NZXT Kraken G10 RAM and VRM heatsink clearance

[JR1911]

I'm planning to install Kraken G10 + X40 on both of my R9 290Xs and I'd also like to install heatsinks on the RAM and VRM. Would anyone know how much clearance exactly the G10 offers for heatsinks? Looking at the pictures it looks like there's quite a lot of room, atleast 10mm or so but I'd like to know for sure so I don't buy heatsinks that are too big.

 

Also, as far as I've been able find out, the MSI R9 290X Gaming uses a pcb layout that's identical to the reference pcb so the G10 should fit without problems?

[qwertywarrior]

I'm planning to install Kraken G10 + X40 on both of my R9 290Xs and I'd also like to install heatsinks on the RAM and VRM. Would anyone know how much clearance exactly the G10 offers for heatsinks? Looking at the pictures it looks like there's quite a lot of room, atleast 10mm or so but I'd like to know for sure so I don't buy heatsinks that are too big.

 

Also, as far as I've been able find out, the MSI R9 290X Gaming uses a pcb layout that's identical to the reference pcb so the G10 should fit without problems?

benchmarks on legitreviews show that the VRM is cooler when using the G10 vs the stock cooler

http://www.legitreviews.com/nzxt-kraken-g10-gpu-water-cooler-review-on-an-amd-radeon-r9-290x_130344/4

 

and if you really want to i think there is enough clearance

[Cubit481]

I dont think that should be a problem if it is almost identical to the reference...

[ChrisRK]

Measuring my own G10 I have 1.3 cm free space between the PCB and the G10. So any heatsink that's 1cm tall should work. Maybe some that's a little taller too. It's a MSI 780 Lightning btw.

 

[JR1911]

Measuring my own G10 I have 1.3 cm free space between the PCB and the G10. So any heatsink that's 1cm tall should work. Maybe some that's a little taller too. It's a MSI 780 Lightning btw.

 

Thanks for the info. I had just placed an order for heatsinks that were 15mm tall. They mostly likely wouldn't have fit so I canceled that order and found some other heatsinks that should work.

 

My G10 + X40 kits should with some luck arrive within a week or so and I also got a third X40 for the CPU. This is my first ever foray into the world of watercooling so let's hope everything turns out ok

[ChrisRK]

Thanks for the info. I had just placed an order for heatsinks that were 15mm tall. They mostly likely wouldn't have fit so I canceled that order and found some other heatsinks that should work.

 

My G10 + X40 kits should with some luck arrive within a week or so and I also got a third X40 for the CPU. This is my first ever foray into the world of watercooling so let's hope everything turns out ok

 

I hope you'll have enough space for all three radiators. Remember that there's a small reservoir on the opposite side where the tubes are (It's 17.25 cm tall) so two won't fit over each other unless you mount them sideways. (It's 13.84 cm wide so it will fit side by side in the front of your case's 140mm fan mounts.)

Oh, and let's hope the water tubes are long enough to reach the front if you plan on mounting them there. If you are using the Deep Silence 5 still, it's 55 cm long and the tubes are only 40 cm long on the X40 but the GPU core should be about 10 cm away from the back. But you have to consider the extra bend over the HDD cage and that the bottom fan mount isn't at the same height as the GPUs.

[JR1911]

I hope you'll have enough space for all three radiators. Remember that there's a small reservoir on the opposite side where the tubes are (It's 17.25 cm tall) so two won't fit over each other unless you mount them sideways. (It's 13.84 cm wide so it will fit side by side in the front of your case's 140mm fan mounts.)

Oh, and let's hope the water tubes are long enough to reach the front if you plan on mounting them there. If you are using the Deep Silence 5 still, it's 55 cm long and the tubes are only 40 cm long on the X40 but the GPU core should be about 10 cm away from the back. But you have to consider the extra bend over the HDD cage and that the bottom fan mount isn't at the same height as the GPUs.

 

Hmm... I hadn't considered that the radiators are that tall, but I think I should still be able to mount them according to my original plan, which is to mount the radiator from the bottom card to the rear exhaust and the radiator from the top card and cpu to the top exhausts. If all else fails, I'll just forget about watercooling the cpu.

 

[Leonard]

I'm planning to install Kraken G10 + X40 on both of my R9 290Xs and I'd also like to install heatsinks on the RAM and VRM. Would anyone know how much clearance exactly the G10 offers for heatsinks? Looking at the pictures it looks like there's quite a lot of room, atleast 10mm or so but I'd like to know for sure so I don't buy heatsinks that are too big.

