Dual loop to single loop

I asked the same question on XS, did not get much respond besides a 'no' .
I am thinking about going backward and convert my dual loop system into one.

What I have in mind:

DDC res top ->MCW60 -> PA120.1-> GTZ -> PA120.3 -> DDC
(in this order to minimize tubing/ maximize pressure)

Or I can have a single loop like this:

DDC res top - MCW60 - GTZ - PA120.3 - RX240 - DDC

or even have the PA120.1 between MCW60 and GTZ if the loss in flow is worth it.

I might add another MCW60 later if I manage to get a hold of another 5850.

I used to have a full cover 4870x2 block running independent and a set of mobo blocks. But due to that I find myself upgrade GPU often, and there's little point cooling mobo besides for the look, I plan to have a single loop with GPU and CPU then ditch mobo WC altogether.

My main concern besides pressure/flow rate is noise. I have all low speed fans running below their rated RPM and still find it to be quite loud, thinking dropping a rad and a pump might help a bit.

So my question is will 4 fans running at ~1krmp on the above setup be enough to cool c1 920 at 4.0ghz?

My current CPU/mobo loop at ~40c idle:

DDC XSPC top - RX240 - GTZ - PA120.1 - mosfet - mosfet - N/S bridge - micro res - DDC

A lot of excess tubing and low speed fans probably the reason why my temp is so high.

What you are describing (the second scenario) is similar to the loop I am running in my main rig, with a totally different pump and different second rad though. I think that DDC/res top should do almost as well for your proposed loop as my Iwaki MD20-RZ(T). My loop order is pump->double heater core->cpu block->PA120.3->gpu block->Res->pump. Flow rate is fine with my loop and temps are excellent.

As for your noise perception problems, well I really can't help you there. If you find having fans that are throttled back to 1000 rpm being noisy, then you should just remote the rad setups away from your computer because they aren't noisy; you are just being too sensitive to noise. And 1000 rpm fans aren't going to give you stellar airflow through the radiators either; their cfm and static pressure are getting too low to move air efficiently. What fans are you using? You might want to try changing to a different brand of fan than you are presently using. I find that the Scythe Gentle Typhoon fans seem to have a lower perceived noise for the given rpm they run at, but I haven't tried them on a fan controller. So I can't say whether they get a motor or bearing whine in them when they are on a pwm circuit.

Probably the reason you didn't get much of a response at XS (besides you being a noob there ) is that you seem to be asking too much from your system to overclock to 4.0 with a gpu in the loop with the parameter of dead silence (which is what you are doing when you post that fans running at 1000 rpms are noisy). And also in your post you also state that later on you want to add another 150 watts or so to the loop with the addition of another vid card. Cooling with water isn't magical and it still has to follow the same basic rules of thermodynamics as any other cooling medium. And your insistence on ultra-quiet fans is very much hindering the cooling ability of an otherwise good loop. You gotta be able to get rid of the heat from the rads and mouse fart fans don't do it efficiently. There are a few things you can try, such as maybe building or buying yourself some spacers to install between the rads and fans; mounting the fans to the interior side of the rad and having them blow through the rad and exhausting outside (which buries the fan internally inside the case); different brand fans and I'm sure other folks can give further ideas on how to make things quieter.

I'm not trying to diss you or your ears here, but rather I am trying to get you to look at this realistically. And yours isn't the only thread that has been posted here with unrealistic noise and cooling expectations while running high overclocks. I hope that you take this as a constructive criticism of your expectations for your loop.

mudd

Thanks mudd. Maybe I am asking too much but my MacBook is nearly dead silent. I just want my desktop to be quiet as well when I surf the web or other non CPU/GPU intensive work.

I heard a lot of praise about gentle typhoon. Right now my case is filled with undervolted low speed yate loon fans. I have tried other brands such as slipstream and ultra kaze, they don't see to help with the noise. I am not expecting too much but from what I know, most (if not all) the noise comes from wind movement. So if changing parts is not going to make a difference, I might as well reduce parts. My current cpu look work. I might not get the best temperature, but I have yet to experience a crash due to CPU overheating.

tbh one of the main reason I go with watercooling is because of noise. Overclockability is just an added bonus. Having a CPU running over 50% of it's preset clock speed just makes me happy .

There are a few things you can try, such as maybe building or buying yourself some spacers to install between the rads and fans; mounting the fans to the interior side of the rad and having them blow through the rad and exhausting outside (which buries the fan internally inside the case)

Click to expand...

Sorry I don't follow logic of this. Using shrouds can make fans less noisy?

Agreed the Macbook is gonna be quieter. How many watts does the Macbook need to dissipate vs your desktop? What CPU and GPU does tjhe Macbook have vs your desktop? How loud is a Geo Metro vs a Camaro 454 V8? It's no comparison, and thats where you have to decide. Power vs quiet. Choose one?

Fans close to the rad create turbulence and a shroud allows the air to become more 'linear' before hitting the fins of the rad. It reduces noise. Not by much. Having the rads inside the case with the fans sucking in through a plenum shroud and the rad on the ouside is kinda like a muffler. It baffles the noise somewhat.

First, your Macbook is a laptop, which is a different beast altogether and it's not overclockable.

If you install some shrouds (plenums) you are giving some extra room for air turbulence to smooth out (which lowers noise). You also give extra room for the dead zone behind the hub to collapse and you get better efficiency from your fans too. Another "must do" step for both noise and efficiency reasons is to remove any of those built-in cheesegrater fan grills on the case. Even the ones with relatively big spacing are restrictive and give you more flow noise. Cut them out with a dremel or nibbler and use wire grills instead, which offer almost no restriction. I don't know if you had done this, but that's the first step for you to do on a case, IMO.

BTW, here is a link to some tests that Martin did on fan orientation and shroud testing for you to read. ----> Linky for ya!