I need you help with Radiators and Fans

[PlymouthJoseph]

Okay, where to start... I am planning on installing a all-in-one radiator for my new gaming desktop I'm building but I'm wondering what I should use to cool it. I've looked up Noctua fans and Corsair fans, but I've only looked at Corsair all-in-one radiators. I just need help choosing between a H100i (or H105) but upgrading the fans to the Corsair SP120 performance editions because they have a very high static pressure, higher than any Noctua fans.

My next problem is wither I should get the H110? I know it is a much larger radiator and using 140mm fans, but I can't seam to find any good 140mm static pressure fans that don't have LEDs on them. But would having a larger radiator with less powerful fans be better? I honestly don't know...

If there is such a thing, I would really like a 360mm wide radiator or even a 420mm all-in-one radiator because I want to overclock my new i7 5960x sky-high to around 4.5GHz-5GHz without it getting too hot (75'c+). I'll be installing it into my old case (InWin GRone) and because it supports a 140mmX3 radiator at the top, I really want to use that. I would set it up as a push/pull with it pushing the air out of the case and it'll also be used like a exhaust, along with the 140mm fan at the back.

Before you ask "Why don't you install a custom loop?" The answer to this is because I don't want to install a custom loop and blow my entire system. Hence I want an all-in-one because they're easy to install and there isn't a chance of a leak, destroying the system.

Hope you guys can help because I really want the best cooler with the largest radiator with strongest fans. Price within reason, is not a problem.

Hope you can help.

- Joe

 

[-Lone-]

Maybe you can try look in here? I have never had a 360mm liquid cooling, but it sounds pretty cool, hope it helps.

https://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l3/g30/c321/s1310/list/p1/Liquid_Cooling-Water_Cool%20ing_Kits_-_Brands-XSPC_Water_Cooling_Kits-Page1.html

Edit: Here's one on newegg, see if you like it, has 5 egg rating.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835106241&cm_re=360mm_liquid_cooling-_-35-106-241-_-Product

 

[Ellis_D]

You shouldn't need to replace the fans on Corsair's AIO coolers because they're equivalent to SP120s/SP140s. All the major companies like Corsair and Cooler Master put a lot of effort into matching their radiators with the right fans so it's mostly unnecessary to swap out the fans, not to mention, most AIO radiators don't have a high enough fin-counts to warrant a fan with massive amounts of static pressure.

The only 360mm AIO that comes to mind is the Thermaltake Water 3.0 Ultimate but it does appear DeepCool has a 360 AIO coming to the market soon. Of course the biggest radiator you can find (and install in your case) will always be better than a smaller radiator. I don't know how good the fans will be on those two so you may want to research alternative fans.

But honestly though, you should be doing a custom loop

 

[PlymouthJoseph]

But honestly though, you should be doing a custom loop

If you lived in England-SouthWest and was willing to put it all together with the insurance that you screw-up, you pay for it... I would be happy to.

 

[PlymouthJoseph]

Okay, doing a little digging and I've found 3 360mm RAD AIO coolers, but not a single 420mm RAD AIO.

The three I found were the following:

Thermaltake Water 3.0 Ultimate

Fractal Design S36

Swiftech H320

I would love if someone could tell me which one of these has the most fins, most water pressure/water flow-rate and which one in general would cool the best.

 

[Ellis_D]

Okay, doing a little digging and I've found 3 360mm RAD AIO coolers, but not a single 420mm RAD AIO.

The three I found were the following:

Thermaltake Water 3.0 Ultimate

Fractal Design S36

Swiftech H320

I would love if someone could tell me which one of these has the most fins, most water pressure/water flow-rate and which one in general would cool the best.

Well considering both the Swiftech and Fractal Design systems are both expandable, you obviously don't want them As they could leak.

But in all seriousness, Either the Swiftech or the Fractal Design would be the way to go. They seem to perform similarly from what I've dug up in reviews so its kinda a wash although the Swiftech probably has a better waterblock and pump in case you do want to take advantage of the expandability and put a GPU waterblock into the mix. Keep in mind, Deepcool is releasing a 360 AIO in less than a month so you might want to hold off until the reviews are out on that thing.

 

[PlymouthJoseph]

Keep in mind, Deepcool is releasing a 360 AIO in less than a month so you might want to hold off until the reviews are out on that thing.

I may just do that... What about the Thermaltake Water 3.0 Ultimate? Isn't that any good, and when you say expandability... I don't even trust myself to do that... What I'm thinking about doing is getting a stock 980 from EVGA, but then removing the fan and heatsink and installing a H80i for it. It may not be a very big RAD or anything but I know that GPUs don't need as much cooling compared to a CPU.

So, in the end... Because I really don't want to do a custom build or even expand one because I can't help but think that I'll f**k it up in some way or another, I want to put a 360mm AIO RAD at the top, then a H80i which will be located at the back as a exhaust, and that'll be for the first 980, and I'll install another H80i at the bottom for the second 980.

Only thing I'm worried about is wither the H80i + 25mm think fan will fit at the back, next to a 360mm AIO. If I could make a simple diagram of how I'm thinking of having it all set up and upload it to here, I would.

