My Custom Watercooling Journey

Toast

New Member
Alright. I'm about done with this forum, as the bulk of the members here seem to be able to offer nothing but a pessimistic attitude. If you think this system is so terrible, I would love to see any of you make something similar for 50 dollars that is going to be such a big improvement over mine. Until then, I'll be posting on forums which seem to offer more appreciative posts that also offer up some constructive criticism. To the posters who actually offered up some genuine interest, as opposed to blind hate- thank you for your time.
 

Thanatos

Active Member
Christ, everyone is hating on this guy. I, for one, admire this project and his work. If it can be done for $50 versus $100+, then do it. Way to go, guy. I like it!

Alright. I'm about done with this forum, as the bulk of the members here seem to be able to offer nothing but a pessimistic attitude. If you think this system is so terrible, I would love to see any of you make something similar for 50 dollars that is going to be such a big improvement over mine. Until then, I'll be posting on forums which seem to offer more appreciative posts that also offer up some constructive criticism. To the posters who actually offered up some genuine interest, as opposed to blind hate- thank you for your time.
You just happened to fine the most pessimistic and sad individual on the forum, we're not all like this. I agree, if Wolfeking wants to get up and make his own DIY watercooler, than he can damn sure do it if he so chooses. but until then, he shouldn't be such an ass about it.
 
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wolfeking

banned
Christ, everyone is hating on this guy. I, for one, admire this project and his work. If it can be done for $50 versus $100+, then do it. Way to go, guy. I like it!
There is no hate, but he will be able to do a lot better with his $50 if he used teh right tools to start, done some research and did not create a galvanic cell. If he wants to take it personal, or you for that matter, go right ahead. It is not going to make the loop run and better.
You just happened to fine the most pessimistic and sad individual on the forum, we're not all like this. I agree, if Wolfeking wants to get up and make his own DIY watercooler, than he can damn sure do it if he so chooses. but until then, he shouldn't be such an ass about it.
You choose to hold that idea, fine. You can also please go screw yourself. It is not at all helping him create a better loop or solve his galvanic corrosion issue.
 

Aastii

VIP Member
Some of you are getting completely out of line here. When constructive criticism is given, as wolfeking and mycattmaxx have been doing, it is not a reason to jump on one of them. Everything said by them so far has been completely valid and completely accurate, even if it is negative, it is all constructive criticism.

@ Toast, Nobody makes a flawless system, not even the professionals, but if you are not willing to address said issues and want to take offence when they are pointed out rather than act on them and learn, that is your problem. People want to see what you are making, but don't expect to post on a message board and expect no comments, be it positive or negative. How about rather than going off on one, you read what people are saying, do some research and come back with either "you were right, I did x, y and z instead" or "I am sticking to my way because..."

@Thantos and Origin,Thanks for chipping in there guys, what was put was really constructive :rolleyes:, even though you haven't read a single word of the thread by the looks of it. All that wolfe has contributed to this thread is good, sound, solid advice. It isn't pessimism, it is reality. He isn't dictating what to do, he is advising, and it is good advice at that.I notice that he was saying the same as MyCattMaxx all the way through but you didn't pick up on what the latter said. I also said the same as Wolfe did in an earlier post, but you didn't pick up on that either, and Lacquer Head was way out of line in comparison, but you didn't pick up on that either. Why is that guys?

I will leave it up to the mods of this particular forum what happens with the thread, I for one want to see the progress though and have it stay up and running, but I am giving you all two options:

1. Follow the thread and play nice. Chip in if you want, be it praise or otherwise, so long as it stays civil, there is no reason this can't be a very good thread.

2. Carry on as you were, the thread will be closed and further action will be taken if necessary
 

Origin Saint

Well-Known Member
Out of respect for those involved and admission of not only my errors, but others as well, I will remove my posts from the thread. Thank you Aastii for keeping it kind and civil.
 

Virssagòn

VIP Member
I wasn't mentioned, so neutral ;P.

Anyway, I hope toasty comes back because I'm really interested in this project and the results...
 

Okedokey

Well-Known Member
Look, if hes getting 50oC on that without fans and the pump at 30% he's smashed it.
Even if he has to rebuild it every year. Its a great effort. Very ingenious.
 

Toast

New Member
Update.

Temperatures aren't really what I'm looking for (55c after prolonged gaming) so I will be dumping this radiator, even though I still haven't actually tried it with fans correctly added.

