Water cooling circuit. Quiet backwater: assembling a water cooling system for a PC

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Introduction At the end of the century before last, the first cars appeared, which served as a milestone in technical progress and the mobilization of humanity. Their engines were at first primitive, low-power, noisy and air-cooled. But less than ten years have passed, and along with an increase in power and more balanced operation, the internal combustion engine receives much more efficient liquid cooling. This method of cooling millions of engines is an invariable attribute of a comfortable car to this day.

The first PCs had no problems cooling their processors at all. Then they got radiators. Next - small fans. What do we have now? Today the cost of cooling products for processors is from the top model range is already approaching the price of the CPUs themselves from the lower models. The power of modern coolers, their dimensions, weight, engine speed and fan diameter have increased enormously. The processing and quality of the material became critical. If earlier coolers had plenty of capabilities, today they can hardly cope with their tasks. Increasing the ventilation power is becoming increasingly difficult, since the size and weight of processor coolers are already reaching critical values.
As computing power increases, modern processors consume more and more energy. The main part of it is released in the form of heat. This continuous heat flow can only be extracted through a limited area of the processor core. Manufacturers are trying to combat energy consumption and heat generation by switching to lower supply voltages and technological standards. As micron production standards decrease, power consumption actually decreases, but the area of the crystal of the core itself also decreases, which, in turn, leads to an increase in heat flux density. And although there is less heat, whether the temperature inside the core of a smaller area will decrease is already in question. As chip integration increases and chip area decreases, dissipating heat from the chip surface becomes increasingly difficult. This requires special materials and coolants. A constant increase in clock speeds implies an inevitable increase in CPU heat dissipation in the future. For processors with clock frequencies exceeding 2 GHz, coolers with copper radiators or at least with a copper base on an aluminum radiator are recommended. What will happen to the copper? Silver? Sputtered gold? Or something else?

General cooling problem

No matter how well an air cooler copes with cooling a processor, where does it put the heat? The answer is clear - it pumps (pulls) it inside the system unit. This is where the video card cooler and the rather overheating drives of hard drives and optical drives, chipset heatsinks, etc. But all these devices are cooled by the same air from the system unit, which they themselves heat. The circle of thermal convection closes. The temperature inside the computer case has become as important as the heating of internal devices. The result is intensive forced ventilation of the entire system unit. If earlier cases were equipped with one seat for a front fan, and manufacturers did not particularly care about the ventilation holes opposite it, now standard cases have 2-3 spaces for fans inside. In addition, a lot of all kinds of “blowers”, fan blocks for slots and 5.25” bays have appeared on sale.
A recommendation that has already become an axiom: take a large-volume case, because it has better air circulation. This is where the body space is wasted - air circulation. Moreover, there is no special organization of paths for air ducts in conventional cases at all, and the effect of ventilation depends on the configuration of a particular computer, on the clutter of its internal space with cables and expansion cards. The processor and other devices are cooled by air from inside the case. The efficiency of air cooling directly depends on the air temperature inside the system unit. Proper ventilation of the interior of the case is required. But it is very difficult to make air flow in the right direction; all sorts of devices, cables, and internal nooks and crannies block its path. The air, by and large, does not circulate along a given path, but is mixed inside the housing.
If air-cooled cases are specially designed, with a compact arrangement of elements and a clear organization of air ducts, which is typical for servers, then here too the problem of organization and cross-section of air ducts is very acute. Fans of internal devices force air onto their radiators under a certain pressure. The effective cross-section of the duct must be comparable to the area of the fan. It is necessary to provide wide internal air routes. These lines must provide sufficient throughput for heat removal and access to cold air.
If the system is cooled with liquid, the situation changes radically. The coolant circulates in an isolated space - through flexible tubes of small diameter. Unlike air lines, liquid tubes can be given almost any configuration and direction. The volume they occupy is much smaller than air ducts with the same or much greater efficiency.

Advantages of liquid cooling

The fundamental difference between air and liquid cooling is that instead of air, liquid is pumped through the heatsink of the CPU or other cooled device. Water or other liquids suitable for cooling have good thermal conductivity and high heat capacity. Circulating fluid provides much better heat dissipation than air flow. This not only gives a lower temperature of the cooled elements, but also smoothes out sudden changes in temperature of devices operating in variable modes.
A typical liquid processor heatsink is much smaller than any cooler available today. The radiator of a small heat exchanger can be comparable to the size of a large processor cooler, but unlike the latter, the heat exchanger is placed more freely, in a less critical place in the system unit, or can be moved outside. The tubes do not take up much space inside the case, and they are not hampered by all those bumps and protruding elements that are critical to air flow.
A well-designed liquid cooling system not only outperforms an air cooler, but is also more compact in size. This is probably why they were the first to use liquid cooling on serial devices laptop manufacturers.
In case of liquid cooling centralized system easy to organize. The main liquid cooler unit can be located outside the system unit, connected to it only by two flexible pipes through which liquid coolant is supplied to all devices equipped with liquid radiators.
Complex liquid cooling can simultaneously solve the problem of cooling both hot devices - CPU, HDD, video card chips and microcontrollers, and improve the temperature conditions inside the system unit as a whole. If, when cooling internal devices with conventional coolers, the exhausted hot air entered the system unit, threatening other components with overheating, then with liquid cooling the situation is fundamentally different. The rejected heat is transported along with the liquid through pipes to the heat exchanger radiator, from where it can be blown out, bypassing the interior of the computer. This ensures better thermal conditions inside the system unit, and such powerful general ventilation of its space will no longer be required. One quiet, low-speed, large-diameter fan can handle the cooling of the heat exchanger radiator. In addition, this fan will cool not only the radiator liquid, but also the space of the system unit, taking air from there.

Liquid embodied in "iron"

A noticeable revival has begun in the market for liquid cooling systems. The reasons for this are clear. The quality and sophistication of liquid cooling designs is increasing, and the cost, on the contrary, is falling. It is now possible to purchase a complete housing kit for mounting an efficient fluid system for less than $100. This is not so much, considering that decent copper coolers now cost $20-40. What can I say, if even such a giant of the “cooler” industry as Thermaltake has already provided its own liquid cooling kit for the CPU, then, apparently, the game is really worth it...

Based on their design features, liquid cooling systems can be divided into two types:

1. Systems where the coolant is driven by a pump in the form of a separate mechanical unit.
2. Pumpless liquid cooling systems using special refrigerants that pass through liquid and gaseous phases during the heat transfer process.

Liquid system with pump

The functional diagram of such a cooling installation is shown in Fig.1. The principle of its operation is effective and simple, and, in general, is no different from the cooling systems used in cars. Liquid (in most cases it is distilled water) is pumped through the radiators of cooled devices using a special pump. All components of the structure are connected to each other by flexible tubes with a diameter of 6-12 mm. Passing through the radiator of the processor and, in some cases, other devices, the liquid picks up their heat, after which it enters the radiator of the heat exchanger with outside air through tubes, where it cools itself. The system is closed, and the liquid circulates in it constantly.

The same connection, but, so to speak, in the hardware, can be seen on Fig.2 using the example of CoolingFlow products. All elements of the liquid structure are clearly visible here. IN in this case The system is designed to cool only the processor. A compact heat exchanger radiator with one fan is supposed to be installed in the front part of the case, which does not require a special design. The pump is combined with a buffer tank for liquid. The arrows show the movement of cold and hot liquid.

Fig.2
A visual diagram using the example of CoolingFlow Space2000.

The location of the liquid cooling system inside the case is better illustrated in Fig.3. It uses a heat exchanger radiator of increased volume with two fans, so it is mounted on the back of a specially adapted case. Such a cooling system has a good power reserve and, in addition to the processor, if necessary, can simultaneously cool other computer components. Although today, liquid cooling systems with a front-mounted heat exchanger with a single fan are still more widespread.

