Before attempting a full-scale water-cooling system with cold plates for servers, I decided to try building a proper water-cooling setup on my own PC.
A full-fledged water-cooling system involves purchasing a pump, tank, and connecting the CPU and GPU with tubes for cooling. Due to the significant heat generated by modern GPUs and CPUs used in gaming and AI, air cooling with fans is reaching its limits. Consequently, efficient cooling systems like water cooling are gaining attention.
Previously, I often used an AIO (All-In-One) water cooling system where the pump and CPU cooler were integrated, with only the radiator connected. This time, however, I decided to build everything myself. It was my first attempt at a full-fledged water cooling setup, so I was quite nervous.
The steps were as follows:
1. Prepare a combined pump and tank unit.
2. Prepare a radiator, which transfers heat from the cooling liquid to the air using fans.
3. Prepare a water block, which transfers heat from the CPU to the cooling liquid.
4. Connect all these components with soft tubing.
5. Once everything is connected, fill the tank with coolant and power on the system.
The key part was ensuring that all the water inlets and outlets were properly connected. The pump was powered by a 12V SATA connector.
When I powered on the PC, the water started circulating vigorously. Initially, the tubes were empty, but as the pump began circulating the coolant, the tank’s water level dropped, and I added a total of two bottles of coolant.
Typically, the tank and pump are placed inside the PC case, but for safety, I positioned them outside the case this time. The system worked without any issues. While the pump made some noise, the overall system was quiet.
When considering the differences from a typical water-cooled server:
1. CPUs/GPUs are connected in series or parallel and then routed outside the case.
2. The external system connects to a CDU (Cooling Distribution Unit) that manages cooling.
3. The CDU transfers heat from the cooling system to an external heat exchange system, cooling the coolant and recirculating it.
This system is significantly different from a professional server cooling system, as the radiator, pump, and CPU are connected in series directly.
For future trials, I plan to connect tubes in series inside each PC and work on building a centralized cooling system that integrates multiple PCs.
There are both soft and hard tubes available, and while soft tubes are easier to handle, I’d like to try hard tubes as well.
The coolant used this time was 95% water and 5% propylene glycol. Propylene glycol has a high specific heat capacity, allowing it to transport a lot of heat and quickly absorb and release heat. It also has low toxicity.
That's all.