Cold Plates with Water Blocks....Why?

[MEfreak]

I've sees some online vendors pushing cold plates to be used with water blocks (not for peltiers). Can anyone think of a good reason why? Shouldn't any well designed water block have a cold plate already (the base)? Just trying to get some other opinions on this one.

[Mac42]

I could maybe see a nice chunk of silver stuck to the bottom of an aluminuim block helping a little, but that would raise the price to about what a copper waterblock would be... and just a copper waterblock would conduct better than that. The main problem with doing something like that is that you lose thermal efficiency between the coldplate and the waterblock. I really don't see how adding a coldplate to a waterblock would do anything but increase your temps (not by much though). Maybe the site(s) just have a little leftover inventory and are trying to clear out the overhang.


-=mac=-

[Tim-]

With a Peltier absolutely, but with just a water block I can't see any advantage. Just one more thermal junction, which would decrease the efficiency.

[MEfreak]

Thanks for confirming what I thought.

[Killian]

I have a homemade aluminium waterblock, Not the most efficient in the world but it worked ok. I added a 1923 silver dollar($14.25) as a heat spreader so i have more surface area for the water to pass over it seems to have improved my efficiecey alot. I dont have any temp sensors but before the silver dollar i could only run prime95 for about an hour, then my chip would overheat and my system would reboot. Now i have no problems at all i can run prime 95 for days and the chip never overheats.
just my expierience.

Killian

[Crispy]

I think that they package/sell coldplates with Waterblock's because then that's one less thing you'd have to get for a Peltier setup, And THe places I've seen do that always have Peltiers. So I think it's just a way to get you to spend alittle more.