Water Cooling Basics
What is water cooling? Water cooling is, very simply, using water to cool the components in your computer.
Why should I use water cooling? There are several reasons to use water. One is to make a very quiet computer system. Another is to reduce component temperatures, especially the CPU and GPU. It can reduce load temperatures to allow better overclocking results. The 3rd reason, it looks cool. The 4th reason, bragging rights "Hey, I have water cooling!".
What does water cooling require? Well, most obviously, water! However, the system also requires some type of pump, radiator and the cooling blocks for the components you want to cool.
So how much does a water cooling system cost? Entry level kits can start as low as $100 and custom solutions (i.e., you pick out all the parts separately) can run well into the $300 range.
So can I just buy any water cooling system? NO! Many water cooling systems that are sold as kits are no better than good air cooling systems. The pumps, tubing and blocks are generally inferior. However, if you are not overclocking and want a very quiet system, then a kit may be your ticket. Look below for recommended kits for both overclockers and non-overclockers.
This /\ /\ is really where we need you forum members to post your thoughts about water cooling kits that you have and to provide everyone with your experiences! All the OC forums say, "DO NOT BUY A KIT!". We really need to know so we can add to the Recommended Kits list below!
What does it mean when they say loop? The water cooling system is designed to circulate water through the cooling components. The loop is the path that the water takes though the tubing and components. A typical loop is set up to circulate
Pump ---> radiator ---> CPU ---> GPU ---> Reservoir ---> Pump.
This is a pretty nice site that gives you a look at the Loop <--- Just select the components and it will give you a visual.
Then what should I look for? Well, here are my recommendations if you are an overclocker. You should always go with flexible tubing that is no less than ½†ID (Inside Diameter) and ¾â€OD (Outside Diameter). This type of tubing allows very good water flow and resists kinks. Also, the radiator should be a dual-pass to allow for sufficient air flow to dissipate heat. The minimum fan size should also be 120mm. Also make sure all the metal components are made out of copper. If you mix copper and aluminum, then you will need to add an anti-corrosion fluid in your water to prevent galvanic corrosion.
Alright, I don’t want a kit, but how do I mount all these components in my case? Sometimes you need to mount the pump and radiator outside of the case. Although this is not ideal, it may be the only way. Just make sure that the way you do this is conducive to how you like to game (e.g., do you go to LAN parties?). If you can’t get all the components in your case, you may need to do some engineering and machining.
Look at the various components and then start engineering how the various components may fit, or not, in your case. Take measurements of the components and pay attention to how the components may need to be oriented for their water ports. This is where you want to take your time and use your imagination, since you don't want to buy all these water components only to find out it isn't going to work or look good! I've seen radiators mounted on the back, front, top, bottom, sides and even outside of cases. Just use your imagination and take into consideration what works best for your situation. There are very good sites that discuss water cooling and have some great photo galleries that may spawn your imagination: XS EOC
In-Depth Component Discussion
Water
This is probably one of the most frequently discussed topics about water cooling. Most people will just use a 90% distilled water and 10% anti-freeze/anti-corrosion mixture. Others will swear by using pre-mixed solutions purchased from water cooling sites (that's what I did). Quite frankly, it depends on how much money you can afford to spend. A typical cooling loop will take about 16 ounces of fluid, but it really depends on how large the ID of the tubing is, how long the tubing runs are and how much water each of the other components hold. If you have solid-colored tubing, you won't need to worry about the color of the water. If you have clear tubing, then you can either purchase the pre-mixed off the web in your color of choice, or get dye, or purchase the anti-freeze/anti-corrosion solution of choice. Each automotive manufacturer has certain colors.
Fittings
Before we get into the discussion about the individual components, we need to look at fittings. Keep in mind that these are usually barbs or quick-connects. If you want to keep a balanced system without a bunch of nasty (and flow restricting) adapters, you need to pay special attention to the type and sizes of fittings on all of the components. You want to make sure all the fittings are the same. This will determine the inside diameter (ID) of tubing you need.
Pumps
This is the water mover in your system. There are many variables to look at when selecting a pump. All pumps have one inlet port and one discharge port. It is important to note which is which when designing your loop, but we'll discuss that later.
The voltage can be AC or DC. If it AC and you want to start and stop the pump automatically when you turn on the computer, then you will need something like this: Relay. With a DC pump, you can raise and lower the voltage to adjust the flow, if desired. Always look at the rated wattage and current if you are getting a DC pump to make sure your PSU can handle it.
