Radiator Choice for my Build

[csb8123]

Hello! First time poster, but been a lurker for a while. This will be my first time water cooling. I had a question about radiator choices for my build. I was thinking of going with a HW labs 360gts and 280gts, however, I'm not sure if these will provide enough cooling and I'm a little worried about how restrictive these radiators are. Theoretically they should provide around 500w cooling at 1000rpm with push only (which is the plan). I could go with a wider 360 in the front, but would have to change out the top rad for a 240 if so as the res/pump combo I'm planning on using will be a tight fit. Just looking for insight from people who know more and may have first hand experience. Any input is appreciated. Thanks!

Build:
Thermaltake view 31
Intel 8700k
Asus Rog Hero x Maximus
Asus rog vega 64
1000W PSU

I plan on using a vario d5 with a 250 bitspower mod top so it will be a pretty tall combo. I will be cooling the mobo/cpu with ek's m9h monoblock and the GPU with a full block as well. Here's a pic of how it currently sits.

 

[Blaylock]

Those rads are rather thin but do sport a higher fin density than the Swiftech that I'm using. You'll want to pair them with capable fans with a high static pressure in order to keep everything as cool.

In short you'll be fine with the 360GTS and 240GTS but this system may run a bit louder than average due to the higher static pressure fans and higher speeds when under load (assuming you set-up fan curves, and I suggest you do).

P.S. Very nice looking Rig BTW and to OCF!

 

[csb8123]

Those rads are rather thin but do sport a higher fin density than the Swiftech that I'm using. You'll want to pair them with capable fans with a high static pressure in order to keep everything as cool.

In short you'll be fine with the 360GTS and 240GTS but this system may run a bit louder than average due to the higher static pressure fans and higher speeds when under load (assuming you set-up fan curves, and I suggest you do).

P.S. Very nice looking Rig BTW and to OCF!

Thanks! The fans I currently have are thermaltake riing plus, advertised as radiator fans with max static pressure of 1.59 @ 1500rpm. Do you feel that will be adequate?

 

[maxfly]

the gts rads are solid but if you want to be able to run your fans at less than 1000rpm for silence and still maintain very good cooling i would go with the sr2 360
http://www.performance-pcs.com/feat...r2-multiport-black-carbon-radiator-360mm.html
it will cool both your cpu and gpu without any need for another rad. it wont hurt anything to add another 240 to the loop but that would be more for aesthetics than anything else. those fans may be good rad fans at high rpms but you have to keep in mind that 1500rpm is usually pretty loud for most 120mm fans. if you already have them dont sweat it, like Blaylock said just set up a curve and you should be gtg.

 

[EarthDog]

So, a Vega64 (295W - stock), and i7-8700K (95W) can be cooled by a single 360 rad? What happenend to the ~100W per 120mm or radiator we tend to follow? What if he is overclocking. I wouldn't go less than 4x120mm worth of radiator in this case.

 

[maxfly]

according to hwlabs the sr2 360 will cool well above what hes running even with a oc on both. i dont know what the max wattage of both oced would be but i cant imagine its more than the sr2 can handle with the fans running appropriately.
this gives a better representation of what i mean, check the performance tab out.
http://hardwarelabs.com/blackice/sr2/360-mp/

 

[EarthDog]

Those wattage ratings are off the chain high... wow.

I suppose it is a double thick rad, but still... 1500W out of a 3x120mm... with what.... push/pull delta's at 5K RPM?

120mm rad cooling 400W... LOL... wow. I know that isn't remotely optimal. Look at the R9 295x2 and its 120mm rad trying to cool a 500W card... that rad was literally almost HOT to the touch after gaming...

 

[Blaylock]

At only 9FPI I'm really curious how these rads work. Generally a lower FPI is an indicator that the rad is designed for silence rather than maximum heat dissipation. These are even marketed as Stealth Rads.

I'm not going to discredit what their data sheet says, but until we get some hands on reviews I would certainly question those kinds of claims. (1500W/360mm Rad)


EDIT: ^^^Referring to the Black Ice SR2 360^^^

RE-EDIT

Thanks! The fans I currently have are thermaltake riing plus, advertised as radiator fans with max static pressure of 1.59 @ 1500rpm. Do you feel that will be adequate?

Those will be fine as Case fans. For rad fans look for something stronger. If you're set on RGB then look into Corsair HD120's They're rated at 2.25mmH2O. An even better option would be to go with Noctua NF-F12 iPPC Industrial 2000RPM @ 3.94mmH2O or even the monster 300RPM @ 7.63mmH2O. You will definitely want to set up fan curves for those bad boys LOL. You can always add lighting in the case or with the new fan frame add-ons.

 

[EarthDog]

Something I just read after seeing this post...

The performance chart also lists a heat dissipation capacity of 1500W for this radiator. While this may seem high, keep in mind that the standards used here (as set by Industry) are with a 25 ºC delta T (loop temperature – ambient temperature) using 60 CFM fans. Now with that cleared up, let’s take a look at the actual radiator itself.

That tells me in a 22C room that water temps will reach 47C with that setup... wowzas...

It performs very close to other radiators which don't claim nearly as much capacity.

 

[csb8123]

Thanks for all the replies! I actually was thinking of going with an SR-2 in front and still trying to fit a 240 or 280 up top. I think I can still get away with a 280 slim, it would just be tight to get the return back into the top of the res. I'd like to have 2 rads just so I can keep the fans quiet. I think I'll try the riing fans I have and see how the temps turn out since I already have them. If temps are high I'll look into those suggested fans.

 

[GTXJackBauer]

I love the SR line. By far my favorite rads in the business. The SR2s are nice upgrades from the SR1s.

With that said, you can't go wrong with that selection.

If you're looking for premium rad fans, GTs and Vardar's are some of the names that show up in ma head. I'm sure there are several others out there that have good audibles for low to mid range in the name of silence. I should note that those aren't RGB but if you're stuck on getting RGB fans, I would careful choose said fans to make sure it would be compatible with rest of a possible ecosystem. So if you're going to add RGB LEDs, temp sensors, etc., I would venture with Corsair since they have a nice versatile setup atm with much better software from what they used to have. NZXT also has a nice ecosystem of RGBs but not as big as Corsairs.

Corsair's newest RGB fans are the LL120. I would look around and see which of those fans are best used for low to mid ranges for low to mid FPI rads. I've heard mixed reviews from others about the other fans that they have, even about their magnetic levitation being too loud for example.