Watercooling Loop Order... Does it REALLY matter?? Here's Proof

Loop order in watercooling systems has been one of those debates that never seems to end. Some people SWEAR it matters and the wrong order can actually heat up your PC parts... but are they wrong?

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Watercooling Loop Order... Does it REALLY matter?? Here's Proof | JayzTwoCents

JAYZTWOCENTS

[jonawhite]

Hi Jay, physics major here. First of all, thank you for actually conducting the experiment. I don't doubt your results, but I have to correct you on your explanation. You seemed to be suggesting that there's a fundamental law of thermodynamics that implies loop order shouldn't matter. There isn't. In fact, the basic argument in favor of loop order mattering makes sense, though it depends on several parameters whose effects are hard to quantify.

It is absolutely true that as the coolant fluid passes through a component which introduces heat into the loop, the fluid will get warmer and be less effective at cooling the next component it comes into contact with (and the opposite is true for fluid that passes through a component which extracts heat). The only question here is the effect size. That is to say, "will the difference actually be noticeable?"

As you've shown here, the difference isn't noticeable, but it's not due to the laws of thermodynamics. It's due to the fact that the coolant fluid is passing through components quickly enough that the exchange of heat doesn't cause the temperature of the fluid at any specific location to deviate much from the average coolant temperature (though it does still deviate by some small amount). If the coolant were to be pumped through the tubes slowly enough that the exchange of heat resulted in a sizable change in coolant temperature, the difference in loop order would be noticeable.

Bottom line is that the combination of fluid dynamics and thermodynamics required to fully understand cooling solutions is not at all trivial, even for people who understand physics, let alone armchair physicists who try to make proclamations without actually doing experiments. The fact that you actually did the experiment is more helpful toward answering this question than my physics degree.

[HOkayson]

When I was building my custom loop PC I used to lie in bed thinking about different loop orders to send myself to sleep. True story. Not sad at all.

[woadraven]

You guys are badass. I search every question I have about PC building and your videos always pop up with answers presented in an entertaining way.

[jesse-dgyx]

*our bodies are water cooled and no one moans about the order of that*

[aaron]

Being someone thats about to do his first loop this saved me a massive headache thank you.

[sawyerklegr]

those quick disconnect things are cool

[cs_mns]

When your psu is so powerful it doesn't spin under load 😂

[jordanhart]

To be honest, I'd love to have the differences in running parallel vs serial(like when you have more then one graphics card) explained/tested and why you might go with one over the other.

[Automag]

I have run multiple loops in different configurations. Bottom line, it does matter, but not the way you think. No matter what order I ran, CPU temp never varied more then +/-4 degrees Celsius.

What DOES matter is running the cooled water into your pump first! This is the main source of cooling for your pump. This can GREATLY extend pump life. I have seen pumps fail in less than 6 months because of this.

[Celsian]

Now THIS is a JayzTwoCents video, wooo!

[mikeoleksa]

I appreciate this a lot. I'm slowly expanding my loop and I'm wanting to add the GPU block without adding a second radiator temporarily. It will only be a couple of weeks and I don't really game or do any major overclocking anyway. My loop is purely for aesthetics. I just get the bonus of lower temps.

[cweber]

This was a great video. Being a car mechanic myself I've always wondered how a water cooling loop on a computer would be different compare to a car. I know the temperatures on a car are more extreme, but the same concept still applies. Great video here!

[dugdug]

Still one of my favorite videos, and I share it with friends whenever they ask me questions about how to determine loop order or how I determined my loop order lol.

[MO-bodu]

Love your content, Jay. What I really like is that it is always helpful & informational (instead of just trying to be funny, showboating, etc.). Over time yours has become my favorite tech/hardware channel. Specifically, your videos were super helpful as I was getting started with water cooling. Thanks for all you do!

[rdGenGuy]

I've done tests with loop order with a 2600k and a HD 5970.
the GPU being first or last didn't make any difference.
and an overclocked 5970 is possibly the HOTTEST GPU ever made.

[bartacus]

Thanks for dispelling another myth that people seem to never understand Jay. Nice work! Keep schooling the noobs!

[kobaloi]

I was wondering about this. Very helpful to know order does not in fact matter (working toward first water cooled)

[billysgeo]

Getting your computer temps in Celsius and your ambient in Fahrenheit .. NICE!

[alexr]

wow those GPU temps are really impressive . I know it's not in a closed case but nonetheless . One day I will maybe do it . Good work Jay

[Faithuir]

What would be more interesting to know is the difference that radiator fan orientations can make in a case. For example if a front intake radiator feeds hot air to an exhaust top radiator, compared to both radiators blowing air in or out. Practically all Jay's builds I've seen have one radiator pushing hot air to another, which I've heard actually makes a noticeable difference in overall water temperature. Would love to see more tests on this.