Cheapest Waterblock

[SerArthurDayne]

I have just recently decided to get into the whole watercooling thing, fans being as noisy as they are Anyway.. I've already got a good transmission cooler, 1/2" tubing and I've found an adjustable water pump that has a max of 315gph.... but now I need a waterblock.. and I want the cheapest/best I can find(obviously). I don't need a danger maze with ultimate cooling abilities, and I'm not going peltiers yet either... I'd just like something around 20 bucks that'll do what I want it to do. Any suggestions would be lovely.

 

[SerArthurDayne]

On another note, I do have a block of aluminum that's about the perfect size - but I would think drilling a simple waterpassage through it and attaching the fittings would be a fairly ineffective solution. But, since I'm not doing peltiers, would this be a possible solution? It would certainly be the most cost effective for me

 

[ejsmith2]

I hope the aluminium is rather pure. Aluminium will work, but you'll need a drill press to cross drill it. If you have a vise and REALLY steady hands, you can use a dremel for pilot holes, moving up to a full size drill for the final bore. It's not absolutely the best way to go, but if you're just starting out, and you have the materials, it's a darn good place to start. It won't quite get the results of the best copper blocks, but you can decide if you want to 'upgrade' later. It's just a matter of some thermal gel and reconnected hoses.

Cross drill it through the center of the block, so your water channel passes directly over (or slightly to one side) of the cpu. You'll gain a couple of degrees this way. I'd do a pressure test on your lines when you get everything sealed up, just to see where your 'weak link' is. You don't want to get a leak right over your cpu, so I make my 'weak link' on my pump intake. Also, think about putting the block 1/4 (only, 1/4) on a hot iron and letting it soak up some heat for about an hour. This will give you an idea if your hot side exhaust is going to melt/leak.

If you are using plastic hoses on your hot side, they will tend to get soft as the heat builds up, and can slip or even melt away from the hose clamps. Try to keep your flow rate fairly high (close to 150gph or above). It produces a little more noise, but you'll keep a lot of thermal problems from occuring due to the temperature differences in the components.

 

[SerArthurDayne]

Seems like sound advice... I figured if I did drill my own waterblock with my pure aluminum chunk, I would bore a cylinder on the side opposite where the cpu would be, and then 2 holes connecting the center chamber for the fittings(similar to what is commercially produced at some places), then soldering on a top. My only concern now is seeing which poor sap among my buds gets to lend me their tools