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Internal Rad/Res vs External

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1dmf

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Joined
Apr 10, 2006
I've seen many setups here and some are internal while others are external.

Now apart from the obviuos difference between the both, i.e. having to mod the case, i was wondering is there a cooling benefit to external mounting.

Does external rads give a significant cooling benefit over internal ones and what kind of degree's are we talking about.

and does having the Res & Rad external increase cooling again and if so by how much.

Or is it purely asthetics and whether you like cutting holes in your case or not.

I actually use my PC as a stand from my mixing decks, so external mounting (well top side anyhow) is not an option unless I re-arrange my music room setup.

Hence the question!
 
1dmf said:
I've seen many setups here and some are internal while others are external.

Now apart from the obviuos difference between the both, i.e. having to mod the case, i was wondering is there a cooling benefit to external mounting.

Does external rads give a significant cooling benefit over internal ones and what kind of degree's are we talking about.
Assuming that the internally mounted rad is pulling in air from the case exterior then there should be no difference in temps between the two setups.
If anything, the exterior mounted rad would be worse (although by a miniscule and probably immeasurable amount) because it typically requires more tubing to complete the loop.
Essentially, I think it comes down to aesthetics and how much case modification one is willing to do...external being the easiest, obviously.
 
One great thing about an external setup is that you can move the heat to another room if you wanted to. While you would loose a little cooling with all the extra tubes, you could push heat to the outside when its summer saving your a/c and leave it in the house during the winter.
 
The reservoir really shouldn't make any difference at all. I suppose mounting the radiator externally could make a slight difference in temp depending on the configuration and whether the internal rad is blowing warm interior air through the fins. Realistically, a degree or two difference (if even that) is not that big of a deal.
 
The only reason I have my radiator and reservoir outside my case is because my case is too packed to have either inside.
 
I do alot of hardware changes and swapping. Having all the water cooling internal makes that more difficult
 
Thanks for all the great advice guys.

So as long as I buy a beast of a case, I should be able to install the whole thing internal.

I like the drive bay resevoirs anyhow and maybe I could mount the rad on the back of the PC, I take it for an internal mount the rad is normally at the top and would need air escape / fan grills installed (cut) into the top of the case (as Adam has expertly done).

Are there any cases available specially for having a fully internal setup without the need for modding, at the end of the day, I sucked at school for metalwork/woodwork - me and power tools do not mix, I can't even put a shelf up straight!

So i'd rather buy a case for the purpose rather than ruining it with a DIY job.

Any recommendations.
 
1dmf said:
I take it for an internal mount the rad is normally at the top and would need air escape / fan grills installed (cut) into the top of the case
Absolutely the worst rad placement, IMO.
Either the case floor or the front bays (either way can be easily done in a Stacker TC-101, BTW) would be much better.
The radiator is the biggest air trap in the loop.
Placing it at the very top of the case only makes it more prone to collecting air and that much more difficult to bleed.
 
oh, thanks for the heads up, I'm sure I saw someone posted with a Stacker and three fans in the bottom of the case, I have to say, that to me looked like a sweet case mod, and less intrusive to the overall look of the case.

Shame, I love the Viper II case, it's awesome, but it's Mini-Tower and would need cutting to fit W/C in it, so I have to make my mind up W/C or not to W/C, I've ruled out Extreme Cooling, my hat goes of to those who do, but that's far beyond my skills, pocket and willingness to fry my kit!

If I just go for top-of-the-range HSF, I can have any case I like, If I go W/C and don't want to DIY and screw things up, the case choice shrinks dramatically.

well I got some months yet to decide :)
 
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