It has been around four years since I ceased creating and maintaining open-loop liquid cooling solutions for my systems. Gone are the days when I had bottles of coolant ready for system flushes and installs. No longer do I spend hours cutting and shaping acrylic tubing after meticulously planning out how everything will fit inside a mid-tower chassis. It's only when coming across my tried and trusty Thermaltake Tower 900 in storage did I encounter flashbacks of how incredible a PC can look with custom liquid cooling. So, I'm switching back, and here's why!

3 Better CPU and GPU performance

Unleash the potential of your PC

The primary reason for using an open-loop liquid cooling solution is to get better performance from your CPU and/or GPU, depending on which is connected to the radiators and pump. Standard sealed liquid cooling kits are great for systems that generate more heat over sustained periods, but even they have their limits with a single (mostly thinner) radiator and limited liquid. Using a large reservoir and thicker radiator, or even a second radiator, can take that heat from the CPU and GPU and dissipate it quicker.

Small spikes in temperatures will still be present as the loop adjusts to the heat output, but you'll find the loop handles heavier workloads better over time, especially gaming and creative software. The best part? You can take off your GPU shroud and install a water block to connect it to your loop to improve its thermal performance and headroom.

2 Easier maintenance and upgrades

Swap out the block for new motherboard sockets

Most AIO liquid coolers are sealed kits, which is both a blessing and a curse. It's great for those who wish to install a cooler and forget about it. These can be installed in a matter of minutes and you'll be up and running with custom software and quite the light show. It's when you open up the PC to make some changes to the configuration or need to swap out a part or two may you require an entirely new AIO liquid cooler. They only support a limited number of motherboard sockets. Not compatible? That's a whole new kit for you.

A custom open-loop CPU and GPU cooler can be drained and adjusted to support new hardware. If you're upgrading the processor and motherboard to a new generation and the block doesn't support the socket, you can swap out the water block for another, even selling the old one to recoup some of the cost. Refill the system and you're once again cooling everything without spending too much on an entirely new cooler. It's also great for fixing leaks, which can occur even on sealed AIO kits.

1 It looks incredible

I somehow forgot how cool open loops are

This last reason is entirely subjective and depends on whether you agree that custom open-loop water cooling looks better than air coolers or an AIO liquid cooling kit. I believe they do and can add an element of style to your PC build that sets it apart from all others using the same case. An AIO may look the part with fancy RGB lighting and a small display, but your PC won't be truly unique if someone else shares an identical case and CPU cooler. A custom open-loop build is truly unique to your specifications.

Custom liquid cooling isn't perfect

One issue water cooling has is reduced airflow inside the chassis near hot components, including Voltage Regulator Modules (VRMs). AIO liquid coolers share this drawback but there are a few solutions. Angled case fans can be installed nearby, a water block with active cooling can be swapped in, or airflow increased through the chassis. The process of planning out your custom liquid cooling and putting it together isn't an easy task either but it's incredibly rewarding and I look forward to sharing some of my future builds right here.