When are 480 radiators necessary?

[Tolem]

I work in a machine shop and will be building my own case from scratch. I am wondering if I need to include space for a 4x120mm radiators to fit? It really throws off the design I was going for and I would prefer to have space for 360 radiators instead. I can fit two of whatever radiator size I decide upon and will be buying components that preform based on reviews here (not just any run of the mill setup).

I have seen some extreme systems around with 2 480 rad's and 2 360 rads and I was hoping that was just overkill? I am hoping any system I can design in reason wouldnt need more than 8x120mm, and really hoping I can get by with 6x120mm.

I have 2 GTX 580's in SLI right now along with a i7 920 @ 4.2ghz. I want to push them as far as they can go on a single loop.

However I want to keep expansion in mind, possibly adding a 3rd 580 later. I never plan on going quad SLI or adding more than 1 CPU into the mix.

[vhaarr]

The general consensus is that you should have 120x120x60mm radiator space per component.
Other than that, it all depends on whether or not you care about fan noise, etc.

2x 360 will be fine.

[ino]

How about 5x140mm?

[defect9]

the more radiator space you have, the more flexibility you have.

basically, more surface area can equate to any of, or a combination of these qualities:
lower temp delta (great for prolonging life of components)
more heat dump (great for overclocked systems)
lower fan speed (great for HTPC, office computers, people who hate noise, etc) comes from having more fans, each running slower
future proofing (great for future/more CPUs, future/more GPUs, etc)

naturally things like lowering fan speeds to get quiet systems may make it harder to make some gains in the lower delta and total heat dump of system, but I think you get the point. More isn't always better, but it gives you more options. Whatever you get for your delta with a 360, you'd have to at least double the surface area to get half that delta (this is a rough generalization and doesn't take everything into account). going from a 360 to a 480 isn't quite as much of a percentage jump, but that's not to say it's negligible.

personally, I'd consider an outboard radiator like the MORA (9x120) or even a couple 360 rads tied together. that lets you build a smaller case and not worry about radiator heat dump on the non-WCd components. or do like the TJ07 and build in a compartment below to separate the rads airflow from everything else.

and yeah, depending on what you're throwing at it and your temperature requirements (in relation to total heat dump of the components), two 360s should be fine for the system you have. if you want lower temps for a tiny bit more overclock, just another radiator or two.

[CrazyNutz]

I assure you 2x 360 rads are plenty for your proposed hardware, even with oveclocking:up:

[Conumdrum]

Tolem. Look at the physics instead. Each 120mm or 140mm of a rad with xx fans provides xx cooling. Maybe someone has a need for one 120x4 rad, instead of two 120x2 rads. Space limitations, your needs for the build dictate the rad sizing.

The actual rad 'space/cooling' you need is more important than the final size of a rad.

[Martinm210]

Think of it this way. The main advantage water cooling has over air cooling is the radiator/heat exchanger. Air cooling is constrained by the space directly above the socket, were water is user constrained and nearly unlimited depending on the user preference.

Going very large on the radiator side of things nets you the option of gaining very low air/water deltas while running very low speed fans.

A single 120mm radiator is adequate, but so is the OEM HSF air cooling solution. You might need some very strong fans to reach the OC you want, but small rads can be easily high performers with strong fans. I've always been one to believe if you're going to bother doing water for performance and silence as a priority, you're going to have to suck it up and go large on the radiator capacity.

I have a 480 on my CPU only loop running extremely slow speed fans and wouldn't have it any other way. I get 3C water/air deltas, silence, and low maintenance (Less dust).

That's not to say using a smaller rad is bad. I completely understand building a water cooling loop with other priorities balanced between visual/space/performance. I just give performance and silence a higher priority than other people do.

[Kenjiwing]

Think of it this way. The main advantage water cooling has over air cooling is the radiator/heat exchanger. Air cooling is constrained by the space directly above the socket, were water is user constrained and nearly unlimited depending on the user preference.

Going very large on the radiator side of things nets you the option of gaining very low air/water deltas while running very low speed fans.

A single 120mm radiator is adequate, but so is the OEM HSF air cooling solution. You might need some very strong fans to reach the OC you want, but small rads can be easily high performers with strong fans. I've always been one to believe if you're going to bother doing water for performance and silence as a priority, you're going to have to suck it up and go large on the radiator capacity.

I have a 480 on my CPU only loop running extremely slow speed fans and wouldn't have it any other way. I get 3C water/air deltas, silence, and low maintenance (Less dust).

That's not to say using a smaller rad is bad. I completely understand building a water cooling loop with other priorities balanced between visual/space/performance. I just give performance and silence a higher priority than other people do.

Martin,

What would you consider one of the best 120x4 rads made for low rpm fans?
I know about the GTX series but thats the high end fans.

[jayhall0315]

Everyone mentions the HW Labs SR1, but my pick Kenjiwing for a 480 (or 360) is XSPC RX series of radiators. 8 folds per inch, no gloss paint like the SR1 (which retains ever so slightly more heat) and the price is much nicer.

RX480 or RX360 FTW.

[aerial]

480 rad starts to make sense with two graphic cards, below that 360 is fine.

[Martinm210]

Martin,

What would you consider one of the best 120x4 rads made for low rpm fans?
I know about the GTX series but thats the high end fans.

Lots of options and not any one of them significantly different.

Pretty hard to beat an MCR420 at $64 for price/performance
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/swmcqupo4xbl.html

Or if you want the looks of double thickness and have the budget, the RX:
http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/xsrx4xrare2.html

HWlabs SR1 is also good for low speed and HWlabs always has really good fit/finish, but it too is more expensive and a bit more restrictive. In general pretty small differences in performance so it's hard to go wrong there and budget, visual, and quality control seem to be the bigger variables to consider.

[leo_bsb]

I couldn't find the MCR420 in stock, my first choice, when I bought my new rad and choose the new Coolrad based on the latest reviews. check that one two for low speed fans.

[Ultrasonic2]

360's are my vote

i personally dont get why people have hundreds of rads and super low speed fans

could have gotten 1/2 as much rad and gone for 38mm thick fans with square shrouds and got pretty much the same noise to delta ratio but saved millions in cash and space.

people dont realise how much PROPER shrouds reduce noise while reducing temps .. Win win

[nickbaldwin86]

480 rad starts to make sense with two graphic cards, below that 360 is fine.

I agree with this.

The more video cards the more cooling area you will need/want to keep the temps down

[LLiH]

360's are my vote

i personally dont get why people have hundreds of rads and super low speed fans

could have gotten 1/2 as much rad and gone for 38mm thick fans with square shrouds and got pretty much the same noise to delta ratio but saved millions in cash and space.

people dont realise how much PROPER shrouds reduce noise while reducing temps .. Win win

Which shrouds can you recommend?
How much temperature change would I expect from getting shrouds for my 360 rad?

[Ultrasonic2]

these things are the best by far if you buy one
http://www.frozencpu.com/images/products/main/cpa-280_3.jpg

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/9130/cpa-280/Tecnofront_AirBox_240_-_Acrylic_.html?tl=g30c429s1073


i made my own square box 30mm high

http://www.frozencpu.com/images/products/main/cpa-280_4.jpg