Five insane upgrades that you should never do

Location, Location, Location

Now that you have a killer tech station sitting on your desk, component placement is vital to achieve superior results. Set the motherboard on the top level for easiest availability. You can install gigantic CPU heat sinks without the hassle of removing the motherboard or working in an enclosed case. You can position additional fans quickly to help cool down the system during your grueling overclocking sessions. Place all other parts, such as the power supply and hard drives, out of the way on the lower level since you won't access them much.

Max It Out

Using a system installed on a test bench can be dangerous, but the benefits can definitely offset the risks involved as long as the computer remains in a controlled environment. With this setup, you can tweak to your heart's desire and overclock until you've squeezed every last clock cycle from your PC.

Run a River Through It

Water cooling has long been an efficient method of cooling PC components, but most users are hesitant to take the plunge for several reasons. Some point to the insanely obvious hazards of introducing water to electronic components. Even more find the total cost of a water-cooling system a little nuts.

Just as in a car, water-cooling your PC is more effective than air-cooling it, since the continuous flow of cooled liquid can absorb and dissipate heat more rapidly than can air alone. PC liquid-cooling setups consist of a pump, a radiator, and some hoses that carry water to various heat-exchanger blocks, which mount atop your hottest system components. Cool water pumps in from the radiator and then flows across the hot blocks, carrying the heat back to the radiator, which releases the heat into the air outside your computer.

Here's how you can choose the best liquid-cooling components and create your very own water-cooled monster.

Pick Your Parts

The best liquid-cooling parts are not all made by one company. Stay away from complete kits, since you can piece together a better-performing loop for the same cost. When shopping for water-cooling gear, check out Petra's Tech Shop, Jab-tech, and Performance-PCs.com.

Here is a list of the essential parts you will need to complete your own extreme liquid-cooled PC project:

Cleanliness Is Absolute Godliness

The very first thing you should do after receiving your parts is to flush the radiator with distilled water. Chemicals used in the manufacturing process will leave a residue in the radiator, and you need to clean them out thoroughly before you install the radiator. Pour distilled water into the radiator until it's half full, shake it several times, and then pour out the liquid. Repeat this step until you've gone through 2 gallons of distilled water. It's also a good idea to flush the water blocks.