Temperature Equilibrium--

I just don't get it. I am not a stupid man and I have tried to follow the water heating and cooling process in a loop but I still don't get how the water reaches a steady temperature.

I have 2 rads. if I put one right before the gpu and right before the cpu won't cooler water be running on those parts as opposed to if i had it gpu cpu rad rad?

This is where I lose it. heat is introduced into the system at certain points and heat is removed from the system at certain points. the heat does not transfer instantaneously to the entirety of the loop, it must be carried via the water. and even though hot water will heat adjacent water it would still not bleed the heat from the system till it hits the radiator.

I am currently rebuilding my system (and blowing up my power supply in the process) so I have the chance to remove a couple feet of run from the loop if I could just believe the order doesn't matter. and it's not that I don't believe it or am calling anyone a liar, I just need to understand to accept.


As I sit here I am thinking ok, heat can only be removed at a certain rate and heat can only be introduced at a certain rate. So at some point the water will only hold x amount of heat? but then iget back to the heat point source issue. GAAAH!!!

Hsnopi want to understand!

From many rads on many forums, and input from many experts I can say it's a muddy thing.

I can say the loop temps in any PROPER loop will be no more than 3C difference ANYWHERE in the loop. So placement don't matter a lot. 3C is on the high end. If I felt it was important, I'd measure my loops. I bet I see less than 1.2C diff on my loops, and my temps under max load are way below any worry points. So I'm just fine.

If it's a big deal and the CPU is at max temp under load where every C matters, then ALL my rad would be before the CPU. Res/Pump/Rad, to CPU for best temps. If it's crazy important, then that dictates your routing.

Don't matter a lot. Res before pump, try to get cool room air through all your rads for best temps. All the rest is up for discussion.

ok. i read some stuff from a guy at another forum (how dare there be another forum!) Freecableguy who does a lot of math. and i think i kinda get it now. it's not that there is no difference it's just that with the high specific heat of water the temperature gradient between any two points on the system will be minimal. or at least within a margin of error for creating a stable system. i.e. if 1-3 degrees really makes a difference then can you really consider your system stable as turning on the AC in the house could make a bigger difference.

I am almost convinced. My concern now is I know the 4870x2 pumps out a bombshell worth of heat. but by adding more rads, which i am doing, then it should help more then the order. so i will try minimizing tubing as much as possible and see how that goes.

My system running gpu and cpu FaH hit 42 on the gpu and 55 on the quad core and the radiator was after the gpu and before the cpu. so I can't imagine it getting much cooler than that in a loop order. so we'll give this a whirl.


thanks.