Is there such thing as too much GPH?

blackjackel · Mar 9, 2004

Ive been looking around for waterpumps, i have a via aqua 1300 and i love it very much, but i am getting a fairly flow restrictive block, a dtek whitewater, so i fear its close to retriement time for my ol trusty via...

Dont worry folks, its going to a good home. A friend of mine is starting off watercooling and is gona take it off my hands for 18bux.

Anyways, IF i decide to replace the pump, i want something BEEFAY!!! yeah, so far as ive looked the mag3 is not that much of a jump from the via aqua in beefiness..

So i am looking to make a huge jump in beefiness, maybe 450+gph and way more head. But i dont want to spend over 60bux.

Is there really such a thing as too much GPH?

Lets assume there is, and that is the point that your hoses start to fly off and squirt water everywhere.... at what gph would that happen?

whats the highest gph pump anyone is running right now on a watercooled comp?

blackjackel · Mar 9, 2004

Right now im considering:

Mag 5

or

Mag 7

My loop consists of cpu waterblock, bay reservoir, chevette heatcore. It stands about 3 feet tall and the pump sits at the bottom.

the price difference between mag5 and 7 is only 5bux. but the mag7 seems like overkill, contemplating on if i should get it anyways

johan851 · Mar 9, 2004

There really isn't such a thing as too much GPH. In fact, you shouldn't really be looking at GPH as much as max head hight - that's what plays a larger role in these systems.

There IS such a thing as too much pump, however, because larger pumps dump more heat into the system. The extra flowrate needs to be able to balance out the extra pump heat, and I think after the Mag3 you start to lose that balance. The Mag5 has no head height over the Mag3, and the Mag7 puts way too much heat into the water to be effective.

Biznatch · Mar 9, 2004

I think you'll be fine with a mag 3. I have 3 blocks and like 6 or 7 feet of tubing and a chevette heater core and my mag 3 pumps through it just fine. And it has very good flow through the system.

ILikeMy240sx · Mar 9, 2004

Both Mag5 and Mag7 is unnecessary because Mag 5 and Mag3 have the same head pressure (as mentioned) just a bit more flowrate. If you compare the performance of those two they won't be much different from one another...

Mag3 will do more than enough for your setup.

Korndog · Mar 9, 2004

i agree with everyone, mag5/7 put out too much heat. mag3 is very strong, i'm even finding leaks now that my old via aqua or maxijet didn't have enough psi to make it leak.
as for too much gph.. not really too much for your tubing. Tubing with a 1/8" wall tends to hold up to 30/40psi which could mean a lot of GPH, but your heatercore, on the other hand, might pop or start leaking with too much psi afterall, its just welded together.
I believe most blocks are tested up to 40-60psi.. wouldn't worry about them either.

blackjackel · Mar 9, 2004

Well, i WAS considering getting the mag 3, but i found something interesting, turns out i was more right than i thought when i said the mag3 isnt really a big jump at all, look at this:

My setup is about 2 1/2 to 3 feet tall maximum

If you look at the graph, the mag3 and the via aqua perform exactly the same at about 2 feet.

at 3 feet the GPH difference between the mag3 and the via aqua is only about 20gph. So getting a mag3 wouldnt help me at all...

Looks like my quest for finding a beefy pump w/reasonable price continues!

AngryAlpaca · Mar 9, 2004

Raw GPH does very little for a system. There is no such thing as too much flow, but, more flow comes with more heat. Heat always has the same effect, but flow has vastly diminishing returns. In the levels of resistance we have, the Mag 3 SHOULD outperform the Mag 5. (The Mag 3's flow actually overtakes the Mag 5's between 6 and 8' resistance.

Cathar · Mar 9, 2004

blackjackel said:
Well, i WAS considering getting the mag 3, but i found something interesting, turns out i was more right than i thought when i said the mag3 isnt really a big jump at all, look at this:

My setup is about 2 1/2 to 3 feet tall maximum

If you look at the graph, the mag3 and the via aqua perform exactly the same at about 2 feet.

at 3 feet the GPH difference between the mag3 and the via aqua is only about 20gph. So getting a mag3 wouldnt help me at all...

Looks like my quest for finding a beefy pump w/reasonable price continues!

Uh, you misunderstood what that graph is telling you.

