In a water-cooled PC, you’ll have a consistent flow of liquid running through it. This coolant is essential for keeping temperatures down, whilst also helping to make your PC look incredible. These thermal solutions may look amazing, but they do require regular maintenance.
That’s where Overclockers UK comes in! We’ve put together everything you need to know about maintaining your water-cooled PC, including how often you should replace your liquid coolant.
Why Is It Important to Maintain Your Water-Cooling?
Water-cooling looks beautiful and ensures all your powerful hardware is kept cool and performing at optimum temperatures. However, these thermal solutions do require regular maintenance to keep up with the cooling demands of your PC.
If you don’t regularly maintain your water-cooled system, you run the risk of your PC overheating, damage from corrosion, and even nasty bacteria growing within the tubing.
How Often Should You Replace the Liquid Coolant?
A crucial aspect of maintaining your water-cooled PC is replacing the liquid coolant. We recommend that at least once a year, you perform a flush of your PC. This means you completely drain the current coolant out of your computer and replace it with fresh liquid.
By doing this every year, you reduce the risk of damage to your hardware from corrosion, excess wear, and much more. Plus, it’ll help to boost your performance and even give your system that much-needed refresh.
You may find that you need to replace the coolant quicker than the one-year mark. It all depends on your choice of coolant. For example, semi-transparent liquids can fade notably quicker than coolants that are more vivid, therefore some manufacturers suggest six months for semi-transparent liquid.
Top Tips for Maintaining Your Water-Cooled PC
- Turn your PC off before you do any maintenance.
- Keep up with regular cleaning and dusting of the interior of your PC, including any fans and vents.
- Take your time when it comes to flushing your system. Rushing will cause mistakes and potential damage to the hardware.
- Have dry cloths or kitchen roll handy for any spills. If you do spill any coolant onto your hardware, clean up the liquid with a dry paper towel, and leave your PC in a dry place for a few days before you turn it on.
- Check out our spring cleaning guide for plenty of helpful other tips and tricks for maintaining that factory fresh look to your PC.
All Your Water-Cooling Needs
At Overclockers UK, you can find everything you to both build and maintain your dream water-cooled gaming PC. This includes plenty of different liquid coolant variants in a huge range of vivid colours to ensure it matches your aesthetic perfectly.
Click the button below to see more.
- 3 min read
Ruth Rowley
Author
Ruth has been with Overclockers UK for over a year and has gone on to write about everything ranging from in-depth hardware guides to monthly game releases.
Outside of writing blog posts, she can be found wrapped in a blanket with her black cat, engrossed in a book or playing life-simulation games such as The Sims, Stardew Valley, and Animal Crossing.
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