[thehighlander123]

So ive been purusing some threads here and have heard mentions of some waterblocks that have silver bases, such as the Little River G5

are their any more modern blocks available with a silver plate?

what would be the price and performance difference of lets say a silver fuzion v2 or a silver apogee gt?

 

[OC'ing Noob]

Blocks are rarely made in silver for the following reasons:

- Price, silver is much more expensive than copper
- Durability, silver is much softer than copper so it is harder to work with, receives impressions from CPU's easily, and may bend and warp over time
- Thermal performance is not much higher than copper

 

[h00chi3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OC'ing Noob - Thermal performance is not much higher than copper

Lies

Silver
Thermal conductivity(300 K) 429  W·m−1·K−1

Copper
Thermal conductivity(300 K) 401 W·m−1·K−1

 

[OC'ing Noob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by h00chi3 Lies Silver Thermal conductivity(300 K) 429  W·m−1·K−1 Copper Thermal conductivity(300 K) 401 W·m−1·K−1

And your point is? It has been proven that real life thermal performance between a silver waterblock and a copper waterblock is not worth talking about. You are looking at a 1-2C difference at most.

 

[h00chi3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OC'ing Noob And your point is? It has been proven that real life thermal performance between a silver waterblock and a copper waterblock is not worth talking about. You are looking at a 1-2C difference at most.

 

[OC'ing Noob]

Google little river g5 silver and compare the thermal results to its copper brother.

 

[h00chi3]

In this graph, from HERE shows that the silver block has better temps then the copper one.

 

[tehpwnerofn00bs]

True, but its the difference between a 10C delta and an 8C delta. Its not worth the $192 the review said it cost when it was released.

 

[nafljhy]

exactly, that was what OC'ing was saying. it is better but only by 1-2C and it just isn't worth the money to get a silver one nor is it profitable for the manufacturers to make them.

 

[OC'ing Noob]

Thermal graph for G4 copper base:

Thermal graph for G5 silver base:

 

[h00chi3]

second image no worky

 

[OC'ing Noob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OC'ing Noob Blocks are rarely made in silver for the following reasons: - Price, silver is much more expensive than copper - Durability, silver is much softer than copper so it is harder to work with, receives impressions from CPU's easily, and may bend and warp over time - Thermal performance is not much higher than copper

Quote:

Originally Posted by OC'ing Noob And your point is? It has been proven that real life thermal performance between a silver waterblock and a copper waterblock is not worth talking about. You are looking at a 1-2C difference at most.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OC'ing Noob Google little river g5 silver and compare the thermal results to its copper brother.

Obviously... if you bothered reading what I wrote. I said that a silver waterblock does conduct heat better than a copper waterblock but it is not a difference worth mentioning...1-2C at the most. You asked for proof and both you (ironically) and I provided proofs support my statement.

 

[h00chi3]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OC'ing Noob Obviously... if you bothered reading what I wrote. I said that a silver waterblock does conduct heat better than a copper waterblock but it is not a difference worth mentioning...1-2C at the most. You asked for proof and both you (ironically) and I provided proofs support my statement.

K thanks!

 

[DuckieHo]

The thermal conductivity of silver is greater than copper... but is so slight that it yields virtually no advantage. I would say less than 0.5C gain.

 

[The Duke]

Be nice now!

 

[ENTERPRISE]

Please stop bickering. There is no need for it. Please be friendly and constructive.

Also please be sure to NEVER post email addresses in open view as you are putting that person at risk of spam ETC

 

[ChielScape]

whats all the discussion about thermal conductivity anyway?

the reason for a silver(plated) block is the anti-microbial properties of silver.

 

[Eddie3dfx]

Aqua computer makes a new cuplex in silver.

 

[LeeH]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChielScape whats all the discussion about thermal conductivity anyway? the reason for a silver(plated) block is the anti-microbial properties of silver.

Bingo!!! There have been some recent discussions on xtremesystems regarding this issue. It came up when someone asked when the promised BP fittings in siliver were being released. Some members reported that some silver bar or wire in their Res eleminated all growth and was more effective than any of the other methods. One member went to silver and distilled water only and found it more effective than PT nuke.

It appears you can get .999 bars for about $17.00 to $20.00 and 10 gauge wire for about $30 in 1 oz amounts. I am thining of the wire to give me more surface area (wrapped around a 1/2 inch form.

 

[OC'ing Noob]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChielScape whats all the discussion about thermal conductivity anyway? the reason for a silver(plated) block is the anti-microbial properties of silver.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeeH Bingo!!! There have been some recent discussions on xtremesystems regarding this issue. It came up when someone asked when the promised BP fittings in siliver were being released. Some members reported that some silver bar or wire in their Res eleminated all growth and was more effective than any of the other methods. One member went to silver and distilled water only and found it more effective than PT nuke. It appears you can get .999 bars for about $17.00 to $20.00 and 10 gauge wire for about $30 in 1 oz amounts. I am thining of the wire to give me more surface area (wrapped around a 1/2 inch form.

That is actually not the reason. It is true that silver kills microbes, but the reason that Cathar and some other companies later on made silver blocks was because silver conducts heat better. It also looked badass. However, later on, it became apparent that the increase in price of materials did not justify the increase in performance. As far as using silver to kill microbes, a simply tiny bar of silver in a reservoir is enough to purify your entire loop so to speak.

Proof:
"The G5 is a geometrical extension of the parent Storm design. It offers an increased density of the internal structure over the G4. The decision to use silver was made to give the block a bit of extra performance as I felt this was justified by the increased machining time where even the cost of the silver plays a secondary role in the overall cost of getting the block manufactured. I also decided to go for some additional bling factor too, with the universal mounting bracket being polished to a mirror finish. Where the G4 was mostly black with some contrasting silver, the G5 I wanted to be mostly silver with some contrasting black. In the end I was very happy with the final result's appearance and I was also somewhat surprised by its performance during internal testing.

I consider the G5 in silver to be my finest work to date." - Cathar, originator of the Little River GX Series water block