Liquid cooling systems are the preferred CPU cooling option for home enthusiasts because they are quite affordable and offer significant cooling potential, allowing for some CPU overclocking without resorting to extreme cooling techniques like liquid nitrogen. Of course, the latter is purely experimental and used only in extreme cases to break specific benchmark records , not for legitimate use. Liquid cooling systems achieve this with a water pump, coolant, and a large radiator, creating a closed-loop system that expels heat in a controlled manner. Recently, it's become common to see the water pump in liquid cooling systems located within the radiator itself, rather than next to the CPU socket.
Liquid cooling works similarly to a radiator: an internal system of pipes and heat transfer fluid collects heat from a key, high-temperature point—in this case, a CPU running at full capacity—and transfers that heat to the radiator. This radiator acts as a heat dissipation system, intensely heating the surrounding air. With the help of fans positioned near the radiator, a cooling system is achieved that is perfectly suited to the needs of increasingly powerful processors , which become too hot for a fan alone to cool.
Review of the T-FORCE SIREN GD240E ARGB Liquid Cooler
A very important part is the water pump, whose size and position greatly influence how we can mount the liquid cooling, how often we must purge the liquid to renew it, and many more variants if we want to maintain its performance and efficiency. It has been sitting normally next to the contact in the CPU socket on the motherboard for decades. But recent liquid coolers are putting the water pump in the radiator, so it makes us rethink how we treat liquid coolers, fit them and maintain them,
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How do I know if the liquid cooling water pump is in the radiator?
To check it, take the radiator of your liquid cooling if it is a modern one, and in All in One format. If in the middle of the radiator there is a square or circle in the center, close to the side where the coolant tubes enter, then This is where the water pump is. Otherwise it would be in the CPU socket, or it could be in one of the tubes that connect the socket to the radiator.
What does it mean for a liquid cooling water pump to be in the radiator and not in the CPU socket?
This change is very possible that we will see it in many liquid coolers from now on. Basically, it implies that if we want to check the water pump, it will be in the radiator and not in the socket. It is to change the procedure a bit when making a set-up of liquid cooling.
Below we are going to show what, for us, are the most important pros and cons, that it is going to become standard for the water pump of liquid cooling to be in the radiator. Keep in mind that this, over time, could change. In such a case, we will update it.
CPU sockets , learn about them
Points in favor
First, there's the fact that the pump has been separated from the block, or CPU socket, which is the hottest point. This should theoretically lead to greater reliability and a longer pump lifespan because it won't be a moving part right next to a metal block that reaches near-boiling temperatures . This should make it more efficient in the long run. Of course, this is all in theory, as it will also depend on the quality of the coolant, maintenance, and the quality of the water pump itself. But the same water pump and coolant from the same liquid cooling system, when transferred to the radiator, should last longer due to less contact with the CPU.
Having the water pump on the radiator also makes it less likely that it will leak due to an air bubble that prevents the coolant from flowing properly, thus hindering effective cooling. Depending on the pump's position, the air bubble in a liquid cooling system with a radiator pump could become quite large , with the pump's position acting as the limiting factor. This means that having the water pump on the radiator means that we might not check the coolant often enough, and as it micro-evaporates, it will take much longer for the CPU to stop cooling properly.
But this doesn't mean we can forget about it, since we'll still have to perform biennial fluid checks, bleed the system, and refill it with new fluid. It might give us more leeway, but it doesn't mean we can neglect maintenance.
Points against
The first advantage we mentioned of having the water pump on the radiator is that it's not on the CPU socket, which is the hottest spot for liquid cooling. But why is this also a disadvantage? Because it's not in the most common location, near the CPU, it will need a cable to receive power from the power supply or motherboard . This means more cabling, or the radiator itself can't be positioned in certain ways if the case is large, which severely limits customization for users who build their own PCs.
And this is basically the only downside we can mention for now to having the water pump integrated into the radiator: it can make assembly much more difficult . This could be an issue on lower-end motherboards or power supplies with limited cable length, or in cases with limited space, but it's more likely due to choosing low-end components for a mid-range or upper mid-range component.
Won't it take away some of the cooling zone from the radiator and therefore may be less efficient?
In theory, yes. If you remove part of the radiator's cooling area, you'll ultimately lose cooling power. But the reality is that liquid cooling fans, on the side where they draw in air, have a cone-shaped area where air isn't drawn in. This cone, where no air is drawn in, coincides precisely with the pump's location when mounting the fans . And this is the case in several models we've tested. Therefore, nothing is being wasted, because, by the very nature of the fans, it was an area that wouldn't be cooled by the fan.
Conclusion: Is it better or worse for the liquid cooling water pump to be in the radiator?
We can say that it is slightly better. Performance wise, the cooling performance difference is almost minimal, if any. Unless we are in an extreme case, we will not notice that small percentage of lower cooling.
As for durability, in theory, and on paper, having the water pump in the radiator helps it to have more durability by not being in contact with the hottest part of a PC.