Other variables are Flow Rate and Head. The flow rate is generally rated in gallons/hour (gph), gallons/minute (gpm), liters/hour (lph), or liters/minute (lpm). The head is how high the pump can push fluid in a vertical tube. It is usually expressed in feet or meters/centimeters. Head is important to know when deciding how much tubing you will have and how high the water has to be pumped. The higher the numbers for Flow Rate and Head, the more powerful the pump.
Also, keep in mind that the pump will actually generate heat as it propels the water. I am not going to go into a lot of detail on this subject, but just suffice it to say that some of the heat in your loop comes from the pump itself. That is why most people put the radiator as the first component off the discharge port of the pump.
Another variable is Pressure. This is normally expressed in pounds per square inch (psi) or millibars (mbar). What you will normally see is a chart like this for a well documented pump: Chart Notice how the pressure (mbar in this case) decreases as flow rate increases (l/h in this case). Simply speaking, if you have water blocks or a radiator that restrict flow, the pressure in your water loop will increase. The flip side of this, is that flow decreases as pressure increases.
In general, you need to make sure you have a balanced system (tubing and fittings that match the pump's). You can achieve good results with a low-flow pump and smaller tubing if you are not an extreme overclocker. If you are an overclocker, you should look for what was recommended above.
Radiators
The radiator is what the water passes through to dissipate the heat that it has absorbed from the cooling blocks. Radiators come in all shapes and sizes, depending on how creative you want to be. What a radiator basically does is channel the water through passages (usually with fins) that are exposed to ambient air. The more surface area the passages have, the better it will cool the water. If you have ever looked at the front of a car, you know what a radiator is, right? All radiators have at least two ports on them, an inlet and an outlet. On most radiators, there is really no distinction between the two.
So what are the different types of radiators? Well, there are heater cores (these are used in automobiles for heating the cabin), radiators designed and built specifically for water cooling PCs, and custom radiators. Here is a custom radiator
Custom The radiators we'll focus on here will be the heater cores and PC-specific. First, if you want to do passive water (i.e., no fans on the radiator), you want maximum surface area and high flow rates. Maximum surface area will be achieved with what are called dual-pass radiators and triple, or larger, sizes. Dual-pass simply means that all of the water has to pass in from one port all the way to the other end of the radiator, then back to the other end of the radiator and out the other port. There are also single and dual radiators: Single Double Triple Notice that these are designed specifically for PC water cooling, whereas this is a heater core: Single Double
Tubing
There are various kinds of tubing. They can be made from different materials, which affects how flexible they are and what the tubing actually looks like. They come in different sizes for inside diameter (ID) and outside diameter (OD) which, as mentioned earlier, is important to for matching your component fitting and also kink resistance. What you purchase is your personal preference and what kind of budget you have, be it clear, opague, precolored or copper
. Just remember that there are different properties for the clear and opaque tubing to resist staining from coolants and dyes, so once you've filled the system, that tubing may take on the color of the coolant. If you want to change the coolant color, you may have an off-colored setup once filled again or may have to change the tubing. Also, remember the resistance to kinking.
Reservoirs
A reservoir is used to ensure your cooling loop does not let air into your cooling loop by running short on water after you have filled it and ran for an extended period of time. The loop can lose water through evaporation or permeation through the tubing or leaks
. A reservoir also provides the means for bleeding (discussed below) the air out of the loop. With that said, there are two types of reservoirs: Tank T-line Acrylic reservoirs have a tendency to potentially have/develop leaks at the glued seams if not manufactured with quality craftmanship!
Fans
Well as discussed earlier, if you want a truly passive and extremely quiet system, you may not want any fans on the radiator. If so, keep in mind that you may not get the kind of temps that you would with fans. I have seen people submerge the radiator in a bucket/pan and put a little ice in it periodically to keep it cool. Just be careful with condensation that may occur if the loop water gets too cold.
If you go with fans, those heater cores and PC-specific radiators take 120mm fans. I personally wouldn't go for anything less.
CPU Blocks
This is what replaces the stock or after-market heatsink/fan assembly on the CPU. As mentioned before, it should have the heatsink portion made out of copper. Remember to check the type of fittings available and ensure it will fit on your particular CPU's socket type.
