How to maintain a good airflow for 3 radiators in pc case

[GTXJackBauer]

what do you mean better radiator fan?

Fans like the AP-53s or eLoop B12s are great radiator fans, for example.

 

[TerranBrackiatt]

Better radiator fans have higher h2o/mm^2 ratios. Ie 2.0> 1.0 , if the fan packaging doesn't list H2O/mm^2, don't bother using it on a radiator...

 

[Zgiera]

The problem with having one radiator on intake and one on exhaust is that the exhaust radiator will get already heated air. If they're both on the same loop, this is like having a single radiator that's twice as thick. Unless you use fairly powerful fans, you may find that the exhaust radiator has little effect.

The main point of watercooling is to move the heat to where you can get rid of it with a flow of air that has a large cross section. In order to do that, you need as much additional vent as the area of your radiators (or at least the area of your fan blades). Otherwise, your air flow will have reduced cross sectional area, and you'll be missing some of the benefit of cooling with water. You can pile on killer fans to compensate, but that's how high end air works, and if you wanted to go that way, you'd presumably have stuck with air.

I'd start by making sure that each radiator has enough vent. I'm not familiar with that case; can you do that with two in the bottom compartment? Some modification of the floor or side panel may be necessary. Don't worry about intake or exhaust yet, just match up vents and rads. And keep in mind that you need as much area as you have radiator all the way from vent to rad. If your PSU or pump blocks 75%, then the vent only counts for 25%. It's an oversimplification, but treat the narrowest point as the weakest link in a chain and you won't go wrong.

In case I don't make it back this week, intake or exhaust on the lower radiators won't matter all that much, but you'll want them both going the same way. Also you want the air to leave the case through a fan so that it is thrown clear of the intakes for the upper compartment. Hence, if your radiator fans are pulling air into the case, it will help to have fans on the exhaust vents. If you don't need that much fan, put the radiators on exhaust.

If you can get the bottom of your case up off the floor a few inches, that will keep your machine from sucking in fully grown dust bunnies. I don't use filters, but you might want them if your fans are going to be cranked up most of the time and the air is dusty to begin with. An air cleaner in the same room can make a big difference, but the more effective ones are big, move a lot of air, and are not silent. Forget the electrostatic ion marvel mystery machines, they don't do much. If you're not going to mine or fold 24/7, dynamic fan control will do a lot to reduce the amount of dust going into your machine or filters. Less air coming through means less dust.

Great, plenty good advises for myself. I will try with couple different options you mentioned at your post
Cheers

 

[Zgiera]

what do you think is better to use every each single waterblock for CPU, motherboard bridge and mofset or use monoblock to achive more cooling efficiency? Is there any big difference between these two different way cooling motherboard parts?

 

[Otter]

I prefer individual blocks because you can often transfer them when you upgrade. Also, getting a good mount on the CPU is critical, and I'd worry that the extensions would make that more difficult. I've never tried one of those all in one solutions, though, so I can't say how much of an issue that really is.

Not everything needs to be water cooled. Air cooling often makes sense for the bridge and mosfets. With most of the heat going going into the water system and no giant CPU cooler squatting on the motherboard, simple sinks and heatpipes work well.

 

[Screedo]

The problem with having one radiator on intake and one on exhaust is that the exhaust radiator will get already heated air. If they're both on the same loop, this is like having a single radiator that's twice as thick. Unless you use fairly powerful fans, you may find that the exhaust radiator has little effect.

The main point of watercooling is to move the heat to where you can get rid of it with a flow of air that has a large cross section. In order to do that, you need as much additional vent as the area of your radiators (or at least the area of your fan blades). Otherwise, your air flow will have reduced cross sectional area, and you'll be missing some of the benefit of cooling with water. You can pile on killer fans to compensate, but that's how high end air works, and if you wanted to go that way, you'd presumably have stuck with air.

I'd start by making sure that each radiator has enough vent. I'm not familiar with that case; can you do that with two in the bottom compartment? Some modification of the floor or side panel may be necessary. Don't worry about intake or exhaust yet, just match up vents and rads. And keep in mind that you need as much area as you have radiator all the way from vent to rad. If your PSU or pump blocks 75%, then the vent only counts for 25%. It's an oversimplification, but treat the narrowest point as the weakest link in a chain and you won't go wrong.

In case I don't make it back this week, intake or exhaust on the lower radiators won't matter all that much, but you'll want them both going the same way. Also you want the air to leave the case through a fan so that it is thrown clear of the intakes for the upper compartment. Hence, if your radiator fans are pulling air into the case, it will help to have fans on the exhaust vents. If you don't need that much fan, put the radiators on exhaust.

If you can get the bottom of your case up off the floor a few inches, that will keep your machine from sucking in fully grown dust bunnies. I don't use filters, but you might want them if your fans are going to be cranked up most of the time and the air is dusty to begin with. An air cleaner in the same room can make a big difference, but the more effective ones are big, move a lot of air, and are not silent. Forget the electrostatic ion marvel mystery machines, they don't do much. If you're not going to mine or fold 24/7, dynamic fan control will do a lot to reduce the amount of dust going into your machine or filters. Less air coming through means less dust.

