Triple radiators roundup

[faster3200]

Okay, here are the flowrates:

Ok, so the Elegant is about 4% more restrictive than the Swiftech but is about 8% better at cooling on low rpm fans...

I wonder how restrictiveness scales... Wouldn't a more restrictive rad cause the results to be skewed in favor of it, I thought I remembered reading that.

[Sadasius]

Wow never thought I would see a rad more restrictive then the Black Ice GT.

[Vapor]

God I would never use Yates on a GTX. San Aces in push/pull or Delta's in push/pull. Thanks for the testing but I feel this was really for low end. Good rad's but cheap fans. Fans make up half the equation on heat dissipation. San Ace's have really good pressure and if you run them at 2000 rpm they are tolerable and in a push/pull configuration will put the boots to a Thermochill with the same fans. Was surprised on the low scale with Magicool however. Good rad for those here that have the hearing of dogs and can pick up a pin dropping half a block away.

RPM for RPM, I'd probably use a Yate over an 109R1212H1011

The PQ curve of a 109R1212H1011 is pretty unimpressive.

[Sadasius]

Maybe in open air but not on a rad.


***EDIT*** Actually they are better all around in open air and on the rad. Here is a quote from your own testing...

All-purpose awesome fans:
San Ace 1011 - This fan really is in a league of it's own....yeah, the Zalman may 'catch up' on the radiator...but the San Ace isn't a sleeve bearing and is overall better construction. It is the real deal and somehow better than every other fan...ESPECIALLY in open air.

[SAE]

Aaaahhh, that's what the heaters were for. (Liquidluxx )
Great review. If I ever need a new rad (you'll never know) I am gonna go for the xspc or a feser.

[Vapor]

Maybe in open air but not on a rad.

In open air, a good San Ace is basically untouchable.

109R1212H1011s do not have good PQ curves though--their weakness is being on a radiator, especially a restrictive one.

[HESmelaugh]

I realize that I can't cover all the bases when it comes to fan preferences. You see, for me personally, a 1000rpm fan is already more noise than I want to put up with. When I build a system, it's usually the quiet kind and I select fans for silence mainly. I like to run them at around 600rpm.

So to me, 2000rpm fans are already the crazyness. You can see in Skinnee's tests that the Ultra Kaze he uses do better at the same rpm than the yates. Ultimately, what's important for a test like this is that the fans are the same for every radiator.

[hotdun]

Very good review and comparison. Thanks for all the hard work!

[Hondacity]

another hooora for the thermochill pa120.3

thermochill is still king

[Mech0z]

another hooora for the thermochill pa120.3

thermochill is still king

Loosing with 2c on low lvl fans is still something and flow is not that bad tbh.

[Hondacity]

Loosing with 2c on low lvl fans is still something and flow is not that bad tbh.

i use 38mm high speed fans...before and after

[iandh]

Wow, this test really opened my eyes, I'm sure it did the same for a lot of other folks as well.

[Mech0z]

i use 38mm high speed fans...before and after

Lol, well I would die from the noise that monster makes

[Hondacity]

that why i got fan controllers

[Chruschef]

noise doesn't bug me at all for the most part.

i'm astonished how poorly the GTX pulled through at 2000RPM. :/ seems slightly inconsistent w/ martin's testing, then again his comparison was a PA120.3 & GTX480.
i'm also astonished by the magicool radiator.

[Vapor]

Martin estimated the GTX480 matched the Feser Quad at ~1880RPM....and then the GTX just pulls away really hard. So a small lead at 2000RPM seems pretty much in line

[oRIDDLERo]

AS above poster stated i would have loved to see a Feser 120.3 in here!

Other thoughts... I am kind of angry to se that the HW Labs GTX does so well at only 1600RPMs. All the ranting in here about GTX's needing uber high pressure fans to function properly was Apparently BS.

I just bought a feser 120.3 for my new rig and i was going to go with a GTZ 4x 140mm but got tuned off by all of the "Need a high pressure... high rpm fan... push pull necessary" rants Looking at the above data i would bet the 140.4 gtx with some decent pressure 140mm fans would have been great.

Sigh, someone make me feel better! The 140.4 rad would have fit my build perfect!

[shazza]

Thank you, sir. Very nice review. Just ordered the XSPC RX240 to give it a go.

[Jhors2]

I just hooked up my HWL Gtx 480 with 8 Ultra-Kaze 3000RPM fans and wow is it loud, but it works really really well

[HESmelaugh]

Thanks for the comments everyone! It's very encouraging to read your feedbacks and I can always learn something new or see my results from a different angle when I get feedback on my testing.

Here's another little update:

Here is a comparison of fin density that I did by just counting the total amount of fins found in an area of one squared centimeter:

[Jhors2]

Huh, thanks for the results, I thought for awhile the GTX had the highest count, thats interesting

[Waterlogged]

Huh, thanks for the results, I thought for awhile the GTX had the highest count, thats interesting

Nope, if it had the same density as the GTS, it wouldn't perform anywhere near as well as it does as no air would get through it then. Just remember kids, 30 FPI=GTS , 20 FPI=GTX

[HESmelaugh]

So, I did a short test to see how the Black Ice GTX does with more fan-pressure.

Setup: Black Ice GTX 360 vs. XSPC RX360 (the RX is the polar opposite to the GTX when it comes to fin spacing).
Both rads tested with 3x Scythe Ultra Kaze @ 2500rpm. Testing method as with all the other rad tests by me, heat load @ 290W.

Temperature-difference water-ambient:

Black Ice GTX: 5.4 K
XSPC RX: 5.4 K


In my prior testing it was evident that the temperatures achieved approached very similar levels with increased fan speeds, but I didn't expect this. I still kinda hoped the Black Ice would get ahead at some point... What do you make of this?

[Vapor]

So, I did a short test to see how the Black Ice GTX does with more fan-pressure.

Setup: Black Ice GTX 360 vs. XSPC RX360 (the RX is the polar opposite to the GTX when it comes to fin spacing).
Both rads tested with 3x Scythe Ultra Kaze @ 2500rpm. Testing method as with all the other rad tests by me, heat load @ 290W.

Temperature-difference water-ambient:

Black Ice GTX: 5.4 K
XSPC RX: 5.4 K


In my prior testing it was evident that the temperatures achieved approached very similar levels with increased fan speeds, but I didn't expect this. I still kinda hoped the Black Ice would get ahead at some point... What do you make of this?

Mario: "Erica, you know I love you, but I gotta come clean. I'm...I'm not really a man. I'm a woman!
Erica: "Oh my god, you're a woman?!"
Mario: "Well actually, I'm not really a woman, I'm a horse!"
Erica: "Oh my god, you're a horse?!"
Mario: "Actually, I'm not really a horse, I'm a broom!"
....
Erica: "To be honest Diane, I'm surprised."

Especially considering:

and

(44% improvement in temps vs. PA120.3 with only a 33% increase in airflow....and the PA120.3 beats the RX noticeably at higher RPM too)

[Waterlogged]

I'm think not enough heat. Remember, these rads can take upwards of 600W and maintain a 10ºC water/ambient delta with the right fans and flow rates.