cool down the air for the different internal fans to cool the system components, wouldn't using water cooling blocks eliminate the need of a system fan and unnecesary noise?

Depends on the loop.
 
Joined
Jan 29, 2012
Messages
6,401 (1.44/day)
Location
Florida
System Name natr0n-PC
Processor Ryzen 5950x/5600x
Motherboard B450 AORUS M
Cooling EK AIO - 6 fan action
Memory Patriot - Viper Steel DDR4 (B-Die)(4x8GB)
Video Card(s) EVGA 3070ti FTW
Storage Various
Display(s) PIXIO IPS 240Hz 1080P
Case Thermaltake Level 20 VT
Audio Device(s) LOXJIE D10 + Kinter Amp + 6 Bookshelf Speakers Sony+JVC+Sony
Power Supply Super Flower Leadex III ARGB 80+ Gold 650W
Software XP/7/8.1/10
Benchmark Scores http://valid.x86.fr/79kuh6
nothing is 100% , you'll usually need a fan somewhere.
 

lyndonguitar

I play games
Joined
Apr 1, 2010
Messages
1,877 (0.37/day)
Location
Philippines
System Name X6 | Lyndon-ROG
Processor Intel Core i7-8700k | Intel Core i7 6700HQ
Motherboard Gigabyte Z370 Aorus Gaming 5 | Asus ROG-GL552VX
Cooling Deepcool Captain 240EX
Memory 16GB Corsair Vengeance LED | 8 GB
Video Card(s) NVIDIA GTX 1080 8 GB GDDR5X | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M 4GB
Storage SSDs: 500GB, HDDs: 2TB, 2TB, 3TB | SSD: 250GB, HDD: 1TB
Display(s) Samsung 49" CHG90 3840x1080@144Hz, Panasonic 32" HDTV, | 15.6"1080p
Case Cougar Panzer Max
Audio Device(s) HyperX Cloud II | Corsair Gaming H1500 7.1 | ROCCAT Kave 5.1 | Edifier M3200
Power Supply EVGA 750GQ
Mouse Logitech G403 | Razer Deathadder Chroma | Logitech G302 | Mad Catz Cyborg R.A.T. 5
Keyboard Corsair Vengeance K70 Cherry MX Red
Software Windows 10
Isn't the system fan needed to cool down the air for the different internal fans to cool the system components, wouldn't using water cooling blocks eliminate the need of a system fan and unnecesary noise?

if the loop covers everything. i think no fan is needed.
 

de.das.dude

Pro Indian Modder
Joined
Jun 13, 2010
Messages
8,755 (1.74/day)
Location
Stuck in a PC. halp.
System Name Monke | Work Thinkpad| Old Monke
Processor Ryzen 5600X | Ryzen 5500U | FX8320
Motherboard ASRock B550 Extreme4 | ? | Asrock 990FX Extreme 4
Cooling 240mm Rad | Not needed | hyper 212 EVO
Memory 2x16GB DDR4 3600 Corsair RGB | 16 GB DDR4 3600 | 16GB DDR3 1600
Video Card(s) Sapphire Pulse RX6700XT 12GB | Vega 8 | Sapphire Pulse RX580 8GB
Storage Samsung 980 nvme (Primary) | some samsung SSD
Display(s) Dell 2723DS | Some 14" 1080p 98%sRGB IPS | Dell 2240L
Case Ant Esports Tempered case | Thinkpad | Antec
Audio Device(s) Logitech Z333 | Jabra corpo stuff
Power Supply Corsair RM750e | not needed | Corsair GS 600
Mouse Logitech G400 | nipple
Keyboard Logitech G213 | stock kb is awesome | Logitech K230
VR HMD ;_;
Software Windows 10 Professional x3
Benchmark Scores There are no marks on my bench
there are a lot of ICs and chips that do generate heat. even though it doesnt have heatsinks doesnt mean it doesnt get hot.

now if there is good convection currents in the system (when there is an open top) you dont need a fan. also when the radiator has a fan on it which draws air into or out of the case, then you dont need a fan either.

However, for all else its best to use a single exhaust fan, silent ones are enough.
 
