Why don't more people build external WC units?

So it seems to me that the vast majority of people build radiators into their cases that either pull ambient air, warm it up and then inject that nice warm air into their case, alternatively they draw warm air out of their case to run over the radiator...ok, so I am not a physicist or engineer but neither of these scenarios seem very efficient.

Now I will be the first to admit I do not know as much as most of you guys about water cooling...so the thought is...Why don't more people put their radiators in external project boxes a few feet away from the system?

B/c most ppl like having "a computer," not having "a computer an an external box connected by water hoses that increase the risk of leaking due to movement of one or the other boxes"?

Also, it looks way more tidy.

I agree with the op, if you are watercooling for higher performance, an external radiator is desirable.
My first water cooler was built using a car heatercore into a cardboard box with a single 120mm fan.
The cardboard box created enough distance between the fan and the heatercore to remove turbulence which made it extremely efficient.
2 pipes lead out from the back of the PC case but as it didnt need to be portable, it didnt matter at all.
You can mount the radiator to the back of the PC case without much issue if portability matters but as always, water is heavy, so watercooling isnt the best idea for machines that need to be moved regularly, anyway.

If I was going to WC my system, I'd definitely want to go with external. Big issue with me is toddler and/or cat + neat colored water + external tank would be a recipe for extreme disaster.

Originally Posted by Down8

B/c most ppl like having "a computer," not having "a computer an an external box connected by water hoses that increase the risk of leaking due to movement of one or the other boxes"?

Also, it looks way more tidy.

Pretty much.

In a fully water cooled setup it doesn't really matter if the air in the case is warmer as long as the radiator gets cool air.

I wanted to, but it is a lot easier to have the whole system in one box. Where the heck would I put the external box anyway? Plus I work the shit out of my loop 24/7 and it maintains temps in the low 30's and I am happy with that.

I certainly did not mean to imply that to build the radiators into a case was wrong...just possibly less efficient...I am curious and may make my next build to include an external project box...has anybody ever checked temp data on wc components with external vs internal wc...or case temp? Unless you are watercooling all components on the Mobo and the memory I would think case temp does count..maybe not for much...does anybody think an external radiator would have a sig impact on mobo or mem oc or component life compared to an internal radiator?

Originally Posted by Nenu

I agree with the op, if you are watercooling for higher performance, an external radiator is desirable.
My first water cooler was built using a car heatercore into a cardboard box with a single 120mm fan.
The cardboard box created enough distance between the fan and the heatercore to remove turbulence which made it extremely efficient.
2 pipes lead out from the back of the PC case but as it didnt need to be portable, it didnt matter at all.
You can mount the radiator to the back of the PC case without much issue if portability matters but as always, water is heavy, so watercooling isnt the best idea for machines that need to be moved regularly, anyway.

I had a similar setup on my first build except I had two heatercores. Water temps were always very near ambient.

My next project will have rads under the house so I will have below ambient. Some people do think out side the box (sorry had to say it).

looks, portability and stability...

external boxes increase chance of leakage

An external box is a PITA, i don't think they make premade boxes yet and having to build one from scratch is not very appealing to the general public.

From first have knowledge and experience, I'll always go with an external setup.

Not because of the benefits to prevent warmer temps in the computer case, but rather the investment of the hardware and the PITA cramming it in there.

An external WCing setup makes life easier to manage and with quick disconnects makes things a snap to work with.

The other thing is LEAKS. Why oh why after spending big bucks on hardware would someone cramp all of this WCing stuff into a computer that is very delicate to LEAKS. It's very smart to have an external unit with only the least lines in and out.

Originally Posted by bmaverick

From first have knowledge and experience, I'll always go with an external setup.

Not because of the benefits to prevent warmer temps in the computer case, but rather the investment of the hardware and the PITA cramming it in there.

An external WCing setup makes life easier to manage and with quick disconnects makes things a snap to work with.

The other thing is LEAKS. Why oh why after spending big bucks on hardware would someone cramp all of this WCing stuff into a computer that is very delicate to LEAKS. It's very smart to have an external unit with only the least lines in and out.

++1

Mines on the outside...





