[SOLVED] gpu water block temps running identical to stock

[imaqls]

Beginner liquid cooler here. Just bought a PC that came with a cpu Liquid cooler pre installed with a 2080 ti MSI gaming X trio. stock temp for GPU while gaming then was between 70-73. Just installed the waterblock on my GPU, idle temps are sitting at 42 C, opened up call of duty, temps started out mid 50s then slowly kept going up. Saw a high of 77-78 C before I shut the game off because I wasn't seeing an improvement. Since I just got the full loop with the GPU waterblock installed running a few hours ago, should I just continue to let it run for the next day or so and see if temps change? Also, looking on the bottom of my GPU, I see what looks to be like a bit of an air bubble on one of the middle part that goes over the gpu core, but I could be wrong and thats how the waterblock is designed to make it flow over the core? It's the msi gaming vector trio from EKWB.

GPU stock under load: 70-73 C
GPU Waterblock idle: 41-43 C (Doesn't change with side glass panel removed)
GPU Waterblock under load: 78 C ( was slowly climbing before Load was relieved)
update: ran call of duty again, temp got as high as 85-86 C

Specs:
mobo: msi z490 meg godlike
2080 ti
10900k Processor
360mm rad mounted on top
three fans on top, 1 on left side ((exhaust?), three fans on the right (intake?)
Case: be quiet darkbase pro 900

I've tried running dragon center to monitor and change my fan speeds, but it shows all of my fans at 0 rpm even though they are all spinning. Was going to try and edit fan speeds to run at max, but don't know exactly how to do that. Removing the side panel doesn't change idle temps, so I don't know what my next course of action should be logically aside from re applying thermal paste onto the GPU, but I wanted to see if there was another option that was more viable before I jump to that.

Edit: Images
https://ibb.co/vVNfVC9

IMG-1468 hosted at ImgBB

Image IMG-1468 hosted in ImgBB

ibb.co

 

[Phaaze88]

Now, I'm no liquid cooling expert - the actual experts here should show up later - but isn't a single 360mm rad a bit low for BOTH a 10900K and a 2080Ti:
10900K: 250w max power limit, assuming stock operation.
Msi's 2080Ti Gaming X Trio - depending on the bios version, is between 330w - 406w! A list of validated vbioses can be found here: https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios...&version=&interface=&memType=&memSize=&since=
A 360mm rad around 30mm thick is good for about 350w of heat, with thicker ones having even higher thermal capacity.

If you're sure you see air bubbles elsewhere in the loop, I'd suggest trying to tilt the chassis around gently to try and flush it out from that spot.

 

[imaqls]

Now, I'm no liquid cooling expert - the actual experts here should show up later - but isn't a single 360mm rad a bit low for BOTH a 10900K and a 2080Ti:
10900K: 250w max power limit, assuming stock operation.
Msi's 2080Ti Gaming X Trio - depending on the bios version, is between 330w - 406w! A list of validated vbioses can be found here: https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios...&version=&interface=&memType=&memSize=&since=
A 360mm rad around 30mm thick is good for about 350w of heat, with thicker ones having even higher thermal capacity.

If you're sure you see air bubbles elsewhere in the loop, I'd suggest trying to tilt the chassis around gently to try and flush it out from that spot.

After looking at the photos from EKWBs website for the 2080 ti vector gaming trio waterblock, it does look like the middle portion covering the gpu core IS supposed to look curvy and not a rectangle, I posted a photo of how mine looks and it looks identical to what ekwbs block shows, didnt know how to get my image to automatically show in my post. if you're right and the answer is that I need another radiator, I'm not sure where I would put it? The only thing that comes to mind is possibly putting it where my three be quiet fans are to the right, right next to my reservoir?