 

Also, as far as I've been able find out, the MSI R9 290X Gaming uses a pcb layout that's identical to the reference pcb so the G10 should fit without problems?

The clearence is one thing but i feel the temperature of the VRM is more pressing. Check this pcper article.....http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/Using-NZXT-Kraken-G10-Watercool-Radeon-R9-290/Performance-Results

[JR1911]

The clearence is one thing but i feel the temperature of the VRM is more pressing. Check this pcper article.....http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/Using-NZXT-Kraken-G10-Watercool-Radeon-R9-290/Performance-Results

 

I'm going to install heatsinks on the VRM, I was able to get the same heatsinks as the guy in this video -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N9dZhEC4as (the VR005 accessories kit). I'm also replacing the standard G10 fan with a Noctua NF-A9x14.

 

[Leonard]

I'm going to install heatsinks on the VRM, I was able to get the same heatsinks as the guy in this video -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N9dZhEC4as (the VR005 accessories kit). I'm also replacing the standard G10 fan with a Noctua NF-A9x14.

 

Ok cool. My GPU came with a heatsink on the VRM so i will just be using a strong 140mm fan from my case by the HDD bay and a universal GPU. The VRM issue has me a bit nervous though, i don't want to boil my VRMs or GPU's PCB.

[ChrisRK]

Hmm... I hadn't considered that the radiators are that tall, but I think I should still be able to mount them according to my original plan, which is to mount the radiator from the bottom card to the rear exhaust and the radiator from the top card and cpu to the top exhausts. If all else fails, I'll just forget about watercooling the cpu.

 

 

There is a 140mm fan spot in front of the PSU (If you remove one HDD tray) so you might be able to mount one down there if two doesn't fit in the top

[JR1911]

There is a 140mm fan spot in front of the PSU (If you remove one HDD tray) so you might be able to mount one down there if two doesn't fit in the top

 

I took a closer look and it might be that the CPU fan header and/or the 8-pin mb connector blocks one of the top exhaust slots. If that's the case I'll use either the front or bottom fan spots. I'd like to use the rear and top fan spots so I wouldn't have to rethink the airflow within the case.

 

[ChrisRK]

I took a closer look and it might be that the CPU fan header and/or the 8-pin mb connector blocks one of the top exhaust slots. If that's the case I'll use either the front or bottom fan spots. I'd like to use the rear and top fan spots so I wouldn't have to rethink the airflow within the case.

 

 

I have that exact problem with my own water cooling. I have a Fractal Design R4 and a dual 120mm radiator in the top. The fans are squeezed against the power cables so it barely fits. Any 140mm radiator would never have made it

 

[JR1911]

Okay, three X40s and two G10s should arrive next week, so now I have figure out how to connect all the pumps (3) and fans (8). My mobo is Asus Maximus VI Hero that has five fan headers (CPU, CPU_OPT and CHA1-3). My case also has a two-channel fan controller for up to six fans. I'm also replacing all the NZXT stock fans with Noctua PWM fans.

 

My current plan to connect everything is as follows:

 

1. Connect the pump from the CPU X40 to CPU fan header.

2. Connect the fan of the CPU X40 to CPU_OPT.

3. Connect the pumps of the GPU X40s to CHA1 and CHA2.

4. Connect the fans of the GPU X40s to CHA3 with a PWM splitter.

5. Connect the front and bottom chassis fans to channel one of the fan controller.

6. Connect the fans of the G10s to channel two of the fan controller.

 

That way I should be able to control everything either through AI Suite or the fan controller. Will this plan work or is there something I've overlooked or missed?

[Imabigmac]

I'm curious to see if your Heatsinks fit, if they work do mind putting up a picture? I would like to see as I plan to a similar thing with my 780ti.

[JR1911]

I'm curious to see if your Heatsinks fit, if they work do mind putting up a picture? I would like to see as I plan to a similar thing with my 780ti.

 

Sure, I'll post a picture once I get everything done. There's a chance I might not be able to fit all three X40s, atleast not in the configuration I'd like to mount them (two in the top exhausts and one in the rear exhaust).

