Does the Radiator Dimensions really effect the cooler?

[Leadbelly78]

Does the Radiator Dimensions really effect the cooler?
I'm just talking in general.

Sorry that it's such a noob question.

 

[boosted1g]

Of course, just like a 3 ft tall fan can move more air then a 2 inch fan.

The bigger the radiator is, the more surface area it has for airflow and thus the larger the temperature drop can be.
You cant hurt anything with having one "too big" it just wont cool the water/coolant any less then ambient temperature.

 

[ss202sl]

In general, larger the radiator the more surface area to allow the air to remove heat.

 

[Karadjgne]

In general, a single 120mm rad like a corsair h55 has roughly the same surface area as a CoolerMaster hyper 212, so the cooling ability is equitable. A thick 120mm rad like a h80i has @40% more surface area so has much greater cooling ability, roughly equitable to a Noctua NH-D14. A thin 240mm rad has @10% more than a h80i surface area so has slightly higher ability, Corsair h100i which sits roughly between a D14 and a D15. A 280mm rad has @30% greater surface area than a 240mm rad so will top the D15's performance.

However, this only applies to extreme high end. Those big-air, big-liquid designs all have one thing in common. If you aren't pushing the maximum ability, they all work the same. If you need to cool a 100 thermal watts, makes no difference if the cooler is capable of 300w or 1000w. It's physically impossible to cool an object below ambient temps by mechanical means. It takes a chemical process to do that.
So yes, size matters. The smaller the cooler, the less heat it'll transfer.

 

[Leadbelly78]

Wow, that was extremely help a lot.

One reason I asked this question was because I just bought a new AIO Cooler and I bought some Noctua fan's,even if they are very. very ugly.

Thanks so much!!!

 

[Leadbelly78]

Karadjgne gave me the best solution!!!

 

[Karadjgne]

Noctua fans might be ugly, but they are very, very good fans. Enjoy.

 

[Leadbelly78]

Noctua fans might be ugly, but they are very, very good fans. Enjoy.

I could paint them but I'd rather deal with the ugliest than hurt them.

 

[Karadjgne]

Paint won't affect the shroud at all on the outside but might have performance issues with a not so smooth area around the blades. Do not paint the blades. Those blades are tested for balance so as not to prematurely wear out bearings. Layers of paint will throw off that balance, slowly destroying the fan and could possibly make it considerably louder.

Yeah, leave well enough alone.

 

[Leadbelly78]

Paint won't affect the shroud at all on the outside but might have performance issues with a not so smooth area around the blades. Do not paint the blades. Those blades are tested for balance so as not to prematurely wear out bearings. Layers of paint will throw off that balance, slowly destroying the fan and could possibly make it considerably louder.

Yeah, leave well enough alone.

Thanks again!!