--Water cooling--
So, you've Googled the stuff, searched for it in the books, taken a plumbing course and done some crazy $hit. But all your efforts have gone in vain. Mainly because you dont wanna blow 10k on something u dont know about and is not simple as other options available. Also you are a genius and know that electricity and water dont fuse. Congrats you are on the way to becoming one of the brainless masses of the IT industry. You know its something like a zombie horde, moving and moving and never thinking.
But as Humans we have curiosity towards things we cannot achieve. And as computer experts, we have a passion to achieve such things.
Let me guide you to the world of WC. <not warcraft- Watercooling>
Note- I was, as all others, a noob when i started out and I still consider myself one. That is exactly what has enabled me to learn and get so far <and pwn other nubs!!> you should start out in the same manner.
Also I m no guru at this. I can solve ur problems, but to a certain extent. One thing, i will get somewhat user-friend-ily scientific here. That means no product recommendations, only the signs you need to spot a good product. I know how irritating it is to search the WHOLE net to find how a t-line works.
Theres a reason why i did not post this in the tutorials section. I wanted the feedback and the enthusiasm that is found only in forums. Plus, you guys can approve and improve this yourself. Thanks to the mods, especially vijay....
I Hope i clear all doubts. and this gets sticky'ed!
Why WC?
Hmmmmmm.. Tough question, WC is the most viable alternative to Air cooling. Period.
People do it for many reasons-
1.Quite - The Radiator <Rad> fan and the pump are the only things which can make a sound.. <except the undesirable bigger air bubbles>
2. Reliable - WC allows a stable temperature<temp> + they are supposed to run for a long time.
3. Its cool - When u wanna impress a chick, U dont need to spend money on food etc. just show her the shiny tubes filled with water in your computer and tell her that you built the damn thing And look at the expressions they have Chicks think that its Macho <with a hindi cho> and chicks digg macho.
4. Be different. cmon! do something unthought of!
Why NOT WC?
Comparatively Easy question
1. Somewhat Expensive. If ur going All branded, expect upwards of 10k. If ur going homemade custom 5k is Ok, depending on your negotiation skills.
2. Unreliable. Depending on the investment of time and money you made, the Pump is most susceptible to failure... then the rad fan........ although it usually doesn't happen. Leaks are the second biggest danger.... although not as hyped up as they are...... a good fitting+ good hosing+ clear side panel<or none!> and optionally a flow monitor will ensure u dont have troubles.
3. Needs planning. WC is no everyday affair like air cooling.... the loop, components and all need careful planning for like a month or so ... beforehand obviously....
4. Needs Maintenance. Depending on the fluid u use, maintenance comes up every 1 to 6 months. not much of a NOT point, if u plan everything carefully.
Terms-
Loop- The circuit of water flow in your WC system.
Restrictive- blocks water flow.
Non-restrictive- blocks water-flow to a lesser extent.
Res- Reservoir- the tank which holds the blood of ur WC system.
Rad- Radiator- the cooling dibba which has a fan on it.
Head- My girl had come over and in an attempt to "impress" her i was explaining the specs of my pump, I said " ohh its very nice, i use long tubing and a big reservoir which never runs out of fluid!! Plus the system gets-up and running in no time even after exhaustive benching, the best of all, it gives me the best head in the competition, and i dunno wht happened but she stared at me seriously for a moment and then laughed SO hard that i was like WTF? i never really got the reason why she laughed. neways head is the max. hieght you pump can carry <read "throw"> water to you might think its not important but it very much is.
Flow rate- The liters of water your pump can displace in an hour ..VERY VERY Important AND hyped up more on that later.
FPI- Fins per inch measurement of a rad's quality. basically the count of the fins of a rad, in one inch directly affects airflow
Ambient- Basically the temp wherever your rad is located.
Delta- The Temperature difference = TEMP of part cooled ---- TEMP of ambiance......
Bleeding- Act of taking out the fluid from the system.
