Question about X-flow radiators in the top of the case.

[AnubisNL]

So i'm starting to plan a future upgrade (3900X doesn't have the gaming legs i was hoping for/5800X3D doesn't have the sheer number crunching ability i need, fingers crossed the 9800X3D delivers the goods ).

 

and spotting what GPU powerdraw has started to do since i got my RTX 2070S (go from up to crazy), i decided to look at beefing up my custom watercooling/switching to a similar but better airflow case as well (O11-D > 011-D Evo RGB).

 

now i noticed my possible future case is big enough to support X-Flow radiators of which my current plan is one at the top one at the bottom other bits in between to essentially have the radiators function as tubes to move the liquid around for a really clean look/being stupidly easy to drain by slapping a small drain below the bottom rad.

 

now my main concern is that the top rad will do next to nothing as my loop is optimized for silence (pump running at ~2500rpm 1.2L/min flowrate) and the top radiator would be behind the gpu/cpu block which are the main restrictions in the loop as after the rad the water just dumps in to the reservoir so there's no restriction/backpressure to help the water "climb the radiator" rather then flee to the exit.

 

so does anybody have any experience with a X-flow rad in the top of the case and is this actually a issue or is it functionally the same as a normal rad .

 

my thinking is since a normal rad you only use half the channels, force the water to make a U turn and then go through the other half creates more resistence forcing the water higher in to the rad then a X-flow rad where the full rad is used at once and it might just run strait to the other side and bail only using a few mm of the rad (in height) unless i tell the pump to go full speed ahead which would probably create enough flow to force more use out of the radiator at the cost of pump noise.

[ChrisLoudon]

39 minutes ago, AnubisNL said:

so does anybody have any experience with a X-flow rad in the top of the case and is this actually a issue or is it functionally the same as a normal rad .

I have an EK X-Flow in the top of my o11 EVO XL and it works pretty much as expected.

 

The only surprise I had was the X-Flow path is not as versatile as I thought. Thankfully, my setup has a left rear port as input and a right front as output.

 

Somehow I thought ANY port on a single side (front or back) could be input as long as any port on the right was output.

 

Worked out in the end though.

 

Not sure if I can quantify performance as its doubled with S240 and is on the GPU loop with the CPU on a separate loop with an X360

[NorKris]

Xflow rads has less restriction than a normal rad. i would not worry even 1%

7 hours ago, AnubisNL said:

or is it functionally the same as a normal rad

[Blai5e]

I've used Alphacool X-flow radiators (both top and bottom in my old Phanteks 719 and currently my 2 x Lian Li O11D XL cases) for years at this point. Both of my O11D XL's run a top 30mm 360 X-flow, a bottom 45mm 360 X-flow along with a side 30mm 360 U-flow. No issues with them what-so-ever as long as you can account for the slight increase in their size over a traditional U-type radiator. And as @NorKris states, they present less resistance than a traditional flow radiator.

[AnubisNL]

ah that's good to know, thank you very much

 

i was thinking it's probably not a real issue though as @Blai5e is doing would probably go for the thicker one at the bottom and the thinner one up top.

 

the O11 Evo RGB can take a 420 rad (with extra bracket) up top so a 360 X rad should fit and the bottom only officially supports a 360 but it should fit as the case is ~6cm longer then the rad -1cm for the pci-e area and i should have enough space to cram a spring release drain on the side for my super simple draining solution.

 

was thinking of getting a rad in the side but think that will just be intake/pumpres combo mounting to keep the loop super simple and ez to 99% drain for maintenance all the solution i can think of invole mounting the res at only 1 point which....i do not like (acrylic pump top would be the only mounting point) can already hear the acrylic crack wile i'm doing combat with a tube .

 

i mean the 011D didn't want me to mount my side rad the way i did but a metal file later it went in there how i wanted and it didn't want me to place a 120mm fan next to my top 240 rad but again a metal file later 3 screws are keeping that fan level so i'm sure it'll work out as long as it physically fits inside of the case ^^

[thrasher_565]

x flow is just less restriction but since the gpu and cpu have jet plats flow speed wont matter.

 

the flow wont matter ether as its closed loop once the air is out it wont flow faster downward do to suction.

 

back then before the jetplate flow was king and the more you had the lower the temp so people would make the smallest loop posable less 90 degrees and over volt there pump. the x flow rad was just before the time the jetplate came out on the xspc ray strom cpu block witch restricks the flow but also got same cooling or better. problems of so much flow was fittings popping off, blocks cracking, faster etching, and lower pump hours. 

 

now the xflow is for looks, fitting placement or side mount.

Edited November 11, 2024 by thrasher_565