Fig.3
Location of SwiftTech liquid cooling in the case.

But still, installing the entire liquid cooling system inside the case has a number of disadvantages. Firstly, typical enclosures were not originally designed to accommodate such structures, and placement problems may arise here, especially for the more powerful ones. To install particularly efficient liquid cooling, you will need either a special case or a special external liquid cooling unit. This is exactly what is shown on Fig.4. This unit includes a pump, a heat exchanger radiator, three fans, a system electronic control and digital temperature indicator. This design is completely self-sufficient. Only a liquid radiator connected to the unit by flexible tubes and a temperature sensor are installed inside the computer case. The unit itself is conveniently located on top of the computer case.

Fig.4
Koolance EXOS external liquid cooling unit.

The most significant component of any cooling system in a computer is the processor heatsink. In the case of liquid cooling, this element takes on a convenient and compact appearance. Small liquid CPU radiators look quite unusual compared to the dimensions of typical air coolers, especially since the former are superior in efficiency to the latter. You can evaluate the type of liquid heatsinks for the CPU, as well as their location on a dual-processor system, by Fig.5; 6.

Fig.5
Liquid radiators for the processor.

Fig.6
Two CPUs installed on the MV.

As with any radiator, the efficiency of a liquid radiator is determined by the area of contact of its surface with the coolant, for which purpose ribs, needles or funnels are made inside to increase the contact area ( Fig.7). If the liquid circulates directionally along concentric ribs, then its heat transfer is maximized. The case of funnels on an ordinary copper plate, made with a simple drill, will certainly interest those who are not averse to making such a thing themselves at home.

Fig.7
Internal structure of liquid radiators.

For graphics chips of video cards, liquid cooling is also used, connected in parallel with the processor. The radiators here are smaller. They look much more elegant on video cards ( Fig.8) than powerful monster-like air coolers.

Fig.8
Liquid radiator for video card.

The device on which the reliability of a liquid cooling system most depends is the pump ( Fig.9). If the liquid stops circulating, the cooling efficiency will drop catastrophically. Two types of pumps are used: immersed in a reservoir with coolant and external, with their own sealed housing. The design of submersible pumps is very simple - in fact, it is an impeller rotating in a liquid, enclosed in a casing. Its centrifugal force creates the necessary liquid pressure. The liquid reservoir is usually made of plastic. Such pumps are quite cheap and therefore prevail. A separate external pump is much more expensive, because it already requires a high-quality sealed supporting housing that undergoes special machine processing. But the reliability and performance of the solution in the latter case can be much higher.

Fig.9
Internal and external pumps.

To cool the liquid, special radiators-heat exchangers are used ( Fig.10). It's almost a miniature copy of a car radiator - the principle is the same. From one to three fans with a diameter of 80-120 mm are attached to the radiator. Water flowing through a curved copper tube is cooled by the forced air. The noise from this design is usually less than from a powerful air cooler, since it uses low-speed fans of increased diameter.

Fig.10
Heat exchanger radiator.

Liquid cooling is no less effective in the case of a hard drive. Some manufacturers have developed special very thin water radiators for HDDs ( Fig.11). The radiator is attached to the top surface of the drive. Good heat dissipation is ensured through a large contact area between the radiator plane and the metal HDD case, which, in general, is unattainable with air blowing.

Fig.11
Flat radiator for HDD (Koolance).

So, to the advantages of liquid cooling of this type should include: increased efficiency, the possibility of parallel cooling of several devices, rational transportation of heat from the system unit case, small sizes of chip radiators. It is also worth adding the low noise level created by many water cooling systems, at least it is lower than the noise from a powerful air cooler with less cooling efficiency.
The disadvantages, first of all, include the inability of standard cases to adapt to new cooling systems. No, in principle there is nothing complicated here, but most likely you will need to drill several additional holes to mount the heat exchanger, and make sure there is a sufficient area of ventilation holes in the housing. You may need to select a special case. Today, although case manufacturers provide for mounting front fans, in many cases the ventilation slots opposite them are clearly insufficient for effective heat exchange and are more of a decorative nature.
Another disadvantage is the use of water as a coolant. Water is a conductive liquid with a fairly low boiling point, so it evaporates noticeably even at room temperature. Water inside the system unit is an undesirable phenomenon, even if it is in a closed container. In principle, nothing prevents you from replacing water with a more suitable liquid, for example, transformer oil, which is used to cool powerful electrical equipment. Oil does not conduct current, being, on the contrary, a good insulator. Its thermal conductivity is better than that of water, and its boiling point is higher, so it hardly evaporates. For oil, you will only have to use pumps of a slightly different type, given its higher viscosity. I think oil won't be a problem in the long run. Now, it seems, manufacturers are concerned about maximum ease of use of the new product, even for an untrained user. Water, as you know, is a common and familiar product to everyone.

Pumpless liquid cooling

There are liquid cooling systems in the design of which there is no such element as a pump. But, nevertheless, liquid refrigerant circulates inside such a system. The principle of the evaporator is used, creating directed pressure for the movement of the coolant. Special refrigerants are used here - these are liquids with a low boiling point. It is best to understand the physics of what is happening by looking at the diagram ( Fig.12). First, when cold, the radiator and lines are filled with liquid. But when the processor heatsink heats up above a certain temperature, the liquid in it turns into steam. It should be added here that the process of turning into steam itself absorbs additional energy in the form of heat, and therefore increases the cooling efficiency. Hot steam creates pressure and tries to leave the space of the processor radiator. Through a special one-way valve, steam can exit only in one direction - to move into the radiator of the heat exchanger-condenser. Getting into the heat exchanger radiator, the steam displaces cold liquid from there into the processor radiator, and it cools down and turns back into liquid. Thus, the coolant in alternating liquid-vapor phases constantly circulates through a closed piping system while the radiator is hot. The energy for movement here is the heat itself generated by the cooled element.

Fig.12
Scheme of liquid cooling based on the evaporator principle.

The implementation in hardware looks quite compact. On ( Fig.13) shows a system for cooling the central or GPU, the design of which does not have a pump. The main elements here are the radiators of the processor and the heat exchanger-condenser.

Fig.13
Liquid “evaporator” CoolingFlow for CPU.

Another option for an evaporative liquid cooling system for a video card is even more interesting ( Fig.14). It uses a very compact design that uses the same principle. The heatsink of the graphics chip has a built-in liquid evaporator. The heat exchanger is located right there, nearby – near the side wall of the video card. This entire structure is made of copper alloy. A high-speed (7200 rpm) centrifugal fan is used to cool the heat exchanger. The air passing through the heat exchanger condenses the steam and is thrown out of the housing through a special nozzle. The coolant in liquid-gas phases constantly circulates in a closed circle.

Fig.14
Cooling system on the Abit Siluro OTES GeForce4 Ti4200 video card.

Known and even more simple systems pumpless liquid cooling. They use the principle of so-called heat pipes. That is, there is no closed system for fluid circulation at all. The processor radiator is connected to the heat exchanger radiator through several copper tubes. The design is compact. The liquid, evaporating, enters the heat exchanger radiator through the tube, where it condenses and flows back into the processor radiator by gravity. The heat exchanger radiator is intensively blown with air. Such a system cannot be considered a full-fledged liquid cooling; it is rather a variant of an air-liquid cooler.
Pumpless liquid cooling systems are enviably compact. This design can be much smaller than a conventional air cooler, but with higher efficiency. It is not surprising that laptop manufacturers were among the first to adopt liquid cooling as a compact and effective solution (Fig.15).