Going to go with a car heatercore, as they have better mass than this dinky old radiator does.

However, the entire loop IS very efficient at transferring heat. I unplugged the pump and let the cpu heat up to 65c. It dropped the temperature to 45c in about one minute, so I'm happy with that. It shows that the block itself is doing its job, but the actual coolant just isn't cool enough.

THE BIG CORROSION DISAGREEMENT

Galvanic corrosion is caused when electrolytes react with two dissimilar metals, creating a reaction that causes one metal to corrode much faster than the other.

Why I'm not worried about it.

I'm not using anything in my coolant that has electrolytes. My coolant consists of a pre-mixed 50/50 ratio of antifreeze to distilled water. In addition, antifreeze also has non-corrosive additives to help reduce corrosion on car parts.

The pump is running at its lowest setting as of right now as my logic leads me to believe that a slower speed will give the coolant the maximum potential to disperse heat through the radiator. Lowering the speed dropped my temperatures about 3-5 degrees centigrade, so I'm pleased with that decision.

I suppose I should actually try adding some fans to the radiator before I decide to dump it, but I've already become rather dissatisfied with it as it is a bit small and I don't feel as though it offers enough mass/surface area to efficiently cool my processor, especially considering that I will be overclocking it in the future.

So, all in all, the waterblock turned out to be extremely effective (in my opinion, which is based on its performance) and the pump and reservoir combo are both silent and also powerful enough to cool something a lot bigger than this, most likely... but the radiator is lacking.

Any further ideas you guys have for getting my temps down before I get my new radiator, let me know. I'll give them a shot.
 

Okedokey

Well-Known Member
You're missing some key facts.

The ions in solutions (electrolytes) also come from the metals you make the loop with.
Secondly anti-freeze is a complete and utter waste of time (apart from may be anti-corrosion).
The pump speed is directly proportional to heat transfer to a point. As long as you have sufficient contact time (the radiator is large enough)
Fans are very important.
At the end of the day its the equilibrium temperature that matters - so run a cpu benchmark program for an hour and see what the temp is then up the pump, monitor every 15 minutes and chart it. You will find the optimimm pump speed. Then add fans.
 
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salvage-this

Active Member
I think a lot of the poor temps can blames on the cpu block. It just doesn't have the same efficiency as a normal block would. You are just loosing too much performance in the transfer from the CPU. I can't do any better so I won't comment there :p

Congrats on making it work for $50. That is pretty sweet.
 

Toast

New Member
Like I said, the temps can drop sufficiently (20-25c in about 60-90 seconds) so the block is doing its job splendidly. The problem is the radiator simply does not have the necessary surface area and mass to cool efficiently.

And once I reseat everything on my new motherboard, I'll figure out the optimum pump speed. Although I must say, dropping the speed helped the temps, so it seems like this would be the best speed (lowest setting)

This pump is rated for 158g/h at max speed, which is 2.6 g/m. That seems awfully high to me. According to the way I see it, longer time in the radiator (to a point) = more time to let the radiator do its job and take the heat away from the liquid.

The block, which is directly on top of the cpu, is cool to the touch at idle temps. I think it's actually doing an excellent job at transferring the heat. The large mass of the block allows it to take a decent amount of heat away from the cpu, so I like how that worked out. Letting the cpu heat up by disconnecting the pump, you can see the temperature rise quickly, and then reconnecting the pump, you can watch it drop rapidly. This is why I think the block is actually pretty efficient. The problem I'm facing here is cooling the liquid- not the processor.
 

Okedokey

Well-Known Member
YOu need to look into thermodynamics. The loop will be only as good as the weakest links, so some of your ascertions don't make sense.

Im not convinced that after equilibrium is reached that that wc system will perform well at all.
 

wolfeking

banned
I suppose I should actually try adding some fans to the radiator before I decide to dump it, but I've already become rather dissatisfied with it as it is a bit small and I don't feel as though it offers enough mass/surface area to efficiently cool my processor, especially considering that I will be overclocking it in the future.
IF you plan to replace the radiator, then go for a copper radiator. It will perform a slight bit better, and will alieveiate your Galvanic issue (which bigfella (or whatever he changed his name to now. :?) has already explained why you still have that.

Also, be sure to get a fan with a high static pressure fan. I personally like the Corsair Air series as they perform really well and are extremely quiet. Notice though that they are 3 pin and RPM control can be tricky using motherboard software (won't happen with the P67 Asus software, X79 seems to have some issue too.)