Parts-
Note- EACH and EVERY part of a WC system should carefully selected. WC'ing is highly sophisticated, and each part depends on your requirements. there are NO such things as fix-it-all parts and this guide helps you recognize those requirements so that ur investment is well used.
VERY IMPORTANT-
Heat conduction (rate of transfer of heat <delta Q/delta T>)=
(k of material x Area of contact x Temp diff) /(Thickness b/w the surfaces)
the above referred to as the 'equation' in the guide
__________________________________________________________________________________
1.Waterblock - The most technical aspect of your WC setup. Basically its a block through which water flows, it has direct interface with the part cooled, This has to be top-notch.
A good water block depends on your needs. As all other parts in WC do.
Now,
to those of you who r 'infants', a water block has an inlet and an outlet and a specific route the water follows to get to the outlet. All of the game is decided here.
Material- Copper, cheap and effective or, if u r filthy rich, silver <drop me a pm with your address in it so that i can rob you> you can even steal jewelry from your own wife/gf/mom and get beaten to death trying. basically u want the k in the equation to be as high as possible
Design- Two types-
1. Restrictive- lets lesser water to pass through to the outlet. its beneficial if u have a part having videly varying temp & a pump that can handle it. Pls consider this in a cpu-only loop. It kills the flow rate as it has more geographical 'features' on the base plate. These irregularities increase the area of contact b/w the water and the base plate. Which is what u wud want according to the equation.
2. Non- restrictive-- Lets more water pass through, Allowing more cool water in faster. the thing is , u use this when u a)use an inefficient pump, b) have many parts to cool.
Restrictive is generally better. because it auto-sets the balance b/w the power of a high flow pump and the heat of a cpu.
BUT..... non- restrictive can be as good in a cpu-only loop with a pump of appropriate power precision, as lesser water will flow through, the water will have an equal chance to pick up heat=more hardwork in selecting the pump.
Thickness- Not really much of a choice in branded waterblocks. Custom waterblocks shud aim for minimal thickness of the baseplate. To get higher heat conduction according to the equation.
2.Pump------ The Second Most technical aspect of your WC setup.
It consists of many parts i dont give a $hit about. Basically u need true specs. Which usually are printed on the back of the box.
Now, specs of the pump is ALL math. U need A LOT of common sense to select a pump, that which just gives you enough power to run ur loop.
i have defined the 2 most important terms above already. I give you more about those now.
Aesthetics-
a) Fitting size- The most important aesthetic. We'll discuss this in detail when we move to the hosing section, but what u need to know is that the fitting size shud be = to your hose size. Unless you use a pump top.
b) Noise- The second most important aesthetic. One of the main reasons why WC is done. Ensure that the pump u take is the pump u can stand screaming in your ear.
c) Pump size- The un-important aesthetic, Unless you live in your cabby . They are overall dimensions. Limited only by the dimensions of the cabby. Although i prefer small designs coz they r flexible.
Performance- I may write a page on this. So pls bear with me.
What you want is water flowing in your loop at a speed which enables it to pick up heat effeciently<at the waterblock> and dispose it off even more effeciently<at the rad>. So there are two variables that come into play.<actually three, we'll talk about that in the hosing section>
1. Flow rate- i defined it above. This spec is what ppl think is the most important but really, its just 25% of the game.
To get a better feel of the thing, let me give you a simple anology.
think of it as the top-speed your car can achieve.
That's it. If u can properly understand the statement above, u will prevail in the world of pumps. I cannot explain this in detail without the head spec,as they have a mutual relation.
2.Head- The 30% of the game.
simple anology again-
think of it as the max. Horse-power your car gives you.
Again i will tell you , if u want your WC system to be a success, it is critical to understand the statements above..
Relation- Now the MOST important part of WC.
imagine your car with <figuratively> 0 hp going at a nice speed. And you have to brake coz theres a rough road.