Fig.15
Liquid cooling on the ESC DeskNote i-Buddie 4 laptop.

Liquid cooling systems that use the evaporator principle, without the use of a mechanical supercharger, have both advantages and disadvantages over traditional liquid cooling schemes using a pump. The absence of a mechanical pump makes the design more compact, simpler and cheaper. Here the number of moving mechanical parts is reduced to a minimum, leaving only the condenser fan. This will give a low noise level if a quiet fan is used. The likelihood of mechanical breakdowns is reduced to a minimum. On the other hand, the power and efficiency of such systems is much lower than systems using liquid pumped by a pump. Another problem is the need for good tightness of the structure. Since the gas phase of the substance is used here, even with the slightest leak, over time the system will lose pressure and become inoperable. Moreover, diagnosing and correcting the latter will be very difficult.

Perspective of fluid in a computer

If just a couple of years ago, in the understanding of the average user, the combination of water and a computer was perceived as something completely exotic and incompatible in principle in nature, today the situation is radically changing. Liquid cooling has attracted attention, first of all, from manufacturers of components and computers. And users receive structurally complete and quite familiar-looking products in their hands, be it laptops or video cards, in the insides of which liquid is splashing. The ever-increasing heat output of modern processors is pushing developers to the idea that soon air alone will not be enough to curb the heating temperature of their crystals, especially for those who like to experiment with overclocking. And what decent motherboard today does not contain these same overclocking tools, which are enriched from model to model? This is just a market - to lure a buyer at any cost. And if the design of a mass product includes overclocking capabilities, and someone likes this game, and, let’s say, many, then how to maintain the excitement? potential buyers without effective and, as it seems, non-standard cooling? Now brands are already demonstrating water cooling systems on their charged models, presenting this action with special chic.
There is a revival in the market. There are more and more different kits for installing liquid cooling in a regular computer. Constructive approaches have been defined, and prices no longer look so scary. And yet, this product is aimed at enthusiasts for now. Installing it will require some metalworking skills, somewhat comparable to repairing a bicycle at home. And the main thing is desire. The inertia of PC case manufacturers is also reflected, the majority of which have rather mediocre capabilities for installing additional equipment, primarily large-diameter front and rear fans required for liquid radiators. But all this can be solved quite simply, and everyone can assemble and test the liquid cooling system in practice. Such experience may come in handy. Who knows what awaits us ahead in the processor frequency race? Will the crystals of future CPUs turn out to be so hot that liquid will become a completely reasonable alternative for cooling, as happened with the internal combustion engines of cars? Wait and see…

A water cooling system for a computer can most effectively eliminate the problem of excessive heating of the central processor.

Such a device does not have a strictly defined structure. It can vary and consist of different structures at once.

The essence of a liquid cooling system

In all cases, a computer's liquid cooling system consists of a combination of the following types of circuits:

Scheme with parallel connection nodes that are cooled (parallel operation scheme). The advantages of such a structure: simple implementation of the circuit, easily calculated characteristics of the nodes that need to be cooled;

Sequential block diagram - all cooled components are connected to each other in parallel. The advantages of this scheme are that the cooling of each of the nodes is more efficient.
Disadvantage: it is quite difficult to direct a sufficient amount of refrigerant to a specific unit;

Combined schemes. They are more complex, as they contain several elements with both parallel and serial connections.

Components

In order for the CPU to cool quickly and efficiently, each cooler must have the following elements:

Heat exchanger– this element heats up, absorbing the heat of the central processor. Before using again, wait until the heat exchanger has completely cooled down;
Water pump– liquid storage tank;
Multiple pipelines;
Adapters between units and pipelines;
Expansion tank– designed to provide the necessary space for the heat exchanger expanding during the heating process;
Coolant filling the system– an element that fills the entire structure with liquid: distilled water or a specialized liquid for water treatment;
Water blocks– heat sinks for those elements that generate heat.

Note! The liquid cooling system is low noise compared to fans. Some noise is still present, since its coefficient cannot be zero.

The best water cooling systems for a computer

The main purpose of PC cooling systems is to ensure uninterrupted and stable operation of the computer itself and create normal conditions for its user, which implies a minimum of noise during operation.

These devices remove heat from elements such as the processor and power supply, preventing them from overheating and subsequent failure.

There are 2 options for the cooling system - passive and active. The second type, in turn, is divided into air, suitable for ordinary PCs, and water, which is required for systems with very powerful or overclocked processors.

Liquid cooling is characterized by its small size, low noise level and high heat dissipation efficiency, which makes it very popular.

To select such a system, you should consider some nuances, including:

Price;
Compatible with processors or video cards;
Cooling parameters.

Below is a list of the most popular water cooling systems from the popular online catalog Yandex Market.

List of popular water cooling systems from market.yandex.ru/catalog/55321.

The original-looking DeepCool Captain 240 is equipped with two branded black and red fans with notches on the blades. Each impeller is capable of rotating at speeds of up to 2200 rpm, creating noise of no more than 39 dB.

At the same time, the system has a splitter that allows you to install 2 more fans. The service life, which is guaranteed by the manufacturer, is about 120 thousand hours.

The system weight, suitable for both AMD and Intel processors, is 1,183 kg.

The approximate cost of the device is from 5,500 rubles.

Relatively new system Cooling video cards Liquid Freezer 240, which went on sale at the end of last year, can be called universal, since it is suitable for most modern processors, creating a noise level of no more than 30 dB during operation.

The rotation speed of the blades of each of the 4 fans is up to 1350 rpm, the system weight is 1.224 kg. The main advantage is a reduction in processor temperature by 40–50 degrees, and the only disadvantage is its bulky size.

Buying such a gadget will cost 6,000 rubles.

The efficient cooling system of the entire Nepton 140XL system unit is distinguished by the increased size of the radiator and hoses, as well as the serial rather than parallel arrangement of two fans.

Featuring a 140mm JetFlo fan, large fluid contact area and high quality processing the latter it cools enough powerful processors, including even those that have been overclocked to increase performance.

At the same time, the operational life of the device, compatible with processors such as Intel (S775, S1150, S1356, S2011) and AMD (AM2, AM3, FM2), reaches 160 thousand hours. The maximum rotation speed of the blades is 2000 rpm, the weight is 1.323 kg, and the noise during operation does not exceed 39 dB.

You can purchase such a system online for a price starting from 6,200 rubles.

The Maelstrom 240T system, designed for Intel 1150–1156, S1356/1366 and S2011 processors, as well as AMD FM2, AM2 and AM3, is distinguished by blue fan lighting, which allows not only cooling the computer, but also modding it.

The service life of the device is within 120 thousand hours, weight is 1100 g, and the generated noise level is up to 34 dB.

You can buy the device on the Internet for 4400–4800 rubles.

The Corsair H100i GTX system, a universal and fairly simple-to-design system, has been used to cool most of the products produced over the past few years. AMD processors and Intel.

The weight of the assembled equipment is 900 g, the noise level is about 38 dB, and the fan rotation force is up to 2435 rpm.

The average cost of a card online is about 10 thousand rubles.

Features of using the system Cooler Master Seidon 120V is the ability to install it both inside and outside the housing. At the same time, fans rotating at speeds of up to 2400 rpm operate very quietly - with a noise level of up to 27 dB.

Device compatibility – modern Intel processors and AMD (up to LGA1150 and Socket AM3, respectively). The system weighs only 958 g and is capable of operating for 160 thousand hours.

Purchase is possible at a price of 3,600 rubles.

DIY cooling system

The processor cooling system can be purchased ready-made. However, due to the rather high cost of the device and the not always sufficient efficiency of the proposed models, it is possible to do it yourself and at home.