 

[Ellis_D]

There's nothing wrong with the Thermaltake. The fans may not be the best (though they may not be so bad they need to be swapped out for better fans). I just think there are better, more robust options out there.

In regards to putting H80is on your GPUs, that's a pretty bad idea. The H80i is a pretty poor-performer and I can say that from personal experience. I bought one to replace a $35 air cooler and the air cooler performed just as well with less noise and power-draw. You'll be better off getting a high-end custom GTX 980 like the Gigabyte Windforce, Asus Strix, MSI Gaming or even the EVGA ACX2.0 because all of these are very advanced cooling options that perform very well and you'll probably hit the silicone limit before you hit the thermal limit when overclocking the new Nvidia GPUs with these coolers.

The H80i won't perform much better, will be just as noisy with those two fans, you will have to independently install heatsinks on your VRAM modules, and you'll also void your warranty by installing the H80i. There is no reason to spend $150 on two H80is ever.

 

[PlymouthJoseph]

There's nothing wrong with the Thermaltake. The fans may not be the best (though they may not be so bad they need to be swapped out for better fans). I just think there are better, more robust options out there.

The H80i won't perform much better, will be just as noisy with those two fans, you will have to independently install heatsinks on your VRAM modules, and you'll also void your warranty by installing the H80i. There is no reason to spend $150 on two H80is ever.

That's a good point. In that case, I'll get the EVGA GTX 980 SC w/ ACX 2.0 because they look awesome and I know the fans are stupidly quiet, even at full RPM.

The Thermaltake on the other hand, I was planning on upgrading the fans for the Noctua NF-F12s because everyone knows they're the best for static pressure, as long as the din density isn't too bad.

So, I'll get 2 EVGA GTX 980 SC w/ ACX and I'll upgrade the stock fans that come with the Thermaltake for the Noctua NF-F12s.

 

[rubix_1011]

AIOs can leak...this isn't a guarantee. I've watercooled with a full custom loop for 12+ years and never had a leak. Things leak when you cut corners and don't pay attention to details...like when AIOs are built on an assembly line. Most of them don't leak, but just because they are an AIO doesn't mean they cannot. Anything with liquid inside *CAN* leak out if something fails...it is the nature of the beast. Same thing as your car...you can leak coolant at any time, all it takes is a rock through the radiator or a hose splits.

I cringe when I see that the only options ever being looked at is 'boxed cooler #1 or boxed cooler #2'...most of these are designed and manufactured the same way, with the cheapest parts and lowest performing pumps and radiators. They are cheap (around $100) for a reason...they are built that way. 'Good watercooling' and 'cheap watercooling' rarely ever go together in the same sentence.

If any of the above coolers are being considered, I'd cast my vote 10/10 times for the Swiftech. They are notable for building watercooling hardware for decades and are solid in that field.

 

[Motopsychojdn]

I live in Nottingham PlymouthJoseph, if you want to do a real loop but are a bit shy then send me all your hardware and drop me some beer (and either pickup or pay return postage) then I will put it together for you, offer only valid for real loop though, if its an allinone you want youre on your own hehe
Moto

 

[4Ryan6]

AIOs can leak...this isn't a guarantee. I've watercooled with a full custom loop for 12+ years and never had a leak. Things leak when you cut corners and don't pay attention to details...like when AIOs are built on an assembly line. Most of them don't leak, but just because they are an AIO doesn't mean they cannot. Anything with liquid inside *CAN* leak out if something fails...it is the nature of the beast. Same thing as your car...you can leak coolant at any time, all it takes is a rock through the radiator or a hose splits.

I cringe when I see that the only options ever being looked at is 'boxed cooler #1 or boxed cooler #2'...most of these are designed and manufactured the same way, with the cheapest parts and lowest performing pumps and radiators. They are cheap (around $100) for a reason...they are built that way. 'Good watercooling' and 'cheap watercooling' rarely ever go together in the same sentence.

If any of the above coolers are being considered, I'd cast my vote 10/10 times for the Swiftech. They are notable for building watercooling hardware for decades and are solid in that field.

Well said Sir!

 

[Motopsychojdn]

Hehe! The whole teams nearly here we just need Lutfij in here and Plymouth is in the best possible hands lol
Moto

 

[rubix_1011]

I'll say this...I really like the concept that Swiftech is going with in their new H220-X platform. It's intriguing

 

[1LiquidPC]

+1 to all here for the solid info. AIO's could leak due to a factory defect. But just as mentioned, if your buying a complete AIO system for $80, it's got to be made very cheaply to get the cost that low. Even if the AIO's have a warranty that lasts a few years, I doubt they're going to cover damaged components from a leak. Before these became commonplace, you had to easily spend 5X as much just to get started in watercooling. I'm not against AIO's though, using an H60i on my HTPC/Light gaming system I'm typing on right now. However, on my main rig, I have a custom loop setup made up of components that I pieced together individually as I wanted higher quality parts. Also doing extensive leak testing, keeping a close eye on coolant levels/water color, and routine maintenance(for custom loops)is paramount, though I'd still check for leaks with AIO's time to time as well. Getting a bit off topic here, but I'd also recommend Swiftech myself, using their MCP35X2 myself. They've been around a long time.