GPU Blocks
Just like the CPU block, the GPU block replaces the stock or after-market HSF on the video card. However, the HSF on the video card may also be cooling the Video RAM (VRAM). There are water blocks that are "full" blocks that cool both the GPU and VRAM, but these normally tend to restrict your cooling loop flow. If you buy a GPU-only block, then you should buy what are cooling VRAM-sinks (they may also be called BGA RAM coolers). VRAM Once again, remember to check the type of fittings available and ensure it will fit on your particular GPU. You also need to be careful about the size of the water block if you are going to be doing SLI.
Clamps
Although some people don't use clamps because they have used undersized ID tubing, heated it up, and put it on the barb while still warm, I do not recommend running your loop naked (without clamps). It may look cleaner, but it is an accident waiting to happen, as in Surf's UP. There are at least three ways to clamp your tubing. Zip Plastic Metal Worms I prefer metal worms. If you have quick-connect fittings, then no clamps are necessary as these are self-sealing. Quick-Connect
Last edited by rotNdude: 10-24-2010 at 08:33 AM.
What is water cooling? Water cooling is, very simply, using water to cool the components in your computer.
Why should I use water cooling? There are several reasons to use water. One is to make a very quiet computer system. Another is to reduce component temperatures, especially the CPU and GPU. It can reduce load temperatures to allow better overclocking results. The 3rd reason, it looks cool. The 4th reason, bragging rights "Hey, I have water cooling!".
What does water cooling require? Well, most obviously, water! However, the system also requires some type of pump, radiator and the cooling blocks for the components you want to cool.
So how much does a water cooling system cost? Entry level kits can start as low as $100 and custom solutions (i.e., you pick out all the parts separately) can run well into the $300 range.
So can I just buy any water cooling system? NO! Many water cooling systems that are sold as kits are no better than good air cooling systems. The pumps, tubing and blocks are generally inferior. However, if you are not overclocking and want a very quiet system, then a kit may be your ticket. Look below for recommended kits for both overclockers and non-overclockers.
This /\ /\ is really where we need you forum members to post your thoughts about water cooling kits that you have and to provide everyone with your experiences! All the OC forums say, "DO NOT BUY A KIT!". We really need to know so we can add to the Recommended Kits list below!
What does it mean when they say loop? The water cooling system is designed to circulate water through the cooling components. The loop is the path that the water takes though the tubing and components. A typical loop is set up to circulate
Pump ---> radiator ---> CPU ---> GPU ---> Reservoir ---> Pump.
This is a pretty nice site that gives you a look at the Loop <--- Just select the components and it will give you a visual.
Then what should I look for? Well, here are my recommendations if you are an overclocker. You should always go with flexible tubing that is no less than ½†ID (Inside Diameter) and ¾â€OD (Outside Diameter). This type of tubing allows very good water flow and resists kinks. Also, the radiator should be a dual-pass to allow for sufficient air flow to dissipate heat. The minimum fan size should also be 120mm. Also make sure all the metal components are made out of copper. If you mix copper and aluminum, then you will need to add an anti-corrosion fluid in your water to prevent galvanic corrosion.
Alright, I don’t want a kit, but how do I mount all these components in my case? Sometimes you need to mount the pump and radiator outside of the case. Although this is not ideal, it may be the only way. Just make sure that the way you do this is conducive to how you like to game (e.g., do you go to LAN parties?). If you can’t get all the components in your case, you may need to do some engineering and machining.
In-Depth Component Discussion
Water
This is probably one of the most frequently discussed topics about water cooling. Most people will just use a 90% distilled water and 10% anti-freeze/anti-corrosion mixture. Others will swear by using pre-mixed solutions purchased from water cooling sites (that's what I did). Quite frankly, it depends on how much money you can afford to spend. A typical cooling loop will take about 16 ounces of fluid, but it really depends on how large the ID of the tubing is, how long the tubing runs are and how much water each of the other components hold. If you have solid-colored tubing, you won't need to worry about the color of the water. If you have clear tubing, then you can either purchase the pre-mixed off the web in your color of choice, or get dye, or purchase the anti-freeze/anti-corrosion solution of choice. Each automotive manufacturer has certain colors.
Fittings
Before we get into the discussion about the individual components, we need to look at fittings. Keep in mind that these are usually barbs or quick-connects. If you want to keep a balanced system without a bunch of nasty (and flow restricting) adapters, you need to pay special attention to the type and sizes of fittings on all of the components. You want to make sure all the fittings are the same. This will determine the inside diameter (ID) of tubing you need.
Pumps
This is the water mover in your system. There are many variables to look at when selecting a pump. All pumps have one inlet port and one discharge port. It is important to note which is which when designing your loop, but we'll discuss that later.
