ONE RADIATOR OR TWO

[UncleAelfrich]

I am planning out a water cooling build, and I would like some advice. It has been maybe 10 years since I last made a water cooled build.

These are my components:

Thermaltake Core P3 case
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
ASRock Fatal1ty x470 Gaming K4
EVGA Geforce GTX 1070 8GB FTW Gaming
EK monoblock for cpu and EK full cover block for the GPU
EK-XTOP Revo D5 RGB PWM - Plexi pump
FrozenQ LFX 250mm LFX (Helix) Reservoir
Black Ice Nemesis 360GTS XFLOW radiator
3 Phanteks PH-F120SP_BLED 1200 mm case fans
Primoflex Advanced LRT Tubing 3/8 in id x 5/8 in od

My outcomes are as followed ranked in order
1. Noise
2. Aesthetics
and much lower
3. Performance (i.e., light overclocking)

My question is:
Will this one radiator be enough for my loop?

I have considered adding a
Hardware Labs Nemesis 140 GTX radiator
to my loop. I am unsure if this additional reservoir is needed or not.

[NOTE: I will be fabricating a "box" to hold the pump and reservoir and additional radiator if needed. I will be mounting the whole shebang on the wall.]

I would appreciate your opinions, primarily on the question of the radiator, but feel free to offer your KIND advice regarding any glaring problems I may not have considered.

Thank you.

John

 

[scannall]

I am planning out a water cooling build, and I would like some advice. It has been maybe 10 years since I last made a water cooled build.

These are my components:

Thermaltake Core P3 case
AMD Ryzen 5 2600
ASRock Fatal1ty x470 Gaming K4
EVGA Geforce GTX 1070 8GB FTW Gaming
EK monoblock for cpu and EK full cover block for the GPU
EK-XTOP Revo D5 RGB PWM - Plexi pump
FrozenQ LFX 250mm LFX (Helix) Reservoir
Black Ice Nemesis 360GTS XFLOW radiator
3 Phanteks PH-F120SP_BLED 1200 mm case fans
Primoflex Advanced LRT Tubing 3/8 in id x 5/8 in od

My outcomes are as followed ranked in order
1. Noise
2. Aesthetics
and much lower
3. Performance (i.e., light overclocking)

My question is:
Will this one radiator be enough for my loop?

I have considered adding a
Hardware Labs Nemesis 140 GTX radiator
to my loop. I am unsure if this additional reservoir is needed or not.

[NOTE: I will be fabricating a "box" to hold the pump and reservoir and additional radiator if needed. I will be mounting the whole shebang on the wall.]

I would appreciate your opinions, primarily on the question of the radiator, but feel free to offer your KIND advice regarding any glaring problems I may not have considered.

Thank you.

John

I'm not seeing the need for liquid cooling there, unless it's for bling. Get the 2600X, and leave it stock. The cooler it comes with will give you 4.2 Ghz on all cores, no muss, no fuss. Though turn off Cool and Quiet in bios. Drop that expense in a custom loop and you can go to a GTX 1080ti and have a better system.

 

[UncleAelfrich]

Thank you for your suggestion. However, I am not concerned with optimizing performance or value/$. I am more interested in the "bling" as you suggest. I don't NEED to upgrade my system now. Its performance is more than I need. (ryzen 5 1600 and GTX 970) But I want another project, and this one strikes my fancy.

 

[Dasa2]

For low noise the bigger the better but also you want low FPI which is optimal for passive and low speed fan airflow.
The RAD you have listed is a middle ground at 16FPI while 7-9FPI would be preferable for your use.

 

[ttechf]

If you want one radiator, especially two, I feel it's wasted on that Ryzen 5 processor. Perhaps that's just me.

 

[bfun_x1]

If a silent system is your main goal get the Black ICE GT Stealth 360 or Black Ice Nemesis L-Series 360. They are designed for low air flow silent operation. These are my own test results with the Nemesis L-Series. This was a Ryzen 1600 and as you can see there is no more than a 3 to 4 degree difference between 900 RPM and 2000 RPM. Even under a torture test my system is near silent and performing amazingly well. If you want really quiet fans check out the Blacknoise NB-eLoop. They're really only meant for for push configurations but they're one of quietest fans <1000 RPM you'll find. The NB-Multiframes are almost as good and can do push or pull.

 

[UncleAelfrich]

For low noise the bigger the better but also you want low FPI which is optimal for passive and low speed fan airflow.
The RAD you have listed is a middle ground at 16FPI while 7-9FPI would be preferable for your use.

That makes sense. I think I will go with the Black Ice SR2 360 MP Rad since it is 9 FPI.

I am wanting to use the Phanteks fans because they seemed to have the best thermal and noise performance among LED/RGB fans.

If I understand what folks are saying, the consensus seems to be the one 360 rad should be fine for cooling.

 

[aigomorla]

can i ask where you are shopping from?
Because are you limited to HWLabs?

IMO, there radiators aren't my first pick....
My first line of radiators, especially if your after quiet is a Nexxxos UT.
https://www.amazon.com/Alphacool-Ne...8&qid=1540182619&sr=8-2&keywords=nexxxos+ut60

That guy if your looking for a 360.

Why? Because its an all copper radiator, is also thick and has a low FPI.
It also has more port options then most of its competitors.

And if your after noise, more is always better.... until you hit close to ambient where it becomes really difficult.


And no... phantek fans suck...
Dont RGB your radiator fans please.
Go with what works for a system like that... which are:

Nidac Gentle Typhoons:
https://www.amazon.com/SERVO-Nidec-...qid=1540182806&sr=8-3&keywords=gentle+typhoon

or

Nocuta iPPC:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KFCQT6...&pd_rd_r=af5e11a7-d5b3-11e8-bab7-ab1331cf4c6b

RGB your other fans like the rear exhaust, and front intake.... but do not go trash on your radiator fans.

 

[UncleAelfrich]

Thank you for your reply. Regarding putting RGB/LED on fans for the rear exhaust or front intake, my case is a Thermaltake Core P3, ergo, no front or rear fans.

 

[aigomorla]

i would still not use phantek rgb fans on my radiators.

I am a fan of RGB to some degree, but not where it will kill performance on my expensive cooling parts.
Its like you getting a Lambo Hurican only to put wallmart brand supermax tires on it.

If you get my comparison....

 

[Omegaboost]

Dual rad is probably a better idea since you're cooling both the CPU & GPU.