[Gooserider]

(Good ones I hope)

This is an excellent thread, I've been learning quite a bit, thanks to all of you that have been 'experting' on it.

Let me run a few things by to see if I'm thinking correctly. I think I understand the theory, but I wouldn't try to repeat it ;-} I'm more interested in how it applies.

I'm in the process of designing a system which will be a heavy duty server/workstation configuration. I'm after high reliability and stability, so I won't be overclocking however I want to get as close to silent operation as I can. From what I've been reading, this implies needing high flow rates, and a big rad w/ multiple large slow running fans for high volume airflow. Correct?

To be as silent running as I can, I should use as few fans as possible, and make the ones I use as big as I can, correct?

I am planning to get as big a case as I can, and am thinking in terms of one or two 120's on the front sucking in (w/ filters,and trying to keep the case slightly pressurized for dust suppression), and a couple of 90's on the back blowing out through the rad, plus the PSU fan. I would use a digital doc or equivalent to keep speeds low unless things got hot. Does this sound like a reasonable plan?

I am planning to use a dual processor mobo, and high speed SCSI drives, but nothing fancy in the way of video. Judging from everything I've been reading, it looks like my primary heat sources will be the two CPU's, the hard drives (and possibly a DVD burner) and maybe the Northbridge (It's the only thing in the mobo picture with a heatsink) In order to keep the number of fans to a minimum, I expect I would need to put a heat sink on each of those sources. If I do, would cooling the rest of the system with the fan setup described above be adequate?

I haven't seen much description of multiple heat source plumbing patterns. I am making the following assumptions: Tell me if I'm missing anything?

1. The CPU's need the most cooling, and one should not feed into the other, so they need to be in parrallel.

2. To maximize the flow to the CPU's they should be plumbed w/ 1/2" tube, and my blocks (I'm going to make my own) should be designed to allow a high flow by staying fairly close to 1/2" worth of passage cross section while encouraging turbulence over the die area.

3. The drives and Northbridge don't make as much heat, so I can use smaller plumbing on them for lower flow.

4. Resevoirs seem to be neutral or a good thing in regards to cooling, and make maintainance and operation easier...

5. Optimal plumbing pattern is 'pump > rad > hot stuff > resevoir > pump'

Based on this, I am planning the following:

1. A pump (not sure what size, suggestions welcomed, but probably biggish) with an input barb as big as will fit it, and an output the same size as the rad input.

2. A rad, (I'll probably use a heater core for cost reasons) the largest one I can fit onto the outside back of the case with a shroud to space it an inch or two away from two fans mounted inside the case blowing through it (preferably 92's, but will use 80's if I must) *Note that the shroud will need at least an internal separator between the fans, and possibly flaps over one or both to prevent 'air shorts' especially if one is shut down when system is cool.*

3. On the output side of the rad, a manifold. I am thinking of making the manifold out of 1.5" PVC pipe drilled and tapped for barbs as needed for input and outputs for each circuit. My thought is this should minimize pressure drop from the plumbing and ensure that each CPU gets about the same flow.

Circuits as follows: one for each CPU (1/2") one or more 1/4" for drives, northbridge, etc. (how many?)

4. Heat sinks (I'll probably start a seperate thread for those later)

5. A mirror image of the manifold in 3 feeding into:

6. A resevoir, made from yet more PVC pipe, w/ extra barbs for a sight glass tube, and a cleanout plug at the top for filling.

Does this sound like a reasonable plan? Can anyone see anything that I'm missing or screwing up on excessively?

Thanks,

Gooserider