Now imagine a car with a nice Hp going at a really slow speed. The rough road comes and you cross it with ease. But you take too much time....
Both of the circumstances of escape are undesirable.
Dont put the pump and the water in the situation yet.
Imagine a car with a nice hp going at a nice speed. Remember the rough road is cross able, but you need the power to maintain the nice speed so that u dont take much time.
Now. Put the water and the pump and the restrictions in the above situation.
Understood? if not, WC is not for u. No matter how hard u try, u HAVE to understand the above analogy properly to apply this in fluid mechanics of your loop. u can have another form of the anology but the crux should be the same.
if u have understood, congo's, u r gonna be successful in your attempts at WC.
The flow rate is important as it has a relation with time. And the head is the actual pressure you pump keeps on the fluid so that it does not slow down with the hindrances in your loop. Therefore the relation with flow-rate.<it also has a relation with the heat-dumped>
Only For ppl who have time to dedicate to their computers-
Calculate the average volume of your loop. You shud want that that is the amount of water moved in the time which the water takes to absorb the heat.< Ideal; may may not be possible>
The K of water is= 0.792 <with additives> OR 0.638 < distilled,PURE>
The A<area of contact>= depends on the waterblock. Calculate the area of the base plate and- If a restrictive block- x2 the area of the base plate.
If a low-restriction block- x1 the area of the base plate.
The temp Diff =
(MAX. temp ever attained by you while benching the part cooled) --- ( Ambient+2-3 degrees depending on the effeciency of your rad).
The X= thickness of the base plate (+-) marginal amount to account for errors.
Q is the heat produced by the part cooled. U can put the <(TDP)+(10)> of your part here.
T is unknown.
Put the Values in this equation-
T = Q x (X)/(k x A x Temp diff)
Now Calculate the volume of your water-block.
<length x breadth x (height -- marginal amount for high restriction blocks)>.
That is the amount of water that should be moved through your loop. In time equal to T.......
That Gives You the ideal final Flow rate at the end of your loop.
BUT. You didnt account for the restrictions in your loop!!!
there is no really simple accurate formula for this. So only a tukka will work here.
ill give you an estimate.
2 lph- the slight bends<Each>.
30 lph- tight bends <90 degree, 45 degree><each>.
15lph- Each 180 degree turn the fluid has to make while going through the rad.
100-200 lph- depending on the waterblock's restrictiveness.
50 lph- For Total fittings you have used.
3 lph- every foot of tubing you use.
20 lph- every foot of the height of your case
Add it all up and subtract it from the lph rating of your pump.
it should be near to the ideal final flow rate we took out earlier.
the Head spec here determines that the flow rate is increased/reduced by a function of pressure. This comes out in a head/flow rate graph <head is also dependent on the tubing size>.
If u want ill put up an equation for that too, but it will get too complicated, After all this is an idiot's guide. Although you will get clinical precision in finding out the perfect pump for yourself.
Note that i did the TDP+10 there as an adjustment for room temp. For the full tdp to be cooled, the temp- difference will have to become zero. Which is not feasible every time in your loop.
Also, more head introduces heat into the fluid. You have to look at that too.
See? water-cooling is more complicated than rocket-science!!
Radiator- The third most important part of your WC system.
This is where all the heat is dumped.
now. I will not go into much detail as most of you will buy branded radiators.
or use heater cores from cars . That doesn't leave any decision you can make in its construction. Although if u want to get it made or just wanna educate yourself. I'll give you things to look out for.
1. Size- Use only the size u need. A 120 x 4 rad will not give u much advantage over a 120 x2 rad in a cpu- only loop.
2. FPI- affects airflow. Should be near 10-15 for rads with very fine fins. And 5-10 for rads with thick fins.
3. Fin thickness- fine are generally better. As they give a refined airflow..... although i think variable thick-ness is the best. As u can fine tune the turbulence and Q conduction in them.
