Do I need liquid cooling?

Posted by Mrrvomun on Super User See other posts from Super User or by Mrrvomun
Published on 2011-06-20T23:05:51Z Indexed on 2011/06/21 0:24 UTC
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I'm building a computer mainly for gaming and developing games. It's going to be a three screen system with two GeForce GTX 460's and a quad-core i7. The newegg wattage calculator says I need around 900W. The case I intend to get is this one. Full specs if you need 'em are at the end of this post. I have no intentions to overclock the system at the moment, but this may change in the future.

I've done a lot of research on the subject, and the answers I've found indicate that it takes a heck of a lot of power to require liquid cooling, and most non-overclocked systems don't need it. But I haven't seen a question about a system with two GPU's, so I ask you the following two questions:

Assuming that the system is used for gaming for very extended periods of time (say 4-6 hours at a time, nonstop) with all three screens running at full 1080p, would the fans installed in the system suffice? Or would I need more fans and/or liquid cooling?

If the system is used under the same circumstances as above, and is overclocked to a reasonable level, would the fans installed in the system suffice? Or would I need more fans and/or liquid cooling?

Specs:

  • Intel Core i7
  • 16GB DDR3
  • Two nVIDIA GeForce GTX 460
  • 3TB HDD
  • Two DVD-RW writers
  • Thermaltake 1050W power supply
  • Case is linked above

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