Radiator Questions

[phantasml]

Hi all,

 

I'm starting my watercooling build using TJ-07. I'm currently set on using 480mm rad 30mm thickness  at the bottom compartment (using alphacool ST30) and 360 rad 30mm thickness at the top of the casing. Will it be sufficient or should I be looking for thicker rad at the bottom compartment? 

 

Will be cooling 2 GTX 680 and overclocked 3770K.

Also which fans should I be using? Will Gentle Typhoon 1850 rpm be good for my setup or do I need to use higher rpm fans?

 

Thanks!

[Ghost]

Thicker rads are less restrictive because hey have a smaller FPI value. This mean fans can push air without spinning as fast though them.

 

Here you can find an extensive review of the rads you are planning on getting: http://martinsliquidlab.org/2012/05/01/alphacool-nexxxos-st30-360-radiator/

 

If I were you I would go for thicker rads but if you are asking about their cooling performance then they are more than enough for your GPUs and CPU, its just I would go for something thicker int he bottom compartment because thickness doesn't matter there.

[phantasml]

Wow, thanks for the fast response!

 

Ah I see but will the difference be that big? Will it be worth it to swap to 60mm ones? The thicker 60mm rads are around £40 more expensive than the 30mm counterparts. Also my thinking was that using thinner rad at the bottom compartment means more space between the radiator and the power supply so there is more room to draw air in. Also, more space at the bottom compartment for more airflow and easier to manage cables (I'm using a long powersupply and will be putting my pumps there).

 

Thanks again for the amazing and quick response! I love this forum lol  :D  

[vkadurin]

Wow, thanks for the fast response!

 

Ah I see but will the difference be that big? Will it be worth it to swap to 60mm ones? The thicker 60mm rads are around £40 more expensive than the 30mm counterparts. Also my thinking was that using thinner rad at the bottom compartment means more space between the radiator and the power supply so there is more room to draw air in. Also, more space at the bottom compartment for more airflow and easier to manage cables (I'm using a long powersupply and will be putting my pumps there).

 

Thanks again for the amazing and quick response! I love this forum lol  :D  

As Ghost said, you can use these thinner rads and they will be more than enough for your needs. No need to switch to thicker rads.

[Ghost]

Wow, thanks for the fast response!

 

Ah I see but will the difference be that big? Will it be worth it to swap to 60mm ones? The thicker 60mm rads are around £40 more expensive than the 30mm counterparts. Also my thinking was that using thinner rad at the bottom compartment means more space between the radiator and the power supply so there is more room to draw air in. Also, more space at the bottom compartment for more airflow and easier to manage cables (I'm using a long powersupply and will be putting my pumps there).

 

Thanks again for the amazing and quick response! I love this forum lol  :D  

bigger = better

 

Rule of life.

[phantasml]

I see thanks! I haven't ordered the rads yet. Just in the planning stage now. Just want to make sure I'm not making any mistakes here. 

[vkadurin]

bigger = better

 

Rule of life.

Personally i think switching to one 480 and one 360 6cm (instead of 3cm) rads is an overkill. But i am not the water cooling expert here :D.

[Ghost]

Personally i think switching to one 480 and one 360 6cm (instead of 3cm) rads is an overkill. But i am not the water cooling expert here :D.

His setup is overkill already. The issue is that the FPI on the 30mm rad is quite high which means fans have to run louder to push the same amount of air though as they would do with a 60cm rad. Remember faster airflow is important for other parts of the build as well, stuff with heatsinks like vrm.

 

I didn't say he needed it, I said it was better which it is. I find its always better to give reasoning rather than straight out answers.

[vkadurin]

His setup is overkill already. The issue is that the FPI on the 30mm rad is quite high which means fans have to run louder to push the same amount of air though as they would do with a 60cm rad. Remember faster airflow is important for other parts of the build as well, stuff with heatsinks like vrm.

 

I didn't say he needed it, I said it was better which it is. I find its always better to give reasoning rather than straight out answers.

Fair enough :). I get your points but his other point was that he need more space in the lower compartment. So maybe it is better for him to use the thinner radiators :).

[Ghost]

Fair enough :). I get your points but his other point was that he need more space in the lower compartment. So maybe it is better for him to use the thinner radiators :).

He still has the whole other side  of the compartment. He can do anything he wants in there.

[vkadurin]

He still has the whole other side  of the compartment. He can do anything he wants in there.

As i not very familiar with the TJ-07, i will not continue to argue. :) You convinced me.

[Ghost]

As i not very familiar with the TJ-07, i will not continue to argue. :) You convinced me.

The bottom compartment is 220mm wide. so even if he mounts the biggest radiator there is (80mm) in push pull (130mm) he will still have 90mm to do what he needs to in there. I was suggesting a 60mm rad in pull or push so thats only 85mm which leaves him with 135mm of room to maneuver.

[phantasml]

Ok you convinced me. Will be ordering 60mm rad then. Which one will be better for my fans (most probably Gentle Typhoon 1850 rpm or Corsair SP120)? XSPC RX480 or alphacool UT60? I also plan to paint my fans black-white as I'm building a black-white theme rig. Will it affect performance?

[Ghost]

No one radiator is better than other radiators. They differ in performance by insignificant amounts. When picking a radiator pick it based on most importantly dimensions, then looks and features. And bear in mind that although more expensive things tend to perform better as a rule of the world, in radiators this performance increase is very small.

 

Check what your case can accept and pick the biggest rad you can fit if you want the best performance. By extension of this I will explain FPI. FPI (Fins per inch) is a measure of how many cooling fins there are in a radiator. As a rule of thumb thicker radiators have lower FPI. Low FPI is good because fans can run slower and push the same amount of air through. Slow running fans are quieter but they also mean you can ramp them up if you need it.

 

So pick as thick a radiator as you can get, with features you like, at as low a price as you can get when choosing radiators.

 

(May have repeated myself there)

 

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You cannot paint fans without negatively impacting on their performance. You can dye fans though.