Watercooling Radiators?

[Tsunami982]

so im thinking of adding some water cooling to my computer and was wondering if a radiator for 1 120mm fan or a radiator for dual 80mm fans would cool better. both are black ice 2 radiators and will be run with sunon adjustable sunon fans (1x 120 for the 120mm radiator and 2x 80 for the dual 80mm radiator of course). so both setups will be using relatively identical (except for size and number) fans.

my case is pretty cluttered so there isnt enough room for a double 120mm radiator. this water cooling setup is mainly to quiet down the computer and not too much for overclocking. for that reason ive decided to go 1/4" ID (since i already have a couple 1/4ID blocks laying around from previous projects). the setup will probably be cooling just the cpu (maybe the gpu if temps allow).

the dual 80mm radiator will fit much more easily than the 120mm but if cooling capacity is much more important to me than how the back of the computer looks.

any help will be much appreciated.

 

[essasin]

Techinally the dual 80mm should cool better since it has more surface area to distribute the heat. But the difference between the two are prob minimal. I would just use whatever fits better.

 

[TrevorRC]

I'd go for dual 120... unless the objective is silence, watercooling really isn't meant for a single 120mm fan.

 

[Tsunami982]

Originally posted by: TrevorRC
I'd go for dual 120... unless the objective is silence, watercooling really isn't meant for a single 120mm fan.

yeah id like to do the dual 120mm but the thing is that i dont have space in my setup for it. trust me gone over scenarios in my head of all the different places i could try to possibly jam a dual 120mm and none of them are practical.

 

[Painman]

For silence, out of those 2 choices, I'd go with the 120. More cooling surface area is always a good thing though, re: both performance and noise. No room inside the box for it? Think outside.

 

[Tsunami982]

actually both the 120 or 80's were going to be mounted on the outside back like in your picture. i cant do the dual 120's because it would start interfering with either my video card or the exhaust fan of my psu (depending where i mount it on the rear).

has anyone here tried using one of those swiftech radboxes that act as a spacer between your case and radiatior?

 

[HardWarrior]

I've used both, and frankly there isn't much difference all other things remaining equal. Like PM said, if noise is important go for a thin-core 120 and a well-built fan.

 

[Tsunami982]

Originally posted by: HardWarrior
I've used both, and frankly there isn't much difference all other things remaining equal. Like PM said, if noise is important go for a thin-core 120 and a well-built fan.

will a thicker core be louder? both black ice cores that i am considering are fairly thick for radiators.... i figured i should get a thick one since im skimping on surface area.

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: Tsunami982

Originally posted by: HardWarrior
I've used both, and frankly there isn't much difference all other things remaining equal. Like PM said, if noise is important go for a thin-core 120 and a well-built fan.

will a thicker core be louder? both black ice cores that i am considering are fairly thick for radiators.... i figured i should get a thick one since im skimping on surface area.

Thick-cores, like the one in the BIX requires a big, noisy fan to perform at or near its potential. Thin-core rads perform better across a broad range of fan CFM ratings. It all depends on what you're shooting for, kickass performance, relatively quiet heat dissipation or something in between.

 

[Painman]

Originally posted by: Tsunami982

Originally posted by: HardWarrior
I've used both, and frankly there isn't much difference all other things remaining equal. Like PM said, if noise is important go for a thin-core 120 and a well-built fan.

will a thicker core be louder? both black ice cores that i am considering are fairly thick for radiators.... i figured i should get a thick one since im skimping on surface area.

With a thicker rad, its cooling fan will need to have a good amount of static pressure. This usually requires a more powerful (louder) fan, though the Delta Triple Blade models that Sidewinder sells here are apparently good at delivering pressure without a lot of racket. The Black Ice Pro is relatively slim; I'm guessing that the Black Ice Extreme is what you're thinking of. It's definitely thicker.

