Order of flow

The water should flow from the pump output, straight into the radiator, and then on to the CPU block, then back to the pump. This is because the pump heats the water up a small amount, and the CPU block needs the coldest water possible to cool the processor effectively.

What goes up, must come down

The pump is a device for creating pressure. It pushes at the water inside it, which in turn pushes on the water in the hose, which pushes on the water inside the radiator, and so on until it pushes at the water in the inlet side of the pump, and then the water begins to move round. Because the system is sealed, the only force being exerted on the water is the force exerted by the pump. Gravity has no effect, because what is lost by pumping the water uphill, is gained again as it flows back down. This means you are free to put your components as high or low as you like, with no adverse effects on performance.

Radiator Installation

The radiator needs to be fed with the coldest air possible, and the warm exhaust air should ideally go straight out of the case. The best way to do this is to mount the radiator sideways, and use a ducted fan on each side. Air comes in and out through cut outs in the case sides. This way the air used to cool the radiator is totally separate from the rest of the case, and you will not have problems with the case temperature affecting the radiators performance.

If you have a full tower, make use of the empty space above the power supply. You can easily fit a twin fan radiator, which will perform very well when equipped with two fans on each side. If you have a mid tower, then the best place is at the front of the case, as I have done with this example system. This may require a little more modding, depending on the size of the case and the radiator.

Always use a duct to space the fan away from the radiator a little. This eliminates the dead spot in airflow caused by the fan motor blocking the fins. You can make a perfectly good duct with some cardboard.

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