Do I need a radiator?

[letsrun4it]

I did some basic google searching and could not find the answer to this very newbie question.

I am a new enthusiast and ordered all my parts for a Threadripper build. A couple people have messaged me asking "What radiator are you going to use?" and someone posted "I'm going to have a 42mm (I forget the real size he said) radiator at the top of my case"

I know that a radiator helps remove heat from the case. But do I need one? If so, how do I know what size will fit my case?

For reference here is the build I've ordered parts for:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Threadripper 1950X 3.4GHz 16-Core Processor ($999.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: NZXT - Kraken X62 Rev 2 98.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - X399 GAMING PRO CARBON AC ATX TR4 Motherboard ($379.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair - Dominator Platinum 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($460.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial - MX300 1.1TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($287.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($81.78 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($81.78 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB FTW3 GAMING iCX Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($779.89 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB FTW3 GAMING iCX Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($779.89 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks - Enthoo Luxe Tempered Glass (Gray) ATX Full Tower Case ($177.52 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: FSP Group - 1000W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Pioneer - BDR-209DBK Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($66.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $4456.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-08-08 22:52 EDT-0400

 

[Ne0Wolf7]

A radiator is a part of of a water cooling loop. Unless you are making a custom loop, you don't need one

 

[USAFRet]

The NZXT CPU cooler you've selected has its own radiator.

 

[USAFRet]

But for a first time builder, $4500 is pretty ambitious.

For instance...do you know why you're getting those two GPUs in SLI?
Or a $200 PSU?
Or a near $200 case?
Or that $1000, completely untested, CPU?

What will this be used for?

 

[InvalidError]

Or that $1000, completely untested, CPU?

Completely? Pretty sure the CPUs and chipsets undergo over 100k CPU-hours worth of in-house testing before they are allowed to ship to distributors. Without that testing, there would be little chance in hell of anything ever working remotely close to correctly.

You must have meant no reviews, which is a different story.

 

[USAFRet]

Or that $1000, completely untested, CPU?

Completely? Pretty sure the CPUs and chipsets undergo over 100k CPU-hours worth of in-house testing before they are allowed to ship to distributors. Without that testing, there would be little chance in hell of anything ever working remotely close to correctly.

You must have meant no reviews, which is a different story.

OK, yes...reviews.
And then the inevitable updates to get it all working correctly, as we see with every new release of something.

 

[letsrun4it]

But for a first time builder, $4500 is pretty ambitious.

For instance...do you know why you're getting those two GPUs in SLI?
Or a $200 PSU?
Or a near $200 case?
Or that $1000, completely untested, CPU?

What will this be used for?

I'm not a first time builder, just my first time building a machine in this high end space. I may have overdone it, but money isn't tight and I'm just looking for a new hobby. I'm a CPA and want to build my own CPA prep software so I need to film a lot of video content. No way does this justify such an expensive purchase, but I'm not going to make it up that I'm some fancy 3D rendering god.

I will be using the computer for VR too.

Everything has shipped besides the Cpu and Mobo. Not too late to change to a Ryzen 1800x and cheaper Mobo...but I'm just going to go for it and hope all the good youtubers will get me through the early bumps.

 

[letsrun4it]

It's funny cause on my boat forums nobody ever says "You don't need a 23 foot boat, you can fish from a 15 foot boat just as well, don't waste money" But on computer forums everyone is judgmental about people over spending.