Radiator thickness.

[Dummie]

Hi all,

I am new to water cooling and I have been absorbing a lot of information recently. Sadly, there are a lot of contradictions out there.

Some people say radiator thickness is not important, the fins per inch are important. Others say your radiators should always be 60mm or thicker. What are your thoughts on this?

Also, if you do not have any room for a push/pull configuration, is it better to push the air or pull it?

Thank you very much in advance.

[Oxide]

The total surface area of the fins is the important factor that is why people say to use 60mm rads as they have more total surface area. Whether you want a quiet rig or not also determines what fin density or fins per inch you want as faster RPM fans are needed for high density fin radiators.

Push/Pull has only a few degrees, sometimes almost none, difference with push or pull.

Choose what you have room for and what noise level you want.

[Dummie]

The total surface area of the fins is the important factor that is why people say to use 60mm rads as they have more total surface area. Whether you want a quiet rig or not also determines what fin density or fins per inch you want as faster RPM fans are needed for high density fin radiators. Push/Pull has only a few degrees' date=' sometimes almost none, difference with push or pull. Choose what you have room for and what noise level you want. [/quote']

Thank you very much.

[MatadorZA]

A thicker radiator (say >60mm) will always cool better than a 40mm rad. If you have a lot of space, I would also recommend a 60mm rad, if you only have room for a thin rad, then go for the thin rad. As Oxide has said, A rad with high FPI require fans with high RPM which will result in a loud setup. Low FPI rads dont need fast fans and thus you will have a quieter system. Many people resort to water cooling to have a quiet system but it's all personal preference. I have a thin rad (xspc rs240) with CoolerMaster R4 fans in push/pull and it is loud as f*** but I water cool for the hobby, not much else.

[Whaler_99]

As the guys have mentioned above - when looking at rads. I would always recommend going as thick as you can to get the most surface area. If you have to go thin >45mm - then pay attention to the FPI - higher FPI will need stronger fans to push the air through. But, if you get very good static pressure based fans, a thin, thick FPI rad can do pretty good.

As for Push/Pull - ya - 2 to 3 degree at most you will gain, if that. Only exception if +60mm, like the 80mm rads. A push/pull here can typically gain you 5+ degrees.

Now, for push or pull - as long as you are using static pressure based fans, it really makes no difference, temp wise. Most will say to run in pull, as this can make it easier to clean your rad.

[Crion]

They are related to each other. Thicker rads can afford to have less fins per inch due to their innate larger surface area while thinner rads will need more fins per inch to accomplish the same amount of cooling. The drawback to a thin rad with a high fpi is that you'll need fans with much higher static pressure to be able to push the air through the radiator due to the fin density. A thicker rad with lower fin density will allow you to use fans with less static pressure and slower rpm.

[FluffyNuggets]

If you are running a single radiator then get the thickest one you can. Thin radiators are good when you are running multiple of them because you can have your fans RPM down really low giving you a nearly silent computer. I personally have a 60mm thick 420 radiator and I run my fans at their lowest and my temps are fine.

[Dummie]

Thanks for all the information. I really appreciate it!

[Damien C]

I always ask people when they ask me this sort question what case they are using and then I will say which Rad's to get.

I currently use a 360x60mm rad and a 240x60mm rad, but when I get my next case or build a case of my own I will try and use 80mm thick rads so I can use different fans to lower the speeds of them and make the whole pc silent.

Push/Pull on fans is a tricky question really because most people will see barely any difference in temps dependent on what radiator and fans they use. I can see up to around a 8c difference when running push/pull rather than pull but I always try to run Push/Pull because I think it looks better especially if you use some of the new Corsair fans.

What ever thickness of rad's you go for just, make sure you pump will be able to push the water through the rad's and blocks for everything you start to cool because if you get a pump that is not powerful enough you will struggle to keep the water cool enough to cool the components and struggle to bleed the loop.

[Dummie]

I always ask people when they ask me this sort question what case they are using and then I will say which Rad's to get. I currently use a 360x60mm rad and a 240x60mm rad' date=' but when I get my next case or build a case of my own I will try and use 80mm thick rads so I can use different fans to lower the speeds of them and make the whole pc silent. Push/Pull on fans is a tricky question really because most people will see barely any difference in temps dependent on what radiator and fans they use. I can see up to around a 8c difference when running push/pull rather than pull but I always try to run Push/Pull because I think it looks better especially if you use some of the new Corsair fans. What ever thickness of rad's you go for just, make sure you pump will be able to push the water through the rad's and blocks for everything you start to cool because if you get a pump that is not powerful enough you will struggle to keep the water cool enough to cool the components and struggle to bleed the loop.[/quote']

Thank you for answering.

I am looking at the BitFenix Shinobi XL. If I understand correctly, the top has just enough space for a 60mm and a fan.

[Damien C]

I always ask people when they ask me this sort question what case they are using and then I will say which Rad's to get. I currently use a 360x60mm rad and a 240x60mm rad' date=' but when I get my next case or build a case of my own I will try and use 80mm thick rads so I can use different fans to lower the speeds of them and make the whole pc silent. Push/Pull on fans is a tricky question really because most people will see barely any difference in temps dependent on what radiator and fans they use. I can see up to around a 8c difference when running push/pull rather than pull but I always try to run Push/Pull because I think it looks better especially if you use some of the new Corsair fans. What ever thickness of rad's you go for just, make sure you pump will be able to push the water through the rad's and blocks for everything you start to cool because if you get a pump that is not powerful enough you will struggle to keep the water cool enough to cool the components and struggle to bleed the loop.[/quote']Thank you for answering. I am looking at the BitFenix Shinobi XL. If I understand correctly, the top has just enough space for a 60mm and a fan.

Just remember if you want to fit a 60mm rad, in to the top of the case then you need to make sure you have 85mm to 90mm so you can take in to account the fans that will be attached to the radiator.

If you decide to go push/pull, then you need to make sure you have 110mm to 120mm.

Not only that but you need to check that the radiator will not clash with the 8 pin power lead and also the heatsinks on the motherboards.

[Dummie]

I always ask people when they ask me this sort question what case they are using and then I will say which Rad's to get. I currently use a 360x60mm rad and a 240x60mm rad' date=' but when I get my next case or build a case of my own I will try and use 80mm thick rads so I can use different fans to lower the speeds of them and make the whole pc silent. Push/Pull on fans is a tricky question really because most people will see barely any difference in temps dependent on what radiator and fans they use. I can see up to around a 8c difference when running push/pull rather than pull but I always try to run Push/Pull because I think it looks better especially if you use some of the new Corsair fans. What ever thickness of rad's you go for just, make sure you pump will be able to push the water through the rad's and blocks for everything you start to cool because if you get a pump that is not powerful enough you will struggle to keep the water cool enough to cool the components and struggle to bleed the loop.[/quote']Thank you for answering. I am looking at the BitFenix Shinobi XL. If I understand correctly, the top has just enough space for a 60mm and a fan.

Just remember if you want to fit a 60mm rad, in to the top of the case then you need to make sure you have 85mm to 90mm so you can take in to account the fans that will be attached to the radiator. If you decide to go push/pull, then you need to make sure you have 110mm to 120mm. Not only that but you need to check that the radiator will not clash with the 8 pin power lead and also the heatsinks on the motherboards.

Thank you. :)