The resulting system will not be as attractive in appearance, but quite effective in operation.

To make your own system, you should do the following:

Waterblock;
Radiator;
Pump.

It is unlikely that it will be possible to replicate the design of most commercially produced air defense systems. However, if you understand a little about computers and thermodynamics, you can try to make something similar, if not in appearance, then at least in principle of operation.

Making a water block

The main part of the system, which accounts for the maximum heat generated by the processor, is the most difficult to manufacture.

To begin with, the material of the device is selected - usually sheet copper. Then you should decide on the dimensions - as a rule, a 7x7 cm block with a thickness of about 5 mm is sufficient for cooling.

The geometric shape of the device is taken such that the liquid inside washes all elements of the cooled structure as efficiently as possible.

You can choose, for example, a copper plate as the base of the water block, and the working structure can be made from thin-walled copper tubes. The number of tubes in the example is assumed to be 32 pcs.

Assembly is carried out using solder and an electric furnace heated to a temperature of 200 degrees. After this, they begin to manufacture the next part - the radiator.

Radiator

Most often, this device is chosen ready-made, rather than made at home. You can find and purchase such a radiator either at a computer store or at a car dealership.

However, it is possible to independently create the necessary CBO element from the following items:

4 copper tubes with a diameter of 0.3 cm and a length of 17 cm;
18 meters of copper winding wire (d = 1.2 mm);
Any sheet metal about 4 mm thick.

The tubes are processed with solder, a mandrel 4–5 cm wide and up to 20 cm long is made from metal. Holes are drilled into it, where the wire is inserted. Now the wire is wound around the winding.

The process is repeated three times, obtaining the same number of identical spirals.

The assembly of spirals and tubes begins by first making the frame. Then a wire is pulled over it. The final stage is the connection of the frame with the input and output manifolds of the system. The result is a part that looks like this:

Pump and other parts

A similar device intended for aquariums can be used as a pump. A device with a capacity of 300–400 l/min will be sufficient.

It is equipped with an expansion tank (tightly closing plastic container) and a PVC hose with feed-through pipes made from scrap metal (copper) pipes.

Assembly

Before assembling and installing the system, you must remove the factory device installed on the processor. Now you need:

Secure the water block on top of the cooled part using a clamping bar;
Fill the system with distilled water;
Attach the radiator to the inner surface of the computer cover (opposite the holes). If there are no ventilation holes, you should make them yourself.

The final step should be to first attach the fan to the processor (on top of the water block). Finally, it is necessary to provide power to the pump by installing its operating relay inside the power supply.

The result is a hand-made water cooling system that quite effectively reduces the processor temperature by 25–35 degrees. At the same time, funds are saved that could have been spent on purchasing expensive equipment.

Thematic videos:

How to Install a Water Cooling System on a Corsair H100i CPU

Water cooling system for computer - Detailed Description

DIY water cooling system

You can assemble a water cooling system for your computer with your own hands. Water cooling - SVO will help you assemble a silent and stable system for any purpose. Be it gaming computer or worker.

Water cooling of a computer can reduce the temperature of the processor and graphics card by about 10 degrees, which increases their durability. In addition, by reducing heat, the system is subject to less stress. This also allows you to relieve the fan, significantly reducing its speed, and thus obtain a virtually silent system.

Integrating water cooling is quite simple. We will tell you how to do this in our step by step guide. The article describes the installation of water cooling using an example ready set Innovatek Premium XXD and Tower Silverstone TJ06 cases. Installation of other systems is carried out in a similar way.

Water cooling installation

To successfully install a cooling system, you will need tools. We chose an extremely convenient swiss knife Victorinox Cyber Tool Nr. 34. In addition to the knife itself, it includes pliers, scissors, a small and medium Phillips screwdriver, and a set of attachments. In addition, prepare wrenches 13 and 16. They will be needed to tighten the connections.

During the cooling cycle, the radiator ensures stabilization of the water temperature, usually at around 40° C. The heat exchanger is assisted by one or two 12 cm fans, which rotate quite quietly, but at the same time ensure that heat is transferred from the inside to the outside. When installing the fan, make sure that the arrow on the fan frame points towards the radiator, and also that the power wires converge towards the middle.

It's time to screw the corner tube connectors to the radiator. For reliability, tighten the union nuts with a 16mm wrench. Tighten firmly, but not all the way. After this, the radiator is mounted to the case. A single radiator (that is, with only one fan) can be installed below the front panel, in the place where the normal air supply is provided. In some types of cases, the space behind the processor may also be suitable for this.

Our double dual radiator requires a little more space, so we place it on the side wall. We recommend that only experienced craftsmen make the necessary sockets and holes themselves. If you do not consider yourself one of those, it is best to use a specially designed case for a specific type of cooling. Innovatek offers cooling systems complete with the housing - even in the assembled state if desired. For our project we chose the Silverstone TJ06 model with an Innovatek prepared sidewall.

Figure A: Place the side wall in front of you on your desktop with the narrow parts of the fan holes facing you. After this, place the radiator on the holes with the fans facing up. The corner connections of the hoses should be directed in the direction that will later be connected to the front panel of the housing. Now turn the side wall along with the radiator and connect the holes made on the body with the threads on the radiator.

Figure B: For added beauty, place two black plugs on top of the fan sockets and secure them with the eight included black Torx screws.

The standard fan is powered by 12 V. At the same time, it reaches the specified rotation speed and, thus, the maximum volume. In a water cooling system, part of the heat is absorbed by the radiator cooler, so 12-
Voltage power supply for a couple of our fans is probably not needed. In most cases, 5-7 V is enough - this will make the system almost silent. To do this, connect the power connectors of both fans and connect to the included adapter, which will later be connected to the power supply.

Now we will talk about the graphics card, the main source of noise in most computers. We will equip the ATI All-in-Wonder X800XL for PCI Express with water cooling. The cooling system is installed in a similar way on other models of video adapters.

Two more notes before you begin assembly. First: upgrading the graphics card will void the warranty, so before installation, check that all functions of the device are working. And second: when a person walks on the carpet, he is charged static electricity and discharges upon contact with metal (for example, a door handle).

If you run out of power on the graphics card, under certain circumstances it may die for a long time. Since you, like most non-professional assemblers, are unlikely to have an antistatic mat, place the video adapter only on antistatic packaging and periodically discharge it by touching the radiator.

Figure A: In order to disconnect the fan from the X800 series model we have chosen, you need to unscrew six screws. The two small screws holding the tension spring optimize the cooling block's pressure on the GPU, while the other four carry the full weight of the cooler. Even after all six screws are removed, the cooler will still be fairly firmly attached with the heat-conducting paste. Disconnect the cooler by smoothly turning it clockwise and counterclockwise.

Figure B: After you remove the old cooling system, remove any remaining thermal paste from the GPU and other chips. If the paste doesn't come off, you can use a little nail polish remover. Naturally, the water cooling system also needs heat-conducting paste, so you need to apply a new one. The basic rule here is: less is more! A small drop distributed in a thin layer over the surface of each part is quite enough.

In fact, thermal conductive paste is a fairly mediocre heat conductor. It is designed to fill microscopic surface irregularities, since air conducts heat even worse. You can use an old business card as a miniature spatula to apply the paste.

Figure C: After applying the paste, place the new cooler on your work surface with the connecting tubes on top and align the holes on the graphics board with the threads on the cooling block. The tension spring is replaced with a square plastic plate. To protect surrounding contacts, stick between printed circuit board and a plate, more precisely, directly to the 3D processor, a foam pad.

