2x The middle of the fan toward the back will have little to no air-flow. While not having the pipes touch the processor lowers the risk of a leak frying your system, the efficiency of the unit is greatly reduced without providing enough cooling to offset and reduction in risk.

Considering most cases send air from front to back. (Or in general toward the rear of the case), designing a push/pull fan system on the radiator aiming toward the rear would be good. (Fan on Right side of Processor (Based on normal motherboard design of Processor above Expansion slots) would be pulling air toward the radiator while the fan on the left of the radiator would pull air out of the radiator and toward the rear where a chassis fan is normally located on most cases. This, with the pipes coming within contact with the processor would greatly increase the cooling efficiency. Also increasing the surface area a little (Going down and up 1 more time with the pipes) could also increase efficiency. Though normal fans would be 8-9 USD increase added another fan and increasing the pipe would depend on the cost in the area as metals are different prices in different areas of the country/world.


As a entry level Liquid Cooling System, that would work fine for a Regular Locked Processors with their overclock caps from AMD (Athlon II 2x-4x, Phenom Non-Black Editions) and maybe the I3, Core 2 and Pentium Processors. That are not normally overclocked past their recommend maximum overclocks (AMD 3%/7%/10% for example). For Gaming and extreme Media processors like the Black Edition Phenoms, I series and FX processors would need better cooling.

But for the Phenom Black 4x and 6x, the FX Series and the I5 and I7. For most people getting liquid cooling, they most likely are overclocking to get maximum they can get out of it. And design idea's like I mentioned would fit those types more, mainly push/pull and increasing surface area exposed to moving air and surface area to the source of heat, the processor. The more direct exposed surface area, the greater the heat transfer. I do like how you went for better quality fan over cheap ones since a single fan cooling system, losing a fan could mean system death since most people with liquid cooling will be overclocking by 12 to 15, maybe even 20% overclocking. Which would rapidly heat up without the fan.


Remember. People looking for Liquid cooling are going to be the people who just put in 150+ or 300+ USD into a processor, probably 90+ USD In a motherboard and over 100 USD more in other hardward. Probaby 100-300 USD into a high end AMD or Nividia Graphics Card too, maybe two in X-Fire or SLI. If they have been willing to spend that much. They probably willing be tolerate on 90-200+ USD in Water cooling. Most of the time if they can't afford the cooling for the processor, they probably didn't get the other stuff they need to even fully utilize overclocking and needing said processor and liquid cooling.