Water cooling questions; how many rads ...

**VEX_001** · 09-02-2011, 08:56 AM

Hello guys

Pls help ;

User Name: VEX_001

System:
CPU: i5 2500K
Motherboard:MAXIMUS IV GENE-Z
CPU Overclock Speed:
Video Card & Quantity: GTX 460 hawk
Videocard Overclock:

Watercooling:
CPU Block: XSPC rasa
NorthBridge Block:
SouthBridgeBlock:
Mosfet Block:
Videocard WB/WBs: Swiftech apogee GT
Radiator & Quantity: 2x240mm
Radiator Fans & Quantity: nexus 120mm, 5
Radiator Location: down & up in case
Radiator Fan Direction: 3 intake & 3 exhaust
Reservoir: no
Tubing & Size: 10/8mm
Barb/Fitting Size:
Pump & Quantity: Laing DDC 1 plus
Pumps-Series/Parallel:

Ok, more facts ;
- WB for board will go up soonest i found one on market , i plane put it on chipset and mosfets
- the case is CM690 II , so 1 240mm rad on top and one down

Questions ;
- can DDC1 plus handle 2x240 and cpu/gpu/chipset/mosfet blocks in terms of flowrate ?
- can 2x240 hande all that heat, or i should put 120mm rad on back vent aswell ?
- should i go on 2 loops , cpu on one and rest on second, assuming i will OC everything how much i can ?

many thanks

**defect9** · 09-02-2011, 09:33 AM

the question of how many rads is in part based on how few degrees difference you want between the ambient temperature and the temperature of your chips. more radiators means more cooling capability. just to make sure i understand it right, you have 2 radiators and each one is a 240? you'll probably have about a 10C idle delta (chips 10C higher than ambient temps), and under load, expect a 30-40C delta if you're pushing the chips reasonably. If you honestly go "how much you can", it will start jumping in temp for much smaller gains as you begin to boost voltage.

if your ambient temps are 28C, that'd mean an idle of around 35-40C, and if my guesses are correct, 55+ under load (depending on the load and your overclocks, could be a lot higher).

btw swap your radiators fans around to be ALL intaking cool air from outside the case. and stick with 1 loop. I'm not sure on the DDC1's power, so I can't say it will or won't handle it. I can only say the DDC I have which is a little newer but still one of the lower-wattage models handles 2 radiators and 4 blocks very well, but none of my blocks are as restrictive as that swiftech apogee. if you feel like a new pump, the D5 Vario is a great choice for restrictive loops (and is an extremely reliable pump).

**VEX_001** · 09-02-2011, 09:48 AM

Tx for answer m8

yup, thats 2 radiators of 240mm im putting in , and considering ;
- 120mm rad on back of case , and because of 3 rads and 3-4 blocks i was thinking about 1 more loop
- since there is no full cover block for gtx460 hawk , i was thinking to put that cpu Swiftech Apogee GT block which i have ( didn't know about it's big restrictive flow rate, he had good reviews )

i suppose i will have to put all that together in bathtub and see what happends

Why to turn all fans to intake air in case ?? where will it go out

?

**defect9** · 09-02-2011, 10:10 AM

just all radiator fans to intake. though if you add the extra 120, you might not have any more openings for air to get out, so having that one as an exhaust would be okay, just not as effective as it getting direct cool air from outside the case (probably only a degree or two difference anyway, if that). if you have the vented PCI slot covers, that can help as an exhaust as well (if you need it). most times unless you're running high-speed fans, a 4 to 1 ratio of intake to exhaust is fine (just as long as you do have exhaust holes). there might be a tiny impact, but nothing worth calculating the math on. an exhaust hole of 120mm in diameter can move a fair amount of air. also remember that the air intake is impacted by the radiators themselves, so they're not a true 4x120 intake in total volume per minute.

adding one 120mm to what is basically a 4x120mm setup will have small gains, a few degrees depending on fan speed. The numbers I listed are for about 1000rpm as that seems to be a sweet spot for me between sound and performance.

**pby5cat** · 09-02-2011, 11:12 AM

the CM690 II has 2 120 fan holes on the side panel, thats ur way out.

**aerial** · 09-02-2011, 11:30 AM

1 cpu + 1 gpu (and only 460) could be easily cooled by one 360 radiator.
Other blocks, don't really matter that much. With 2x 240 you are fine, you could even add another gpu.