Note:i am slowly revising this now that i have 2 loops under my belt and understand it alot better.
Water cooling is a great and common way to help keep things cool and quiet. i will start by explaining how it all works.
Component's
Necessary
- Water Block
- Radiator
- Pump
- T-Line or Reservoir
- Fans
- Water Additives
- Tubing
- Barbs and Clamps
How Water Cooling Works
Water Block
the water flows from the pump into one of the barbs and across all those little metal pins and the water absorbs some of the heat and carrys it through to the other barb. from there it travels to the radiator.
Water cooling works by conduction and convection mainly. when the CPU produces heat it needs to be removed for safe and faster operation. copper and aluminum are the two main heat sink types when it comes to air cooling. however copper wins for water blocks. the heat transfer to the copper where cool water flows across it at a fast rate. as the water flows across the copper it picks up the heat produced by the cpu. different companys produce different patterns when they machine the copper blocks. the more surface area a water block has the faster and more efficient heat can transfer from the copper to the water.
Example: here is a good surface vs. a less efficient surface.
radiator
the heated water then flows to the radiator and does the opposite from above. fans blow cool air over the fins and as the water flows through the radiator its transfers the heat from the water to the brass tubes (painted black and vertical). which then pass the heat to the tiny little fins (painted black and Horizontal) that discharges the heat into the air.
Once the water has picked up the heat it travels onto the radiator where it can be expelled. much like the water block working better with more surface area, a radiator will work much the same way. there are two types the radiators most commonly used. a single pass and double pass setup.
here is a single pass.
notice it has an in and out on opposite sides. water flows into one header and then flows to the other side and restarts the trip all over again.
this is a dual pass radiator. water flows into the left or right side and only goes down half of the radiator then back up on the otherside. this is a much more efficient way to use the same sized radiator space. there is also another factor when it comes to choosing radiators. you can select round or flat tubes.
Flat tubes
Refer to the image above.
Round tubes
they both offer pros and cons.
Round tubes
Pros
- less restriction
- more pass's (from what i can tell there is about 10 passes in the picture above).
Cons
- Less heat transfer due to a dead zone wherr water cannot transfer the heat.
Flat tubes
Pros
- offer better heat transfer since the water is closer to the tubes.
- more common/availably
Cons
- More Restriction
here is a picture i made of what i think the heat transfer would be like with various tube styles.
Red = Warmer water, Blue = cooler water.
Pump
The water is moved around by a pump which acts like your heart does. there is a impeller similar to a fan but deigned for water that pushs the water around to the various component's. this is what a Swiftech pump looks like when taken apart.
and here is a better view of the impeller essentially looks like.
The way it works is by centrifugal force. The water is thrown from the middle out at high speed.
Tubing Sizes
there are three common tubing sizes which are all measured by I.D. (Inside Diameter). the three sizes are 1/2", 3/8", and 1/4". as with most things they have there pros and cons. the bigger the I.D. the less restriction there is on the system and more water contained in the system. EDIT: i will add more stuff in a couple of days
Fill Port
The fill port is exactly that, a port to fill your water cooling system. they are best placed at the very top of the water cooling loop.
Fans
The fan(s) blow the cooler air across the radiator to help expel the heat from it.
The Reservoir
A reservoir can be added so no bleeding of the system is required. it also allows more water to be in the loop and therefore better cooling.
Water Additives
there are 3 variants of coolant that should be used for different reasons.
1. performance
- Use distilled water and a 2 drops of PT nuke PHN. the less stuff in there the better.
2. looks
- Use distilled water , dye (i like Feser View UV dye) and PT nuke, not the PHN kind.
3. anti corrosion
- when using mixed metals, which is a bad idea to begin with.
use Distilled water, Anti Freeze, and PT nuke, not the PHN kind.