Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Just being Ordinary
I was quite surprised to see an article about DIY-PCs in the Digital Life yesterday, didn't the DIY-PC fad die out a long time ago? It's true that many people nowadays prefer one-stop service, laptops and other devices that they don't have to maintain or assemble themselves. I see a vast majority of my friends using laptops instead, and chances are that you're reading this on a laptop too.There was a time when mass-produced desktops did not suffice and people built their own rigs, then technology and the market caught up and laptops are personal preference now. But however, no matter how powerful your laptop is, it will never match the power of a desktop. There is an unspoken satisfaction amongst enthusiasts when we finish building our rigs, and it's up and running serving our every need, whim and fancy.
What really got me disturbed was that the article spoke about water-cooling as if it was just another nonchalant thing to do. All this guy did was to build another water-cooled rig and he gets featured in the papers? I thought water-cooling still remained in the exclusive niche of the enthusiast community, but apparently the article has displayed all the juicy secrets and even a full component description for all to see. The writer is definitely someone within the community; but to bring themselves so low as to feature such an article and hope that the public follow suit is beyond my comprehension.
Yes water-cooling is not difficult, especially with ready-to-use kits available on the market, but it's not exactly as easy as slapping on a heat sink onto a processor either. There is still technique, knowledge and a fair bit of experience required if you want the loop to run smoothly and successfully. It's several times more expensive then air-cooling too and not to mention the risks involved.
So this guy in the article suddenly becomes famous because his computer is cooled by water. It's not even custom, complete-off-the-shelf parts, expensive components etc. Okay whatever.
Ever since I announced my intention to go to water cooling several months ago, I've not regretted my decision. Water-cooling really works wonders and I was able to push my rig to performances previously unattainable. I will never go back to air-cooling ever again!
Now that it seems water-cooling is become so mainstream and my rig has become ordinary, it's time to do something more unconventional. The next rig I am designing will feature a chilled-liquid cooling loop! Now we'll see the general populace catch up with that!
Project :: MK2008