 

[Phaaze88]

Oh yeah, you've got a hard tubing setup too.
Hopefully, one of the liquid cooling experts can chime in here.
@rubix_1011

 

[imaqls]

Oh yeah, you've got a hard tubing setup too.
Hopefully, one of the liquid cooling experts can chime in here.
@rubix_1011

Yea, went through a few tubes of PETG while getting the hang of bending... It was an experience lol
I'm hoping more people come in here eventually and throw some more knowledge my way, in the meantime, I'm taking what you said into consideration, because I do feel like it makes sense. I'm buying another 420mm radiator 45mm thick. Basically would just be putting it right where my right three fans are located, as the specs for the case says it can fit a 420mm radiator right there, and I'm thinking the same fans that are there can also server as radiator fans with enough room to the left by the reservoir. That way all I really have to do is get the radiator/fans set up and make two more tubes to get it included in the loop. Still open to ideas though.

 

[Karadjgne]

Careful with fans, they aren't all created equal. Neither are rads. To get the best out of a rad means figuring out what it needs.

Because of things like fin density, core tubing, flow restriction, thickness etc there ends up being multiple factors that'll add up to better or worse temps.

High speed cfm case fans on a thicker rad with split fin high fpi will get you nowhere, just as high sp, high speed fans usually don't do well on the slim rads.

Info - Overclocking, Cooling & Water Cooling - Sticky Index

This page represents a consolidated listing of Overclocking, Cooling and Water Cooling stickies, FAQs and other important threads. Please use the resources listed here as a start for your questions and research before posting topics in the forums. All content linked below has actively been a...

forums.tomshardware.com

Good place to start. The estimator will be helpful, you'll just need to figure the worst case scenario wattage on the components.

There's 2 rules of thumb when it comes to rads, both are pretty legit for the most part.

The first is 1x120mm space per component, + 120mm for OC. Which puts a 360mm (10°D/1.0GPM) as about right, temps being decided as to what components and settings you run. For a 5°D, double that, you'll need 6x 120mm.

The second being 'go big or go home'. Meaning you can't put too much rad in a case, excessive rad just means slower fans. Lowers efficiency, but you have extra capacity, so balances.

But first you must explore the components, just what type of fans work better on each rad, at what speeds, at what flow rate, is the pump enough to handle 7x 120mm, how high is flow resistance with all that rad, does it require a heavier duty pump with higher gpm or head pressure.

There's a bunch of stuff and tons of research to be done, just buying 'what not' usually gets you a half-ashed loop that doesn't perform nearly as it should.

 

[imaqls]

Careful with fans, they aren't all created equal. Neither are rads. To get the best out of a rad means figuring out what it needs.

Because of things like fin density, core tubing, flow restriction, thickness etc there ends up being multiple factors that'll add up to better or worse temps.

High speed cfm case fans on a thicker rad with split fin high fpi will get you nowhere, just as high sp, high speed fans usually don't do well on the slim rads.

Info - Overclocking, Cooling & Water Cooling - Sticky Index

This page represents a consolidated listing of Overclocking, Cooling and Water Cooling stickies, FAQs and other important threads. Please use the resources listed here as a start for your questions and research before posting topics in the forums. All content linked below has actively been a...

forums.tomshardware.com

Good place to start. The estimator will be helpful, you'll just need to figure the worst case scenario wattage on the components.

There's 2 rules of thumb when it comes to rads, both are pretty legit for the most part.

The first is 1x120mm space per component, + 120mm for OC. Which puts a 360mm (10°D/1.0GPM) as about right, temps being decided as to what components and settings you run. For a 5°D, double that, you'll need 6x 120mm.

The second being 'go big or go home'. Meaning you can't put too much rad in a case, excessive rad just means slower fans. Lowers efficiency, but you have extra capacity, so balances.

But first you must explore the components, just what type of fans work better on each rad, at what speeds, at what flow rate, is the pump enough to handle 7x 120mm, how high is flow resistance with all that rad, does it require a heavier duty pump with higher gpm or head pressure.

There's a bunch of stuff and tons of research to be done, just buying 'what not' usually gets you a half-ashed loop that doesn't perform nearly as it should.