Joined
Nov 13, 2007
Messages
10,209 (1.71/day)
Location
Austin Texas
Processor 13700KF Undervolted @ 5.6/ 5.5, 4.8Ghz Ring 200W PL1
Motherboard MSI 690-I PRO
Cooling Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 w/ Arctic P12 Fans
Memory 48 GB DDR5 7600 MHZ CL36
Video Card(s) RTX 4090 FE
Storage 2x 2TB WDC SN850, 1TB Samsung 960 prr
Display(s) Alienware 32" 4k 240hz OLED
Case SLIGER S620
Audio Device(s) Yes
Power Supply Corsair SF750
Mouse Xlite V2
Keyboard RoyalAxe
Software Windows 11
Benchmark Scores They're pretty good, nothing crazy.
you do need at least minimal airflow through the box still.
 
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
9,899 (1.78/day)
Location
Essex, England
System Name My pc
Processor Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard Asus Rog b450-f
Cooling Cooler master 120mm aio
Memory 16gb ddr4 3200mhz
Video Card(s) MSI Ventus 3x 3070
Storage 2tb intel nvme and 2tb generic ssd
Display(s) Generic dell 1080p overclocked to 75hz
Case Phanteks enthoo
Power Supply 650w of borderline fire hazard
Mouse Some wierd Chinese vertical mouse
Keyboard Generic mechanical keyboard
Software Windows ten
Pretty much always need airflow, just get quiet fans 1000 rpm or so : ]
 
Joined
Aug 17, 2009
Messages
1,585 (0.30/day)
Location
Los Angeles/Orange County CA
System Name Vulcan
Processor i6 6600K
Motherboard GIGABYTE Z170X UD3
Cooling Thermaltake Frio Silent 14
Memory 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB)
Video Card(s) ASUS Strix GTX 970
Storage Mushkin Enhanced Reactor 1TB SSD
Display(s) QNIX 27 Inch 1440p
Case Fractal Design Define S
Audio Device(s) On Board
Power Supply Cooler Master V750
Software Win 10 64-bit
A couple case fans is always a good idea. They don't have to be powerful or loud, but just keep the air moving so any heat there is will leave the case.
 
Joined
Nov 13, 2007
Messages
10,209 (1.71/day)
Location
Austin Texas
Processor 13700KF Undervolted @ 5.6/ 5.5, 4.8Ghz Ring 200W PL1
Motherboard MSI 690-I PRO
Cooling Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 w/ Arctic P12 Fans
Memory 48 GB DDR5 7600 MHZ CL36
Video Card(s) RTX 4090 FE
Storage 2x 2TB WDC SN850, 1TB Samsung 960 prr
Display(s) Alienware 32" 4k 240hz OLED
Case SLIGER S620
Audio Device(s) Yes
Power Supply Corsair SF750
Mouse Xlite V2
Keyboard RoyalAxe
Software Windows 11
Benchmark Scores They're pretty good, nothing crazy.
I think the apple 1's were the first computers in a wooden box, and even though those chips didnt generate a ton of heat, ended up melting eventually because they didn't put vent holes in the box.
 

hat

Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 20, 2006
Messages
21,731 (3.43/day)
Location
Ohio
System Name Starlifter :: Dragonfly
Processor i7 2600k 4.4GHz :: i5 10400
Motherboard ASUS P8P67 Pro :: ASUS Prime H570-Plus
Cooling Cryorig M9 :: Stock
Memory 4x4GB DDR3 2133 :: 2x8GB DDR4 2400
Video Card(s) PNY GTX1070 :: Integrated UHD 630
Storage Crucial MX500 1TB, 2x1TB Seagate RAID 0 :: Mushkin Enhanced 60GB SSD, 3x4TB Seagate HDD RAID5
Display(s) Onn 165hz 1080p :: Acer 1080p
Case Antec SOHO 1030B :: Old White Full Tower
Audio Device(s) Creative X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Pro - Bose Companion 2 Series III :: None
Power Supply FSP Hydro GE 550w :: EVGA Supernova 550
Software Windows 10 Pro - Plex Server on Dragonfly
Benchmark Scores >9000
You'll need some sort of airflow over your rad at least. My h70 with 2 fans on it would probably outdo a triple rad with no fans. You gotta get the heat out of there. If you're going full water and low noise, a set of Noctua fans would be good.
 
