Liquid Cooling for a Linux Desktop

JoeH

Hi,

If my computer only runs Linux, can I liquid cool my computer?  I understand that liquid cooling requires some software and it appears that the manufacturers only provide this software for Windows.  Is there any hope for me?

Thank you,

Joe

Minoso

Greetings JoeH, what kind of specs are we working with here? Are you expecting lower temperatures than what you have now? Is your computer overheating and needs a better cooling solution? Most water cooling solutions work in the BIOS and don't require any software to control them under an operating system. Most software that come with these solutions are for RGB control or customized fan curves. If you have the specific parts I can look for more data on this to see what solutions are available. I also need your Linux distro to better give you options.

PowerSpec_MikeW

I'd point out most pumps just run at full RPM, they're powered by the power supply directly. You'll see some PWM variants of the D5 or DDC pumps. They'll just use a 4 pin header that connects to a 4 pin header on the board. Pump will use sensor data from the board to adjust the RPM for you. No software required. You can ignore the PWM cable and the pump will default to running at 100% RPM. That's fine.

JoeH

My system has an AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, the cpu cooler is the stock air cooler that comes with the cpu.  I do not overclock and have a bare minimum graphics card.  My work on the computer is heavy duty number crunching and I run Fedora 32 Linux.

The noise from the fan is too loud.  My Bios setting are set to the defaults.  I have checked the thermal compound on the cpu.

I have tried a Noctua NH-U14S cooler but it won't fit in my case, a Lian Li Lancool205.  The top of the cooler pushes against the glass side panel.

Please recommend a liquid cooler that is easy to install.

Thank you,

Joe

Waffler

Have you looked at a Hyper 212 cooler? Those tend to be a great value, or even Enermax ETS-N31, which is a smaller profile. Check your case specifications for max clearance for CPU coolers to guide you in picking one out.

JoeH

Thank you for your reply.  I still would like to get a liquid cooler.  Can someone recommend one that is known for reliability and ease of installation.  Within reason, cost is not a problem.