Tank size

[ToTalXS]

Ok Im getting ready to install my first water cooling job......I have a water block radiator and pump..my question has to do with resivour size.....If i use a tank that holds 1.5 liters will it run hotter that useing a tank that holds 3 liters?.....Or is it all just a moot point once the water is warmed up? thanks...........

 

[FireMogle]

the larger the tank the long it takes to heat up/cool down the water. generally the larger the tank the better.

 

[Haddy]

yea especially if ur going with a passive system...it really wont matter if u use a good radiator with some good fans...

 

[ToTalXS]

coo

Ok...my radiator is approximatel 10.5 inches x20 inches and 2 inches deep....(obviously goin to be external) and my pump is a 200gph unit so are you suggesting that 3 liter tank would be better?......thats coo bigger is better right?....hehehe -peace

 

[Haddy]

well if u gona mount the rad outside might as well rig up a case and put the biggest res u can in it...

 

[Cougar522]

where did u get a radiator that big? im just curious.

 

[ToTalXS]

where did u get a radiator that big? im just curious.

My friend is an auto mechanic.....he located it for me....I'll ask him if ya want......

 

[JFettig]

ok if the tank is big it will soon heat up and be hotter than if its small... i noticed this when i was usin a 1galon jug as a rez.....

 

[tft]

Yeah, the bigger it is, the slower it heats, and cools. But, in my opinion, I think its better to use a smaller tank. They are easier to fit inside your case, if you ever need to move it around. They give more accurate temps sooner than larger tanks. Also, smaller tanks can be easily made from tupperware (so can larger ones, but really large tanks are usually fish tanks or something, so they're $$) The radiator is what really deals with the heat. You should get a good heater core, and shroud, with an intake and outtake fan, or run your lines through a freezer

Almost forgot, a bigger radiator isn't always better, for the same reason that two or more radiators aren't better than one. Your water system, especially with a 200gph pump has very low pressure, and water takes the path of least resistance. What this means in a large radiator is that not all of the space will be utilized, so your cooling won't be much better than if you used a smaller one.

 

[ToTalXS]

ok if the tank is big it will soon heat up and be hotter than if its small... i noticed this when i was usin a 1galon jug as a rez.....

So a happy medium some where ........you're suggesting trying multiple Tank sizes and record the results and see which one is best.......that sounds like a good idea..........thanks

 

[JFettig]

hmmmm...maby i should go hook up my system to my neighbors bulk tank and run some COLD milk through it... itll never get warm!!! hehehehe! think about 5000galons!

 

[ToTalXS]

new dairy slogan "Milk it Does a Computer Good"?

 

[stool]

Nothing wrong with the tank size idea. A multipass radiator, with good cooling fans and a good pump, will have more to do with cooling results that the size of the reservoir. I have been using the compressor coil from a walk-in cooler, with 3/8" lines and about 24 passes through, combined with a 160mm 120VAC fan, and it does an excellent job.

 

[Haddy]

btw just noticed ur using that low power pump...if the rads gona be external then u might wanna get a high power pump...u might have issues with too little flow...

 

[JFettig]

ok with my system i could use a 1gallon tank for about an hr then the water would be like 29c and thats at stock speed, and with a rad after the tank before my cpu the temps will be 27c all the time and thats 60cfm sucking thru the rad, and when its oced from 1.466ghz to 1.65ghz at 1.85v then my water will be almost 30c all the time... and that makes my cpu go to 44c at load....
either my rad isnt eficient or the water gets heated up too much...

 

[ToTalXS]

btw just noticed ur using that low power pump...if the rads gona be external then u might wanna get a high power pump...u might have issues with too little flow...

What size pump do you use?...Im not planning on using 1/2 in lines so I dont want the pump to be pumping more than the system will handle.....just a thought......also isnt it true that too fast a flow will defeat the cooling properties?