The new cooler is held in place by three supporting screws. Tighten them first, and, as when replacing a car wheel, do not tighten the screws completely at first, and then tighten them one by one. This will help avoid distortions. After this, tighten the screws on the plastic plate in the same way.

The largest amount of heat is often generated by the central processor. Therefore, the cooling system, protecting it from overheating, is quite noisy. Replacing an air cooler with a water cooler is quite simple. First, carefully remove the air cooler from the processor. It is also necessary to overcome the resistance of the thermal paste with soft rotational movements left and right, otherwise the processor may jump out of the socket. After this, remove all old thermal paste.

Then unscrew the existing socket frame and replace it with a suitable frame for this type of processor from the water cooling kit. Before installing the cooler, apply a thin layer of thermal paste to the processor. Finally, secure the mounting brackets on both sides of the socket frame and flip the clamp.

Pump - very important detail system, so it must be placed on a pedestal - in the truest sense of the word. To do this, screw four rubber feet into the aluminum board. Rubber is used here to isolate the vibrations of the pump. Place the pump on these legs and secure it with the four washers and nuts provided. Tighten the nuts with small pliers.

Now it is necessary to equip the pump and compensation tank with connecting pipes. Tighten the connection with a size 13 wrench to secure the connection. Finally, connect the compensation tank to the rounded side of the pump. The pump is attached from the inside to the front panel of the housing using adhesive tape so that the compensation tank “looks” outward (see Fig. 11).

After completing the installation of all components inside the housing, you need to connect them with hoses. To do this, place the open case opposite you and place the side wall with the radiator in front of it. The hose should go from the compensation tank to the graphics card, from there to the processor, from the processor to the radiator, and the circle ends with a connection between the radiator and the pump.

Measure the required length of the hose to be installed and cut it straight. Unscrew the union nut on the connection and bring it to the end of the hose being put on. After the hose is pushed onto the connection up to the thread, secure it with a union nut. Tighten the nut with a 16mm wrench. Your system should now look as shown in Figure 11.

9. Preparing the pump for filling with water

As shown in our picture, connect the pump to the HDD power connector. At this point, nothing else should be connected to the power supply. Now we are preparing the pump for filling with water. Other components cannot be connected without water in the cooling system, otherwise they risk instant overheating.

Since power supplies do not work without connection to the motherboard, you must use the included jumper. The black wire is used to “deceive” the power supply motherboard. Thus, after turning on the toggle switch, the pump will start working. If you don’t have a jumper at hand, short-circuit the green and adjacent black wires of the power supply (pins 17 and 18).

Fill the compensation container with liquid to the bottom edge of the thread and wait until the pump pumps out the water. Continue the filling procedure until the system stops bubbling.

Check the connections for tightness. If a drop forms on any of them, it most likely means that the union nut is not tightened properly. If the system is filled with a sufficient amount of water, but bubbling continues, the following trick will help: take the side wall of the case with the radiator with both hands and shake it as if it were a frying pan over which you want to distribute hot oil. If after 15 minutes of operation all connections remain dry and there are no extraneous sounds, close the compensation container.

Now you can remove the jumper from the power supply and begin connecting the computer components. Installing a side wall with a radiator will require some skill. The gaps here are very small, and even a slightly incorrectly installed hose connection can interfere. In this case, you just need to turn the connection in the desired direction. Also, when closing the housing, pay special attention to the hoses so that none of them are kinked or pinched.

If you bought a powerful new computer, then it will consume quite a lot of electricity and also make loud noise, which is a very unpleasant and very significant drawback. Quite bulky system units(for air circulation), with large coolers, in this case is not the best option, so today we will tell you about alternative– water cooling for a computer (specifically about its types, features and, of course, advantages).

Why is it necessary? water cooling?!
As we have already said, conventional computer fans create a lot of noise, and in addition, even despite their high power, they are not able to rationally remove heat generated by computer components from the system unit, which in itself increases the risk of failure of any kind. element from overheating.

Under these conditions, manufacturers turned their attention to liquid cooling systems for computer parts. A check of many such systems generally shows that a liquid computer cooling system has a right to exist due to a number of indicators that distinguish it favorably from an air system.

Advantages and operating principles of water cooling

Water cooling does not require a large volume of the system unit in order to ensure better air circulation in the system unit itself. Among other things, it makes much less noise, which, by the way, is also an important factor for people who, for one reason or another, spend a lot of time at the computer. Any air system, even the highest quality, with all its advantages, during its operation continuously creates an air flow that circulates throughout the entire system unit, in any case increases the noise in the room, and for many users a low noise level is important, since The constant hum is very annoying and annoying. Software independently regulates the pressure of fluid flow in the system, depending on the intensity of heat generation from the processor and other computer components. That is, the system can automatically increase or decrease the heat dissipation efficiency, which provides continuous and accurate temperature control, like any individual element(be it a processor, video card or hard drive), and throughout the entire space of the system unit. Thus, the use of liquid cooling also eliminates the drawback of any air system, when computer parts are cooled primarily by air from the system unit, which is continuously heated by the same parts and does not have time to be removed outside the unit in a timely manner. With liquid such problems are excluded. Such a system is able to cope with its tasks much more efficiently than any air cooling.

Also, in addition to the high noise level, air cooling of a computer leads to a large accumulation of dust: both on the cooler fans themselves and on other components. In turn, this has a very negative impact both on the air in the room (when a stream of air containing dust comes out of the system unit), and on the performance of all components on which all the dust settles.

Types of water cooling by cooling location

Of greatest importance in any such system is CPU heatsink. Compared to traditional coolers, a processor radiator with two tubes connected to it (one for the liquid inlet, the other for the outlet) looks very compact. This is especially pleasing, because the cooling efficiency of such a radiator is clearly superior to any cooler.

Graphics chips of video cards They are cooled in the same way as processors (in parallel with them), only the radiators for them are smaller.

Liquid cooling is no less efficient hard drive. For this purpose, very thin water radiators have been developed, which are attached to the upper plane hard drive and thanks to the largest possible contact area, they provide good heat dissipation, which is impossible with conventional airflow.

The reliability of the entire water system depends most of all on the pump (pumping pump): stopping the circulation of liquid will instantly cause a drop in cooling efficiency to almost zero.

Liquid cooling systems are divided into two types: those with a pump, and those without it - pumpless systems.

Type 1: liquid cooling systems with pump
There are two types of pumps: those that have their own sealed housing, and those that are simply immersed in a reservoir of coolant. Those that have their own sealed housing are certainly more expensive, but also much more reliable than those immersed in liquid. All liquid used in the system is cooled in a heat exchanger radiator, to which a low-speed cooler is attached, creating an air flow that cools the liquid flowing in the curved radiator tubes. The cooler never develops a high rotation speed and therefore the noise from the entire system is much less than from powerful coolers used in air cooling.

Type 2: pumpless systems
As the name implies, they do not have any mechanical supercharger (i.e. pump). The circulation of the liquid is carried out using the evaporator principle, which creates a directed pressure that moves the coolant. A liquid (with a low boiling point) continuously turns into steam when heated to a certain temperature, and steam turns into a liquid when it enters the radiator of the condenser-heat exchanger. Only the heat generated by the cooled element causes the liquid to move. The advantages of these systems include: compactness, simplicity and low cost, since there is no pump; minimum moving mechanical parts – ensures low noise levels and a low likelihood of mechanical breakdowns. Now about the disadvantages of this type of computer water cooling. The efficiency and power of such systems is significantly lower than that of pump-action systems; the gas phase of the substance is used, which means that high tightness of the structure is needed, because any leak will lead to the system immediately losing pressure and, as a result, becoming inoperable. Moreover, it will be very difficult to notice and correct this.

Is it worth installing water cooling on your computer?

