making water blocks

[PolyPill]

Ok, I'm a cheap bastard and I'm not gunna pay $30 for a water block when I can get a block of metal for $3 and I already have the tools. I was wondering what style is best, so far everything I read says either maze or tidal. Also I can get magnesium blocks, would that be a better choice than copper? I'm thinking not because copper is a lot heavier, but what the hell do I know.
Should I make the blocks as large as possible or just do them the same size everyone else does? Maybe a larger magnesium would be better than a smaller copper?

 

[Ridenow]

My first thought on magnesium was, "Try it!", but then I realized that the reason we like copper is its high conductivity of heat. Copper is much more conductive than magnesium.

 

[stool]

Larger doesn't necessarily translate into better. You have to design it so that it comfortably fits your CPU on your motherboard, meaning you have to leave room for mounting and avoid transistors, capacitors, etc.

 

[William]

magnesium is expensive, sorda reactive, and a horrible conductor of heat(no free electrons). Go with copper or aluminum. Maze desings are good because you have water contacting a larger surface area in the block. A small well designed block will beat a much larger, not as effectively designed block. You want water to come in, curculate relatively quickly, and get out. Have fun building this block, I can't wait to see it.