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Do-it-yourself CPU Water Cooler

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the why-the-hell-not dept.

Foss writes "This article on EIMod.com shows a (very) cheap and effective way of getting that usually-expensive water cooling system that many of us have thought about. There are some pretty pictures too :)"

3 of 207 comments (clear)

  1. Watercooling works great by xtal · · Score: 5, Informative

    I run a watercooled machine as my primary work box. It's great, and the noise savings were incredible. No more whirrrrrr. Fits snugly into a standard mid tower case.

    I have a page up with all the details of contsruction for you who are interested. I've been running it for a few months, 24/7, and there have been no problems whatsoever. I took a few additional precautions, but the system as been moved around several times without any difficulties whatsoever and I highly recommend it to others who are interested.

    --
    ..don't panic
  2. Re:What cools the pump, an underclocked '286? by markmoss · · Score: 4, Informative

    No, what he needs (and no doubt he is aware of it), is a better pump. Also proper tubing fittings, hose clamps, baffles inside the waterblock to direct the flow so all of it gets cooled, ears on the block to attach spring-clip heatsink holders, and so on. But the cheap 10-minute pump is good enough for checking out whether he's on the right track -- and he claims his budget was 77 pence, which I think is about $1 US. Aquarium pumps run continuously and aren't too expensive, but on that budget you use what you already have...

    I do hope that he used thermal grease -- the article doesn't say one way or the other, but even a perfect heat sink can't cool well if the heat has trouble getting _to_ it.

    One thing that did kind of bother me: "Although it seems that copper would be best suited for making a water block, I'm not entirely convinced without physical proof." It scares me that anyone who has to ask would be doing this! Copper is indeed the best material, unless you are on a NASA cost plus 10% contract, then use gold and increase your profit. ;-) Copper is resistant to corrosion and has the second highest heat transfer rate (by volume) of any material available in bulk. Gold is better and aluminum is worse on both counts. When aluminum is used instead of copper, they are trading off a little effectiveness for considerable savings in cost and weight; if you are using water, weight better not be an issue, and for a do-it-yourself project you'd spend a lot more trying to solder aluminum than copper will cost...

  3. This story actually teaches a lot... by jhiv · · Score: 5, Informative

    This story actually teaches a lot about how not to build a water-cooling system for a CPU.

    Some specific observations:
    1. The low delta T (temperature difference) for the water going through the system is a sure indication of low efficiency. The most likely culprit is poor contact between the block and the CPU. Thin sheeting was used, and ripples are clearly visible in the pictures. The block is probably only touching in a few places and there is no mention of using thermal grease. A stiffer bottom plate was clearly called for.
    2. As mentioned elsewhere, hose clamps should have been used. (String? Let's not go there...)
    3. There is no radiator to dump the heat back to the environment. The heat transfer from the surface of the tank is probably not sufficient to keep the temperatures low. The radiator should be after the pump, to dump the heat from the pump also.
    Perhaps the story should have been posted with the "laugh, it's funny" icon.

    BTW, I prefer Indium foil as the thermal gasket between the CPU and heat sink, not thermal grease. Unfortunately, Indium is usually as expensive as gold.