Joined
Apr 17, 2008
Messages
3,935 (0.68/day)
Location
West Chester, OH
If the VRM area isn't water cooled and the southbridge and northbridge aren't water cooled (nehalem setup especially), you need some airflow over those areas. Basically, if everything isn't under water, you need some air flow.
 
Joined
May 12, 2006
Messages
1,554 (0.24/day)
Location
The Gulag Casino
System Name ROG 7900X3d By purecain
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7900X3D
Motherboard ASUS Crosshair X670E Hero
Cooling Noctua NH U12A
Memory 64Gb G.Skill Trident Z5 neo RGB 6400@6000mhz@1.41v
Video Card(s) Aorus RTX4090 Extreme Waterforce
Storage 990Pro2Tb-1TbSamsung Evo M.2/ 2TbSamsung QVO/ 1TbSamsung Evo780/ 120gbKingston Now
Display(s) LG 65UN85006LA 65" Smart 4K Ultra HD HDR LED TV
Case Thermaltake CoreX71 Limited Edition Etched Tempered Glass Door
Audio Device(s) On board/NIcomplete audio 6
Power Supply Seasonic FOCUS 1000w 80+
Mouse M65 RGB Elite
Keyboard K95 RGB Platinum
Software Windows11pro
Benchmark Scores [url=https://valid.x86.fr/gtle1y][img]https://valid.x86.fr/cache/banner/gtle1y-6.png[/img][/url]
99.9% of the time you will need a fan to cool your radiator...
99.9% of motherboards benefit from some airflow...

i always thought moving to water would mean less noise/fans... i moved onto a simple water loop and wasnt very happy. cooler temps but the rad heated up too much without active cooling...

back on air now and am more than happy i made the change back... this is of course just my oppinion..
 

cadaveca

My name is Dave
Joined
Apr 10, 2006
Messages
17,232 (2.63/day)
back on air now and am more than happy i made the change back... this is of course just my oppinion..

I feel as you do. Ease of maintenence being the biggest factor for me. I had more than enough rad, and quiet enough fans.

Building water rigs for silince is a real art, IMHO, and to me, this is part of the reason we see desk-PCs way more often as of late. Most who have done it really seem to be getting superb temps with minimal ambient noise.

I kinda of almost think that most cases are just too small for truly decent watercooling...and because they are small, YES, you need at least one fan capable of exchanging the volume of air in the case relatively quickly. Figuring out the ideal amount of flow can be figured out with some relatively simple math.

With the right case, convective airflow might be enough, but i think not in 99.999% of the time, with actual cases on the market.
 
Joined
May 12, 2006
Messages
1,554 (0.24/day)
Location
The Gulag Casino
System Name ROG 7900X3d By purecain
Processor AMD Ryzen 7 7900X3D
Motherboard ASUS Crosshair X670E Hero
Cooling Noctua NH U12A
Memory 64Gb G.Skill Trident Z5 neo RGB 6400@6000mhz@1.41v
Video Card(s) Aorus RTX4090 Extreme Waterforce
Storage 990Pro2Tb-1TbSamsung Evo M.2/ 2TbSamsung QVO/ 1TbSamsung Evo780/ 120gbKingston Now
Display(s) LG 65UN85006LA 65" Smart 4K Ultra HD HDR LED TV
Case Thermaltake CoreX71 Limited Edition Etched Tempered Glass Door
Audio Device(s) On board/NIcomplete audio 6
Power Supply Seasonic FOCUS 1000w 80+
Mouse M65 RGB Elite
Keyboard K95 RGB Platinum
Software Windows11pro
Benchmark Scores [url=https://valid.x86.fr/gtle1y][img]https://valid.x86.fr/cache/banner/gtle1y-6.png[/img][/url]
Ease of maintenence being the biggest factor for me. I had more than enough rad, and quiet enough fans.[/quote

ease of maintenance, your not kidding... the biggest reason i switched back, i did learn a lot about pc fans and controllers in general during the process. of trying(and failing) to make the system silent...

i ended up spending about £200 before i tried fans from sharkoon, which were excellent by the way.

its all a learning process and those hell bent on moving to watercooling, will learn a valuable lesson in their near future...

i'll never forget the first time i switched the system on under water, and thinking 0..o .

cadaveca is right, it is an art...
 

