ok guys im thinking about going water cooled. i have a few questions about rads for a antec 1040 case. as to whare would be the best placement for it and what size to use. also i was thinking about dd maze 4 blocks.

this is to be used when i rebuild my comp with a new barton chip and mb.

thanx

Rads should have fans that blow outside the case like up or out the front , but I reccemend that the Rad is place on the Rear of the case inside witht the fans blowing outward. The Res is best kept in a place far from your board like the bottom front of your case. or rear. and the pump near it. Try to make a circle with your system. Good luck I'm not fully sure about My advise but its a start.

The generally exepted postion of a Radiator is in the back of the case...and depending on the size of the case and/or radiator...It can be insdside or ouside of the Case.

I own a Black Ice minin radiator...which is an 80MM fan rad...so it is preety easy for me to fit it inside.....but with my lianli mid tower it would be hard to fit a 120mm radiator inside the case....probably nearly inpossible.

I suggest that you browse the galleries here at pimprig and see for yourself what people have done as far as radiator placement, and then come back with more specific questions

NIkon-

Best location for cpu cooling is probably low in the front of the case pulling air in. If you remove the lower drive cage you'll have plenty of room for a BIX or a heater core there. Mounting low also makes it easy to have a res or air trap as the highest point in the system.

Any place you mount it if the air is pulled in rather than out it will always cool the cpu better. Case temps will increase though.

Check my image gallery for a good example.

Um sorry AntiM but I havto say that it is wildy aggreed that its a bad idea to have the rad acting as an intake!
its just pumping hot air into your Case!
Im almost 100% sure putiwg would agree with me there.......

Putwig does agree with you. Many others do not. It's hardly widely agreed on.

http://www.procooling.com/articles/h..._tricks_fo.php

http://www.procooling.com/articles/h...an_-_page2.php

Pulling air in doesn't produce any more heat than running a standard air cooler would. My system temps never go over 28. Pretty much the same as it was when I had it set to exhaust. Yet I gain at least 2 degrees cooler CPU temps pulling air in as opposed to out. As long as you have adequate ventilation, there is no problem pulling cool air in rather than exhausting it out.

Well i agree . Hot air should be blown out the front, rear, or top.

i was thinking of using the black ice micro2 in the stock fan location on the back of the case either inside or outside because i need my lower drive cages

Outside would definitely cool better. I don't think it would fit inside in that spot.

I'm still new at watercooling too but I've picked up a few things in my pre-research

1.) Hot air rises so don't put it at top of case....also your radiator might get air stuck in it if it is highest point.

2.) Since the water only gets heated by less than a degree in most cases, it really won't increase case temps very much by having the air blown into the case. Plus, if you had fans in the front b4 mounting u can just put them on the rear, make a blowhole, etc...and achieve a nice airflow through ur case.

3.) Put it as low as possible and in a place with a large volume of air. (A bedroom as oppsed to just the closet of a bedroom....common sense stuff...)

4.) Put it in a place where there aren't objects in the way to obstruct airflow......like laying it face-down on the ground.....more common sense stuff.

I would say the best area is outside ur case but that doesn't look very neat and its a pain in the ass to move if you go to lan parties and whatnot. I also have an Antec case and sincec a have a huge heater core from a 71 Caprice I had to mod the side of my case. I have the rad laid down on its side, half-in and half-out of the side. Looks rather ugly...but im all about performance and practicality over cutsy looks.

My 2 cents...

Well guys,

It is a contentious debate.

First, let me point out once again that I think either configuration is far inferior to ducting.

Ducting solves the problem, period. It also is uncommonly done, and therefore somewhat unusual. It can still fit within most cases, and can look really pimp.

If you don't want to duct, the debate rages on.

If CPU temps alone are your goal, AntiM is absolutely correct. Rad fan as intake is superior to rad fan as exhaust. The problem is that heat is placed back into the case.

Most of us have very well ventilated cases and this is unlikely to be an issue.

From a purist standpoint, I still maintain that heat removed from a system is far better than heat within a system.

However, if AntiM can drop CPU temps 2-3 degrees while only increasing case temps by 1 degree ....... it is pretty tough to argue with that logic.

I would certainly be willing to try that approach on my next build. Oh wait, nevermind, I will be ducting!



A similar debate continues over whether GPU and northbridge blocks should preceed the CPU block, or follow the CPU block.

I think that these topics continue to be controversial because they do not have answers.

Everyone has a different set-up in a different case, with (arguably) different objectives.

All the individaual can do is use the method that makes the most sense to them, and will fit best in their case with their components.

If you are the displeased with anything, you learn from it, and fix it next time.

Anon,
That's why I go 100% external. Ease of maintainence,Out of warm's way(pun intented) and that leaves the only potential leak-spots at the 2 x 1/2"fittings at the jet itself.

I agree with Putwiig on everyone has their own objectives. I need lower cpu and gpu temps. I have my radiator on the outside of my case with 2 hose cits to the back of my case to feed the hoses through it. Plus the radiator is so D@mn big it really would'nt feet to easily in my case anyways. I did not have a fan on the Rad at first but you will find that tepms do go down some once the fan is in place with a shroud.