Measuring ambient temperature (temp control methods)

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Excuse if a silly question, but when people talk about their system and loop temps in relation to ambient temperature, is the ambient a measured value, and can/does it factor in the profiles of the system’s waterloop/fan profile?

Obviously ambient is referring to the room temperature air, but, where? At point of intake?

If it’s measured, how is this best achieved?
From what I can glean from the net, some people simply put a probe somewhere outside the case near an intake. Although this strikes me as perhaps a bit impractical. I understand putting a sensor just inside the case or behind a rad means the values would potentially be ‘contaminated’ by localised case heat.

Aside from this, how would one implement or utilise this value in a water loop / fan control profile?

My current watercooled system was built with two temperature sensors measuring the water, and a few sensors measuring air temp on the rads.

But in practice I simply used the water temperatures to set the fans speed on curves . When the water gets warmer, the fans increase to compensate, and drop when the water drops. Very simple I realise, but works. Additionally, there is no flow measurement.

So am going to get reading up more on the measurement and control side of cooling, but wanted to get some basic commentary on this if possible. Much appreciated :)
 
If you use air from room directly for airflow through cooler, then that's the temperature significant for the effectiveness of cooler.

Again for cooler "inhaling" air from inside the case its ambient can be higher, if you have for example graphics card dumping lots of heat into case.
 
If you want to test numerous set ups
Then taking an ambient temperature is relevant
As a control to see what's more effective
Where you take it is probably not going
To matter if it's same place for all tests
For actual use not so relevant
Coolant temperature
CPU temperature
Are better ways to control fan /pump curves
Or depending on the actual setup of course
It may be possible to just set a fixed fan speed
Sometimes I just set all my fans to 1k rpm
Which is still very quiet but can cope with what I throw at it
So to me the ambient temperature things more of a
This is how effective it is
Rather than a method of control
 
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