I am planning to put together a watercooled desktop ‘soon’. I’m using the Mountain Mods Ascension case (I have a spare one from a previous build) and plan to bolt radiators to the back, so space is not an issue. I would rather go with extra radiators, with slower, quieter fans rather than a maximally efficient loud loop. I would like a single loop system, with 2xGTX1080 (factory overclock only) 6900X CPU (moderate overclock, 3.8-4.0 GHz), 2x Nemesis GTX 4x120 radiators, 1x Nemesis GTX 3x120 radiator (radiator overkill = slower fans). Ideally, I want the system to be low-noise, with the fans hitting around 25 dB total (lower is better, but this might be the realistic floor), and single loop, with the ideal loop as reservoir->pump->CPU->4x120 radiator->gpu1->gpu2->7x120 radiator (4x+3x)->reservoir. The minimum flowrate should be a reasonable 1 GPM. I have some ideal choices for fans and a pump, but might have to go with second choice if they can’t handle it:
First up, what pump should I use?
Ideally, I’d want to use a single MCP655 pump, tuned to around 70% power for noise control. Unfortunately, with 2 GPUs, a CPU, and 3 mid-restriction radiators, I’m not sure a single pump’s going to cut it and get 1GPM at this restriction level. The MCP50x has the power, but not necessarily the flow rate, and seems a bit loud. The MCP35x2 or EX-XTOP Revo Dual D5 are definitely options, but 1) seem like overkill and 2) have PWM speed management, which means I really have no control over the pump noise, when compared to a pump I can dial in manually and leave alone (trust in my motherboard to make everything nice is not a happy option). Can I get away with a single MCP655? What if I don’t use the Revo dual top and instead put two 655’s in series (reservoir->pump->pump->cpu) both tuned to 50-75%? Would that work, or am I really not getting much extra there? If I absolutely have to, I know I can split this into two loops with a 655 on each, but I’d really rather not. I’d also much rather have larger, quieter pumps (D5) than small, noisy ones (50x).
Next up: fans
There are 15 case slot fans (6 front going in, 6 back going out, 3 top going out) and 22 radiator push-pull fans (11 slots, going into the case). This leaves the case at positive pressure (6in, 11radblockedin, 9 out), but that’s fine with me because 1)I hate cleaning dust and 2) the case fans/pressure don’t matter too much, as the real cooling is done via the external bolted-on radiators, which aren’t going to care about internal case temperature as long as there’s airflow. 3) Did I mention dust?
Ideally, I’d like the 37(!) fans to hit about 25 dB total or lower (which isn’t happening, but hey, I can dream).
The fans I’m eyeing for this are:
22x Noctua P12 w/ULN @ 1.21 pressure, 900 RPM, 37 CFM, 12.6 dB in push pull on radiators
15x Noctua S12 2/LN @ 0.73 pressure, 900 RPM, 49 CFM, 11 dB on case (with a filter over the front 6 for dust control)
This gives be about 28 dB total noise 10*Log10(22*10^1.26+15*10^1.1)=27.7ish which is pretty close to my goal.
I’m not sure if 900 RPM is enough for the radiators to cool 2 high-end GPUs and an mid-overclocked CPU though, even with the overprovisioning on surface area: If I have to, I can upgrade to:
22x Noctua F12 w/LN @ 1.83 pressure, 1200 RPM, 44 CFM, 19 dB in push pull on radiators
15x Noctua S12 2/LN @ 1.19 pressure, 1200 RPM, 63 CFM, 18 dB on case (with a filter over the front 6 for dust control)
Unfortunately, this will give me a bit over 34 dB of noise, or about 4-5 times as loud Can I get away with the quieter fans?
As an aside, are there any good filters I could put on the input fan side of the radiators to help with dust control without excessively restricting airflow? Although I’d love to say I’ll be cleaning out the radiator fans every few months, in reality, I’ll probably be lucky to get around to it once a year, and dust happens. There don’t seem to be many filters designed to fit on top of radiator fans, sadly. I could cut some pantyhose/Swiffer filter to fit, but this might halve airflow, which might be an issue if I’m using the 900RPM fans? Ideas?
