Watercooling Loop

[churcheo]

I was just confirming the proper way to hook everything up in order. I have a DD dual-bay reservoir in the top of my Lian-Li, a BlackIce XIII mounted on top (tubing running behind and in), TDX CPU and Maze 4 GPU and AquaXtreme 50Z Pump sitting on the bottom?


Does it go:

Res>Pump>Rad>CPU WB>GPU WB ---back to Res?


Thanks any tips would be great, be ready to build in a day or two.

 

[TankGuys]

THe order the loop goes in actually doesn't make a big difference.

You can go CPU first, or GPU first... not a significant change!

 

[Greenman]

Or you can use tee fittings and run as many loops as you need. I run 1/2" from my pump and use a tee and 2 - 3/8 reducers to split the flow to cpu and gpu, I use another 1/4" reducer to feed the chipset cooler. The whole thing is reversed on the return line. Everything gets cool water, and the flow to each block can be controlled with a small clamp on the tube. It prolly works no better than one loop, but you can make plumbing pretty clean.

 

[mindwreck]

having the pump go straight to the radiator could lower the pressure in the system but with your pump, its probably not enought to lower the performance of it.
I have mine like this
t-line>pump>cpublock>rad>t-line.

 

[Banzai042]

i thought that the Rad should always come after all of the componets so it dissipates the heat picked up from the CPU and such.

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Banzai042
i thought that the Rad should always come after all of the componets so it dissipates the heat picked up from the CPU and such.

That's one viable way of doing it, but you can just as easily place the radiator before your first heat source and get good results. Water-cooling allows you to take at least a few different roads to get to the same desination.

 

[Mickey21]

It's a loop, putting the rad before the cpu is still putting it after...

Rad->Pump->CPU->Rad->Pump->CPU

Placement wont matter, the idea is to dissipate the heat at one point. Water used in cpu cooling wont change by much more than a couple degrees at best when cooling the block. The water (hopefully) doesnt stick around long enough to change much more than that...

Think of it this way, how hot is it when you leave your hand under hot water? Pretty hot... Now let the hot water run and just quickly move your hand through the hot water stream... No big deal... All the water is rushing past the hot block and picking up a little bit of energy per ounce of water. As long as your radiator is cooler than your CPU and the energy needed to dissipate does not exceed the radiator's capabilities, your cpu will be cool enough. Watercooling becomes less and less capable as the ambient temperature rises. It becomes harder and harder for the slightly hotter water to release it's heat into the radiator and out of the case via air flow...

 

[churcheo]

Thanks guys, one last question: How do I jump a power supply to test my loop before actually putting it in the case?

 

[HardWarrior]

Jumper the green wire with the closest black wire on the ATX power connect. I'm sure there will be people who tell you to use a paper clip, like they do, but I'd suggest using an insulated wire of the correct guage.

 

[churcheo]

I see a green with a black on each side, does it matter which black one?

 

[HardWarrior]

Nope.

 

[churcheo]

Yay, it doesn't damage the PSU, right? The correct way of doing this is just making a connection via a wire/paper clip between green/black pins?

I'm supposed to just hook everything up just like it will be in my case, jumper it and leave it on for 24 hours to test leaks, no?

 

[Buck Naked]

Your PSU will be fine. If you still have questions here is a little guide
I just got done leak testing my rig about a week ago. I had no leaks after 24 Hours, but when I installed it I got a drip. I :heart: Fluid XP now.
Have fun!

 

[HardWarrior]

What he said. OT: BTW Buck, have you had any unexplained buildup along the inside of you tubing?

 

[Buck Naked]

Well, I haven't yet...but it has only been running for a week.
Is there a problem with Fluid XP that I missed?

 

[HardWarrior]

There's a substance in FluidXP that forms an oily layer, supposedly to retard evaporation in open loops. This MAY have caused the buildup problem I had. If it happens you'll notice a powdery layer forming in your tubes.

 

[NINaudio]

I had this issue with Fluid XP as well. After a few weeks I would notice a whitish buildup. What pump are you using? When I spoke with the people at FluidXP they said that it seemed to happen most often with the DDC pumps. I have since switched to MCT-5 and have been very happy with it. No buildup at all and it has been about a month.

 

[Greenman]

How very odd, I had a buildup of white powdery looking stuff in my tubes, but it wasn't even. It started at the blocks and rad and moved out from there. The reason I say it's odd is that I was using plain water. Adding about 1% antifreeze solved the problem.
I was using a very cheap AquaVia pump at the time, the damn thing found a new place to leak at least once a week so I was running tap water.

 

[JEDIYoda]

wow.........water........1% antifreeze......

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
wow.........water........1% antifreeze......

Yup, and I've seen reports of buildup in strange mixtures like this too.

 

[Mickey21]

Originally posted by: Greenman
How very odd, I had a buildup of white powdery looking stuff in my tubes, but it wasn't even. It started at the blocks and rad and moved out from there. The reason I say it's odd is that I was using plain water. Adding about 1% antifreeze solved the problem.
I was using a very cheap AquaVia pump at the time, the damn thing found a new place to leak at least once a week so I was running tap water.

You're not supposed to use plain water. Water by itself will go bad and form deposits of various things like calcium and algae. The anti-freeze will keep the water from going bad and kill any organisms that want to procreate in your water. I would suggest more than a 1% mixture though. 5-10% would be more helpful. I would also suggest a water wetter type product. Helps water release bubbles and prevent pump cavitation. A little less than an ounce should do. You can find water wetter type products online or at your local automotive parts centers.

 

[HardWarrior]

I would advise against Water Wetter in that any antibiotic action it has is incidental and short-lived at best, it has additives that add nothing to it's efficacy in a water-cooling loop, its "wetting" properties work best at temps far beyond those found in water-cooling and it will stain your tubes a sickly pink. If you want it simple, just buy a bottle of Hydrx. It'll serve all your needs and I've seen it as cheap as $4 a bottle.