It looks cooler on the outside, and as mentioned before there's less water in your case so less chance of leaks

I will say it. Unless you carry the damn thing around with you or have toddler issues (been there - mine are grown - but somehow they still manage to destroy more computer stuff than they ever did when they where children) and take note of the leading condition;

From a pure system thermal performance view, it is wrong to build rads into the machines boxes.

Flame on !!!

Originally Posted by King Icewind

Mines on the outside...
It looks cooler on the outside, and as mentioned before there's less water in your case so less chance of leaks

Sorry Sir, but that looks really awfull imo , but looks will always be a a matter of discussion ?

If you did buy a cabinet like LianLi PC-V2000 or Tagan Black Pearl WCR you could easily accomodate both those radiators in the lower compartment.
I have a Monsta radiator (w. 6x140 mm fans), a 1x120 Magicool radiator, Koolance 1700W Liquid Cooled PSU and two pumps in that compartment.
I have also made place for a external radiator at the back of the cabinet - a extra 120mm for the psu - but haven't needed it yet - and I hope I don't need it either.
My GFX radiator is placed in the upper compartment - fastened on the inside of the cabinetdoor.

I have had watercooled setups so long time back that I had to make my own blocks - there weren't really any that did produce waterblocks at that time - and have had a serious leakage once because of cracked plexi.
But then again I always test (and flush) my setup with a Oceanrunner Or6500 (6500 liters/hour - 3.8 meter head ) before I start using it.

OR6500 with a Eheim 1048 alongside :

Originally Posted by BillParrish

I will say it. Unless you carry the damn thing around with you or have toddler issues (been there - mine are grown - but somehow they still manage to destroy more computer stuff than they ever did when they where children) and take note of the leading condition;

From a pure system thermal performance view, it is wrong to build rads into the machines boxes.

Flame on !!!

My SATA cables, DVD drive, and 2 SSD's don't give a rats ass if the case is 5, 10, or even 15 degrees hotter because I decided to have internal radiators instead of some ugly looking external solution. If you're going to watercool might as well cool all the components that matter then you don't need to worry about it.

Flame on !!!

LOL that didnt take long.

Originally Posted by Main

Sorry Sir, but that looks really awfull imo , but looks will always be a a matter of discussion ?

If you did buy a cabinet like LianLi PC-V2000 or Tagan Black Pearl WCR

Lol...the Lian Li PC-V2000? Sorry but that looks really awful imo



Lets see some pics of your rig. Since you seem to think mine looks so bad

Originally Posted by King Icewind

Lol...the Lian Li PC-V2000? Sorry but that looks really awful imo

Lets see some pics of your rig. Since you seem to think mine looks so bad

Well thats my taste - if you like those Antec "thingys" - fine

Tagan A+ Black Pearl PC Case ; http://www.thinkcomputers.org/index....reviews&id=622 = same as I got - but mine is heavily modified, will post pictures when I am finished with the last mods ( ~ 6 - 10 days since I am awaiting some parts too).



One of the best cabinets for watercooling setups imo

Hey King, while sitting here watching the gernades getting tossed back and forth I though of something.

Perforated metal (mesh sheetmetal like your front grill bay covers). If you found some with holes and spacing that matched your front grills, it would be pretty easy to cut a length the correct width (distance between the side case cover and the top of the rad) and with 4 nice rounded bends, bend material over a 1/2 inch pipe maybe, some black spray paint, etc. It would not be difficult to make a "skirt" that fit between the side panel and rads and attached with the bolts holding your rads to the brackets and I see extra holes in the brackets nearer the case that could also be used. Would be finickly to get the corner bends just right (have to take the bend radius into account with measurements - not sure how to do that) but a good worktable some clamps, pipe, lenght of 2x4 and rubber mallet , measure 3 times bend once kinda thing and I bet it would lool pretty good. To "close" the skirting "box" just overlap a bit of the material in the back where it is not easily seen and line up a few holes (or drill as needed) and put small screws with nuts. (maybe go Lowes specialty hardware drawers and replace all screws/blots with visible heads with the xexy black hex head cap screws )

http://www.smallparts.com/s/16414241...rowse=16414561

well too small from that site but you get the idea. Check local yellow pages for sheetmetal and metal suppliers.

Just a thought dont reply here, I am off topic <------- bad