Two loops or one?

Hello all,

I've been debating this for a while and I think I have it solved but I wanted to ask everyone here to see if my logic is correct. First off, the components I will be cooling is an i7 920 with a swiftech XT and a 480GTX OC with an EK water block. I have two XSPC RX360 radiators with 6 push/pull medium yates per radiator cooling the components, and two MCP655 varios for pumps.

At the moment, I have two completely separate loops for each component and they are cooled very efficiently. However, I am about to finish my first wooden case (Poplar and Mahogany) and I want the inside to be as clean looking as possible. The radiators are mounted next to each other and I was thinking of setting up just one loop with the rads back to back and the pumps in series. Thanks to Conumdrum's links, I've tried some math and I believe one loop will be just as efficient as two.

CPU: Intel core i7 adds 135 watts to a loop.
Overclocked i7 closer to 200 watts to a loop.

GPU: 480GTX close to 400 watts while gaming.

Total: 600 watts added to a single loop.

According to Skinnee, one XSPC RX360 with 3 yate loon mediums will cool a 600W heat load at a 12*C Delta. Adding another radiator should bring that Delta closer to 6*C. Skinnee's test was done with 3 fans and I have 6 total per radiator, I believe this will take the Delta down slightly more (maybe 1*C ?). My goal is to get my loop around 5*C Delta, is this unrealistic with adding the super hot 480GTX?

Let me know what you guys think. Remember, I am looking to go for a single loop just to clean things up as far as tubing goes, but I am also willing to keep the two loops.

your GPU temps will prob drop a little and your CPU temps raise a little based on the fact that your GPU loop should already run higher. If your still within limits on your CPU on the single loop, and are happy with the temps as a single. Go for it.

Edit: A single 120.3 for a single GTX480 is more than needed, you could have gotten away with a 120.2. But remember the rule of thumb, you cant over rad. If you put those into a single loop you should be good.

Methinks you'd be just fine. You did your homework, you have plenty of rad and enough pumpage to make one loop. In fact running medium fans on just each side of the rad should be fine, I do. try that first.

And 5C DT vs 10C DT only matters if it hurts your overclocks. Otherwise it makes no diff at all, unless your at temp limits like 72C on the CPU under YOUR normal usage.