I currently have the pacific c360 radiator, which looks to be 27mm thick? My pump/reservoir is the pacific prc 15 ddc, which I read is a max flow rate of 500L/hr. and max head pressure of 5.2m for ddc pumps. 3 120mm thermtaltake riing fans with 41.13 cfm are used for that radiator. The second radiator I purchased was the xt45 alphacool 420mm. I was planning on using my 3 140mm silent wings 3 fans for that, with a 77.57 cfm. Does all of that sound like it make sense, or is there any problems with it? Most of this was pre-built from ibuypower. The only part that I've done myself was installing the GPU waterblock, and making the two tubes I needed. I'd like to think the people over at ibuypower built the tower in a way where it was all meant to work together efficiently enough so as to not create future problems, but I'm no expert on these things.

So, if I'm understanding what you said correctly, does that mean I don't have enough radiator in my setup to get desired cooling effect?

 

[Karadjgne]

Ibp put together a decent setup. For what it was. It's no longer what it was, you've added the gpu block which on that gpu you went from a 250 ish loop (a decent 360mm is good for 350-400w) to somewhere closer to 600w. Normal 1st rule of thumb doesn't really apply with that combo, it's not normal equipment, it's extreme. 2nd rule does, always, but cases do have limits.

The XT45 is a very low flow restriction rad, with low density fins, only 12fpi. It's combination puts it at a low airflow restriction too. It's thickness puts it at needing decent sp fans at higher rpm, the higher they go, the better.

While the Silent wings are good case fans, the static pressure isn't good, they weren't designed for rads, especially thicker rads like a 45mm. Your best option would be Noctua 2000rpm ippc or similar as 1500rpm or higher is what you'd be aiming for.

Not sure on the TT rad, I've not seen any info on it, but the rrings should be fine.

360 + 420mm rads + cpu + gpu is a lot for a single ddc, if it's slowing your flow rate down, you'll be loosing 100w+ from the rads ability. Might need to bump that up to a D5.

 

[rubix_1011]

Is this the pump? https://www.thermaltakeusa.com/pacific-pr15.html This doesn't look like a DDC pump, DDC's are usually very square, around 2 inches per side, or so. The Laing re-badging of DDC pumps with other brand names still keeps the same, square shape. For example, these all are DDC pumps: https://www.performance-pcs.com/water-cooling/pumps.html?pump_type=2367

I have concerns on the pump, although they aren't fatal or an emergency...the page that I found doesn't list or define flow rate or head pressure...and it isn't a DDC, so those specs don't apply for this pump. I avoid liquid cooling pumps that do not list these values. Flow rate and head pressure are the defining traits you want to know before you buy a pump.

So, in short - we have no idea what your max flow rate could even be, let alone what it might be in an actual loop with components....at least without calculating with a flow meter some pressure measurement. This does not mean the pump you have is bad, it's just that we really don't know how good it is or what its specs are....maybe they exist elsewhere, but not having them on the Thermaltake product page under the specs list makes my Spidey sense tingle.

As for the radiator...

Well, it's Thermaltake and rather thin, but at least it's copper and brass...not aluminum. 30mm is kind of the standard thickness for 'thin' radiators (I guess this lists it at 29.5mm). However, this still probably isn't enough to manage your setup. If this had been a 45mm or even a 60mm, we have a different conversation - one that also requires good fan selection.

But yes, I am in agreement that for the GPU and CPU in question, you have a powerful system and not quite enough radiator to do it justice. It's the age-old idea that 'as long as there is liquid cooling and I have any radiator, it will be good', but often can be the first step in disappointment.

Calculating the total TDP of the loop has to be one of the first things done and while watts in thermal energy produced is a proportion of electrical energy consumed, it also does not account for the efficiency of the CPU or GPU effectively dissipating their loads into the cooling medium. Example: Intel's , 6th, 7th and 8th gen CPUs had that crap thermal compound that often resulted in many getting delidded and getting an application of liquid metal thermal compound to improve conduction between CPU die and CPU IHS. GPUs and GPU blocks typically are direct-die contact, making this much less of an issue.

In short - sometimes having lots of radiators or great cooling still doesn't result in great CPU temps because the heat simply cannot get out of the CPU efficiently enough...thankfully that was changed in 9th and 10th gen Intel.

