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Radiators: Slim Triple vs Regular Double

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Ignas

New Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2015
Hey there,

First-time poster and first-time liquid-cooler aspirant here with a simple question:

Which would generally have better cooling? A slim triple rad or a regular double?


For those wondering, here are the two I'm looking at:

Slim triple
Regular double

I'm currently only cooling the CPU, but I want to leave the possibility open for dual-GPU cooling as well. Thanks for your help!

P.S. - Here's a pic of my build so far. Going for a white/red theme, thus the selection of rads above.
 
The slim triple has the greater aluminum fin surface area so depending on fluid transfer of heat to the fins + air flow to disperse the heat away, I'd say, 8457-85 duu897rhu carry the zero, uh, the triple.
 
I'd say the thicker rads because to compensate thin rads the FPI is much higher which than would require noisy high RPM fans.

Give us a list of your components including what case you're using and what you want to cool now and later down the road.

:welcome: to OCFs btw. :D
 
I'd say the thicker rads because to compensate thin rads the FPI is much higher which than would require noisy high RPM fans.

Give us a list of your components including what case you're using and what you want to cool now and later down the road.

:welcome: to OCFs btw. :D

The two he is looking at have the same fpi.

Since you're considering two radiators from the same brand I think it is safe to compare the specs since they should be rated using the same criteria and in this case black ice says the thin triple will provide more cooling capacity. They list its capacity as 1200W vs 1000 for the double.
 
The two he is looking at have the same fpi.

Since you're considering two radiators from the same brand I think it is safe to compare the specs since they should be rated using the same criteria and in this case black ice says the thin triple will provide more cooling capacity. They list its capacity as 1200W vs 1000 for the double.

Didn't see it was their new nemesis line. Thanks for the heads up. They used to have high FPI on their slim series rads prior to this new gen.

I will say though, their capacity calculations I would take with a grain of salt or wait for a reputed and respected water cooling review expert like a martin's liquid lab and the likes to find out what this really can do but some of those guys are in retirement. One of the common rules we use around here and tests have shown is 100w per 120mm of rad. The thing is, this triple rad is very thin. If you compared both rads at the same size but different thickness, the thicker one would have better cooling.
 
I would go thick triple if you can fit it. What case do you have?

Although if you go with thick you might want to do push and pull so you can run at lower RPMs.

This might help you choose a 360 mm rad: loink
 
I will say though, their capacity calculations I would take with a grain of salt or wait for a reputed and respected water cooling review expert like a martin's liquid lab and the likes to find out what this really can do but some of those guys are in retirement.

I would never rely on the manufacturer's claim of the cooling capacity of the radiator. An independent review as you suggested is the best source for this information. I was only saying that since the two radiators are the same brand you can reliably use the "rated" capacity of each to make a direct comparison of which has more cooling capacity. I would never trust a manufacturer rating to determine if you have enough radiator for your system or in this case believe that using a single triple to cool 1200 W of power is possible.
 
Since no one else has mentioned this yet I'll throw it out there. If you're looking to cool dual GPU's in the future expect allot more rad-age needed. I'd go the thicker dual rad as it has more capacity and add additional rads when that time comes.
 
I would go thick triple if you can fit it. What case do you have?

Although if you go with thick you might want to do push and pull so you can run at lower RPMs.

Fractal Design Define R5. Not too much overhead for Thick triple. In fact, a regular triple might not even fit properly.

I would never rely on the manufacturer's claim of the cooling capacity of the radiator. An independent review as you suggested is the best source for this information. I was only saying that since the two radiators are the same brand you can reliably use the "rated" capacity of each to make a direct comparison of which has more cooling capacity. I would never trust a manufacturer rating to determine if you have enough radiator for your system or in this case believe that using a single triple to cool 1200 W of power is possible.

I've done some research.

And here's another review of the previous Black Ice triple rads.

Regular triple is not significantly cooler than slim triple. Both cool excellently at 800+RPM.

Since no one else has mentioned this yet I'll throw it out there. If you're looking to cool dual GPU's in the future expect allot more rad-age needed. I'd go the thicker dual rad as it has more capacity and add additional rads when that time comes.

Like I said, right now, I'm only cooling the CPU. If I plan on more cooling, I can add a thicker dual rad on the front.

I'd say the thicker rads because to compensate thin rads the FPI is much higher which than would require noisy high RPM fans.

Give us a list of your components including what case you're using and what you want to cool now and later down the road.

:welcome: to OCFs btw. :D

Thanks for the welcome!

CASE: Fractal Design Define R5 White Window
CPU: i5 4670K (possible upgrade down the road)
MOBO: ASUS Z97 Sabertooth Mark S
GPU: ASUS GTX 970 OC Turbo
RAM: 16GB 1866 Kingston HyperX Fury Red
PSU: NZXT Hale82+ 700W

I also have 2 HDDs and an SSD as well.

That's about it. Let's say I was cooling only the CPU: would 1 slim double suffice? If I wanted to cool dual GPUs in the future, I could add another double on the front later on down the road.
 
I think you missed my point.

Adding 1 thicker dual rad will not be sufficient for adding dual GPU's to your loop.
 
I think you missed my point.

Adding 1 thicker dual rad will not be sufficient for adding dual GPU's to your loop.

