Frequently Asked Questions

[NaeKuh]

Re-thinking this, and thought it might be worth a try. Maybe it will help a few people. Off the top of my head, I came up with the following questions:

1) What is the best water block for the CPU ?

2) What is the best water block for the GPU(s) ?

3) How much radiator do I need?

4) What is the best radiator?

5) Which fans should I use?

4) Does loop order matter?

5) What pump should I use?

6) What reservoir is best?

7) Should I use compression fittings?

8) Which coolant should I use?

11) What tubing should I use?

12) Do I need a drain?

13) How do I leak test?

14) What is a good case for internal water cooling components?

15) Is it necessary to speak like a Pirate to build an awesome water cooled rig?


Oops ... answering all of these questions will be about as much fun as writing a new guide. Obviously, this will be intended for the person new to water cooling, and there won't be absolute answers to all of the questions.

Any thoughts? Additional FAQs you can think of?

1. impossible to list as it gets kicked off the throne every 3-6 months..
2. Also impossible because GPU blocks are more aimed at image then cooling potential.
3. You can never have too much radiator.
4. This has is only answerable with your tollerance to noise.. Lower the FPI the better its meant for slower fans.. however GTX is king with san aces.
5. WHAT??? i cant hear you over my san aces...
4. Shazza you lost the ability to count?? lololol... Loop order is Moot.. so no it doesn't matter, unless your watercooling the sun. (this has more to do with flow... and how much heat you have inline... just try to keep a loop below 350W for every 1gpm flow.)
5. Another question on how well your hearing is...
6. Another best question that can only be answered by personal taste.
7. EWWW i hate compressions...
8. Unless you want your internals dyed brighter then a intel blue man... go straight distilled.
11. Woah... number jump... Newbies should start with cheap tubing, so they can have more to play with with less cost... while experienced vets, shouldnt be looking at this thread.
12. A drain is very nice to have.. makes your life a lot easier, along with Quick Disconnects.
13. Do not leak test the same way a vet would... We are crazy to go live after bleeding.. but we know what were doing...
14. Oh gowd... lets lose the dogs of war.. on one side we have the ever immortal TJ07, on the other.. its a borg CUBE!
15. Only if your name is Luffy and your looking for One Piece.

[Gimmpy224]

a sticky like this would make it quite a bit easier. im a good example, I just recently decided to get back into WC after being out of it for 4 years.

I came back with no knowledge of any current blocks and rads (I am glad that the PA is still tops), but when I decided to jump back into it I went and raped the sticky. After reading it I noticed half of it hasnt changed since Maxxracer was taking care of it 0,o.

It would be nice to have just for the few people that know to check a sticky before asking the same question 100 other people did.

[Aphellyon]

An FAQ will help a very small percentage of ppl. Unfortunately, we will still be bombarded by the same group of questions. . .always will. I touched on the reason in another topic, laziness and impatience. Besides, the stickies we have now, despite appearing out dated, are still mostly relevant, there are a few things that could be revised but the basic principals and explanations are still solid.

Sorry to be the wet dish rag here folks but I just see this as reinventing the wheel, so to speak.

I understand your point, however I believe well worded and informative stickies will and do help a greater percentage of people than you might think. There are likely plenty of guests, lurkers and normal posters around that rarely feel the need to post repetitive questions due to the quality of various threads here. If true, this could obviously cause a kind of sampling effect or selection bias that would make a small percentage of lazy/impatient individuals appear to represent the norm simply because the less lazy and patient are well informed and so remain silent. I feel in many forums, this causes some core posters to burn out and embrace cynicism. Yes, there will always be the mentally lazy wanting knowledge handed to them on a silver plater without benefit from wisdom or due diligence. But that ins't a good reason to ignore the rest. If Shazza wants to volunteer her time and help "improve" the wheel, as it were, why not support her? End the end, it will only serve to further improve the forum.

@Shazza: Since much of this seems to be for the benefit of Noobs and novices, I think a "Why do we wc?" or "What should I expect from wc'n?" type question would be helpful... perhaps as an intro.

Also, perhaps something addressing the basic principles behind wc'n... such as heat transfer, (blocks, loop, rads, fans, etc.), deltas, flow, restriction, what have you.

Also also, a "What should I avoid?" type FAQ to cover all the common sense stuff... kits, clamps (not using), dyes, mixed metals, etc...

JMHO

[eternal_fantasy]

Rest of world
Petras- somewhere in south cali
Sidewindercomputers - Franklyn, In
Koolertech - Brady, Texas
Jab-tech - Harrison township, MI
FrozenCPU - East Rochester NY
Performance-Pcs -
Swiftech - Lakewood, Ca

Its funny how your "Rest of world" consists of the rest of America..

[gmat]

Should add some common misconceptions and common bad ideas, like
"i'll reduce flow so water *goes slower* and picks up more heat / dissipates more heat" (depending on which we're talking about, waterblock or radiator),
"why not use <insert random fluid> instead of water ?" (not the question Shazza posted, but more about those who thing having a liquid sodium loop at home is a neat idea),
"why dont you just put your PC in your fridge ?", (i hear that one all the time)
"why do you mix water with electronics, what if it leaks ?" (that one too)
"If using barbs, do i really need hose clamps ?" (could be joined with question 7)