The voltage can be AC or DC. If it AC and you want to start and stop the pump automatically when you turn on the computer, then you will need something like this: Relay. With a DC pump, you can raise and lower the voltage to adjust the flow, if desired. Always look at the rated wattage and current if you are getting a DC pump to make sure your PSU can handle it.
Other variables are Flow Rate and Head. The flow rate is generally rated in gallons/hour (gph), gallons/minute (gpm), liters/hour (lph), or liters/minute (lpm). The head is how high the pump can push fluid in a vertical tube. It is usually expressed in feet or meters/centimeters. Head is important to know when deciding how much tubing you will have and how high the water has to be pumped. The higher the numbers for Flow Rate and Head, the more powerful the pump.
Also, keep in mind that the pump will actually generate heat as it propels the water. I am not going to go into a lot of detail on this subject, but just suffice it to say that some of the heat in your loop comes from the pump itself. That is why most people put the radiator as the first component off the discharge port of the pump.
Another variable is Pressure. This is normally expressed in pounds per square inch (psi) or millibars (mbar). What you will normally see is a chart like this for a well documented pump: Chart Notice how the pressure (mbar in this case) decreases as flow rate increases (l/h in this case). Simply speaking, if you have water blocks or a radiator that restrict flow, the pressure in your water loop will increase. The flip side of this, is that flow decreases as pressure increases.
In general, you need to make sure you have a balanced system (tubing and fittings that match the pump's). You can achieve good results with a low-flow pump and smaller tubing if you are not an extreme overclocker. If you are an overclocker, you should look for what was recommended above.
Radiators
The radiator is what the water passes through to dissipate the heat that it has absorbed from the cooling blocks. Radiators come in all shapes and sizes, depending on how creative you want to be. What a radiator basically does is channel the water through passages (usually with fins) that are exposed to ambient air. The more surface area the passages have, the better it will cool the water. If you have ever looked at the front of a car, you know what a radiator is, right? All radiators have at least two ports on them, an inlet and an outlet. On most radiators, there is really no distinction between the two.
So what are the different types of radiators? Well, there are heater cores (these are used in automobiles for heating the cabin), radiators designed and built specifically for water cooling PCs, and custom radiators. Here is a custom radiator
Tubing
There are various kinds of tubing. They can be made from different materials, which affects how flexible they are and what the tubing actually looks like. They come in different sizes for inside diameter (ID) and outside diameter (OD) which, as mentioned earlier, is important to for matching your component fitting and also kink resistance. What you purchase is your personal preference and what kind of budget you have, be it clear, opague, precolored or copper
Reservoirs
A reservoir is used to ensure your cooling loop does not let air into your cooling loop by running short on water after you have filled it and ran for an extended period of time. The loop can lose water through evaporation or permeation through the tubing or leaks
Fans
Well as discussed earlier, if you want a truly passive and extremely quiet system, you may not want any fans on the radiator. If so, keep in mind that you may not get the kind of temps that you would with fans. I have seen people submerge the radiator in a bucket/pan and put a little ice in it periodically to keep it cool. Just be careful with condensation that may occur if the loop water gets too cold.
If you go with fans, those heater cores and PC-specific radiators take 120mm fans. I personally wouldn't go for anything less.
CPU Blocks
This is what replaces the stock or after-market heatsink/fan assembly on the CPU. As mentioned before, it should have the heatsink portion made out of copper. Remember to check the type of fittings available and ensure it will fit on your particular CPU's socket type.
GPU Blocks
Just like the CPU block, the GPU block replaces the stock or after-market HSF on the video card. However, the HSF on the video card may also be cooling the Video RAM (VRAM). There are water blocks that are "full" blocks that cool both the GPU and VRAM, but these normally tend to restrict your cooling loop flow. If you buy a GPU-only block, then you should buy what are cooling VRAM-sinks (they may also be called BGA RAM coolers). VRAM Once again, remember to check the type of fittings available and ensure it will fit on your particular GPU. You also need to be careful about the size of the water block if you are going to be doing SLI.
Clamps
Although some people don't use clamps because they have used undersized ID tubing, heated it up, and put it on the barb while still warm, I do not recommend running your loop naked (without clamps). It may look cleaner, but it is an accident waiting to happen, as in Surf's UP. There are at least three ways to clamp your tubing. Zip Plastic Metal Worms I prefer metal worms. If you have quick-connect fittings, then no clamps are necessary as these are self-sealing. Quick-Connect
Last edited by rotNdude: 10-24-2010 at 08:33 AM.