why do pricey pumps/radiators matter in watercooling?

[MrPink]

Ok, I thought I had settled this awhile ago, but I've decided to reconsider getting watercooling for my next upgrade. The reason being that I want to be able to safely OC more than just the CPU. Since I've learned a bit about overclocking, I know that the NB and SB are just as critical in a stable OC to warrant their own special place on the loop.

So my question is, do I really need a giant pump/radiator to enjoy the benefits of watercooled parts? I ask this because while I do want watercooling, I also want to be able to transport my PC easily when I move out of my dorm, going to LANs, etc. The massive external units that I've seen, such as the Zalman Reserator, or the Koolance EX2 1050, are what I don't need.


For one, my computer will rarely be on 24hrs at a time, only for running torrents or long downloads overnight, with about 12 or 14 hrs a day being the longest normal operating time per day. I know that water takes a long time to heat up, regardless of whatever is use to ventilate the heat from it, so wouldn't having a large internal reservoir be a nice compromise for having a huge, actively cooled, external radiator?

The watercooling setup that I desire has to be internal, and even though I'll be doing my own research, can anyone recommend a good internal reservoir, pump, or radiator? I'm not beyond mixing and matching parts from different manufacturers, even if it ends up costing more.

edit: this koolance model looks great for an integrated pump/reservoir.

[runawayprisoner]

Because small pumps can't pump water that fast... and the faster the water can move, the faster the heat transfer. Now as for the radiator, if it's not fast or strong enough, the heat dissipation rate is not going to be able to keep up with the heat transfer rate. For water-cooling to be really effective, you have to use really fast pumps and really strong radiators. If you use the portable kinds, chances are, the cooling won't be too great, and you expose your computer to the risk of being damaged by water leakage.

This is why air cooling is still preferred by many, especially LAN party goers.

And this is why my mATX computer is an extreme air one.

[MrPink]

Hm, true about LANs, I have often thought of that while trying to self-justify reasons for getting watercooling.

But what if It was a reasonably small loop? Like, what if just the CPU was watercooled, that way I wouldn't need as much flow, and not as much radiation.

[runawayprisoner]

Then you need to consider the size of your LAN box. Water-cooling takes up quite an ample amount of space, you know.
My LAN box is an Antec NSK3480 with the top modified a bit to fit a handle... so it's quite portable, and it has enough room for lost of things.