The advantages of this type of liquid cooling are: high efficiency, small size of computer chip radiators, the possibility of parallel cooling of several devices at once and low noise level - in any case, lower than the noise from a powerful cooler of any air system. Actually, all this explains that laptop manufacturers were among the first to use liquid cooling. Their only drawback, perhaps, is the difficulty of installation in system units that were originally designed for air systems. This, of course, does not make installing such a system on your computer impossible, it will just be associated with certain difficulties.

It is likely that after some time in computer technology There will be a transition from air cooling systems to liquid systems, because apart from the difficulties in installing such structures on today’s system unit cases, they do not have any other fundamental disadvantages, and their advantages over air cooling are very, very significant. With the advent of suitable cases for system units on the market, the popularity of these systems is likely to grow steadily.

Thus, the site’s experts have nothing against these cooling systems, but on the contrary, they advise giving preference to them if circumstances require it. Only when choosing this or that system you don’t need to save money so as not to get into trouble. Cheap water cooling systems have poor cooling quality and a fairly high noise level, which is why, when deciding to install water cooling, expect a fairly high amount of waste.

In this article we will look at what a water cooling system is, what it consists of and how it works, we will touch on such popular issues as assembling a water cooling system and servicing a water cooling system, their operating principle, components, etc.

What is a water cooling system

A water cooling system is a cooling system that uses water as a coolant to transfer heat. Unlike air cooling systems, which transfer heat directly to the air, a water cooling system transfers heat to water first.

Operating principle of water cooling system

IN water cooling system computer, the heat generated by the processor (or other heat-producing element, such as a graphics chip) is transferred to the water through a special heat exchanger called water block. The water heated in this way is, in turn, transferred to the next heat exchanger - a radiator, in which heat from the water is transferred to the air and leaves the computer. The movement of water in the system is carried out using a special pump, which is most often called a pump.

Superiority water cooling systems above air is explained by the fact that water has a higher heat capacity than air (4.183 kJ kg -1 K -1 for water versus 1.005 kJ kg -1 K -1 for air) and thermal conductivity (0.6 W /(m·K) for water versus 0.024-0.031 W/(m·K) for air), which ensures faster and more efficient heat removal from the cooled elements and, accordingly, lower temperatures on them. Respectively, other things being equal, water cooling will always be more effective than air.

Efficiency and reliability of systems water cooling proven by time and use in a large number of different mechanisms and devices that require powerful and reliable cooling, for example, internal combustion engines, powerful lasers, radio tubes, factory machines and even nuclear power plants.

Why does a computer need water cooling?

Due to its high efficiency, using water cooling system You can achieve both more powerful cooling, which will have a positive effect on overclocking and system stability, and lower noise levels from the computer. If desired, you can also collect water cooling system, which will allow an overclocked computer to operate with minimal noise. For this reason water cooling systems primarily relevant for users of particularly powerful computers, lovers of powerful overclocking, as well as people who want to make their computer quieter, but at the same time do not want to compromise with its power.

Quite often you can see gamers with three and four chip video subsystems (3-Way SLI, Quad SLI, CrossFire X) who complain about high temperatures operation (more than 90 degrees) and constant overheating of video cards, which at the same time create a very high level of noise with their cooling systems. Sometimes it seems that cooling systems Modern video cards are designed without taking into account the possibility of using them in multi-chip configurations, which leads to disastrous consequences when video cards are installed close to one another - they simply have nowhere to get cold air for normal cooling. Alternative air cooling systems do not help either, because only a few models available on the market provide compatibility with multi-chip configurations. In such a situation, it is water cooling that can solve the problem - radically lower temperatures, improve stability and increase operational reliability powerful computer.

Water cooling system components

Computer water cooling systems consist of a certain set of components, which can be divided into mandatory and optional, which are installed in the cooling system at will.

To the required components water cooling systems computers include:

water block (at least one in the system, but more is possible)
radiator
pump
hoses
fitting

Although this list and is not exhaustive; optional components include the following:

tank
temperature sensors
pump and fan controllers
drain taps
indicators and meters (flow, pressure, flow, temperature)
secondary water blocks (for power transistors, memory modules, hard drives, etc.)
water additives and ready-made water mixtures
backplates
filters

First, we will look at the required components, without which water cooling system it simply cannot work.

Water block(from the English waterblock) is a special heat exchanger with the help of which heat from a heating element (processor, video chip or other element) is transferred to water. Usually, the design water block consists of a copper base, as well as a metal or plastic cover and a set of fasteners that allow you to secure the water block to the cooled element. Water blocks exist for all heat-producing elements of a computer, even for those that do not really need them, i.e. for elements, installation water blocks which will not lead to any significant improvements in performance other than the temperature of the element itself.

Highly efficient processor water block Watercool HeatKiller 3.0CU

To the main types water blocks We can safely include processor water blocks, water blocks for video cards, as well as water blocks for the system chip (north bridge). In turn, water blocks for video cards also come in two types:

Water blocks that cover only the graphics chip - so-called “gpu only” water blocks
Water blocks that cover all heating elements of the video card (graphics chip, video memory, voltage regulators, etc.) - so-called fullcover water blocks

Although the first water blocks were usually made of fairly thick copper (1 - 1.5 cm), in accordance with modern trends in water block construction, for more efficient work They try to make the bases of water blocks thin so that heat can be transferred faster from the processor to the water. Also, to increase the heat transfer surface, modern water blocks usually use a microchannel or microneedle structure. In cases where performance is not so critical and there is no struggle for every degree gained, for example on a system chip, water blocks are made without a sophisticated internal structure, sometimes with simple channels or even a flat bottom.

Despite the fact that water blocks themselves are not very complex components, in order to reveal in detail all the points and nuances associated with them, we need a separate article dedicated to them, which we will write and try to publish in the near future.

Radiator. A radiator in water cooling systems is a water-air heat exchanger that transfers the heat of water collected in the water block to the air. Radiators for water cooling systems are divided into two subtypes:

Passive, i.e. fanless
Active, i.e. blown by fans

Fanless (passive) radiators for water cooling systems are relatively rare (for example, the radiator in the Zalman Reserator water cooling system) due to the fact that, in addition to the obvious advantages (no noise from fans), this type of radiator is characterized by lower efficiency (compared to active radiators), which is typical for all passive cooling systems. In addition to low performance, radiators of this type usually take up a lot of space and rarely fit even in modified cases.

Fan-driven (active) radiators are more common in computer water cooling systems as they are much more efficient. At the same time, in the case of using quiet or silent fans, it is possible to achieve, respectively, quiet or silent operation of the cooling system - the main advantage of passive radiators. Radiators of this type come in a variety of sizes, but the size of most popular radiator models is a multiple of the size of a 120 mm or 140 mm fan, that is, a radiator for three 120 mm fans will be approximately 360 mm long and 120 mm wide - for simplicity, Radiators of this size are usually called triple or 360 mm.

Pump- this is an electric pump responsible for circulating water in the circuit of the computer’s water cooling system, without which the water cooling system simply would not work. Pumps used in water cooling systems can be either 220 volt or 12 volt. Previously, when it was rare to find specialized components for air conditioning systems on sale, enthusiasts mainly used aquarium pumps that operated on 220 volts, which created certain difficulties since the pump had to be turned on synchronously with the computer - for this, most often, they used a relay that turned on the pump automatically when the computer started. With the development of water cooling systems, specialized pumps began to appear, for example Laing DDC, which had compact sizes and high performance, while being powered by standard computer 12 volts.

