Bigger Radiator = Colder Water?

[CMangano]

Is this formula true? Will a bigger radiator cool better than a smaller radiator assuming everything else is the same? I wanna get my CPU to below 20C during load and am trying to figure out the best way to do this. I don't think I want to use a Peltier right now, too many drawbacks for me. Anyways, will the bigger radiator make my water even colder?

[Bender]

20c will be imposible unless your air temp is way below that. My room temp is 20c so that would be impossible. A bigger radiator is generaly better but it depends on water flow and what fans you mount on it. The only way to get the water below ambient without using chillers or pelts is to use a bong.

[CMangano]

Thanks for the quick response.

What is the chiller you are talking about?

[neo86]

The water will only be as cool as the air temperature. So it's true upto a certain point, unless you are cooling the water using ice or a peltier.

[Bender]

Here (http://www.marinedepot.com/a_ch_microchiller.asp?CartId=) is a fishtank water chiller. I doubt it would be stong enough for use in a computer cooling system. Water chillers can also be made with peltiers. The water runs through a sort of maze style block and the block is cooled by the peltiers. Water chillers are terribly expensive and probably not worth your time. A normal peltier cooled rig is the only reasonable way to get 20c or lower.

[CMangano]

Well, my biggest fear about the Peltiers was two-fold.

1) I heard they can fail. I guess this wouldn't be that big of a deal if used to cool the waterblock, because then I would just get normal temps (slightly above room temp). The problems I read about was when the Peltier was placed directly on the CPU, when it fails the CPU heats up real quick and can overheat.

2) I also read that Peltiers work because one side gets super cold, and the other gets super hot. So you put the super cold side on the waterblock. Could I then use a fan or heatsink to help dissapate the heat caused by the Peltier? Is this how most people do it?

Other than that, are there any other risks with the Peltier system?

[ken257]

I see from your sig that you have an AMD. Fot AMD you will need at least a single 172w pelt and this means watercooling. A HSF is just not made to cope with that kind of heat load. Pelts usually don't fail they have a very long life span much longer then pumps and fans.

As for a bigger radiator being better it also depends a lot on the design. A small one can best a lager one if it is of a better design.

[CMangano]

Ken,

This will be used in conjunction with a water cooling unit. I will place the peltier over the waterblock to cool the waterblock down. I was just asking if a heatsink and/or fan on top of the peltier would help dissapate the heat the peltier causes? Is that even necessary?

[ButcherUK]

You get the best results by using the watercooling to cool the peltier and then have the coldside cool the cpu directly. High wattage peltiers put out a LOT of heat. You won't be able to air cool them sensibly. As for failure if installed correctly and not mistreated a peltier should last for years. They have no moving parts so there is nothing to wear out really. If you're worried install a hardware power shutoff for if your system overheats.

[ken257]

Putting an air cooled pelt on the top of your waterblock isn't going to do anything for you except dump a lot of heat inside your case. In order to realise the benifits of a pelt you will need to set it up like this. CPU-Cold Plate-Pelt-Water Block. Also I wouldn't even try anything smaller then 172w. If you want a simple way of running cooler since it is winter time (at least here anyway) add enough hose onto your setup and hang the rad/fan out the window.