Heatsink->Waterblock
 

Anyone ever tried converting a heatsink to a waterblock? Surely it can't be to hard, but it may be hard to create turbulance. But would turbulance be needed? Say we take a thermal right SK7:
http://www.thermalright.com/images/sk73.jpg

and sealed up the sides with copper plates and added a top, then put fittings on it, one on an end with multiple jets, and another on the other side, like the picture at the end. This heatsink has a LOT of surface area and I don't think it would restrict flow too much. Do you guys think it would work?

Just a few threads down from this one: http://forums.procooling.com/vbb/sho...&threadid=6032

Also,
http://forums.procooling.com/vbb/sho...&threadid=6462

http://www.overclockers.com/tips762/

Some had a similar ideia.
Didnt work so well... :rolleyes:

Far more important than "lots of surface area", is "lots of useful surface area". The SLK-800's fins are too high and too thin. About 90% of the fin height is totally wasted and not doing anything. Sadly 90% of the flow correspondingly goes to those regions, meaning that only 10% of the flow is actually doing any real cooling.

Chop the fins down to say 3-4mm high, and the fin area to say 25mm wide at best, and you'd come close to having a somewhat decent performing waterblock out of it.

Heatsinks are designed to specifically deal with air's poor ability to soak up heat. They offer lots of finnage over a huge area, because air needs that much area to get the job done of taking the heat away.

Water is stupendously more efficient at soaking up heat than air, and correspondingly, you can do come pretty amazing things using a surprisingly small amount of surface area in comparison to air-based heatsinks.

I've used thin fin/skivved heatsinks as a base for a water block in the past with good results, but like Cathar said, that was after I cut most of the fin area off leaving only a 18mm x 15mm x 5mm high area left.

"Far more important than "lots of surface area", is "lots of useful surface area". "


that is the quote of the year.... :)

So, I just followed a tun of links, starting with one posted here, and I have learned a lot about all this heatsink->waterblock stuff. I guess some guys have had some really good results with this, after they cut it all up. I may do this someday, when I have the spare cash. Thanks for all of the info.

using the heat sink might not be that bad of an idea. most of the designs of the water blocks i've looked at so far. have always have 2 things. 1. the inlets and outlets on the top(witch does make sense) 2. a flat smooth surface on the top. now if we were to make a water block with the two outlets on either side of the moded heat sink, and the inlet on the other side you could still have 1. enough room for a fan on top of the heat sink(altough im not sure what good that would do because of the liquid cooling) and two have the design of heat sink still play in a roll in cooling the heat that still radiates up from the Heatsink/water block.

while words are good, drawings are 1000 times better, i'll draw up this concept in cad to give you guys a better idea. remeber this is just a atempt.

memphis