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What are some good radiators?

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zeke

Registered
Joined
Jan 6, 2012
I am very new to the costom PC arena (1 Week), and i have my new PC up and running, however as soon as i take my i7 3930k over 3.6 GHz even with an H100 cooler on it the temps jump to an area that i am not comfotable with, and then my graghics card temps are alarming (85 degrees anyone (non OCed?)) so i am looking into the option of getting a large external radiator and a water block for both my cpu and graphics card.

Here is what i had in mind...
a large radiator
a individuall loop for my cpu off the radiator
my gc will also get it's own loop

i would rig each loop with its own pump to adjust that loops flow rate, and the fanns will fluctuate speed according to the temp of the liquid exiting the radiator.

please let me know if this is a terrible idea or if it will work to keep my system nice and cool.

P.S. the processor i have i would like to get up to 4.5-5.0 GHz but my H100 just isn't cutting it.
 
Here is my first stop for round-ups, the shading of the bars indicate how heavy (loud) or light (quiet) your airflow is, the different charts show different flow rates.
The Aqua Computer AirPlex Revolution looks to be the best of those 5, and at 400 watts for the testing, should handle a CPU and GPU pretty well on it's own (though since you're starting with a 130 watt processor, I'd imagine you've got a heavy duty GPU also).

Personally, unless you planned on adding another graphics card later on, I'd be tempted to look for their quad radiator with a single pump. Less clutter and excellent performance.
They seem to be out of stock right now though..guess others have seen this article. :(

:welcome: to the forums!
 
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I have a gtx 5801.5 gb air cooled that I will be upgradeing to the 3 gb version with a water block then going sli so yes I will probably need a bit more than a quad since the double on the h 100 can't keep up.

I want the radiator to also be able to scream when benchmarking/high end gaming but also be able to hear myself think when just dinking around on the Internet.
 
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Holy smokes! 750 watts...at stock speeds!
Yeah, I'd run two quad radiators and a single mcp-35x pump single loop. Just one will push that loop well.
I'm told the Gentle Typhoon fans are the best performing (quiet) fans you can get for a radiator.
I don't tend to throttle mine at all, I use low&slow Noctua's all the time.
That part might be better answered by another with a "heavier" system than I run.
I have some heavy duty Sanyo Denki server fans, but they don't quiet down much when run slower.

You may have guessed that I believe in running more radiator than needed, so I can keep my fans slow and quiet all the time.
 
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Thanks all, my next couple of questions are, would a seperate loop be better for each gc and a loop for the processor? That way they are all in parallel and will all revive the most cooling posible or run multiple gc's on a single loop.
The thing that conserns me with that approach though is that the second card in the loop will run considerably warmer.
 
Thanks all, my next couple of questions are, would a seperate loop be better for each gc and a loop for the processor? That way they are all in parallel and will all revive the most cooling posible or run multiple gc's on a single loop.
The thing that conserns me with that approach though is that the second card in the loop will run considerably warmer.

Most information I have found says no real benifit to multiple loops. I would (and did) just go with 1 large loop and go with 2 Pumps for redundency
 
okay that doesn't seem logical but okay i will do that then, cheaper
 
There are a lot of great rad companies. My personal favorite is TFC Company you can check them out here. http://www.feser-one.com/.

LOL, TFC doesn't even sell rads anymore. The XChanger was overpriced for the minimal performance gains, and the Admiral STILL hasn't made it to market because Feser tried to screw the manufacturers, so the manufacturers took it to market themselves and gave Feser NOTHING. At this point, with the way Feser likes to do business and the deceptive marketing they like to use, I would avoid them. That said, if you can get a used XChanger on the cheap, do it.


okay that doesn't seem logical but okay i will do that then, cheaper

Link: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=254683
 
The water in a system runs through at a pretty good clip, so each block is only able to raise water temperature by 1-2°C. With your 3 block plan, that means the last one will get water that's a mere 4°C higher than the first block at most.
GPU's tolerate heat better than CPU's, so I'd hit the CPU first from the rad/pump, then onward to the two video cards. The order's not that important, but I like the CPU cooler.

I'm not one to run redundant pumps, the thermal alarm will tell me when it's hot, and thus something's wrong.
 
Okay, like I said before I am a noob when it comes to this so do I need a special liquid for the coolant?
 
Nope, not special at all really. Distilled water from the local grocery store, and some PT Nuke you can purchase with your radiators. A simple strip of Silver works well too, as an antimicrobial (to keep algae from forming).
The other stuff you'll see on the web is snake oil meant mostly to separate you from your money. :thup:

BTW, ask all you want. We were all noobs, and now we stand on each others shoulders (just makes us look like giants). :D
 
Nope, not special at all really. Distilled water from the local grocery store, and some PT Nuke you can purchase with your radiators. A simple strip of Silver works well too, as an antimicrobial (to keep algae from forming).
The other stuff you'll see on the web is snake oil meant mostly to separate you from your money. :thup:

BTW, ask all you want. We were all noobs, and now we stand on each others shoulders (just makes us look like giants). :D

Thanks I thought you might have to use like mineral oil to make it safe.
 
Hose clamps and properly tightened fittings make it safe.
 
Ah, the computer will be moved around alot that is why I worry.
 
Take my word for it (as a LANgoer), you're set. Tighten the clamps adequately and be as gentle with it as usual and you won't have any issues...or, I didn't when my rig was getting moved all the time. Only concern is that it will have to bleed if you transport it with the res on the side, but that's no biggie.
 
I drug my watercooled FX rig 50 miles across town last night and back. During that time it got laid on its side multiple times, flipped upside down once, and the bottom rad unmounted and both GFX cards pulled all without emptying or disconnecting any hoses. Today the only aftermath was a few extra air bubbles to run out. A minor inconvience at worst.
 
They do effect cooling performance but they work themselves out pretty quickly if your system is setup properly. Im talking about small bubbles though the remnants after the main bleed.
 
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