Since modern water blocks have a fairly high coefficient of hydraulic resistance, which is the price to pay for high performance, it is recommended to use specialized powerful pumps with them, since with an aquarium pump (even a powerful one), a modern water cooler will not fully reveal its performance. It’s also not worth it to particularly chase power, using 2 - 3 pumps installed in series in one circuit or using a circulation pump from a home heating system, since this will not lead to an increase in the performance of the system as a whole, because it is, first of all, limited by the maximum heat dissipation radiator capacity and water block efficiency.

As with some other components of the SVO, it will be problematic to describe all the nuances and features of the pumps used in the SVO, as well as list all the recommendations for choosing a pump in this article, so in the future we plan to do this in a separate article.

Hoses or tubes, no matter what they are called, are also one of the mandatory components of any water cooling system, because it is through them that water flows from one component of the cooling system to another. Most often, hoses made of PVC are used in a computer water cooling system, less often made of silicone. Despite popular misconceptions, the size of the hose does not have a strong impact on the performance of the air cooler as a whole, the main thing is not to use hoses that are too thin (inner diameter less than 8 millimeters) and everything will be OK

Fitting- these are special connecting elements that allow you to connect hoses to the components of the water supply system (water blocks, radiator, pump). The fittings are screwed into the threaded hole on the SVO component; there is no need to screw them in tightly (no wrenches) since the connection is most often sealed using a rubber O-ring. Current trends in the market of components for water supply systems are such that the vast majority of components are supplied without fittings included. This is done so that the user has the opportunity to independently select the fittings needed specifically for his water cooling system, because there are fittings different types and for different hose sizes. The most popular types of fittings can be considered compression fittings (fittings with a union nut) and herringbone fittings (fittings). The fittings come in both straight and angled (which are often rotary) and are installed depending on how you are going to place the water cooling system in your computer. Fittings also differ in the type of thread; most often, in computer water cooling systems, threads of the G1/4″ standard are found, but in rare cases, threads of the G1/8″ or G3/8″ standards are also found.

Water is also a mandatory component of the CBO. To refill water cooling systems, it is best to use distilled water, that is, water purified from all impurities by distillation. Sometimes on Western websites you can find references to deionized water - it has no significant differences from distilled water, except that it is produced in a different way. Sometimes, instead of water, specially prepared mixtures or water with various additives are used - there are no significant differences in this, so we will consider these options in the section on optional components of water cooling systems. In any case, it is highly not recommended to use tap water or mineral/bottled water for drinking.

Optional components for water cooling systems

Optional components are components without which the water cooling system can operate stably and without problems; usually, they do not affect the performance of the cooling system in any way, although in some cases they can reduce it slightly. The main meaning of optional components is to make the operation of a water cooling system more convenient, although there are components with other meanings, the main meaning of which is to give the user a feeling of safety in operating the water cooling system (although the water cooling system can work perfectly and safely without these components), cool everything and everyone with water (even what does not need cooling) or make the system more pretentious and beautiful looking. So, let's move on to consider the optional components:

Tank(expansion tank) is not a mandatory component of the water cooling system, although most water cooling systems are equipped with them. Quite often, for convenient filling of the system with liquid, a tee fitting (T-Line) and a filler neck are used instead of a reservoir. The advantage of tankless systems is that if the tank is installed in a compact housing, it can be placed more conveniently. The advantage of reservoir systems is that it is easier to refill the system (although this depends on the reservoir) and more convenient to remove air bubbles from the system. The volume of water held by the reservoir is not critical, as it affects the performance of the water cooling system. Reservoirs come in a variety of sizes and shapes, and they must be selected according to the criteria of ease of installation and appearance.

Drain tap is a component that allows you to more conveniently drain water from the cooling water circuit. In the normal state it is closed, but when it becomes necessary to drain water from the system, it is opened. A fairly simple component that can greatly improve the ease of use, or rather maintenance, of a water cooling system.

Sensors, indicators and meters. Since enthusiasts usually love all sorts of bells and whistles, manufacturers simply could not stand aside and released quite a lot of different controllers, meters and sensors for water cooling systems, although a water cooling system can work quite calmly (and at the same time reliably) without them. Among such components there are electronic sensors for pressure and flow of water, water temperature, controllers that adjust the operation of fans to the temperature, mechanical indicators of water movement, pump controllers, and so on. However, in our opinion, for example, it makes sense to install pressure and water flow sensors only in systems intended for testing components of the water supply system, since this information makes little sense for regular user just not there. There is also no particular point in installing several temperature sensors in different places of the water heating system circuit, hoping to see a large temperature difference, since water has a very high heat capacity, that is, when it heats up literally one degree, the water “absorbs” large number heat, while in the CWO circuit it moves at a fairly high speed, which leads to the fact that the water temperature in different places of the CWO circuit at one time differs quite slightly, so you will not see impressive values. And don’t forget that most computer temperature sensors have an error of ±1 degree.

Filter. In some water cooling systems you can find a filter connected to the circuit. Its task is to filter out a variety of small particles that have entered the system - this could be dust that was in the hoses, solder residue in the radiator, sediment resulting from the use of a dye or anti-corrosion additive.

Water additives and ready-made mixtures. In addition to water, various water additives can be used in the cooling system circuit, some of them protect against corrosion, others prevent the development of bacteria in the system, and others allow you to tint the water in the cooling water system the color you want. There are also ready-made mixtures that contain water as the main component with anti-corrosion additives and dye. There are also ready-made mixtures that contain additives that increase the performance of the water treatment system, although the increase in performance from them is insignificant. On sale you can also find liquids for water cooling systems made not on the basis of water, but on the basis of a special dielectric liquid that does not conduct electric current and, accordingly, will not cause a short circuit if it leaks onto PC components. Ordinary distilled water, in principle, also does not conduct current, but if spilled on dusty PC components, it can become electrically conductive. There is no particular point in a dielectric liquid since a normally assembled and tested water cooling system does not leak and is quite reliable. It is also worth noting that anti-corrosion additives sometimes precipitate fine dust during their work, and coloring additives can slightly stain hoses and acrylic in the components of the SVO, but, in our experience, you should not pay attention to this, since it is not critical. The main thing is to follow the instructions for the additives and not to pour them in excess, as this can lead to more disastrous consequences. Whether to use simply distilled water, water with additives, or a ready-made mixture in the system does not make much difference, but best option depends on what you need.

Backplate- this is a special mounting plate that helps relieve the PCB of the motherboard or video card from the force created by the water block fasteners, respectively, reducing the bending of the PCB and the chance of ruining expensive hardware. Although the backplate is not a mandatory component, it can be found quite often in water block systems; some models of water blocks come equipped with a backplate, while for others it is available as an optional accessory.

Secondary water blocks. In addition to cooling important and very hot components with water, some enthusiasts install additional water blocks on components that either heat up slightly or do not require powerful active cooling, such components include: power transistors, power supply circuits, RAM, south bridge and hard drives. The optionality of these components in a water cooling system lies in the fact that even if you install water cooling on these components, you will not get any additional system stability, improved overclocking or other noticeable results - this is primarily due to low heat generation of these elements, as well as the ineffectiveness of water blocks for these components. Of the clear advantages of installing data with a water block, we can only highlight appearance, and the disadvantages are an increase in hydraulic resistance in the water supply circuit, an increase in the cost of the entire system (and a significant one) and, usually, low upgradeability of these water blocks.

In addition to the mandatory and optional components for water cooling systems, one can also distinguish a category of so-called hybrid components. Sometimes, on sale you can find components that are two or more CBO components connected into one device. Among such devices are: hybrids of a pump and a processor water block, radiators for your own with a built-in pump and reservoir, pumps combined with a reservoir are very common. The point of such components is to reduce the space taken up and make installation more convenient. The disadvantage of such components is usually their limited suitability for upgrades.