+1 This

Figure this. Every 100w for 120mm. I don't like throwing this around but I used to say for every high end chip whether it be CPUs or GPUs, 120x2 per chip. For your setup, if you want a quiet but cool and low delta setup, you'll need anywhere from 120.5-120.6 of rad. Obviously your case will not allow that. You might want to think about going with a external rad setup or take your chances on higher temps and a louder rig. With that being said, you could go higher FPI with the thickest rads that can fit in that case with high RPM fans to compensate for the loss of rads but that I don't think that will make up for the right amount of heat surface needed.
 
Fractal Design Define R5. Not too much overhead for Thick triple. In fact, a regular triple might not even fit properly.

There is always room for a triple! :attn::attn:

DSC_0277.jpg

Edit: "That's my baby"

If you want to cool GPUs also you´ll have to end up doing something like this:

define_r5_fractal_design_review_360_radiator_mnpctech_modzoo_hardline_loop1.jpg
 
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I think you missed my point.

Adding 1 thicker dual rad will not be sufficient for adding dual GPU's to your loop.

+1 This

Figure this. Every 100w for 120mm. I don't like throwing this around but I used to say for every high end chip whether it be CPUs or GPUs, 120x2 per chip. For your setup, if you want a quiet but cool and low delta setup, you'll need anywhere from 120.5-120.6 of rad. Obviously your case will not allow that. You might want to think about going with a external rad setup or take your chances on higher temps and a louder rig. With that being said, you could go higher FPI with the thickest rads that can fit in that case with high RPM fans to compensate for the loss of rads but that I don't think that will make up for the right amount of heat surface needed.

It's possible depending on what temps you really want. I have a very similar set up, 4790k @ 4.8 and 2 EVGA 970's cooled by a 35mm 240 push fans only and a 64mm 240 in push/pull. I'm more concerned with noise than temps (within reason) and it runs quiet enough to not be heard when gaming or watching movies even at fairly low volumes and keeps the cpu below 70 and the GPU's below 50 which is perfectly acceptable to me.

Now with that case (mine is the R4 basically the same but the 5.25 bays aren't removable so 240 is the max up top) 35mm up top is pretty much the max and to fit that much cooling gear inside you loose all the ability for internal HDD's. I have 2 SSD's mounted behind the side panel and an external for mass storage.



IMG_0351.JPG
 
would the 360 not have more surface area? Why not both? Would that not fit in that case?


The biggest one that can fit first is what I would do. The difference is with the larger surface area and larger fans you can go with lower rpm's and its quieter. Slower fan speeds longer bearing life. I only have to use 2 180 mm fans at 650 rpm's. ( Very Quiet ) I could have tried 200 mm fans, but they would have been a little too big to fit.

It comes down to personal choice really I wanted quieter cooling so I went bigger surface area with bigger fans.

As far as Surface area with the 360 or the 280 they are very close and if you have ever seen how dust collects you know there is a dead spot right in the front middle of the fans. 3 fans or 2 fans? which makes more noise? takes more power? Its a choice you'll have to make.

If you get the really thick radiators with high fin count you'll be running even more fans at higher speeds and probably have to use front and back fans on the radiator.

30-50 mm thick and low fin count is what I would use, but that's me. Also the quality of the radiator does matter and can effect cooling and how fast you have to run those fans.

Can you fit a 140x3? sometimes you might have to cut out the top of the CD drive bay or remove it if its removable. If you can I would go with that one! :D
 
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The biggest one that can fit first is what I would do. The difference is with the larger surface area and larger fans you can go with lower rpm's and its quieter. Slower fan speeds longer bearing life. I only have to use 2 180 mm fans at 650 rpm's. ( Very Quiet ) I could have tried 200 mm fans, but they would have been a little too big to fit.

For the most part you're right except the part about anything bigger than 120mm. 140mm is fairly new and only a few decent fans out in the market for them. Anything bigger than that we steer folks away. 200m, 180mm, etc. They can't create enough static pressure since they are large fans. You'd have to run them must faster than say a 120mm to create similar pressure. Granted they can move the most air but they don't have the push behind it to go through rads like a 120mm would. It would take less energy for a 120mm to get through a radiator than it would a 180mm/200mm.

In the end, 120mm is still the recommended standard. Can't go wrong with it as it has been proven.
 
And I don't think he could do 140mm in that case at least up top, you can't in the R4. I had to offset my 240 away from the motherboard tray for clearance.
 
For the most part you're right except the part about anything bigger than 120mm. 140mm is fairly new and only a few decent fans out in the market for them. Anything bigger than that we steer folks away. 200m, 180mm, etc. They can't create enough static pressure since they are large fans. You'd have to run them must faster than say a 120mm to create similar pressure. Granted they can move the most air but they don't have the push behind it to go through rads like a 120mm would. It would take less energy for a 120mm to get through a radiator than it would a 180mm/200mm.

In the end, 120mm is still the recommended standard. Can't go wrong with it as it has been proven.

A lot of this push you need is based on Fin Density as well. With the big radiator I have I think I am at around 12 FPI and the fans move air at 650 rpms through it just fine. It all goes back to whether you want silent or don't mind fan noise really and of course case size.

Oh and those Nemesis Radiators he listed are built well and do well with lower fans speeds too.

I like how they used double finned but still only 16 PFI the fins feel much stronger to the touch than the 12 FPI larger rad I have and less likely to bend. The GTX versions do better with higher speed fans than the GTS probably because they are thicker.
 
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