250w-275w for a 2080 Ti is pretty common and might even be on the low side, also depends on overclocking, BIOS mods and actual power draw.

10900k is a 125w part that is supposedly pretty spicy under higher loads, although I don't know there is enough data out from enough sources for this claim. I do not yet have one for the Tom's Hardware bench system.

We're looking at 425-450w of power draw, but I would guess more as Intel's CPU power draw on higher end enthusiast chips can often be more than this claim. I like to take 85% of the total TDP value and use that as my projected baseline for cooling. In this instance, I'm going to aim a bit high and assume it could be closer to 500w overall, which is more than I would task to a single, thin 360mm radiator....at least not one without excellent static pressure fans and capable of running up to 2200 or 2400 RPM on a good fan curve. This leaves us with adding radiators to dissipate heat at lower fan RPM and/or specs. It was mentioned another radiator would be added, although it doesn't have to be that large, but there isn't any downside to having too much radiator other than there is a point of diminishing returns.

 

[Karadjgne]

What what I could find it's neither a d5 design nor ddc, it's just a 12v pump with supposed 7.2w and 500l/h, which is kinda small for 7x 120mm worth of rad.

 

[rubix_1011]

500 l/h isn't very good...That's 8.3 l/m. Most DDC's are in the 15-18 l/m range (900-1100 l/m)...I think some get close to 1200 liters per min, but that's getting into D5 territory for flow. DDC still has better head pressure.

7.2w is also on the low end. Most 'normal' DDCs are 18-20w parts, maybe some up to 24w. (DDCs do not use dump their pump heat into the coolant to 'cool' them, but D5's do. DDC's can use a heatsink applied to the base, or just left alone)

This could be an issue of a few things contributing to delta-T:

Airflow over radiators, overall radiator (surface area and volumes) and coolant flow rate.

 

[imaqls]

IBP has a custom water cooling kit the argb pacific 360, when I was unable to find sufficient spec information from thermaltake I headed over to IBP and looked at the specs of the kit there, where it listed it as a pacific pr-15 ddc pump reservoir combo, but I wasn’t able to find anywhere what exactly it was either. Most likely because as stated before it seems to be neither.

https://www.performance-pcs.com/wat...15-reservoir-pump-combo-cl-w079-pl00bl-a.html I did manage to find this on the pump which lists more specs than thermaltake does.

After reading everything said, i decided against the radiator I mentioned before and instead went with the gts420 u flow, which should hopefully be here on the 23rd.

For my current airflow, should I consider turning my top fans around so they are exhausting air from my case, instead of pulling hot air from my rad into it? I currently only have one exhaust fan set up right now, don’t know if that really poses an issue.

As far as pumps and fans go, should those be next on my list of things to grab? The fans karadjgne mentioned and a pump with good specs that’ll work for my setup?

 

[Karadjgne]

If you read that as a combo, it's the full part listing. But the seperate parts include the res and a P500 pump.

There's a lot to consider with choices, some work out better than others. I started with the basic question this build, how loud? I wanted dead silent, so that means low rpm silent fans, and rads that match. Fit into a mITX that's no bigger than a shoebox (literally), they had to be slim, 20mm thick and 30mm thick. Fans, easy. Noctua A12x25 and A12x15. 240mm HWlabs BlackIce GTS and Xspc Tx240. They work best at 700ish rpm. EK 3.2 ddc and I'm good to go.

It's taken a solid 2 months of measuring, research, planning, upgrades, trashed ideas etc. If websites offered miles for visits, I could fly around the world twice for free, and trying to wear out Google translate has been fun. 😁

To some, Watercooling is an art, and it can be, for show pieces, but performance is a science, and not doing the research will often mean disappointing results.

 

[rubix_1011]

Head and flow seem a bit lacking, but not the worst thing ever.

I'm in the same boat as Karadjgne: I've built a lot of custom loops and a handful of small builds over the course of 19 years, but regardless of the loop or chassis size, the best thing you can do for yourself is to research, research, research, research, plan, plan, plan, plan, measure, measure, measure, measure. build.