The height of your system in unimportant as the water going down offsets the water going up. In a closed loop system (where the water isn't free-falling through air) the pressure head of the system has nothing to do with how high it is.

The pressure of the system is linked to how restrictive your blocks, hosing, and other bits and pieces are, and how much flow you're trying to force through it. That pressure resistance is measured in terms of height of water, but it has nothing at all to do with how high your system is (unless you're pumping water for a water-fall).

Your system's pressure resistance will be much higher than 2-3' for a decent amount of flow, and the Mag 3 will be a better pump to use. There's a lot more of an explanation to this, but it's been explained dozens of times in various threads so I won't repeat it here and instead request that you use "Search".

blackjackel · Mar 9, 2004

Interesting, i will go on a search quest later today.....

But i must say, the mag3 has a max head of 10 while the via aqua has a max head of 6. I think you are absolutely correct in that the mag3 would be a better pump, its just that i'm saying that it wont make THAT much of a difference.

I dont think ill see a temp change of like 5+ degrees, which is what i am aiming for, but then again i am a noob when it comes to flowrates and pressure ratings etc... which is why i am asking

and if your the cathar that i think you are, you are a legend!! U are like the closest thing that would come to a celebrity in the OC World! rock on!

Korndog · Mar 9, 2004

when i switched to a mag 3 i got 2c better temps.. but then again i have 3 blocks add they are all damn restrictive, probably pump 1gpm or something :-/

so i like it.. was able to lower my voltage to .2v @ max overclock as well (NB getting cooler?) after the upgrade. i'm happy, and my abused cpu is happy, what more could an overclocker want?

SysCrusher · Mar 9, 2004

blackjackel said:
But i must say, the mag3 has a max head of 10 while the via aqua has a max head of 6. I think you are absolutely correct in that the mag3 would be a better pump, its just that i'm saying that it wont make THAT much of a difference.

I dont think ill see a temp change of like 5+ degrees, which is what i am aiming for, but then again i am a noob when it comes to flowrates and pressure ratings etc... which is why i am asking

With a block like the white water you could see a difference. A block that's more free flowing I doubt you will, unless your under a total flow of 1gpm. through the whole system.

Generally a pump with a higher head will have a better flow rate through a restriction than a pump with a lower head.

AngryAlpaca · Mar 9, 2004

Well, NO pump will get you 5C better than a VA1300. I'm pretty sure that it's impossible. You would need MUCH higher flow, but, like I said, higher flow means higher heat, enough energy to move enough water, at least, which will probably be substantial. Thus, you MAY get your thermal resistance block-side lowered a lot, but your water will now be much warmer. Thus, higher temperatures.

JoT · Mar 9, 2004

There is also such a thing as too much PSI. The blocks may be able to take 40PSI, but the rest of your system can't, the radiator in particular. Cathar told me in a previous thread about high-powered pumps that 15PSI should be the highest you should ever run your system at, else you could have problems with your radiator or other parts.

Joe Camel · Mar 10, 2004

15 psi is about = to 35 feet of head. your talken BIG pump b4 we have a problem.

http://www.simplexdirect.com/FuelSupply/mainten03.html

JoT · Mar 10, 2004

Yeah, I was talking about some gigantic pumps

Big_Baller · Mar 11, 2004

So a closed system with a whitewater, a northbridge block, and a video card block is a little much for a via aqua?

johan851 · Mar 11, 2004

Yeah, it probably is. I mean, the Via should still push water though it, but you'd get much better results with a Mag 3 considering how restrictive that system is.

VAdept · Mar 15, 2004

So using a Danner Mag 18 would prob be a bad idea for me? Im building this system to cool 4 computers. Has 3 radiators, and will prob have about 8 water-blocks to pass through total. If you want details check out: http://www.nexusnetwork.us/Cooling/design.htm

Its the design for my water-cooler.

MoreGooder · Mar 15, 2004

VAdept said:
So using a Danner Mag 18 would prob be a bad idea for me? Im building this system to cool 4 computers. Has 3 radiators, and will prob have about 8 water-blocks to pass through total. If you want details check out: http://www.nexusnetwork.us/Cooling/design.htm

Its the design for my water-cooler.

What do you plan to cool with that thing? A Cray super computer?

Honestly, it looks like it would be fun to build, but way overkill to cool one PC.

However, it would probably look killer!

Is there such thing as too much GPH?

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