4. Material- Copper pipes are a must. Fins of copper give slightly better performance but add double the weight.
5. Fin Area- more the better. According to equation.
6. Paint- it lowers the K of the material of the rad. Use as less as possible...
Hosing-The Fourth most important Part.
These are the veins of your system.
now another stupid analogy here.
the veins which directly go to your body organs are thicker. why?
Coz more blood supply is needed there.
For eg.
If you are cooling Your NB or pump. You don't need 1/2 inch hosing..
But if ur cooling the CPU, the hosing needs to be short and thick.
OD (outer diameter) is considerable for 2 things, 1. if u r getting compression fittings and 2. if u r not going to use anti-kink coils.
kinking is something to be avoided as it obviously reduces flow. OD helps in that.
Also Very important, the head reduces proportionally with reductions in diameter of hosing.
as u might have seen, less amount of water comes out when the hose size is reduced.AND the same force is applied.
UV hosing and anti-bacterial hosing is VERY important, we'll go into that in the fluids section.
Fluid- The 5th most important part.
The Blood......... not much u can do here,
BUT let me make myself clear.
DISTILLED WATER IS THE BEST FLUID OF ALL.
corporates might fool you into buying feser/CM $hit.
I can bet orange juice is better than that feser shit.
UV additives are $hit.....
Biocides additives are $hit....
Antifreeze additives are $hit....
DISTILLED WATER is $$$.....
therefore.
i will give you ONE and ONLY ONE proof.
The lowest k.
h20 = 0.638.
h20 with $hit= 0.792.
More than a difference of one.
Now,
Adding biocides in the water is a must. Anti bacterial hosing can help, but is available in limited areas and sizes. Remember, germs<and other things> grow only where there is light..... so if your fluid does not come in contact with light, then you are free of jhanjat of finding biocides.....
antifreeze in most of india is irrelevant.
UV additives are basically added for looks, which can be achieved with the same effect with UV hosing . Additives and biocides mixed in water turn into some sorta, err.... gel, bad for flow and temps.
Reservoir- The LEAST important part.
Tank which holds the fluid.
you can manage without one too.
it basically serves as the point which feeds fluid to the pump.
then the looks.
and finally the exit point of all air bubbles.
Actually the bubbles are a pain in the a$$ to remove, and the res does this gracefully, but they still take some time..more on that in the installation section.
The advance WC systems incorporate another strategy to res's. Evaporative cooling. as far as i noe in this field<not far> i ve seen a "bong"....... yup, u got that right. Basically, its a shower head that fires droplets in the air and a fan cools the heat sink they are fired on, then they fall and cool even more, giving lesser deltas
The shape is your decision according to your needs. As this does not effect performance, none is better than the other. Except a T-line.
ill explain some basic types-
1.T-line- basically t-line = no res. Even if u plan to get a proper res, consider a t-line in your loop, the bleeding is a hell lot easier.
Its is the highest point in the loop. 2 pipes connected to a T fitting. And the third opening is usually blocked. what that opening does, is upto your imagination.
It can serve as an half filled space to get rid of the bubbles.
2. Drive-cage-mounted- convenient and packed.
difficult to bleed.
3. Cylinder- HUGE t-line look-alike. U can just take the cylinder and turn it over like a jug filled with water... Bleeding becomes gashing!!!
Fittings- The choice dependent part.
If you want to have- looks, stable fitting, and blown money, get compression fittings.
they have a sphere in the centre which tightens around the hosing. Also have I Heart NOOBS stamped on them...
If you want to have- ^^ less of everything above, use barbs.
the have serrated (ugly) edges and which hold on to the pipe. also have I M OLD SCHOOL stamped on them....
One thing i want you to note. all the fittings, everything that the fluid comes into contact with HAS TO BE COPPER <or watever metal u r using> and/or plastic<hose>.. if not it will cause a displacement reaction and wear down your WC equipment.
more on that in installation notes...
Installation notes will also contain advice on clamps etc.
Next post contains the Installation notes....
