How thick should the base of a waterblock be?

[Owenator]

First let me clarify that by 'waterblock base' I mean the bottom side of the waterblock that will actually set on the CPU core.

I read that if the bottom af a water block is thinner that it can lower cpu temps? My current waterblock has a 1/8" (2/16") thick base should it be thicker? I just made a new water block an it's base is maybe 1/16" thick but I havent finished so I could modify it for a thicker base (attache a 1/8" plate to get 3/16"

O

[The Overclocker]

mabey you should think about on die cooling (no bottem)

[Owenator]

Originally posted by the overclocker
mabey you should think about on die cooling (no bottem)

Not a bad idea considering how I have crushed three Durons with water blocks! I now have a screw spring setup like swiftec uses that should be me-proof~

If I get a new Duron I may try direct die cooling with my old 700. For now I have a newly homemade machined waterblock to tryout.

O

[JetMech]

Originally posted by Owenator
First let me clarify that by 'waterblock base' I mean the bottom side of the waterblock that will actually set on the CPU core.

I read that if the bottom af a water block is thinner that it can lower cpu temps? My current waterblock has a 1/8" (2/16") thick base should it be thicker? I just made a new water block an it's base is maybe 1/16" thick but I havent finished so I could modify it for a thicker base (attache a 1/8" plate to get 3/16"

O The faster the heat absorbed from the cpu get to the water the better. Too thick a base will delay this depending on the material it is made of. I think for what we do ( overclocking at a budget) aluminum is a good choice though copper is better. The thickness in my opinion only needs to be thick enough to provide stength in that area and handle the pressure of application. You wouldn't want it so thin that it collapsed while putting it on the chip. But you don't want it so thick that it slows down heat absorbtion. Also if you increase the thickness by applying another piece of metal at the base you need to be aware that you'll need to lap both sides that mate up. The gap between the two pieces if not smooth can decrease the bases ability to effeciently absorb the cpus heat. Artic Silver II should be used to fill in uneven areas. BTW, all contact areas are uneven. I think you're getting my drift. You don't need that bottom plate thickening solution.:)

[Owenator]

JetMech,

I agree about the thickness and heat absorption. I think thats why the Swiftec blocks are 3/16" thick. The block I am making is two pieces soldered together so I could actually attache a 3/16" plate to one side or lap and attach a 1/8" like I mentioned. I read an article about a ground tank cooled watercooled PC(Project Stealth Cooling) and that guy had milled his block thinner and said that it really lowered his temps, something like 6 degrees C! I will have to test to see if this can really be achieved.

O

[Warlord2]

you will want the bottom atleast 3/16"

you want your whole block to absorb the heat, not just where the die sits

thats why you want blocks to have as much surface area as posible

I think the maze2 has a 3/16"

copper is much better thin aluminum so you normaly only use aluminum for your chipsets or video cards

[ptcg]

I made my first waterblock out of .025" thick copper sheet.. It worked ok, but I think it would have been better if it was much thicker..
You not only need to absorb the heat, but you need a large area to absorb it from. If you make the block to thin, the heat will be more concentrated and harder to absorb. A thicker block will disperse the heat better, making it more readily absorbed.
I'm running into the same type of problem with my phase change setup now.. I made a very small evaporator, and it almost can't handle the amount of heat the CPU is putting out overclocked so high.

I would say for a waterblock, I wouldn't go any thinner than 1/8" for the bottom, and I wouldn't make it any smaller than the 2"x2" size of the CPU. (depends on how much heat you will have to absorb though)