I snapped a couple more pics for you, here (not the greatest) and here - the rad I have is the Swiftech MCR220. It's "special" because it's one of the narrowest (if not *the* narrowest) dual rads on the market. The purpose of the pics is to show its footprint upon the rear of the case relative to the video connector. Provided that it's positioned sufficiently far back from the rear of the case, this rad, mounted in a "low" configuration, may allow just enough clearance to let you get your monitor plugged in. Note that I still run a CRT, so I have the dongle in there if you're connecting straight to the DVI plug, you'd be in even better shape.

I just wanted to show that to you before you gave up on the dual 120 rad idea for good.

 

[Tsunami982]

hmmm i think ill look into that... i think it might be a bit of overkill for my purposes though. im not looking for insane overclocks... just something to keep the temps relatively low while still remaining relatively quiet.

you do have me curious though... im going to look up some stuff and see how much the cheapest dual 12mm radiator setup will cost me . but its a vicious upgrade cycle... if i do that ill be thinking "hmm i should probably upgrade my cpu block and gpu blocks too". the original reason for putting watercooling in this computer (my main comp is already water cooled) is to put some use to these 1/4ID blocks i have left over after upgrading my original unit.

 

[Painman]

BIX single 120 and a Delta Triple Blade 120x25 = 40.99 + 14.95 = $55.94 @ Sidewinder.

MCR-220 and 2 Yate Loon D12SL-12 = 36.00 + 11.90 = $47.90 @ Jab-Tech. Swap the fans for a pair of Akasa Ambers from Sidewinder, add 12 bucks and a bit more shipping.

If it's quiet you want, that's what it will cost you. Overkill is good when it's the rad

 

[TrevorRC]

Originally posted by: Tsunami982
actually both the 120 or 80's were going to be mounted on the outside back like in your picture. i cant do the dual 120's because it would start interfering with either my video card or the exhaust fan of my psu (depending where i mount it on the rear).

has anyone here tried using one of those swiftech radboxes that act as a spacer between your case and radiatior?

Hm... couldn't you have it work AS the exhaust for your PSU?

That's an interesting idea o_o
I might check that out in my next build.

 

[0roo0roo]

mount it ooutside? cut a hole? the choice between 1x120mm or 2x80mm is a choice between two lousy options. 80mm fans are not quiet

 

[Tsunami982]

Originally posted by: TrevorRC

Originally posted by: Tsunami982
actually both the 120 or 80's were going to be mounted on the outside back like in your picture. i cant do the dual 120's because it would start interfering with either my video card or the exhaust fan of my psu (depending where i mount it on the rear).

has anyone here tried using one of those swiftech radboxes that act as a spacer between your case and radiatior?

Hm... couldn't you have it work AS the exhaust for your PSU?

That's an interesting idea o_o
I might check that out in my next build.

yeah i think thats what i might be leaning towards now (dual 120mm on the outside)... this system isnt going to be for performance so i dont think the fact that i will be blowing hot air from the psu into the radiator will make that much of a difference.

hey Painman, can you send me some more pics of your setup... i think i might go about setting mine up similar to yours. the only problem im going to have to figure out is mounting the 120mm's to the back of the case since unline you, i have 80mm outputs on the rear of my case (standard antec 1040/cheming case). anyone know of any creative ways to do this. i already am aware of the radbox but want to know if there are other options out there... i am not afraid of drilling my case.

 

[Painman]

I posted a thread on my WC project a little while back, it's here. There's more pics in there.

80mm rear mounts? ohh... that changes the landscape a little

Well maybe, you could take a 80 -> 92mm adapter and attach it to a 92 -> 120mm adapter, attach rad to case that way, then cover the other 80mm exhaust port over with a plate or something. I would just make sure that the rad had some other form of support, but of course the barbs and tubes would provide some.

That's just off the top of my head - the devil is in the details, of course.

 

[HardWarrior]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
mount it ooutside? cut a hole? the choice between 1x120mm or 2x80mm is a choice between two lousy options. 80mm fans are not quiet

He can low-volt 4x80mm Panaflo's without TOO much noise and a bit of guiet performance.