One of the most serious mods for a computer is to overclock it. Forget case windows, flashy lights, and shaved drive faces, overclocking your computer will actually give you a gain in performance. There is one minor drawback of overclocking: heat. The heatsink that comes with a CPU is designed exactly for the temps that the CPU will generate. When you overclock a CPU, it will produce much more heat than normal. Chances are, that a plain old air-cooled heatsink will not have enough cooling power for this much heat. That is why we can turn to water-cooling for help.

What is Water-Cooling?

   Ask anyone on the street if you can have water inside with a computer. They will think you are crazy! Water-cooling is a method of cooling a computer's hardware, that may not be as well known, but has great results when done correctly. This guide will help you plan and build a watercooling system for your PC.

Components of a System

   In part 1 of this guide, we will teach you how to build either a Radiator or a Bong setup. The type of system can be identified by what device is used to transfer heat from the water into the atmosphere. We will start by listing the parts you will need for a basic setup. For this guide will will be using 3/8" ID tube, and hose barbs for connections. Construction on the parts will come later.

1. CPU waterblock with 3/8" ID barbs
   (This can be bough pre-machined, or you can manufacture one yourself.)
   

2. Several feet of 3/8" ID tube
   (You can buy this buy the foot, or buy a small spool at places such as home depot.)
   

3. Reservoir and a water pump
   (Another component you can buy, or make yourself.)
   

4. Radiator or Bong
   (These can be made for a few dollars depending on what you use for parts.)
   

   These are all the parts you need for a basic CPU cooling system. Now we will go into detail on each component in the example setup.