It's been the better part of a decade since I designed and built my last custom liquid cooled PC. I've still got it, in a box in the garage, as a reminder of projects that weren't always fully completed, hard-learned skills, and a community I'm still part of to this day. Just because I have no inclination to make my own custom PCs, I still love seeing what the newcomers to the scene are making, and the easier access to CNC machining, 3D printing, and other manufacturing tools has pushed the field forward.

I used to spend months on each build, planning, sourcing, creating custom parts, and making new custom cables for every PC. It was a way to make the mainstream PC components inside truly mine, to infuse my personality into the build, and to pass knowledge between the old heads in the scene to the newer converts. I'm fully team air cooling these days for the majority of my builds, and while I miss the style, I don't miss the maintenance and other things that go along with custom water cooling.

I used to go all-out with my builds

Full custom watercooling, customized parts, case mods and more

When I first started in the custom PC scene, many modders still used pumps and other parts from aquarium shops, along with whatever tubing, waterblocks, and other hardware that would fit. The commoditization of watercooling parts that would come later from giants like EKWB hadn't really reached the mainstream, and it felt exciting, like the early 2000s when case modders were stuffing cold cathode tubes into their chassis, and cutting out fan holes in the suffocating beige boxes of the time.

The scene was fairly small, and lived on various internet forums, where you'd swap tips, research parts, and post the all-important build log for each build. I did a few, caught the eye of a few companies and veterans of the modding scene, and ended up getting most of the components for The House of the Ryzen Sun (in the above pictures) as sponsored parts.

That wasn't quite the last build I did, but it was the last I completed as we had a new addition to the family and there wasn't space for my makeshift machine shop in the dining room of the old apartment. I wouldn't trade that time for anything and made some lifelong friends along the way, but I don't have the itch to build another showpiece PC.

Nothing was ever 'finished'

The process for building a custom watercooling build is just as fluid as the coolant that will eventually run over your components to whisk away heat. There's always a tool, material, or simple thing like a bolt that crops up along the way as "why didn't I order this last week," leading to a mad scramble to source it. And that's if parts fit, the hardware doesn't fail, and the process doesn't drag on to a point where life gets in the way.

Something always felt unfinished. Builds were 'finished' for show with barely connected wiring inside because those parts were hidden from view, but I always knew, and it made me feel like I'd not done what I set out to finish.

I don't feel the urge anymore

I have other priorities than looks

At the time, I always had one PC to use, and another project PC that was being customized. There really wasn't any other way to handle it, and that took up additional space while making me buy twice as much hardware for my needs. I did enjoy the project aspect, and still would, but I've got a thousand other things that I can satisfy my need to have projects on the go, and watercooling is very low on the list of priorities.

That also doesn't mean I won't stop building PCs. I've just moved on to small-form-factor (SFF) builds, where the challenge is keeping thermals in check with high-performance hardware in shoebox-sized PC cases, and to oversized server builds for home lab use. I'll never stop being a PC enthusiast of one form or another, but I've changed in what matters to me over the years.

And the hardware gains aren't there anymore

Back then, it was common to get 10% or more added performance by overclocking your CPU, GPU, or RAM. That could be enhanced with better cooling, and custom watercooling was the best at doing just that. Modern hardware can still take advantage of better cooling potential, but the shift to hardware that boosts until it reaches a specific temperature, then backs off to stay there, means some of the fun is gone for me.

If I was going to watercool again, I'd probably use AIO coolers, but I can get most of the performance from air coolers that are quieter and are much less likely to break on me.

I don't miss watercooling, and I found my community in the process

The scene has changed since then, with fishtank-style cases, plenty of RGB LED lighting, and easy-to-assemble kits we only dreamed of back then. I still love seeing new watercooled builds, and I'm constantly in contact with the people I met along the way, but it's not something that I consider a hobby anymore. I just want my PC to work reliably, without needing major maintenance every few months, and that means air cooling is preferable.