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any difference in performance between the dtek pro core painted and unpainted?

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Well, according to physics black surfaces absorb more heat than shiny surfaces but they also lose heat energy quicker than shiny surfaces. so theoretically a black radiator will be more efficient than a white one, but i dont know to what extend this theory applies to real life. can be a 0.5C difference or even a 5C diff.
 
Can't quite tell from the pics, but it doesn't look like the fin area is painted, just the outside edges and endtanks. That would mean no change in performance.
 
Regarding black vs. shiney surfaces...

You will defintely want to put a cold cathod tube (or other lighting) in your case.

Reason? If you don't, the water won't be able to see what color your heater core is. :)
 
Resisting the urge to post how Voyerism is the cause of PC's with acrylic windows and naked cores...

The energy from the water to the core is not photonic, nor is the transfer of energy from the core to the air. Color won't make any difference. Seriously, if it did, their wouldn't be any black cooling fans.

The fins are not painted, thus painting won't have any real effect on it's cooling ability. The sides and tanks are not in the duct, so any heat released by them would be passive.

Paint would hold heat in, acting as an insolator. Even if the paint were highly thermal conductive, it would still be yet another layer for energy to go thru. However...

Cores are OVERKILL. A single Chevette core with decent air flow would probably cool your computer and three of your friends computers even if it's fins were lightly painted. Painting the fins would decrease it's efficiency, but consider this: A heater core is capable of transfering all the heat needed to keep the inside of a car toasty even while inches away it's snowing. A big enough core could almost be used passively just with natural wind currents thru the room.

A Koolance can keep a dual Xeon rig alive. It *might* even keep a TEC based computer alive. Copper cores have 2-3X the thermal conductivity and even small ones have 5x the surface area. In other words, you could probably put seeds in 3/4 of your Core and have a wicked looking Chia-Pet, without having too much effect on your cooling.

A little paint won't hurt, and well, naked cores are kind of ugly. I think the reason they place them below the dash is so even the mechanics won't have to look at them. A nicely painted core can be quite attractive, especially by comparison.

Paying $8 isn't such a bad deal, especially if you don't want the hassel of adding barbs or talking to AutoZone people (like I actually own a Ford Truck!! Just go in the back and bring me my core, darn it! How am I supposed to know if it came with A/C or not, it's going to map to the same part number anyway! Just go get it!!!)....
 
wormwood said:
Resisting the urge to post how Voyerism is the cause of PC's with acrylic windows and naked cores...

The energy from the water to the core is not photonic, nor is the transfer of energy from the core to the air. Color won't make any difference. Seriously, if it did, their wouldn't be any black cooling fans.

The fins are not painted, thus painting won't have any real effect on it's cooling ability. The sides and tanks are not in the duct, so any heat released by them would be passive.

Paint would hold heat in, acting as an insolator. Even if the paint were highly thermal conductive, it would still be yet another layer for energy to go thru. However...

Cores are OVERKILL. A single Chevette core with decent air flow would probably cool your computer and three of your friends computers even if it's fins were lightly painted. Painting the fins would decrease it's efficiency, but consider this: A heater core is capable of transfering all the heat needed to keep the inside of a car toasty even while inches away it's snowing. A big enough core could almost be used passively just with natural wind currents thru the room.

A Koolance can keep a dual Xeon rig alive. It *might* even keep a TEC based computer alive. Copper cores have 2-3X the thermal conductivity and even small ones have 5x the surface area. In other words, you could probably put seeds in 3/4 of your Core and have a wicked looking Chia-Pet, without having too much effect on your cooling.

A little paint won't hurt, and well, naked cores are kind of ugly. I think the reason they place them below the dash is so even the mechanics won't have to look at them. A nicely painted core can be quite attractive, especially by comparison.

Paying $8 isn't such a bad deal, especially if you don't want the hassel of adding barbs or talking to AutoZone people (like I actually own a Ford Truck!! Just go in the back and bring me my core, darn it! How am I supposed to know if it came with A/C or not, it's going to map to the same part number anyway! Just go get it!!!)....


Your last paragraph is soooo true btw :)
 
I wouldn't paint the underside of the heatsink. The reason thermal paste exists is to get into the microscopic gaps in the metal that you can't even see. The surface area is very tiny, under a square inch. A core has MUCH more surface area (which is why water cooling works so well).

EDIT: I didn't see the smiley. Sorry.
 
The paint has little to do with efficiency.

The difference in black shirt/white shirt has to do with light, not heat.
 
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