Virtual-Hideout.Net | Guides | Setting Up A Water-Cooling System

Setting Up A Water-Cooling System - Part 1

Date Published:
10-27-2002

Written By:
Fujikuro

Sponsored By:
N/A

Pages: 1 2 3 4

The Waterblock

This is the part of the system that actually transfers heat from the CPU to the water. Waterblocks are generally made of copper, but can be made out of aluminum. Some waterblocks even have clear lexian tops on them, so you can see the inside channels of the block. Blocks can be bought for around $40 or $50, but it is much cheaper to make a block yourself. In this guide, we are going to select a pre-made waterblock, but check Virtual-Hideout soon for an article on how to machine your own from raw materials.

There are a few places to buy waterblocks. Here are a few

DangerDen.com - Several types of maze style blocks, highly effective.
Swiftnets.com - AKA Swiftech; manufactures internal flow turbulence designs.
dtekcustoms.safeshopper.com/index.htm?851 - AKA Dtek Customs; similar to DangerDen's style, but less selection.
Innvotech.com - Yet another waterblock manufacture with nice, quality blocks.
Koolance.com - Koolance offers pre-made watercooling systems, just add your hardware.
Sibak.com.tw - New to the watercooling market, but their products look promising.

Make sure the waterblock you selcet will fit your CPU. Factors to consider are, brand (AMD or Pentium?), type (Socket or Slot?), material (Copper or Aluminum?), connection (Size and type?), and internal surface area. The more internal surface area you have, the faster heat can be transferred away from the CPU. Here are a few examples of retail waterblocks.

DangerDen's Maze 3	Swiftech's Flat Plate Style	Dtek's Poly Copper Spiral
Senfu's Watercooler II	Koolance's Low Profile	Sibak's Copper Jar Style

The Tube

The water gets from place to place through tube. There are several kinds you can use, but I have found that just plain old, clear flexible plastic tube from Home Depot works very well at less than a dollar per foot. Things to consider when buying tube: Size, ID (inner diameter) and OD (outer diameter), and flexibility (too flexible may bend and kink, but too stiff will be harder to install and tighten!). ALso, to make the connections watertight, be sure to pick up a hose clamp for each barb. Hoseclamps will ensure that the system is leak-free.

The Reservoir and Pump

Not all systems need a reservoir, however it is easier to maintain your system if you do have one. If you like, you can buy a pre-made reservoir. The websites listed under the Waterblock information all carry them. The alternative to pre-made, is to build one yourself. They are very easy and cheap to make, so we will show you how. You can pick up all the materials at Home Depot, and here is what you will need:

QUANTITY - DESCRIPTION (Click any description for an example photo)
1 - 6"x6"x4" Electrical junction box
1 - 3/8" male brass hose barbs
2 - 3/8" femal brass hose barbs
1 - Submersible fountain pump (with atleast a 100gph rating!)
1 - Roll of teflon tape
1 - Tube of silicone sealant
1 - Short piece of 3/8" ID tube a few inches in length
1 - Roll of electrical tape
2 - Small hose clamps
1 - Gallon of distilled water (under a dollar at any grocery store - no picture needed!)

Directions:

1) Take the electrical box lid, and drill two holes in the top that are just smaller than the threads on the male hose barbs.t Also, drill another hole abou 1/4" in diameter in the lid. This 3rd hole is for the pump's cord.
2) Tap the holes, and then put a few wraps of teflon tape around the male hose barb threads. Screw one male barb into each of the holes that you drilled. Flip the lid over, and screw the femal hose barb onto one of the male's threads.
3) Take the water pump, make sure it is not plugged in, and then cut the power cord. Then feed the cord through the 1/4" hole in the electrical box's lid. Now strip each wire and splice the power cord's wires back together. Wrap each wire seperatly with electrical tape, then wrap all the wires with tape to finish the cord. Leave a few inches of cord on the underside of the lid, then use the silicone to seal the hole that the cord comes out of. We don't want any leaks!
4) Place the pump in the bottom of the electrical box, then attach the small piece of tube onto the output of the pump. Slide two hose clamps over the tube, and then plug the tube into the female hose barb (on the underside of the electrical box lid). Tighten one hose clamp around the female hose barb, and one around the pump.
5) The pump should be attached to the lid now by the tube and hose clamps. Fill the electrical box with distilled water. Plase the lid gasket on the box's rim, then place the lid over the box and tighten down the four corner screws.
6) The result should look something like this:

Assembled Photo

Top View Diagram

Side View Diagram

The Radiator or Heatercore

Now that we have a place to hold the water, and something to move the water, we need a component to cool the water. The easiest choice is to use a radiator method for heat transfer. Once again, there are several places when you can buy ready to go radiators for water-cooling, or you can modify a radiator to work with your system. If you go with buying a ready to go radiator, you can order one from the same place that you ordered your waterblock. DangerDen, Dtek, and Innvotech all sell heatercores.

When selecting a radiator/heatercore, there are a few things to look for: size, design, and connections are all very important. You are probabally going to want a radiator that you can mount inside your case, or on the back of it, so size should be your first concern. There are two major designs of radiators as well. There are the single-channel and also multiple-parallel-channel designs. Both of them work very well, however I have heard that multiple-parallel designs tend to reduce flow rates slightly. Either will work fine for this type of system however. Lastly, you want to have a radiator with the right size connections for your system. We are using 3/8" ID fittings and hose for this setup. Here are a few examples of the different types of radiators:

Dtek's Heatercore

DangerDen's Heatercore

Don't forget the fan!

Now that you have selected a radiator, you will need a fan to to mount on top of it. Most radiators will accept a 120mm fan. Which fan you chose is up to you. You can mount the fan to the radiator with screws, but just make sure you do not poke any holes in the tube - we don't want any leaks remember! When your radiator is ready to go, we can begin to install the system.

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