 

[Imabigmac]

Sure, I'll post a picture once I get everything done. There's a chance I might not be able to fit all three X40s, atleast not in the configuration I'd like to mount them (two in the top exhausts and one in the rear exhaust).

it would probably be better if you mount the gpu x40s side ways with the tubing side facing the side panel, should work better.

[ChrisRK]

You should not use the CPU_OPT header if you have the pump on the CPU_FAN header. They work off the same controller so you can't control them independently. And the pump should be on 100% fan speed at all times for the best performance. With my Antec 920 that I'm using on my GPU i got a molex to fan header adapter for the pump, running the radiator fans off the pump's own fan controller and the G10 fan off the motherboard.

 

If you can't (or don't want to) get 3 molex to fan headers for the pumps, this is how I would have done it:

 

Connect the pumps to CHA_FAN1, 2 and 3 and set them to 100% speed in the BIOS.

 

Connect the GPU radiator fans to CPU_FAN and CPU_OPT. That way both GPU's will have the same fan speed and will more likely keep the same temperature.

 

Connect the CPU fan to the case's fan controller (You won't need to adjust this much. Mine rarely spins up, so keeping it a bit over the minimum fan speed should keep it cool and quiet)

 

Connect the G10 GPU fans to the pumps own fan header.

 

Connect the existing chase fans to the fan controller. Use said PWM splitter if there's not enough ports.

[JR1911]

You should not use the CPU_OPT header if you have the pump on the CPU_FAN header. They work off the same controller so you can't control them independently. And the pump should be on 100% fan speed at all times for the best performance. With my Antec 920 that I'm using on my GPU i got a molex to fan header adapter for the pump, running the radiator fans off the pump's own fan controller and the G10 fan off the motherboard.

 

If you can't (or don't want to) get 3 molex to fan headers for the pumps, this is how I would have done it:

 

Connect the pumps to CHA_FAN1, 2 and 3 and set them to 100% speed in the BIOS.

 

Connect the GPU radiator fans to CPU_FAN and CPU_OPT. That way both GPU's will have the same fan speed and will more likely keep the same temperature.

 

Connect the CPU fan to the case's fan controller (You won't need to adjust this much. Mine rarely spins up, so keeping it a bit over the minimum fan speed should keep it cool and quiet)

 

Connect the G10 GPU fans to the pumps own fan header.

 

Connect the existing chase fans to the fan controller. Use said PWM splitter if there's not enough ports.

 

Okay, I didn't know that you can't control CPU_FAN and CPU_OPT separately as I don't have anything connected to CPU_OPT at the moment. Your plan of how to connect everything sounds pretty good, I might go with that.

[ChrisRK]

Okay, I didn't know that you can't control CPU_FAN and CPU_OPT separately as I don't have anything connected to CPU_OPT at the moment. Your plan of how to connect everything sounds pretty good, I might go with that.

 

I found that out the hard way... 4 fans and a pump on the same fan header doesn't work out that great I blew mine the first time I upgraded my watercooling. Luckily the warranty from the reseller covered it.

 

I'm really excited to see your setup though! I hope everything will fit and work properly

[Gamerfanatic]

I also want to see how it works out... BTW which card did you take? The reference?

[JR1911]

I also want to see how it works out... BTW which card did you take? The reference?

 

I've got two of MSI R9 290X Gaming. The layout of the pcb should be identical to the reference one so the G10 should fit without problems.

[JR1911]

Everything finally arrived today, so I guess I'll be spending this weekend trying to figure out how to fit three X40s into my case

[JR1911]

Yesterday I dismantled the GPUs and installed the heatsinks, so what's left for today is to install the brackets and put everything back together. It looks like I won't be able to mount all the rads as I had planned, since the rear exhaust and one of the top exhausts might block each other. Therefore I'll have to mount one rad either at the front or bottom. How much would it impact cooling of the other components if I have one rad pulling in warm air into the case? Or would it be better to install the rad exhausting air out the front or bottom even if it affects the airflow within the case?

[Imabigmac]

Yesterday I dismantled the GPUs and installed the heatsinks, so what's left for today is to install the brackets and put everything back together. It looks like I won't be able to mount all the rads as I had planned, since the rear exhaust and one of the top exhausts might block each other. Therefore I'll have to mount one rad either at the front or bottom. How much would it impact cooling of the other components if I have one rad pulling in warm air into the case? Or would it be better to install the rad exhausting air out the front or bottom even if it affects the airflow within the case?

shouldn't impact it much