So, you've Googled the stuff, searched for it in the books, taken a plumbing course and done some crazy $hit. But all your efforts have gone in vain. Mainly because you dont wanna blow 10k on something u dont know about and is not simple as other options available. Also you are a genius and know that electricity and water dont fuse. Congrats you are on the way to becoming one of the brainless masses of the IT industry. You know its something like a zombie horde, moving and moving and never thinking.
But as Humans we have curiosity towards things we cannot achieve. And as computer experts, we have a passion to achieve such things.
Let me guide you to the world of WC. <not warcraft- Watercooling>
Note- I was, as all others, a noob when i started out and I still consider myself one. That is exactly what has enabled me to learn and get so far <and pwn other nubs!!> you should start out in the same manner.
Also I m no guru at this. I can solve ur problems, but to a certain extent. One thing, i will get somewhat user-friend-ily scientific here. That means no product recommendations, only the signs you need to spot a good product. I know how irritating it is to search the WHOLE net to find how a t-line works.
Theres a reason why i did not post this in the tutorials section. I wanted the feedback and the enthusiasm that is found only in forums. Plus, you guys can approve and improve this yourself. Thanks to the mods, especially vijay....
I Hope i clear all doubts. and this gets sticky'ed!
Why WC?
Hmmmmmm.. Tough question, WC is the most viable alternative to Air cooling. Period.
People do it for many reasons-
1.Quite - The Radiator <Rad> fan and the pump are the only things which can make a sound.. <except the undesirable bigger air bubbles>
2. Reliable - WC allows a stable temperature<temp> + they are supposed to run for a long time.
3. Its cool - When u wanna impress a chick, U dont need to spend money on food etc. just show her the shiny tubes filled with water in your computer and tell her that you built the damn thing And look at the expressions they have Chicks think that its Macho <with a hindi cho> and chicks digg macho.
4. Be different. cmon! do something unthought of!
Why NOT WC?
Comparatively Easy question
1. Somewhat Expensive. If ur going All branded, expect upwards of 10k. If ur going homemade custom 5k is Ok, depending on your negotiation skills.
2. Unreliable. Depending on the investment of time and money you made, the Pump is most susceptible to failure... then the rad fan........ although it usually doesn't happen. Leaks are the second biggest danger.... although not as hyped up as they are...... a good fitting+ good hosing+ clear side panel<or none!> and optionally a flow monitor will ensure u dont have troubles.
3. Needs planning. WC is no everyday affair like air cooling.... the loop, components and all need careful planning for like a month or so ... beforehand obviously....
4. Needs Maintenance. Depending on the fluid u use, maintenance comes up every 1 to 6 months. not much of a NOT point, if u plan everything carefully.
Terms-
Loop- The circuit of water flow in your WC system.
Restrictive- blocks water flow.
Non-restrictive- blocks water-flow to a lesser extent.
Res- Reservoir- the tank which holds the blood of ur WC system.
Rad- Radiator- the cooling dibba which has a fan on it.
Head- My girl had come over and in an attempt to "impress" her i was explaining the specs of my pump, I said " ohh its very nice, i use long tubing and a big reservoir which never runs out of fluid!! Plus the system gets-up and running in no time even after exhaustive benching, the best of all, it gives me the best head in the competition, and i dunno wht happened but she stared at me seriously for a moment and then laughed SO hard that i was like WTF? i never really got the reason why she laughed. neways head is the max. hieght you pump can carry <read "throw"> water to you might think its not important but it very much is.
Flow rate- The liters of water your pump can displace in an hour ..VERY VERY Important AND hyped up more on that later.
FPI- Fins per inch measurement of a rad's quality. basically the count of the fins of a rad, in one inch directly affects airflow
Ambient- Basically the temp wherever your rad is located.
Delta- The Temperature difference = TEMP of part cooled ---- TEMP of ambiance......
Bleeding- Act of taking out the fluid from the system.
