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Cooling Your complete guide to a watercooled computer

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by George, 8 Dec 2002.

  1. George

    George Bah

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    Introduction...

    This is a guide to everything you need to build a watercooling rig. There has been alot of threads asking about this lately so i thought it would be worth the time to write this. Im not affiliated with any watercooling related companies so this is a totally unbiased guide.

    What we need...

    Well, all of you who are considering watercooling your computer and know the basics, but not the whole story then this part is for you.

    Here is the standard parts you need to build a complete watercooled rig:

    Waterblock - Sits on your CPU like a heatsink does, usually attaches via the 4 mounting holes method, but some via the usual mounting clip. This removes heat from the CPU and the water takes the heat.

    Radiator - Well after the coolant (water) has gone through the CPU waterblock, it has got hot, so you must 'remove' the heat from the coolant. To do this a radiator is used. A radiator also needs to have the hot air blown away to perform well ie. a cars radiator has the cold air blown into it when driving. A PC watercooling radiator needs a fan attached to it to do the same job.

    Pump - Without a pump the coolant wont move, so its a compulsory component. An inline pump is usually used, simply sucking the coolant in through the inlet and blowing it out the outlet, just like an aquarium pump, so thats what we use.

    Reservoir/Air-trap - A watercooling loop will have air in when you build it, so we need to trap the air at the highest point of the system. We can do this by using a reservoir and placing it at the highest point of the system, this is because air travels to the highest point. The reason we need to trap the air at the highest point is because it will decrease performance levels with air in the loop. You can also fill the system via the res (short for reservoir). You can buy or make your own res.

    Coolant - This is the liquid that flows through the system, this plays an important part in the system. You CANNOT use normal tap water as it contains alot of impurities etc. Using something such as demineralised or deonised water is certainly recommended. Its also recommended that you use an additive such as waterwetter or purple ice, as these can increase heat transfer and preserve the coolant to stop corrosion etc.

    Tubing - Well, this is an obvious addition to the list, to connect all the components up you need tubing. Theres a few types of tubing:

    PVC - Cheap, coolant additives can take the natural color away, not very versatile. Quite clear

    Silicon - Quite expensive for a bit of tubing, not defaced by coolant additives, natural color is usually preserved, very versatile, not very clear.

    Tygon - Everything silicon has apart from its clear and very expensive.


    Fittings - Most of the watercooling components are already fitted with barbs, but you will need to buy the correct barbs for something such as the eheim pumps or if you were building your own res. To hold the tubing you also need hose clips, aka jubilee clips, wormdrives.

    Finalising...

    Well, theirs a basic list of the components you need for a complete watercooling system. One major thing that has not been mentioned is the tubing size. Watercooling is done usually done in either 3/8" (10mm) or 1/2" (12mm). Its important that when you build your watercooling systems that all of your components and tubing use the same type.

    I will shortly be posting up what i components i recommend for a watercooling rig, and go in more detail about the pumps barbs etc.

    thanks,

    .icecube
     
  2. buglish

    buglish What's a Dremel?

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    Great post, helped me alot :clap:
     
  3. billy beard

    billy beard What's a Dremel?

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    any chance of a basic diagram to show where the best places for the pump and rad and flow of water [direction to and from each piece of hardware] positioning has always caused me headaches
     
  4. 8-BALL

    8-BALL Theory would dictate.....

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    Where to put things is very much dependent on the components you're cooling, the case you're using, and above all else, personal taste.

    As has been said before the temperature of the water will only change by 1 or 2 degrees as it travels through the system. It is more important to have an unrestrictive flow path than having "the rad before the block but after the pump, but only with a parallel loop and only with x and not with y." (Please note the humour)

    Put the bits where they best fit and then connect them with the least bends and the shortest length of tubing. You will get lower temps as a result of the higher flow rate.

    hope this helps

    8-ball
     
  5. 8-BALL

    8-BALL Theory would dictate.....

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    Also, it is not necessarily tru that all the components have to use the same size fittings.

    If you are using 3/8" tubing, the the silicone or tygon will (with persuasion) fit over 1/2" barbs giving a tight fit with lower flow resistance than conventional 3/8" barbs. Note, I don't believe this works with PVC which is less elastic.

    Also note, this doesn't really work the other way round, and if you already have 1/2" tubing, it would be pointless, running components with 3/8" barbs.

    8-ball
     
  6. Coolrunnin

    Coolrunnin What's a Dremel?

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    Wormdrive clamps will work fine BUT....

    If you plan to use either silicon tube, or a poly topped block, wormdrives are not necessary and can cause all kinds of problems if overtightened. Wormdrives are only really of use when running at compressed air system pressures - even with pvc, ratchet nylon hose clips will be more than adequate (and cheaper) at the low pressures in a watercooling system.

    Silicon tubing only needs tight cable ties to hold it securely due to its softness, and the pipes will not move at all. Alternatively, use the nylon ratchet clips sold by places like thorite. :hip:
     
  7. Haddy

    Haddy World Domination

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    Gettin too many stickies:p One day we will beat linear and his l33t sticky posting abilities!! :D
     
  8. l33t_c0mput6r_m0dz

    l33t_c0mput6r_m0dz What's a Dremel?