There is a separate category for homemade components for water cooling systems. Initially, since about 2000, all components for water cooling systems were made or modified by enthusiasts with their own hands, because specialized components for water cooling systems were simply not produced at that time. Therefore, if a person wanted to establish an SVO for himself, then he had to do everything with his own hands. After the relative popularization of water cooling for computers, a large number of companies began to produce components for them, and now you can buy both a ready-made water cooling system and all the necessary components for it without any problems. self-assembly. So, in principle, we can say that now there is no need to independently manufacture SVO components in order to install water cooling on your computer. The only reasons why some enthusiasts are now engaged in self-manufacturing of SVO components are the desire to save money or to try their hand at manufacturing such components. However, the desire to save money is not always possible to realize, because in addition to the cost of work and components of the manufactured part, there is also a time cost that is usually not taken into account by people who want to save money, but the reality is that time for self-production you will have to spend a lot and the result will not be guaranteed. And the performance and reliability of home-made components is often far from being at the highest level, since to produce serial-level components you need to have very straight (golden) hands. If you decide to make, for example, a water block yourself, then take these facts into account.

External or internal SVO

Among other features, water cooling systems are divided into external and internal. External water cooling systems are usually made in the form of a separate “box”, i.e. module, which is connected using hoses to water blocks installed on components in your PC case. The case of an external water cooling system almost always contains a radiator with fans, a pump, a reservoir and, sometimes, a power supply for the pump with temperature and/or fluid flow sensors. External systems include, for example, Zalman water cooling systems of the Reserator family. Systems installed as a separate module are convenient because the user does not need to modify the case of his computer, but they are very inconvenient if you plan to move your computer even minimal distances, for example, to the next room.

Internal water cooling systems, ideally, are located entirely inside the PC case, but due to the fact that not all computer cases are well suited for installing a water cooling system, some components of the internal water cooling system (most often a radiator) can often be seen installed on the outer surface of the housing. The advantages of internal SVOs include the fact that they are very convenient when carrying a computer since they will not interfere with you and will not require draining the liquid during transportation. Another advantage of internal water cooling systems is that when the water cooling system is installed internally, the appearance of the case does not suffer in any way, and when modding a computer, the water cooling system can serve as an excellent decoration for the case.

The disadvantages of internal water cooling systems include the relative complexity of their installation, compared to external ones, as well as the need to modify the housing to install a water cooling system in many cases. Another negative point is that the internal SVO will add a couple of kilograms of weight to your body.

Ready-made systems or self-assembly

Water cooling systems, among other features, are also divided according to assembly and configuration options into:

Ready-made systems in which all SVO components are purchased in one set, with installation instructions
Homemade systems that are assembled independently from individual components

Typically, many enthusiasts believe that all “systems out of the box” show low performance, but this is far from the case - water cooling kits from such well-known brands as Swiftech, Danger Dan, Koolance and Alphacool demonstrate quite decent performance and it’s certainly not possible to talk about them to say that they are weak, and these companies are reputable manufacturers of high-performance components for water cooling systems.

Among the advantages ready-made systems You can note the convenience - you immediately buy everything you need to install water cooling in one kit, and assembly instructions are included. In addition, manufacturers of ready-made water cooling systems usually try to provide for all possible situations so that the user, for example, does not have problems with installing and fastening components. The disadvantages of such systems include the fact that they are not flexible in terms of configuration; for example, the manufacturer has several options for ready-made water cooling systems and you usually do not have the opportunity to change their configuration in order to select components that best suit you.

By purchasing water cooling components separately, you can choose exactly those components that you think will best suit you. In addition, by purchasing a system from individual components, you can sometimes save money, but here everything depends on you. Among the disadvantages of this approach, we can highlight some difficulty in assembling such systems for beginners; for example, we have seen cases where people who did not understand the topic well did not buy all the necessary components and/or components that were incompatible with each other and got into trouble (they realized that something that’s not the case here) only when they sat down to assemble the SVO.

Pros and cons of water cooling systems

The main advantages of water cooling of computers include: the ability to build a quiet and powerful PC, expanded overclocking capabilities, improved stability during overclocking, excellent appearance and long service life. Thanks to the high efficiency of water cooling, it is possible to assemble such a cooling system that would allow the operation of a very powerful overclocked gaming computer with several video cards at a relatively low noise level, unattainable for air cooling systems. Again, due to their high efficiency, water cooling systems allow you to achieve higher levels of processor or video card overclocking that are unattainable with air cooling. Water cooling systems are often great looking and look great in a modified (or not so modified) computer.

The disadvantages of water cooling systems are usually: complexity of assembly, high cost and unreliability. Our opinion is that these disadvantages have little basis in real facts and are very controversial and relative. For example, the complexity of assembling a water cooling system definitely cannot be called high - assembling a water cooling system is not much more difficult than assembling a computer, and in general, the times when all components had to be modified without fail or all the components had to be made with your own hands are long gone and at the moment in the field of SVO, almost everything is standardized and commercially available. The reliability of properly assembled computer water cooling systems is also beyond doubt, just as the reliability is beyond doubt automotive system cooling or heating system of a private house - when correct assembly and there should be no operational problems. Of course, no one is insured against defects or accidents, but the likelihood of such events exists not only when using SVO, but also with the most common video cards, hard drives and other components. Cost, in our opinion, should also not be singled out as a minus, since such a “minus” can then be safely attributed to all high-performance equipment. And each user has his own understanding of whether something is expensive or cheap. I would like to talk separately about the cost of SVO.

Cost of water cooling system

Cost, as a factor, is probably the most frequently mentioned “minus” that is attributed to all PC water cooling systems. At the same time, everyone forgets that the cost of a water cooling system greatly depends on what components it is assembled on: you can assemble a water cooling system so that the overall cost is cheaper without sacrificing performance, or you can choose components at the maximum price. At the same time, the final cost of SVOs that are similar in efficiency will differ significantly.

The cost of a water cooling system also depends on what computer it will be installed on, because the more powerful the computer, the more expensive the cooling system will be, in principle, since a powerful computer and cooling system need a more powerful one. In our opinion, the cost of the water cooling system is quite justified compared to other components, because the water cooling system is, in fact, a separate component, and, in our opinion, mandatory for truly powerful PCs. Another factor that must be taken into account when assessing the cost of the SVO is its durability since, correctly selected, the components of the SVO can serve for more than one year in a row, surviving numerous upgrades of the rest of the hardware - not many PC components can boast of such durability (except perhaps the case or , taken in excess, BP), accordingly, spending a relatively large amount on SVO is smoothly distributed over time and does not look wasteful.

If you really want to install an SVO for yourself, but you are strained with finances and there are no plans for improvement in the near future, then no one has canceled homemade components.

Water cooling in modding

In addition to being highly efficient, PC water cooling systems look great, which explains the popularity of using water cooling systems in many modding projects. Thanks to the ability to use colored or fluorescent hoses and/or liquids, the ability to illuminate water blocks with LEDs, and select components that will suit your color scheme and style, a water cooling system can perfectly fit into almost any modding project, and/or make it the main feature of your project modding. Using SVO in a modding project, when correct installation, allows you to improve the visibility of some components, usually hidden by large air coolers, for example, the motherboard, fancy memory modules, and so on.

Conclusions about water cooling

We hope that you enjoyed our article on water cooling and that it allowed you to understand all aspects of the functioning of water cooling systems. In the future, we plan to publish several more articles about individual parts of the water cooling system, about the assembly and maintenance of water cooling systems and other related topics. In addition, we will also produce tests and reviews of water cooling components so that our readers have best opportunity understand all the variety of components available on the market and make the right choice.