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Liquid Cooling More than One Component?
static0verdrive asks: "I am new to liquid-cooling, and I have designed a system for use in a micro-ATX OpenBSD server, with the following layout: Fillport > Reservoir/Pump > Y Split (one to CPU and the other to chip-set) > Y Reconnect > Radiator/Fan > Back to the fillport. I don't like the idea of having the hot coolant coming from the CPU going directly to the chip-set, hence the Y split. Could this split cause any problems? Would there be a difference in pressure (considering the CPU is most likely a lot hotter) that could cause an issue? How would you handle liquid-cooling more than one component? What if I wanted to cool 3 components, such as in the case where I add a video card to this setup later on?"
Jean Gallier at UPenn has a lot of stuff about this on his webpage: here
"I am new to liquid-cooling, and I have designed a system for use in a micro-ATX OpenBSD server, with the following layout: Fillport > Reservoir/Pump > Y Split (one to CPU and the other to chip-set) > Y Reconnect > Radiator/Fan > Back to the fillport. I don't like the idea of having the hot coolant coming from the CPU going directly to the chip-set, hence the Y split. Could this split cause any problems? Would there be a difference in pressure (considering the CPU is most likely a lot hotter) that could cause an issue? How would you handle liquid-cooling more than one component? What if I wanted to cool 3 components, such as in the case where I add a video card to this setup later on?"
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Splitting the main(Y-split) to cool several devices is generally not recommend over cooling multiple components in serial.
Most people go: Pump->CPU->radiator->reservoir
some people go: Pump->CPU->Video GPU->radiator->reservoir
and very few people go: Pump->CPU->Video GPU->Chipset->radiator->reservoir
( or even Pump->CPU->Video GPU #1>-Video GPU #2->Chipset->Memory->radiator->reservoir)
As you add more and more stuff to the circuit, you'll also need a bigger pump, a bigger radiator, and you'll have to seal the connection points more carefully to gaurd against leaks resulting from higher pressure. It's the general consensus that splitting the coolant in a parallel fashion like you're describing is less effective than connecting the components in serial. The primary reason is that flowrate X volume is king in water cooling...with a Y-split you're cutting your CPU water cooling volume in half, and probably restricting flow even further with narrower tubing. Also, pressure drop in the system is a function of how much tubing you use. More tube, less pressure. People have tried this before...and their results weren't comparable with serial.
I'm assuming you want to water cool so you can overclock. If this is so, then you need to prioritize your CPU over everything else. If you don't plan on overclocking and just want the silence, then you're still better off using serial because it's cheaper and safer(less connection points means a lower leak probability).
Don't worry about warm water returning from the CPU and 'heating' the chipset. Fast flowrate and the high heat capacity of water keep this from being a problem. Generally the water temperature across the entire circuit is nearly homogenous(maybe 1-2 degrees difference).
To learn more:
1) Goto http://www.ocforums.com/forumdisplay.php?s=099a5c
2) Spend at least 2 hours reading the stickies etc. (or register and ask your own question, the folks there are very knowledgeable.)
Good luck with it!
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