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    A few comments/questions I had about distilled water.. Right, I'm using it but probably had some leftover tapwater still in the rez (few ounces) from leak testing. My coolant is probably 99% distilled + water watter and 1% tap water..

    If using water additives such as uv dye, water wetter or anti-freeze etc, shouldn't that inhibit bacterial growth? 2nd, if you are trying to use water with zero impurities, I'm afraid that seems near impossible. You wouldn't be able to dip your fingers in the water and you'd have to sterilize all of your equipment prior to using. Your computer would also need to be in a sterilized clean room environment.

    Any comments?
     
  9. Coolrunnin

    Coolrunnin What's a Dremel?

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    TBH the tiny amount of tap water left sholdn't be a problem. I tend to give my systems a rinse out with a small amount of distilled water (I get it in 15 litre batches anyway) before putting the system's coolant in. This is overkill tho.

    Your corrosion inhibitors should work fine - more of a concern is any minerals dissolved inthe tap water which would still build up to an extent with the corrosion inhibitors. Algae will not grow very easily in the waterwetter provided it is at the recommneded concentration. Some bacteria do tho - I had some dark patches in my system when I ran WW I presumend this was due to the WW leaching into the silicon hoses and leaving a low WW concentration in the coolant.

    In your case I wouldn't worry - you'll be changingthe coolant every 6mths or so anyway to keep the corrosion inhibitors fresh so there's no big deal IMO. :)
     
  10. George

    George Bah

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    Waterblock

    Sorry for the long delay guys, been really busy with stuff lately...

    Ill start writing up the popular components used in watercooling systems.

    The two main competitors in the waterblock industry are Danger Den & OCPC. I personally havnt had good experience with OCPC, but i will not press my opinion on others.

    Their are many other waterblocks out their, so ill list a few more recommended manufacturers so you can decide for youselves.

    Swiftech - make some good blocks, i personally dont think their attractive, and a tad overpriced.

    Silverprop - these are produced over in AUS, magnificent blocks, look great and perform great. I had their flagship block, the Cyclone 5 and it performed as well as my Maze 3 and looked very tasty with its alu zinc plated top.

    If you cant decide for youself, i recommend the Danger Den Maze 3, you cant really go wrong with this block, it has both great performance and great looks.


    here are a few places you can buy Danger Den & OCPC products.

    http://www.dangerden.com - official site (official US store for Danger Den products)

    http://www.overclockedpc.co.uk - official site for OCPC products.

    http://www.extremecooling.co.uk (UK reseller of both Danger Den & OCPC products)

    i hope this gives you a detailed view on what water blocks are on offer, and whats the best to suit you.

    thanks,

    .icecube
     
  11. 8-BALL

    8-BALL Theory would dictate.....

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    Re: Waterblock

    Not to start an argument, but this shows either a lack of research into available watercooling gear, or a slightly biased opinion.

    Firstly, you have left out some big players.

    Swiftech - you mentioned them but unfairly I believe. They may be fairly expensive as far as water blocks go, but the blocks are built to a very high standard by a company that played a large part in raising the awareness of watercooling, as well as being one of the first companies to commercialise watercooling.

    D-Tek customs - Granted these are not the easiest blocks to get hold of in the UK, but BIT-TECH is not frequented solely by UK readers. Their blocks are very well built and have been designed with a lot of feedback from very experienced watercoolers in some of the longer running watercooling forums. These blocks have been amongst the highest in demand in the US, and for a long period of time, the waiting period was several months long. The TC-4 outperforms many competitors blocks on the market.

    European companies - I won't go into all of the players, but I am talking about all of the .de watercooling companies which have spring up recently. These companies have an approach to watercooling which differs slightly from that taken by many of the American companies. That is, all of there components are designed around small diamter tubing, low flow rates and small pumps. If you were in an American forum, you would most probably be informed that this is not the best way to watercool, however, these kits are putting in some very good numbers.

    They are optimised for low flow rates and are built with the traditional German quality and assurance that you have come to expect from many of their car marques. However, unlike many of their cars (read VW/AUDI), they actually look good aswell.


    I will say that CPUFx have a very bad reputation for poor service and less than ideal performance waterblocks.

    I haven't got the links to hand but just use google and put in the names above. Most of them are in the links thread in the extreme cooling forum.

    Hope this helps

    8-ball
     
  12. George

    George Bah

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    ok, i wont bother writing about the other components, as i obviously cant go listing every manufacturer their is out their to satisfy ungrately people like the person above.

    i was mentioning the most popular and easiest to get hold of blocks, not all the new blocks from Germany.

    i was writing from my experience, DD blocks have been the best ive used out of using alot of blocks from different manufacturers.

    anyway, this guy just spoilt the thread, i shall no longer post to this thread.

    thanks,

    .icecube
     
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