240mm rad too overkill?

[UltraTin]

Hi all,

 

I'm planning to get the CM Nepton 240m for my build with an i5-4690k. I'm planning to do some overclocking with that CPU, but nothing too fancy. My question here is this, is a 240mm rad too overkill for some light overclocking? I've read elsewhere that a 120mm-140mm rad is adequate enough. I'm not on an extremely tight budget, but if I could save some additional money, that would be nice. 

 

If a 120mm-140mm rad is enough, recommendations would be appreciated. I like my case to silent if possible. 

[gozzygozborn]

Yea a 140mm rad will save you money and be quieter while still allowing for light overclocking.

[shananigans89]

i personally don't like single fan rads. if your case has the space, go for a dual fan rad. a 240m for a 4690k will be spot on in my opinion. anything less and i'd think you'd be limiting how much overclock you could do. 

[mlbguy4life]

i would rather have an air cooler than a single fan radiator

[shananigans89]

i would rather have an air cooler than a single fan radiator

 

^^^this!!

 

definitely!!! 

[UltraTin]

^^^this!!

 

definitely!!! 

Hmmm, that looks like a good choice then. Any recommendations for a nice air cooler though?

[shananigans89]

if you're on a budget, get a Hyper 212 EVO. i got 4.5 stable in stress testing on my 8350 with it. if you want something bigger and better but still air, i personally am looking into the Dark Rock Pro 3 from Be Quiet, or i'd look at the Noctua NH-D14 / NH-D15. i'm not sure of other air coolers, you'd have to look around and watch some youtube vids.

[Tetters]

i would rather have an air cooler than a single fan radiator

 

Would love to know why?

 

The reason I ask is that I have an H75, keeps the I5 4670k very cool at 4.2ghz and is silent. What would be the shortfall?

[mlbguy4life]

Would love to know why?

 

The reason I ask is that I have an H75, keeps the I5 4670k very cool at 4.2ghz and is silent. What would be the shortfall?

Well, every system is different, but in general, air coolers tend to be cheaper in price while achieving the same performance as a single fan radiator. Plus if i wanted a aio liquid cooler i would just save up a few more $$$ and get a twin fan radiator, which i did, i have the h105 and love it. Plus it has better cooling potential than a single fan rad .....so my philosophy is, if you're gonna do something, might as well do it right the first time. But i'm glad that you are enjoying your cooler, have a good day.

[bcredeur97]

you can get some air coolers that are more effective than a single 120/140 rad. go 240 or go air cooling.

 

I made that mistake already.

[Tetters]

Well, every system is different, but in general, air coolers tend to be cheaper in price while achieving the same performance as a single fan radiator. Plus if i wanted a aio liquid cooler i would just save up a few more $$$ and get a twin fan radiator, which i did, i have the h105 and love it. Plus it has better cooling potential than a single fan rad .....so my philosophy is, if you're gonna do something, might as well do it right the first time. But i'm glad that you are enjoying your cooler, have a good day.

 

I agree with your logic there, I am looking top switch to a full custom loop in the summer next year and if I could have sprung for the 105 I would have done at the time. I have been pleasantly surprised by the 75 but I have no doubt it at its max right now!!!

[shananigans89]

you can get some air coolers that are more effective than a single 120/140 rad. go 240 or go air cooling.

 

I made that mistake already.

 

yea i share this belief. 240 rad or go air. 240 for the greater cooling performance than a single rad, or air cooing for the reliability (you'll know when it fails because you'll see the fan stop, however unlikely it'll fail though)

[Spanx24]

If you want silence and the budget isn't tight, go with the 240 rad.  You can set your fans at low speeds and dissipate more heat, whereas a single rad would need a fan running at much higher speed (creating more noise) to yield the same result.  Normally a single 120/140mm rad is enough for a CPU, but a larger rad also leaves room for future expansion.

 

In terms of a single rad vs air cooling, it all depends on the airflow of your case.  If your case has less airflow, I would use the single rad as an intake as opposed to a high end air cooler that isn't getting enough fresh air.  If it has high airflow, you'll get significantly better price/performance with an air cooler, but it won't be as quiet as a water cooling solution. You also need to take into consideration whether or not your GPU exhausts into the case or out the back, as a GPU under load generates a lot of heat.  The warmer the air inside of your case, the less effective air cooling becomes.