Websites want you to rush to buy the first kit or thing you see, so the appeal to the uninformed buyer is that you get 'everything in one convenient box'. Whether this is really true or provides the best quality and performance for your dollar is another thing. Watercooling is an expensive hobby and you often get what you pay for...sometimes that is seen immediately, sometimes it reveals itself many months down the road in other ways.

For example, I'm about to flush and put my loop back together this weekend. This is a build I've had for almost a year and a half...no new components, nothing new to 'build', but I want to run parallel lines to my CPU+GPU rather than having them be in serial. Oh, and I want to add a single coolant temp monitor. $40 worth of new parts, but it's taken me weeks to decide where I want the Y-splits to go, my loop routing, the temp probe location and what tubing I want.

 

[imaqls]

Well the build currently is pretty quiet right now, which is nice, I really don’t hear much of anything. But I don’t mind a little bit of noise if it’s to help out with performance.

I definitely did try to do some research. At the end of the day I realize I clearly didn’t do enough. But I’m fine with not getting this right off the start, As now I know more now what things to keep an eye on if I ever plan to make other builds in the future or work off of my current one. still really new to all of this but trying to learn as much as I can on the go. The more intricate details of managing heat in liquid cooling is something I didn’t take into account

EDIT: So I turned my top three fans around, and after doing so I realized that they've been pushing air from my case into my rad this whole time. So now, they are pulling from my rad and going into my case. In my head, it sounds like it would make things run hotter. I ran a game and the temps actually stayed a little cooler for longer, maxing out with the gpu at 82-83, with the cpu running a little hotter at 87-88 c. Clearly way off from ideal, but I was sort of expecting the temps to be a little worse if anything. I'm looking at pumps with reservoirs that have a similar set up to what I have right now, so I don't have to fiddle too much with tubing, etc. but will if I have to, and was wondering if this would be a good fit:
https://www.ekwb.com/shop/ek-quantum-kinetic-tbe-200-d5-pwm-d-rgb-acetal

I was also considering just getting the PR22- D5 pump and attaching my reservoir to it, as the description says it's compatible with 200 and 300ml res.
I read some reviews that say both are not too bad of a pump/reservoir.

 

[Karadjgne]

For what loop components you have, it's not bad at all. But thats where that statement ends. If you had a rtx2060 and Ryzen 5 3600, we'd not be having this discussion, your temps would be great, the 30 x 360mm being more than adequate for the job.

It's the combination of monster cpu and monster gpu where things go south.

Alphacool NexXxos XT45 360mm Radiator Review - ExtremeRigs.net

Alphacool NexXxos XT45 360 Radiator Review - hardware labs, koolance, ek, xspc, xs-pc, aquacomputer, watercool, water cooling, black ice, liquid cooling

www.xtremerigs.net

A good read, the 420mm will have similar results when placed against similar rads, what's important is the actual behavior, the relationship to flow vrs fan speeds vrs temps. With a very low flow, you'll have hotter running coolant, and as a result, worse temps.

Oh, almost forgot. It's an alphacool rad, get very familiar with how to clean a rad prior to putting it in service, alphacool has had a reputation for seriously dirty rads, full of Flux and debris, which will ruin a loop in short order.

 

[imaqls]

For what loop components you have, it's not bad at all. But thats where that statement ends. If you had a rtx2060 and Ryzen 5 3600, we'd not be having this discussion, your temps would be great, the 30 x 360mm being more than adequate for the job.

It's the combination of monster cpu and monster gpu where things go south.

Alphacool NexXxos XT45 360mm Radiator Review - ExtremeRigs.net

Alphacool NexXxos XT45 360 Radiator Review - hardware labs, koolance, ek, xspc, xs-pc, aquacomputer, watercool, water cooling, black ice, liquid cooling

www.xtremerigs.net

A good read, the 420mm will have similar results when placed against similar rads, what's important is the actual behavior, the relationship to flow vrs fan speeds vrs temps. With a very low flow, you'll have hotter running coolant, and as a result, worse temps.