Thanks for the advice!
Zithras
Summary:
1)cpu, 2xgpu, 11x120 rad, can I use 1 MCP655 pump for 1 GPM? If not, what (quiet) pump(s)?
2)900 RPM push/pull @0.73 pressure okay for 11x120 radiators, or do I need up upgrade to much louder 1200RPM fans?
3) Any dust filters I could use with the radiators?
First up, what pump should I use?
Ideally, I’d want to use a single MCP655 pump, tuned to around 70% power for noise control. Unfortunately, with 2 GPUs, a CPU, and 3 mid-restriction radiators, I’m not sure a single pump’s going to cut it and get 1GPM at this restriction level. The MCP50x has the power, but not necessarily the flow rate, and seems a bit loud. The MCP35x2 or EX-XTOP Revo Dual D5 are definitely options, but 1) seem like overkill and 2) have PWM speed management, which means I really have no control over the pump noise, when compared to a pump I can dial in manually and leave alone (trust in my motherboard to make everything nice is not a happy option). Can I get away with a single MCP655? What if I don’t use the Revo dual top and instead put two 655’s in series (reservoir->pump->pump->cpu) both tuned to 50-75%? Would that work, or am I really not getting much extra there? If I absolutely have to, I know I can split this into two loops with a 655 on each, but I’d really rather not. I’d also much rather have larger, quieter pumps (D5) than small, noisy ones (50x).
Next up: fans
There are 15 case slot fans (6 front going in, 6 back going out, 3 top going out) and 22 radiator push-pull fans (11 slots, going into the case). This leaves the case at positive pressure (6in, 11radblockedin, 9 out), but that’s fine with me because 1)I hate cleaning dust and 2) the case fans/pressure don’t matter too much, as the real cooling is done via the external bolted-on radiators, which aren’t going to care about internal case temperature as long as there’s airflow. 3) Did I mention dust?
Ideally, I’d like the 37(!) fans to hit about 25 dB total or lower (which isn’t happening, but hey, I can dream).
The fans I’m eyeing for this are:
22x Noctua P12 w/ULN @ 1.21 pressure, 900 RPM, 37 CFM, 12.6 dB in push pull on radiators
15x Noctua S12 2/LN @ 0.73 pressure, 900 RPM, 49 CFM, 11 dB on case (with a filter over the front 6 for dust control)
This gives be about 28 dB total noise 10*Log10(22*10^1.26+15*10^1.1)=27.7ish which is pretty close to my goal.
I’m not sure if 900 RPM is enough for the radiators to cool 2 high-end GPUs and an mid-overclocked CPU though, even with the overprovisioning on surface area: If I have to, I can upgrade to:
22x Noctua F12 w/LN @ 1.83 pressure, 1200 RPM, 44 CFM, 19 dB in push pull on radiators
15x Noctua S12 2/LN @ 1.19 pressure, 1200 RPM, 63 CFM, 18 dB on case (with a filter over the front 6 for dust control)
Unfortunately, this will give me a bit over 34 dB of noise, or about 4-5 times as loud Can I get away with the quieter fans?
As an aside, are there any good filters I could put on the input fan side of the radiators to help with dust control without excessively restricting airflow? Although I’d love to say I’ll be cleaning out the radiator fans every few months, in reality, I’ll probably be lucky to get around to it once a year, and dust happens. There don’t seem to be many filters designed to fit on top of radiator fans, sadly. I could cut some pantyhose/Swiffer filter to fit, but this might halve airflow, which might be an issue if I’m using the 900RPM fans? Ideas?
Thanks for the advice!
Zithras
Summary:
1)cpu, 2xgpu, 11x120 rad, can I use 1 MCP655 pump for 1 GPM? If not, what (quiet) pump(s)?
2)900 RPM push/pull @0.73 pressure okay for 11x120 radiators, or do I need up upgrade to much louder 1200RPM fans?
3) Any dust filters I could use with the radiators?