Much like performance tweaking a PC, or tuning a car, the secret to good performance is to systematically reduce bottlenecks. It does not matter how good one component is, if it is held back by another component of lower specification. This is why you need to pay equal attention to each and every part of the cooling system.

The Pump

The pump circulates water around the system, constantly exchanging the warm water with cold. The volume of water circulating through the block and radiator is crucial, as it is this movement that carries the heat with it, just as a high-speed fan does a better job of taking heat away from a conventional heat sink.

Many suitable pumps for water cooling are sold as pond pumps, and are readily available in many different powers and prices. Your first consideration when buying should be to choose an inline pump. This means that it has hose fixings on both the input and the output, and does not require you to submerge the entire thing in a reservoir of water. Reservoirs are a bad idea. They do not help cooling and are at risk of being spilt.

Pumps are sold with two specifications. These are the flow rate, and the head. The flow rate refers to the amount of water it can pump when there is nothing restricting the flow. The head is measured in metres or inches, and is the height of vertical pipe that the pump can push water up. The head is the most important figure, as it represents the pumps ability to over come the resistance of the Waterblock and radiator. Look for at least 150 gallons per hour flow rate, and a 1.5 metre head.

Most pumps are mains voltage, and come without a plug on the end. If you know what you are doing, you can splice the leads into the power supply, so it uses the same power cord. Otherwise, put a plug on the end, and plug it into separate socket. There is no reason not to leave the pump plugged in and switched on all the time, because if you mount the pump correctly, it will only make a very low, barely audible rumbling noise.

The Waterblock

Waterblocks all follow variations on a very simple design. They are a block of copper or aluminium, with a couple of hose fixings on. Water enters the block, and flows around inside in a pattern designed to maximise the amount of water flowing over hot metal. The picture shows the inside of a Dangerden Maze 2, which is one of the simplest designs on the market. As you can see, the channels are cut to maximise the area that water flows over, without creating too many restrictions to the flow.

There are an ever increasing number of waterblocks available, and there is usually little to choose between them in terms of price or performance. Build quality and ease of installation vary greatly from product to product. Some blocks will be held down by the six socket lugs, and others will use the four holes in the motherboard. The lug hold downs are much quicker and easier to fit, and recommended for first timers. Waterblocks cost from £40 to £60. I recommend you avoid the cheapest blocks, as they will either have low performance, or be badly made and hard to fit. A good quality block is only a few pounds more, and well worth it.
The Aquacomputer Cuplex Evo shown is a good example of a well built easy to fit waterblock.

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