Parts-
Note- EACH and EVERY part of a WC system should carefully selected. WC'ing is highly sophisticated, and each part depends on your requirements. there are NO such things as fix-it-all parts and this guide helps you recognize those requirements so that ur investment is well used.
VERY IMPORTANT-
Heat conduction (rate of transfer of heat <delta Q/delta T>)=
(k of material x Area of contact x Temp diff) /(Thickness b/w the surfaces)
the above referred to as the 'equation' in the guide
__________________________________________________________________________________
1.Waterblock - The most technical aspect of your WC setup. Basically its a block through which water flows, it has direct interface with the part cooled, This has to be top-notch.
A good water block depends on your needs. As all other parts in WC do.
Now,
to those of you who r 'infants', a water block has an inlet and an outlet and a specific route the water follows to get to the outlet. All of the game is decided here.
Material- Copper, cheap and effective or, if u r filthy rich, silver <drop me a pm with your address in it so that i can rob you> you can even steal jewelry from your own wife/gf/mom and get beaten to death trying. basically u want the k in the equation to be as high as possible
Design- Two types-
1. Restrictive- lets lesser water to pass through to the outlet. its beneficial if u have a part having videly varying temp & a pump that can handle it. Pls consider this in a cpu-only loop. It kills the flow rate as it has more geographical 'features' on the base plate. These irregularities increase the area of contact b/w the water and the base plate. Which is what u wud want according to the equation.
2. Non- restrictive-- Lets more water pass through, Allowing more cool water in faster. the thing is , u use this when u a)use an inefficient pump, b) have many parts to cool.
Restrictive is generally better. because it auto-sets the balance b/w the power of a high flow pump and the heat of a cpu.
BUT..... non- restrictive can be as good in a cpu-only loop with a pump of appropriate power precision, as lesser water will flow through, the water will have an equal chance to pick up heat=more hardwork in selecting the pump.
Thickness- Not really much of a choice in branded waterblocks. Custom waterblocks shud aim for minimal thickness of the baseplate. To get higher heat conduction according to the equation.
2.Pump------ The Second Most technical aspect of your WC setup.
It consists of many parts i dont give a $hit about. Basically u need true specs. Which usually are printed on the back of the box.
Now, specs of the pump is ALL math. U need A LOT of common sense to select a pump, that which just gives you enough power to run ur loop.
i have defined the 2 most important terms above already. I give you more about those now.
Aesthetics-
a) Fitting size- The most important aesthetic. We'll discuss this in detail when we move to the hosing section, but what u need to know is that the fitting size shud be = to your hose size. Unless you use a pump top.
b) Noise- The second most important aesthetic. One of the main reasons why WC is done. Ensure that the pump u take is the pump u can stand screaming in your ear.
c) Pump size- The un-important aesthetic, Unless you live in your cabby . They are overall dimensions. Limited only by the dimensions of the cabby. Although i prefer small designs coz they r flexible.
Performance- I may write a page on this. So pls bear with me.
What you want is water flowing in your loop at a speed which enables it to pick up heat effeciently<at the waterblock> and dispose it off even more effeciently<at the rad>. So there are two variables that come into play.<actually three, we'll talk about that in the hosing section>
1. Flow rate- i defined it above. This spec is what ppl think is the most important but really, its just 25% of the game.
To get a better feel of the thing, let me give you a simple anology.
think of it as the top-speed your car can achieve.
That's it. If u can properly understand the statement above, u will prevail in the world of pumps. I cannot explain this in detail without the head spec,as they have a mutual relation.
2.Head- The 30% of the game.
simple anology again-
think of it as the max. Horse-power your car gives you.
Again i will tell you , if u want your WC system to be a success, it is critical to understand the statements above..
Relation- Now the MOST important part of WC.
imagine your car with <figuratively> 0 hp going at a nice speed. And you have to brake coz theres a rough road.
