First time water cooling - configuration question

[Getov]

Heya all!

 

I plan to make my first custom water cooling in the next few months.

 

The parts connected to the loop will be:

CPU : i7 4790k

GPU: Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 (possibly 2 of them in SLI)

 

I am using Corsair 750D for computer case.

 

Is it ok to go all rads (4 of them):

240mm front (60mm thick) - pulling air in

240mm bottom (30mm thick) - pulling air in

120mm back (30mm thick) - exhausting air 

360mm top (30mm thick) - exhausting air

 

or should I have some fans, without rads, for intake and exhaust for better airflow in the case ?

[Aniallation]

4 rads is waaaayyy overkill for 4790K and single 970.

[Altecice]

one rad is perfectly fine for a 4790k (I use one for my CPU + NB)

[SuperPug]

You could run your entire system on the single 360... just sayin'

[GhostHitWall]

more fans ofc will give you airflow.  But 4 rads are not needed as you may be hitting the limit of heat transport by contact or close.  The result of adding more rads is not linear.
More rads will allow you to run fans at much lower speed and constantly so it be quieter.  But I doubt there's any noticeable difference between 2 rads and 4.  Maybe little from just 1.
 

I would choose thick front rad + top thin rad setup and a rear exhaust.

[Getov]

@GhostHitWall

 

Thanks, that makes sense. Maybe I will just go for 60mm front and 30mm top (I probably could go with 45 top, but it may interfere with the motherboard).

Then I will have 2 bottom fans for intake and the rear for exhaust.

[Leonard]

Heya all!

 

I plan to make my first custom water cooling in the next few months.

 

The parts connected to the loop will be:

CPU : i7 4790k

GPU: Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 (possibly 2 of them in SLI)

 

I am using Corsair 750D for computer case.

 

Is it ok to go all rads (4 of them):

240mm front (60mm thick) - pulling air in

240mm bottom (30mm thick) - pulling air in

120mm back (30mm thick) - exhausting air 

360mm top (30mm thick) - exhausting air

 

or should I have some fans, without rads, for intake and exhaust for better airflow in the case ?

Yes it is quiet fine but for me i find 30mm radiators are a waste unless you are space limited and for a few extra dollars and in some cases the exact price, you can get a 38mm, 40mm or 45mm radiator.

4 rads is waaaayyy overkill for 4790K and single 970.

It would depend on how much he/she wants to OC.

[Aniallation]

It would depend on how much he/she wants to OC.

Nope. You could overclock the crap out of that 4790K, add two more 970s into the loop, overclock the crap out of those, and those 4 rads would still be waaayy overkill.

 

Think about it, total system TDP of a 4790K and 970 (stock) are 238W combined. Even an R9 295X2, with a whopping 500W TDP (twice as much), runs perfectly fine of a single 120mm rad. This is half the heat output, on 8 times the radiator surface area.

[GhostHitWall]

@GhostHitWall

 

Thanks, that makes sense. Maybe I will just go for 60mm front and 30mm top (I probably could go with 45 top, but it may interfere with the motherboard).

Then I will have 2 bottom fans for intake and the rear for exhaust.

Nice to hear that, I don't have the case you have, couldn't give you any example of what rad at top be compatible.  I guess 750D is not hard to find tho.

and btw, two lower speed fans are not always quieter than one relatively higher speed fan.  It depends on what fan @ certain rpm.   I would suggest you to stick with low FPI rads

 

[Getov]

To all the "it's an overkill" guys - I know that but I don't care. I do it for the fun, I do it for the experience, I do it because I am an enthusiast.

 

@GhostHitWall

I think I will be ok with 45mm rad at the top. Now I have CM Nepton 120XL in pull config. The rad is 38mm thick and I have clearance for the other 7mm.

 

I have decided to go with Alphacool for rads, reservoir, pump and fittings and EK for CPU and GPU blocks.

For the fans I will go either with Noctua or the new EK Vardar fans.

[Leonard]

Nope. You could overclock the crap out of that 4790K, add two more 970s into the loop, overclock the crap out of those, and those 4 rads would still be waaayy overkill.

 

Think about it, total system TDP of a 4790K and 970 (stock) are 238W combined. Even an R9 295X2, with a whopping 500W TDP (twice as much), runs perfectly fine of a single 120mm rad. This is half the heat output, on 8 times the radiator surface area.

Sigh....

 

30mm radiators don't cool that well for long periods and he listed G1 970s and not stock and he is probably wanting to OC his CPU and GPUs while keeping them at a "nice" temperature. I do not know how much he is going to OC his parts and at what voltage but i has stated the radiators he chose is no overkill but at the same time will not limit him. He also has not stated his ambient, it maybe high and it maybe low or it maybe both depending on the time of year, either way, he will be sure that that set up will work well for his build.

 

I personally would not do his configuration as i find it to be a waste of money. I would do a 360x45mm radiator on top, a 280mm in front with high static pressure fans at around 1100 -1200 rpm with the front in push and the top in pull and then use high static pressure fans for the bottom as intakes to combat the hot air coming into the case from the front and one for the back as an outtake to do the same. 

 

He might want something else and that is quiet fine too. Oh i i would use Black Ice nemesis GTX radiators and not the alphocool radiators.

[GhostHitWall]

To all the "it's an overkill" guys - I know that but I don't care. I do it for the fun, I do it for the experience, I do it because I am an enthusiast.

 

@GhostHitWall

I think I will be ok with 45mm rad at the top. Now I have CM Nepton 120XL in pull config. The rad is 38mm thick and I have clearance for the other 7mm.

 

I have decided to go with Alphacool for rads, reservoir, pump and fittings and EK for CPU and GPU blocks.

For the fans I will go either with Noctua or the new EK Vardar fans.

I mean by FPI not thickness.  If the 45mm is Alphacool XT, thats a low fpi rad(~14).

For thin rad like a 30mm thickness, Koolance has this offer at 30fpi, while alphacool has st30 offering ~14 fpi

I would vote for lower fpi just because I think overkilling performance will definitely offer you the room to make it much quiet. 

[Maxwit44]

Heya all!

 

I plan to make my first custom water cooling in the next few months.

 

The parts connected to the loop will be:

CPU : i7 4790k

GPU: Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 (possibly 2 of them in SLI)

 

I am using Corsair 750D for computer case.

 

Is it ok to go all rads (4 of them):

240mm front (60mm thick) - pulling air in

240mm bottom (30mm thick) - pulling air in

120mm back (30mm thick) - exhausting air 

360mm top (30mm thick) - exhausting air

 

or should I have some fans, without rads, for intake and exhaust for better airflow in the case ?

 

Hey,

 

I run a similar setup. I have 5 rads in my system, 4690K and SLI 970's. I would expect you to temps pretty close to mine, which is around 55'c at full load, and my ambient temps in the mid 20's.

 

I'm yet to reach a balls to the wall OC, I have a pretty stable 4.5ghz on the cpu, and 1543mhz of the gpus....

 

Like you, I dont give a f#$% about the trolls and know it all's. They are in there, because I had the rads here left over from other builds, and because I wanted to see if I could fit five rads in the Enthoo Primo without modding the case.

 

As for your question, I would have all the bottom and front fans pulling air into the case, and the top and back out of the case, as you've listed.

 

I have: 420 XT45 in the top, XSPC- 140EX rear, EX240 x-flow side front, EX240 Front, EX360 bottom. Mix of airflow and High SP fans.

 

Good luck with your build if you haven't done it yet.