DIY Watercooling Radiator compatibility

GuppyFishNoob

New member
Hey guys im currently in the middle of a DIY watercooling project for my PC. After searching on eBay i managed to find a mercedes benz radiator for 5 bucks so i am using this as the rad for the CPU loop im hooking up. this may sound stupid but will this radiator be able to dissipate the heat from my CPU passively? Thanks for any help guys :)

CPU:
i5 3570K
4.0 Ghz
Stock Volts

Radiator Dimensions:
420mm wide
615mm long
46mm thick
 
that sounds super ghetto :P

not passively, cars would get away with it since they force air through it, but I suggest you at least get some sort of a fan on it. some ghetto tape or ghetto zip ties should do it
 
Since you already have the radiator, you might as well try it and find out. That's a really big radiator by PC standards, not really surprising considering it's from a car, so I wouldn't be surprised if it works passively as long as it's in the open air, and not cramped up in a box or something.
 
haha thanks guys for all the replies. yeah it is fairly ghetto but my plan was to do this on a limited budget and its working out quite well. the rad has some damaged fins but still holds water fine. polishing what i can then giving the end tanks a coat of paint. i managed to find a EK supremacy block on eBay for 37 bucks and a aquarium pump for 25 bucks (pushes about 1000LPM i think). the rest is just MDF and skirting for the platform to hold it all.

heres the radiator im using :)


XWS3OiK.jpg
[/IMG]
 
will this radiator be able to dissipate the heat from my CPU passively? :)

Most likely. CPU alone doesn't need that much cooling and even a low fin density rad of that size should do it if positioned correctly (horizontal placement should work the best). Well you can just test it i guess :cool:
 
You going to go totally ghetto and use a washing machine pump? :D

Seriously though, that is total overkill!!
 
not sure what pressure you're looking at with a washing machine pump.. id be worried about my tubing and fittings..

I would 100% make a test of tubing blocks pump and rand not connected to anything. outside
 
sweet now im really looking forward to finishing this project. i shall upload pics of the completed project when its all done and hopefully the temps i get if this works OK. im hoping that by taking the heat out of my case from the CPU as the AIO i have sucks air from the outside to the inside of the case, that i can run the exhausts at low RPM and modify my GPU fan curve so i dont have to mess with the fan speeds at all whether gaming or idle.

Posts merged - Please do not double post

yeah ive already leak tested it for 24 hours + when i was applying the araldite so it shouldnt leak. ill do another 24 hour test when i hook the loop up and before i first power it on. na its not a washing machine pump, just an aquarium pump for a pond or tank etc. but i made sure it had a decent amount of power before i bought it. roughly 1000LPH and like 3.2m of head or something like that.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
hey guys ive had issues with the radiator leaking so i need to redo one of the plugs before i can paint it. so instead of waiting ages for pics of the finished product i think i might just make a build log album or something. oh FYI i checked the pump specs and it pumps 2500LPH with 2.3m of head
 
Hi mate, I too have built a pretty unconventional cooling loop, ill post links at the bottom.

with the rad you wont need any fans. I have 8 ltrs in my loop, I have a rad but the fans never kick in.
Your main issue is that pump. the block you have wont handle that kind of flow, it will cause back pressure and you will have tubes popping off like hose pipes, (ask me how I know), so you need to test that block and see how much its max LPM is then get a pump that can do that. anything over that will cause excess pressure and will damage the pump.

Oh also, you cant bore them out to improve flow rate. well you can, and flow rate improves, cooling will degrade though so theres no point, (been there done that).

So my advice is, change the connectors on the rad to step down hose tails from a pond shop, jubilee clip them in. Then get a smaller pump, or you could create a bypass loop with a ball valve and have the excess LPM run around that. and back, the ball valve will let you fine tune it.

hope this helps

http://forum.overclock3d.net/showthread.php?t=51233
http://forum.overclock3d.net/showthread.php?t=51113&page=3
http://forum.overclock3d.net/showthread.php?t=51855
 
ive redone the plugs on the radiator and it is now leak free :) the barb fittings for the watercooling tubing havent leaked since i first epoxied them in but the plugs on the other holes have, theyre all fixed now. and as for the block when i first got the parts i leak tested it all for a 24 hour period and there were no leaks from the block at all. the flow was really good, the hoses didnt come off or leak at all but i did have hose clamps attached as well. now its just to finish the paint, buy more UV blue dye then to attach it all to the PC.
 
Back
Top