loop order

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King_Weaver

Gawd
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Nov 26, 2006
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Ok so im doing a pc rebuild/watercooling project and the parts are just starting to trickle in... my question is what is the best order to put the following items in for the watercooling loop. pump/resevoir combo, radiator, northbridge chipset block, cpu block (on a q6600).
 
No difference. Put everything where it's easiest to mount and hook it all up with the shortest amount of tubing.
 
The only thing you need to make sure is to put the reservoir before the pump so it is constantly fed by water.
 
waterlogged said:
No difference. Put everything where it's easiest to mount and hook it all up with the shortest amount of tubing.
Click to expand...

agreed.


as mentioned, put the res just before the pump inlet so you can drain the res to fill the loop up without causing any bubbles.
 
waterlogged said:
Doesn't make any difference after the system is working.
Click to expand...
Well, putting the reservoir before the pump makes filling a loop a whole lot easier than, say, after. And sticking a reservoir in the middle of a loop will actually reduce the flow a noticeable amount. Not so much in already low-flow loops, but there's really not much point in putting in the middle if it's at all possible (even at the expense of a longer tubing run) to put it right before the pump.
 
ikellensbro said:
Well, putting the reservoir before the pump makes filling a loop a whole lot easier than, say, after. And sticking a reservoir in the middle of a loop will actually reduce the flow a noticeable amount. Not so much in already low-flow loops, but there's really not much point in putting in the middle if it's at all possible (even at the expense of a longer tubing run) to put it right before the pump.
Click to expand...

Another reason is to reduce the risks of damaging the pump by introducting air in it. Putting a reservoir before it ensure you trap air before it enter the pump.
 
aye res should be right before pump and ideally at the same height or above the pump to eliminate any chance of running the pump "dry".

In theory the water coming out of the rad will be cooler than the water going in (or else you would not be dissipating any heat from the loop) but in practice that delta is so small as to be within the error of any devices used to measure it if your loop is designed with sufficient cooling capacity. Careful attention to component placement for ease of cleaning rad fins and short or no sharp bends with nice easy tubing routing is probably the most beneficial thing as mentioned by the others above. I like to leave just a little extra in the tubing bends to my cpu waterblock so I can dismount it and move it slightly out of the way in case I want to futz around with the mounting or replace the cpu easily.
 
despite the little difference in what loop order you choose, i will add that waterblocks that use impingement (e.g. TDX waterblock) work best when they get hit with the most pressure, hence my loop order:

pump --> cpu block --> gpu block --> radiator --> reservoir --> pump

since impingement waterblocks use turbulence in the coolant to draw away heat, you want it to get the most pressure, and the most pressure comes right after the pump...

for any other water block, i heard that the waterblocks should come after the radiator, since the water is at its coolest when exiting the rad...

hope this helps...
 
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