Waterblock
From TPU Reference
Waterblocks are the equivalent of a heatsink in water cooling. Their main purpose is to facilitate the absorption of heat by the water. Waterblocks differ greatly from heatsinks, and there are many differences between the various styles of waterblocks.
Waterblocks typically are much smaller than heatsinks, since water has a very high thermal capacity. The base of the waterblock itself does not need to be capable of softening a load (such as in the event of a CPU-usage spike and corresponding temperature spike), since water is excellent at this. Due to water's highly conductive and capacitive nature, it is most effective to get as much water as close to the source of heat as possible. As such, waterblock internals are very complex and densely packed.
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Older Waterblocks
Many older designs are very unrestrictive, reflecting the train of thought of the time. They often feature wide channels, typically forming a "maze", with an inlet either in the center or on one side. Such blocks include the Danger Den Maze 3.
(Micro)fin Blocks
Finned blocks (or microfin blocks) feature very thin channels and fins. There are a plethora of variations on this, ranging from the original Little River Whitewater and its many clones to the Danger Den RBX and TDX, though the TDX is not a purely fin-based block.
Diamond-matrix & Pin Blocks
Water flows horizontally across a matrix of diamond-shaped, round, or square pins. The diamond-matrix was originally seen in the MCW5000 series and later revived by the Apogee and MCW-60 blocks, all by Swiftech. The most successful pin-based block was the MCW6000 series, which featured an array of round copper pins and covered a very large surface area.
Jet Impingement Blocks
The latest development in waterblocks are jet impingement-based. The RBX and TDX implement some of these elements in combination with fins. The original jet impingement champion was the original Little River STORM G4 and G5 (Swiftech later signed an agreement with Little River and began producing the Swiftech Storm, based on the STORM G4 with minor improvements and restriction reductions). Jet impingement blocks blast an array of cups (in the case of the Storm) or pins (in the case of the Aquaxtreme MP-05 and the NexXxoS XP) to maximize the amount of water exposed to the copper baseplate. These designs are very difficult to produce, and as a result tend to be the most expensive. The most expensive water block to be produced, the $300 STORM G7, has a base of pure silver, like the Little River G5, but features a larger cooling area and an increased number of cups.
Some waterblocks, such as Alphacool's Nexxxos XP series, combine both jet impingement, as well as diamond-pin technology.
Other Blocks
Numerous other designs exist, such as direct-die water cooling, a very dangerous undertaking. Direct-die water cooling is as the name implies; water is passed directly over the core. This is an entirely DIY setup and is almost never seen any more. The most direct-die cooling was probably done during the Athlon XP days, but virtually every direct-die cooled setups died in under a year. A very risky and exceedingly difficult effort that has generally been deemed infeasible, especially since AMD and Intel have begun soldering or epoxying on their IHSes.
