Y splitting Question

locoesse

locoesse

locoesse

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Joined
14 Dec 2009
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Location
Southampton
Hey all

Am wondering is there any con's to using a y spliting connecter such as this
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=WC-030-BP&groupid=962&catid=1529&subcat=

What i am cooling is cpu and gpu.

Would i be better off splitting off from the rad then going seperately to the cpu and gpu and then comming back together before it enterst he res ?

so

Pump-->rad--> Y split ¬->cpu---> Y split-->Res--> Pump
................................¦_>GPU__¦

how does that compare to

Pump-->rad-->cpu-->gpu-->res-->pump


am using a ddc ultra pump and a fesser tripple rad 1/2" tubing


lol text diagrams are **** but i tried lol
 
Last edited:
Problem would be the pressure drop accross the water blocks, one block may get more water than the other and create high temps.
 
hottest component first generally, or whatever you want to be cooler; i find my cpu hotter than gpu, so i'd go pump->rad->cpu->gpu->res->pump
 
Routing to the hottest component first won't make a difference as the water temperature will find an equilibrium in the loop.
 
weescott said:
Routing to the hottest component first won't make a difference as the water temperature will find an equilibrium in the loop.
Click to expand...

There are warm (post CPU/GPU) and cool (post res) points in a WC loop so hitting the component you want to cool the most first makes sense.
 
Water will find an equilibrium in a loop. Difference in temperature at any given point in a standard loop will not vary by more than 0.5c IIRC. Plenty of posts about this by Marci and MartinM on other Watercooling forums.

Simple fact is: set up watercooling for ease of use first. Res before pump. T-line wherever you like. The rest is negligible.
 
Weescott is correct. This is even confirmed by thermal photography somewhere on these forums, though I don't have the link to hand.

Series is conclusively easier. However better performance can be achieved through parallel loops if you know what you're doing. Here is an excellent example from Jokester.

In your example what you would achieve is much higher flow rates through the less restrictive block, i.e. the gpu one. Consequently the cpu would see very little flow rate and is likely to run considerably hotter, probably not what you wanted. Some examples of parallel flow being useful are splitting it between two identical radiators, or between blocks of similar resistance (I'm planning one mosfet block & northbridge block in one arm, other mosfet and ram block in the other), or when multiple pumps are involved, one dedicated to a pressure sensitive cpu block. Jokester's build shows the first and third of these options.

When starting, and probably even when thoroughly experienced, series is the way to go. Multiple series loops is generally the second step.
 
My watercooling

Im very new to this forum stuff so if i sound stupid ignore it. Anyway, my cooling loop splits after the rad from 1/2" to 1/2" and 1/4. The 1/2" goes to the CPU waterblock and the 1/4" goes to the GPU block. Ive done this so theres less pressure drop on the CPU block therefore its cooled more as it produces more heat. I suggest you do something like that if your going to use a Y splitter.
=]
 
A nice example of balancing restriction in each arm. Quite sensitive to lengths of tubing and the specific blocks involved I would think. Did you achieve better temperatures with this approach than with a series loop?

Welcome to the forums Yoshi.
 
You will lose pressure from using a Y Splitter as well as using 1/4" tubing as well as create turbulence in the loop at the junctions. Use at least 3/8" tubing. Margins of gain above this are minimal. Have a search for Cather and 7/16th" tubing. There are threads on this subject on the XS forums.
 
JonJ678 said:
A nice example of balancing restriction in each arm. Quite sensitive to lengths of tubing and the specific blocks involved I would think. Did you achieve better temperatures with this approach than with a series loop?

Welcome to the forums Yoshi.
Click to expand...

Yes i did on the GPU and NB, the CPU stayed the same temp dispite the pressure drop. so i did benifit from the Y split

Merry Cristmas
 
Pressure will drop across the whole loop. You also need to measure the difference at load temperatures. This is also dependant on heat dump and blocks used. Some blocks love high pressure where others will work well with much lower pressures. What pump is used also makes a difference.
 
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