Oh, almost forgot. It's an alphacool rad, get very familiar with how to clean a rad prior to putting it in service, alphacool has had a reputation for seriously dirty rads, full of Flux and debris, which will ruin a loop in short order.

Just finished the read, thank you for that. It helps me understand a little more of what goes into rads and what exactly to look for. That being said, I mentioned earlier I decided to cancel on the xt45 420mm because I was concerned it was too thick to fit where I planned on having the second radiator. So I went and purchased the Black Ice nemesis 420 GTS from HWlabs, as the thinner made me feel more at ease about it fitting.
https://www.performance-pcs.com/wat...ofile-radiator-black-carbon-n420gts-f2pb.html

After reading the article you posted, it shows what I interpret as a lot of restriction for the GTS . So does this mean I will need to ensure I have a pump that is strong enough to counteract this?

 

[Karadjgne]

Yes. Maybe. That's what both Rubix and I were trying to figure out earlier. If it was a ddc or d5 pump that's known, it would have all sorts of documentation. Everything from stats to reviewers stating whether it was strong enough for 'X' amount of components etc. Even that has to be taken with a grain of salt as loops differ, is it soft tube with long easy runs, hard tube with lots of 90's in fittings etc, which can add restrictions. It's a dance where weighing pros and cons can get trixy.

As Rubix was nice enough to point out, most ddc pumps and d5s have significantly stronger performance, higher flow, known head pressure, documented reliability. 7.2w is light weight. Less than half of a normalish ddc.

So it might work, might not, or just plain be too weak to do an effective job, as you saw from the graphs, there's a good amount of difference between 0.5gpm and 1.5gpm. If your pump is only able to do 0.2gpm with all the added rad and gpu and piping, you'll be in trouble. It's an unknown.

 

[imaqls]

Yes. Maybe. That's what both Rubix and I were trying to figure out earlier. If it was a ddc or d5 pump that's known, it would have all sorts of documentation. Everything from stats to reviewers stating whether it was strong enough for 'X' amount of components etc. Even that has to be taken with a grain of salt as loops differ, is it soft tube with long easy runs, hard tube with lots of 90's in fittings etc, which can add restrictions. It's a dance where weighing pros and cons can get trixy.

As Rubix was nice enough to point out, most ddc pumps and d5s have significantly stronger performance, higher flow, known head pressure, documented reliability. 7.2w is light weight. Less than half of a normalish ddc.

So it might work, might not, or just plain be too weak to do an effective job, as you saw from the graphs, there's a good amount of difference between 0.5gpm and 1.5gpm. If your pump is only able to do 0.2gpm with all the added rad and gpu and piping, you'll be in trouble. It's an unknown.

Okay, I gotcha. As of right now, I've ordered the Black Ice Nemesis GTS420 U-flow, 5 noctua nf-a 14 ippc 3000 24vs, 4 nf-f 12 ippc 2000 24vs (swapping 3 for the top thermaltake fans, and some for spares), and the pacific pr22- d5 plus pump/reservoir. I've got hard tubes currently, with a few 90 degree turns(pic in original post), once the other radiator comes in I'll probably have a total of 4 or 5. Also have soft tubes and the fittings for them in case I ever wanted to switch to those. I'm honestly willing to get whatever it takes to make this setup work and take in as much as I can in the process!

 

[Phaaze88]

5 noctua nf-a 14 ippc 3000 24vs, 4 nf-f 12 ippc 2000 24v

Whoa! STOPSTOPSTOPSTOP!

You don't want those. Get the 12v versions. Your motherboard will not run those 24v properly - because the headers are just 12v, the 24v fans will only run up to HALF their max speed.


The 24v were discontinued, but I guess the retailers still have some in stock...

 

[Karadjgne]

Oof. That's a tall order right there. Lol. Rubix and I both have been at this liquid cooling venture for 20 years (ish), and we are still learning stuff, well I am at least. There's always a new wrinkle or something so basic it was overlooked by everyone. Something so simple as using split fins vs straight fins totally changing the dynamics of a rad. Or one day you actually look at the tubing, and notice that the coolant started clear a month ago and now is most definitely blue. Pros and cons of using one type of cleaner brand vrs another. Soak the rads in 100% lemon juice for 3-4 hours? Vinegar/distilled mix better than pro cleaners?