Now imagine a car with a nice Hp going at a really slow speed. The rough road comes and you cross it with ease. But you take too much time....
Both of the circumstances of escape are undesirable.
Dont put the pump and the water in the situation yet.
Imagine a car with a nice hp going at a nice speed. Remember the rough road is cross able, but you need the power to maintain the nice speed so that u dont take much time.
Now. Put the water and the pump and the restrictions in the above situation.
Understood? if not, WC is not for u. No matter how hard u try, u HAVE to understand the above analogy properly to apply this in fluid mechanics of your loop. u can have another form of the anology but the crux should be the same.
if u have understood, congo's, u r gonna be successful in your attempts at WC.
The flow rate is important as it has a relation with time. And the head is the actual pressure you pump keeps on the fluid so that it does not slow down with the hindrances in your loop. Therefore the relation with flow-rate.<it also has a relation with the heat-dumped>
Only For ppl who have time to dedicate to their computers-
Calculate the average volume of your loop. You shud want that that is the amount of water moved in the time which the water takes to absorb the heat.< Ideal; may may not be possible>
The K of water is= 0.792 <with additives> OR 0.638 < distilled,PURE>
The A<area of contact>= depends on the waterblock. Calculate the area of the base plate and- If a restrictive block- x2 the area of the base plate.
If a low-restriction block- x1 the area of the base plate.
The temp Diff =
(MAX. temp ever attained by you while benching the part cooled) --- ( Ambient+2-3 degrees depending on the effeciency of your rad).
The X= thickness of the base plate (+-) marginal amount to account for errors.
Q is the heat produced by the part cooled. U can put the <(TDP)+(10)> of your part here.
T is unknown.
Put the Values in this equation-
T = Q x (X)/(k x A x Temp diff)
Now Calculate the volume of your water-block.
<length x breadth x (height -- marginal amount for high restriction blocks)>.
That is the amount of water that should be moved through your loop. In time equal to T.......
That Gives You the ideal final Flow rate at the end of your loop.
BUT. You didnt account for the restrictions in your loop!!!
there is no really simple accurate formula for this. So only a tukka will work here.
ill give you an estimate.
2 lph- the slight bends<Each>.
30 lph- tight bends <90 degree, 45 degree><each>.
15lph- Each 180 degree turn the fluid has to make while going through the rad.
100-200 lph- depending on the waterblock's restrictiveness.
50 lph- For Total fittings you have used.
3 lph- every foot of tubing you use.
20 lph- every foot of the height of your case
Add it all up and subtract it from the lph rating of your pump.
it should be near to the ideal final flow rate we took out earlier.
the Head spec here determines that the flow rate is increased/reduced by a function of pressure. This comes out in a head/flow rate graph <head is also dependent on the tubing size>.
If u want ill put up an equation for that too, but it will get too complicated, After all this is an idiot's guide. Although you will get clinical precision in finding out the perfect pump for yourself.
Note that i did the TDP+10 there as an adjustment for room temp. For the full tdp to be cooled, the temp- difference will have to become zero. Which is not feasible every time in your loop.
Also, more head introduces heat into the fluid. You have to look at that too.
See? water-cooling is more complicated than rocket-science!!
Radiator- The third most important part of your WC system.
This is where all the heat is dumped.
now. I will not go into much detail as most of you will buy branded radiators.
or use heater cores from cars . That doesn't leave any decision you can make in its construction. Although if u want to get it made or just wanna educate yourself. I'll give you things to look out for.
1. Size- Use only the size u need. A 120 x 4 rad will not give u much advantage over a 120 x2 rad in a cpu- only loop.
2. FPI- affects airflow. Should be near 10-15 for rads with very fine fins. And 5-10 for rads with thick fins.
3. Fin thickness- fine are generally better. As they give a refined airflow..... although i think variable thick-ness is the best. As u can fine tune the turbulence and Q conduction in them.