Mussels

Freshwater Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 6, 2004
Messages
58,413 (8.21/day)
Location
Oystralia
System Name Rainbow Sparkles (Power efficient, <350W gaming load)
Processor Ryzen R7 5800x3D (Undervolted, 4.45GHz all core)
Motherboard Asus x570-F (BIOS Modded)
Cooling Alphacool Apex UV - Alphacool Eisblock XPX Aurora + EK Quantum ARGB 3090 w/ active backplate
Memory 2x32GB DDR4 3600 Corsair Vengeance RGB @3866 C18-22-22-22-42 TRFC704 (1.4V Hynix MJR - SoC 1.15V)
Video Card(s) Galax RTX 3090 SG 24GB: Underclocked to 1700Mhz 0.750v (375W down to 250W))
Storage 2TB WD SN850 NVME + 1TB Sasmsung 970 Pro NVME + 1TB Intel 6000P NVME USB 3.2
Display(s) Phillips 32 32M1N5800A (4k144), LG 32" (4K60) | Gigabyte G32QC (2k165) | Phillips 328m6fjrmb (2K144)
Case Fractal Design R6
Audio Device(s) Logitech G560 | Corsair Void pro RGB |Blue Yeti mic
Power Supply Fractal Ion+ 2 860W (Platinum) (This thing is God-tier. Silent and TINY)
Mouse Logitech G Pro wireless + Steelseries Prisma XL
Keyboard Razer Huntsman TE ( Sexy white keycaps)
VR HMD Oculus Rift S + Quest 2
Software Windows 11 pro x64 (Yes, it's genuinely a good OS) OpenRGB - ditch the branded bloatware!
Benchmark Scores Nyooom.
as everyone has said, you always need case airflow for the low heat components, or the heat will just build up indefinitely.
 

Outback Bronze

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Aug 3, 2011
Messages
1,868 (0.40/day)
Location
Walkabout Creek
System Name Raptor Baked
Processor 14900k w.c.
Motherboard Z790 Hero
Cooling w.c.
Memory 32GB Hynix
Video Card(s) Zotac 4080 w.c.
Storage 2TB Kingston kc3k
Display(s) Gigabyte 34" Curved
Case Corsair 460X
Audio Device(s) Onboard
Power Supply PCIe5 850w
Mouse Asus
Keyboard Corsair
Software Win 11
Benchmark Scores Cool n Quiet.
Yep agree with everybody. Been water cooling for 8+ years now and have still always used airflow combined.
 
Joined
Jan 2, 2009
Messages
9,899 (1.78/day)
Location
Essex, England
System Name My pc
Processor Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard Asus Rog b450-f
Cooling Cooler master 120mm aio
Memory 16gb ddr4 3200mhz
Video Card(s) MSI Ventus 3x 3070
Storage 2tb intel nvme and 2tb generic ssd
Display(s) Generic dell 1080p overclocked to 75hz
Case Phanteks enthoo
Power Supply 650w of borderline fire hazard
Mouse Some wierd Chinese vertical mouse
Keyboard Generic mechanical keyboard
Software Windows ten
Ease of maintenence being the biggest factor for me. I had more than enough rad, and quiet enough fans.[/quote

ease of maintenance, your not kidding... the biggest reason i switched back, i did learn a lot about pc fans and controllers in general during the process. of trying(and failing) to make the system silent...

i ended up spending about £200 before i tried fans from sharkoon, which were excellent by the way.

its all a learning process and those hell bent on moving to watercooling, will learn a valuable lesson in their near future...

i'll never forget the first time i switched the system on under water, and thinking 0..o .

cadaveca is right, it is an art...

That's how I feel right now :laugh: I can hear my pump and I can hear my A.C Ryan fans motor whine not only that, I still can't keep bulldozer cool enough to clock it to 5ghz! ( and my hard drive now I'm listing stuff)
 
Top