HIya all!

I'm new to this forum and new to watercooling too.

I have built the same built with radiators in the side bottom and top etc. etc.

Otter: as I understand you I should put the 480 rad in the side bottom and the second radiator behind it, aka first radiator blow air trough the sidepanle 1 and exhaust tourh the second sidepanel. In this case you can't have 2x 480 radiators in the bottom, if you don't mount the PSU soemwhere else, so you end up with in first sidepanel a 480 radiator and the second sidepanel 240 radiator, maby you can fit a 360 radiator if you have a small PSU.

But, always these buts , whats the diffrence with putting the exhaust at the top or on the second sidepanel? You still blow the same hot air trough the second radiator, if you blow it at the top or via the second sidepanel.

With a setup with all the radiators at the bottom i'll get Pump --> 480 Radiator --> 240 Radiator --> GPU --> CPU --> Reservoar --> back to Pump.

Now I have Pump --> 480 Bottom Radiator --> GPU --> CPU --> 480 Top Radiator --> Reservoar --> back to Pump.

Zgiera: i'll be watching this build very close as I have the same case and we're cooling the same things. Good luck with it.

/Screedo

 

[Otter]

Otter: as I understand you I should put the 480 rad in the side bottom and the second radiator behind it, aka first radiator blow air trough the sidepanle 1 and exhaust tourh the second sidepanel.

I don't think that's what I said, but I'm not sure what you're saying, so it's hard to tell. If you mean have one radiator exhaust directly though the other, then no, that's not what I meant.

In this case you can't have 2x 480 radiators in the bottom, if you don't mount the PSU soemwhere else, so you end up with in first sidepanel a 480 radiator and the second sidepanel 240 radiator, maby you can fit a 360 radiator if you have a small PSU.

I'm saying avoid having one radiator blow hot air through another. Once the air reaches the coolant temp, it can not take any more heat. With quiet fans, the air gets pretty close to the coolant temp in one pass, so the second radiator doesn't do much. With stronger fans, this is less of a problem, but you'll always get more out of the radiators if they draw fresh air.

Ideally, you want intake and exhaust vents in the case to each be at least as large as the radiator they serve, but this becomes a problem when you pile too many radiators on a case that isn't designed for them. Sometimes you can fix this by cutting out the floor and raising the case up a few inches so that it can draw air from below. You could also modify the removable panel for the upper compartment or replace it entirely. And on some cases there is enough room between the motherboard and drives to add a needed intake. With a bunch of radiators on something your average office worker would recognize as a PC tower, you need pretty much every bit of surface area that isn't covered by components to be intake or exhaust. Each cut weakens the case in some way, so you may have to add some reinforcement to make up for the sheet metal you've removed.

Another way is to mount one or more radiators off the solid side of the case on a standoff that allows enough air to get in behind the rad. Some of the builds with giant 9 fan radiators use this method. Water is heavy, so if you go this route, make sure some sort of foot or base also extends off that side to keep the case from tipping over.

Mounting off the back of the case can work too, especially if the PSU isn't back there.

Alternatively, you could buy or build a case that can handle the radiators you want with ease.

But, always these buts , whats the diffrence with putting the exhaust at the top or on the second sidepanel? You still blow the same hot air trough the second radiator, if you blow it at the top or via the second sidepanel.

In the pictures, it looked like the upper and lower compartments were completely separate, so I can't see how exhaust from the lower radiators would get up there. But yeah, if there is a large enough path to allow one or both of the lower radiators to blow their exhaust up through the top rad, you'd have the same problem.

With a setup with all the radiators at the bottom i'll get Pump --> 480 Radiator --> 240 Radiator --> GPU --> CPU --> Reservoar --> back to Pump.

Why would you have all the radiators in the bottom? If you're going to use only two, put one in the bottom and one in the top.

 

[GTXJackBauer]

Nice rig you got there. Give us a more run down list of what PC components you have and water cooling even though you have more than enough. Some pics of your system when all is said and done would be great as well.

To answer you questions, I have a very similar water cooling setup as you.

The best way to configure your air flow in this mammoth case is as follows:

- Have both bottom radiators and the front as INTAKE (Filtered)

- Have the top radiator as INTAKE (Filtered)

You could have the fans in push or pull but that is up to you. I specifically have mine set as Push.

- Use the rear (Unfiltered) as EXHAUST along with the rear fan.

In this end, this should create some positive pressure which should keep the dust internally at a minimal.

Also, to assist the air flow internally, you'll need cable management done as well.

Hope this helps.

I forgot to add, having all your radiators as intake will be the least resistant since there's a filter involved otherwise you're not only fighting the radiator pass through but a filter as well when set as exhaust. The rear unfiltered side is big enough for a natural, thanks to positive pressure and rear fan assisted exhaust. That leaves all your radiators with less dust and fresh pure ambient air as the best solution. Internal temps don't go as high as many think they do. My internal airflow is only 2-3c above my water temps on average. Don't think 37c+ will hurt the MB's components when they can handle much more than that. Again, with such a mammoth case and great cable management, it is literally WIDE open.