4. Material- Copper pipes are a must. Fins of copper give slightly better performance but add double the weight.
5. Fin Area- more the better. According to equation.
6. Paint- it lowers the K of the material of the rad. Use as less as possible...
Hosing-The Fourth most important Part.
These are the veins of your system.
now another stupid analogy here.
the veins which directly go to your body organs are thicker. why?
Coz more blood supply is needed there.
For eg.
If you are cooling Your NB or pump. You don't need 1/2 inch hosing..
But if ur cooling the CPU, the hosing needs to be short and thick.
OD (outer diameter) is considerable for 2 things, 1. if u r getting compression fittings and 2. if u r not going to use anti-kink coils.
kinking is something to be avoided as it obviously reduces flow. OD helps in that.
Also Very important, the head reduces proportionally with reductions in diameter of hosing.
as u might have seen, less amount of water comes out when the hose size is reduced.AND the same force is applied.
UV hosing and anti-bacterial hosing is VERY important, we'll go into that in the fluids section.
Fluid- The 5th most important part.
The Blood......... not much u can do here,
BUT let me make myself clear.
DISTILLED WATER IS THE BEST FLUID OF ALL.
corporates might fool you into buying feser/CM $hit.
I can bet orange juice is better than that feser shit.
UV additives are $hit.....
Biocides additives are $hit....
Antifreeze additives are $hit....
DISTILLED WATER is $$$.....
therefore.
i will give you ONE and ONLY ONE proof.
The lowest k.
h20 = 0.638.
h20 with $hit= 0.792.
More than a difference of one.
Now,
Adding biocides in the water is a must. Anti bacterial hosing can help, but is available in limited areas and sizes. Remember, germs<and other things> grow only where there is light..... so if your fluid does not come in contact with light, then you are free of jhanjat of finding biocides.....
antifreeze in most of india is irrelevant.
UV additives are basically added for looks, which can be achieved with the same effect with UV hosing . Additives and biocides mixed in water turn into some sorta, err.... gel, bad for flow and temps.
Reservoir- The LEAST important part.
Tank which holds the fluid.
you can manage without one too.
it basically serves as the point which feeds fluid to the pump.
then the looks.
and finally the exit point of all air bubbles.
Actually the bubbles are a pain in the a$$ to remove, and the res does this gracefully, but they still take some time..more on that in the installation section.
The advance WC systems incorporate another strategy to res's. Evaporative cooling. as far as i noe in this field<not far> i ve seen a "bong"....... yup, u got that right. Basically, its a shower head that fires droplets in the air and a fan cools the heat sink they are fired on, then they fall and cool even more, giving lesser deltas
The shape is your decision according to your needs. As this does not effect performance, none is better than the other. Except a T-line.
ill explain some basic types-
1.T-line- basically t-line = no res. Even if u plan to get a proper res, consider a t-line in your loop, the bleeding is a hell lot easier.
Its is the highest point in the loop. 2 pipes connected to a T fitting. And the third opening is usually blocked. what that opening does, is upto your imagination.
It can serve as an half filled space to get rid of the bubbles.
2. Drive-cage-mounted- convenient and packed.
difficult to bleed.
3. Cylinder- HUGE t-line look-alike. U can just take the cylinder and turn it over like a jug filled with water... Bleeding becomes gashing!!!
Fittings- The choice dependent part.
If you want to have- looks, stable fitting, and blown money, get compression fittings.
they have a sphere in the centre which tightens around the hosing. Also have I Heart NOOBS stamped on them...
If you want to have- ^^ less of everything above, use barbs.
the have serrated (ugly) edges and which hold on to the pipe. also have I M OLD SCHOOL stamped on them....
One thing i want you to note. all the fittings, everything that the fluid comes into contact with HAS TO BE COPPER <or watever metal u r using> and/or plastic<hose>.. if not it will cause a displacement reaction and wear down your WC equipment.
more on that in installation notes...
Installation notes will also contain advice on clamps etc.
Next post contains the Installation notes....