Any further ideas you guys have for getting my temps down before I get my new radiator, let me know. I'll give them a shot.
Lap your processor lid. it does help a little bit (but it will also void your warranty).

You could also try messing around with different TIMs to see what works best for your setup. This will be good for a few degrees at most though.

You can also try to smooth your block some more. The higher grit you go to, the more efficient it will be at heat transfer. Could be worth about 5* at most, but every little bit helps.

Another idea would be to slow the pump as much as possible. With a small radiator, the slower the water the better as it gives the water the best chance to dissapate the heat.

Might be worth a shot to reduce the ratio of antifreeze. 70/30 is the most that is generally used in autos. I would think that 80/20 would be enough for your computer. I am not sure how much it will help or not, seeing as your coolant is never getting near boiling or freezing.
 

Okedokey

Well-Known Member
Before you do anything else, you need an equilibrium bechmark. Im talking load for 1 hour.

Run Prime 95 burn test and see? That will give T max, also note the ambient temperature if you can.

That way you just play with one variable at a time (e.g. fan speed).

What method are you using to measure temperature?

BTW i still think you have done a marvelous job hey!
 
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Toast

New Member
The loop will be only as good as the weakest links,

Which is why I'm working on fixing the weak links (the radiator, mostly)

Also, when I get my new motherboard, I will probably smooth the bottom of the block some more. I somewhat rushed it as I was eager to try it out. Now that I know it will actually work, I'll go all out on the bottom of the block.

As far as the coolant goes, I may replace the existing coolant eventually, but for now, it's a little lower on the list of priorities.

And I don't believe heatercores are made from copper, although I may be wrong with this assumption. Last I checked, they were aluminum.

And Prime 95 made the temperatures shoot up pretty quickly. I really do feel like the problem here is the radiator, but perhaps the speed is also to blame.. to a point.

The flow on the minimum speed seems to be a decent speed. I know there's a lot of twists and turns in the waterblock, but no more than a normal waterblock.

The waterblock also heats up along with the cpu doing a stress test, then once the test is stopped, the cpu and the block cool down pretty quickly... So what am I missing here? Is it just that the coolant isn't being.. cooled?
 
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Okedokey

Well-Known Member
Cheaper ones are Aluminium i think. Most are, but he's right Cu has better thermal transmisivity i think.

Anyway on topic (system efficiency right?), id do this:

  1. Drain the coolant, flush once and then fill with deionised/distilled water.
  2. Whack your silver in there (corrosion is already possible so why not?) - a biocide.
  3. Run Prime 95 max for an hour.
  4. With Prime95 running, record temps every 5-10 minutes while you increase pumpspeed through to 100%. (e.g. 30%, 50%, 75%, 100%).
  5. Then turn the pump down to 30% again and add fans. Repeat recording regime.
Then you will know what will make it more efficient than a lump of copper. :)

Whack the data in excel and finish this post with data (CHARTS!) :) :)

P.S you don't seem like a man who is afraid of a project ;)

I would also have a go at turning the pump off altogther and measuring delta T for that too. See how passive it is.
 
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Toast

New Member
Increasing the pump speed is a little difficult- only because it's submerged in thick antifreeze which doesn't offer the best visibility.

But I'll be trying that idea. As far as the thickness of the coolant goes, is a thin coolant better than a thicker coolant?
 

wolfeking

banned
I can't guarantee on computer rads, but I know there are full copper rads (including the water tube (i forget name)) for cars. a little google shows that EKWB EK-CoolStream RAD XT seems to be copper. Need to do more research though.
Though I would be willing to bet that this would work better http://www.summitracing.com/parts/aaf-all26714/overview/. Mainly because trans coolers are built to run in high pressure environments, where as heater cores (which is not what you referenced, just fyi) and computer rads are designed for low pressure.

I don't actually think your radiator is the sole weak point. But one thing at a time.
 

Okedokey

Well-Known Member
I don't actually think your radiator is the sole weak point. But one thing at a time.

I agree, put fans on that baby. Who doesn't put fans on a CPU watercooler. If you have no fans, you gotta crank the pump.

In terms of viscosity? Well I'm not sure. I think a lower viscosity means it has a greater surface area to volume ratio, (this variable increases thermal conduction), but makes the solution harder to pump. You may wanna double check, i quite often get the viscosity magnitude wrong (high/low).

But generally, you crank the pump and get high static pressure low speed fans.
 
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