I know that there are risks when it comes to liquid cooling, but what are the chances of leaks forming on a closed loop?
I really hate higher end air coolers because they're so damn bulky so no, I won't consider one of those instead.
If the chances of having a leak are high, then would it be a good idea to coat all possible weak spots with waterproof JB weld?
My Antec Kuhler arrives in a few days so quick opinions would be sweet.
Leaks not so much. Pump failure is much more likely. My Antec Kuhler has been going strong for about a year now I think. Though If it failed I'd probably either go full custom loop or a nice air cooler. Price to performance of those smaller closed loop coolers make air coolers more attractive. I get what you mean about the bulk of an air cooler though. Not as pretty to look at in a windowed case, that's for sure.
if you dont get an h100 or h100i, dont bother. Air coolers will dominate it.
They are safe though. they wont leak. theyre tested.
I've had a Corsair H60 SE and H80i die on me. They lived for about 6-9 months each but they were my benchmarking PCs and I did OC a fair bit. It might've also been bad luck.
They didn't leak, they had a different issue which I forgot..
If you do decide to get a closed loop water cooler, switch to a quieter fan, those stock ones are hells loud!
I have had my corsair h60 running for about a year now and it is still running strong with 4.2 ghz 8150.
For the most part these are very safe and usually just as safe as air coolers. What does make them more of a risk though is simply the fact that they do have fluid in them. So long as you're careful installing them, and there aren't any sharp heat sinks in near their tubing, you shouldn't have any problems with them.