I’ve always wondered how a custom PC cooling loop equalizes no matter if there’s a radiator between the CPU and GPU. For instance here’s two loops that theoretically cool to the same temp:
Note: there’s only one pump in these loops.
Loop A:
Pump > CPU > Radiator > GPU > Radiator > Pump
Loop B:
Pump > CPU > GPU > Radiator > Radiator > Pump
Why do both loops equalize to the same temp?
Solved: Thank you for your responses!!
In: 3
Your intuition is based on some solid physics. If we imagine the fluid slowly moving through the loop then in loop A the CPU raises the temperature of the fluid, then the radiator cools it, then the GPU raises it, then the second radiator cools it, while in loop B the CPU would warm it and then the GPU gets warm fluid in.
The place where that understanding breaks down is that the fluid doesn’t move through the loop slowly. It is common for flow rates to be in the 100-300 liter per hour range in full loops while the volume of fluid in a loop is often only about 1-2 liters. This means the entire volume of fluid can easily circulate every few seconds.
By contrast the fluid will tend to change temperatures over the course of a couple of minutes. Compared to the flow rate this means that we can pretend that all of the liquid is the same temperature. It isn’t *completely* true, but it’s true enough for practical purposes–other sources of noise are likely to outweigh the roundoff we’re incurring with this approximation.
Since the fluid is effectively the same temperature throughout the loop what we care about is what that temperature is and how that fluid interacts with the cold plate on the CPU and GPU blocks. On the temperature front we set up a fairly basic energy balance: the CPU and GPU put heat into the fluid while the radiator(s) take it out. If the fluid temperature isn’t changing then those must be in balance with each other. As long as the fluid is circulating much faster than it heats up the sequence doesn’t really matter.
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