Swiftech H220 Custom Loop Advice

[cameronpc]

Hi,

 

I own a Swiftech H220 and I am looking to expand my loop in my R4 to have a 120mm rad and a 280mm thick rad (could go for 240mm but I like the extra surface area), maybe radiators like this or this.

 

The only problem is that I am new to the custom loop scene and I would like some advice on what tubes to get, compression fittings, tubing etc and whether I should pay the extra £20ish for the upgrade from 240 to 280mm

 

I am in the UK so in the ideal case, I dont want to get anything shipped in from outside of the EU.

 

If anyone could help me, that would be great..

 

Thanks

[TheDigitalRealm]

280mm radiators aren't worth the extra price. 140mm fans generally aren't very good as radiator fans, as they tend to have low static pressure and high air flow. I'd go for a 240mm radiator. Whether you use compression fittings or barbs really comes down to whether you want to pay the extra money for better aesthetics or not, because that's really the only difference. They're both just as reliable.

[airdeano]

@cameronpc

welcome to the Linus Tech Tips forums!

 

you might wanna drop a contact to these guys: http://www.specialtech.co.uk/

they can get you what you need and pass along experiences to what you are

contemplating.

[MonkeyFace]

280mm radiator in the R4 is doable, but very much a headache. You can only put thick radiators in the front by sacrificing the drive cage, but it needs modding for 280mm rads. (The ModZoo Article)

 

I would stick with 240mm rad up to 45mm thick. Also get a reservoir, it will make bleeding and priming the H220 pump.  

[asquirrel]

...and whether I should pay the extra £20ish for the upgrade from 240 to 280mm

140mm radiators give you 36% more cooling surface area under the fan than 120mm radiators. How did I come to that number? 4*π*120^2 vs 4*π*140^2 AKA: Surface area of a circle. Assuming you get the same airflow and static pressure (Noctua 140mms have the same static pressure, and more airflow) then you will end up with more net cooling because you are spreading the air over a wider area, and water cooling is *all* about surface area.

 

So, if £20 ends up being more than 36% more expensive, no, you are wasting money. If £20 is less than 36% as expensive, you are coming out ahead. that said, do NOT get a thinner radiator just because the fan is bigger, that changes the math. Thickness of radiator should remain constant at worst.

[d33g33]

I'm unsure of the H220 but the Glacer 240L which is basically a copy of the H220 uses 3/8" barbs which means your tubing must have 3/8" ID to connect to the block. It's probably a good idea to keep it consistent all the way through. 3/8ID and 5/8OD is what I would recommend personally. If you are using barbs which are cheaper get 3/8 barbs with clamps to match 5/8. If you're going to use compression fittings make sure they match these measurements as well. Compression fittings look nicer personally and have the notation of being more secure but I think reality has it that a well secured barb is equally less likely to leak