Many get the assumption that going full custom loop isn't much more difficult than getting dropped in the deep end of a swimming pool, they can swim, right? Reality is its more like getting dropped in the middle of the Atlantic. It'll take you into thermal dynamics, hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, fan design, rad designs, coolant properties, physics....

It's a life's work if you let it. 😁

 

[imaqls]

Whoa! STOPSTOPSTOPSTOP!

You don't want those. Get the 12v versions. Your motherboard will not run those 24v properly - because the headers are just 12v, the 24v fans will only run up to HALF their max speed.


The 24v were discontinued, but I guess the retailers still have some in stock...

Would not have known that if you didn't say anything. THANK YOU! Already put the requests in to cancel the two orders of those two fans and working on ordering the 3000 12v versions now.

EDIT: is there any difference between one labeled focused flow with ss02 bearings and the one without it labeled those? After googling both fans and finding them on the noctua website, they actually both pull up the same exact page for specs. Weird, but the ones labeled focused flow and ss02 bearings on newegg run about 20 bucks cheaper for each fan, even though they seem to be the same fan just different description. In any case, both of the 12v versions are ordered, so hoping everything is good. Thanks again for the heads up

Oof. That's a tall order right there. Lol. Rubix and I both have been at this liquid cooling venture for 20 years (ish), and we are still learning stuff, well I am at least. There's always a new wrinkle or something so basic it was overlooked by everyone. Something so simple as using split fins vs straight fins totally changing the dynamics of a rad. Or one day you actually look at the tubing, and notice that the coolant started clear a month ago and now is most definitely blue. Pros and cons of using one type of cleaner brand vrs another. Soak the rads in 100% lemon juice for 3-4 hours? Vinegar/distilled mix better than pro cleaners?

Many get the assumption that going full custom loop isn't much more difficult than getting dropped in the deep end of a swimming pool, they can swim, right? Reality is its more like getting dropped in the middle of the Atlantic. It'll take you into thermal dynamics, hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, fan design, rad designs, coolant properties, physics....

It's a life's work if you let it. 😁

That's what I'm starting to realize! I do appreciate all the feedback you guys are giving me. Really looking forward to seeing how all of this turns out. I'll be sure to post an update of everything set up once it all comes in!

 

[Phaaze88]

EDIT: is there any difference between one labeled focused flow with ss02 bearings and the one without it labeled those?

It's supposed to make the fan more effective at pushing air straight through a radiator, or other 'open' surface. Doesn't matter if the fan is used as pull.

Weird, but the ones labeled focused flow and ss02 bearings on newegg run about 20 bucks cheaper for each fan, even though they seem to be the same fan just different description.

Could you link the fans in question?
Also, you have to watch out for the 3rd party sellers. They are trying to take advantage of the situation and price gouging BIG TIME.
You could be looking at one 'sold and shipped by Newegg', and the other being sold and shipped by a 3rd party.

 

[imaqls]

It's supposed to make the fan more effective at pushing air straight through a radiator, or other 'open' surface. Doesn't matter if the fan is used as pull.


Could you link the fans in question?
Also, you have to watch out for the 3rd party sellers. They are trying to take advantage of the situation and price gouging BIG TIME.
You could be looking at one 'sold and shipped by Newegg', and the other being sold and shipped by a 3rd party.

https://www.newegg.com/noctua-nf-f1...ns_ippc-_-35-608-052-_-Product&quicklink=true

https://www.newegg.com/noctua-chrom...ppc-_-1YF-000T-002R3-_-Product&quicklink=true

specs on newegg are different, but a copy past of both descriptions leads to the same fan on noctua site. the more expensive one ships from china, cheaper by newegg, just couldn't figure out if these are the same fans just being sold at different prices

 

[Phaaze88]

Yep. Same fan.
Disregard the 3rd party seller; that's way too much.