Is this radiator too thick?

[thismafiaguy]

I only have space to mount a single 120mm or 140mm radiator, so I'm looking for the fattest I can find. And oh my goodness, be careful what you search for.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/18303/ex-rad-481/Alphacool_NexXxoS_Monsta_Single_120mm_Radiator_-_80mm_Thick_-_Custom_Painted_White.html#blank

This will fit my case, but it just seems so ridiculous. I currently have an H80i in a Node 304, and I want to see how far I can push the envelope, trying to get some ideas on what kind of custom loop I can do in such a confined space.

Also, are those block+pump-in-one units any good?

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/16151/ex-blc-1119/Swiftech_Apogee_Drive_II_Pump_and_CPU_Waterblock_Combo_-_Sockets_115x1366_APD2-1155-1366.html

 

[Jake Wenta]

May I know what case you have, and you can also add more fan slots 😉
Thicker means more surface area for heat dissipation which means better cooling. Thicker, fatter, deeper is always better in RADIATORS. lol And AIO can't really compete when going with a custom loop.
I for instance have a Gaurdian 921RB case, and I added a 140mm slot on top to fit a Krakenx60 (280mm AIO CPU Cooler).
You can always have the radiator placed elsewhere. Maybe get a standalone one The possibilities are endless. Some people build stands for their radiaiators 😀.
As for a pump, I'd recommend a standalone as you won't have to send in a CPU block or reservoir when RMA'ing the Pump if anything goes wrong. With that said, pumps work better IMO over combinations-and more options.

 

[thismafiaguy]

My case is a Fractal Design Node 304. Even with my AIO cooler, space is...limited. But I reckon that this 80mm thick radiator will fit, with some clever tubing arrangements. I really don't think I will have room for a standalone pump. I don't even know where to mount the reservoir.

 

[Jake Wenta]

My case is a Fractal Design Node 304. Even with my AIO cooler, space is...limited. But I reckon that this 80mm thick radiator will fit, with some clever tubing arrangements. I really don't think I will have room for a standalone pump. I don't even know where to mount the reservoir.

Measue the inside and make sure to take component heights into consideration (Like RAM height and stuff)
And they make pumps that sit in 5.25" Drive bays

Checking out your case now.

 

[Jake Wenta]

Oh I see, it's one of those. Okay.Well if you don't care too much of aesthetics and more about cooling, like I mentioned, you can make fan slots. And Have the components mounted on the exterior.
Trying to think of what you can do

Okay, so I think that radiator should be fine for a push pull config as long as it passes your components.
Or you can put your radiator in the front on top of the PSU for 2x2 fans. Or You can mount it else or have it on the outside. The possibilities are endless 😀.
As for the pump, I see what you mean as no room. You can get a Reservoir Pump combo, a square one, and place it on your PSU as well, (considering your PSU doesn't get hot). Or Also have it out side. Running a custom loop will be a little trick in there if you want everything neat, inconspicuous and inside the case. (And safe).

 

[thismafiaguy]

Yeah, I figured it might involve some modding to do crazy things with this case. But having anything external would ruin the small form factor of this case for me. Right now everything is pretty well confined, and juuust fits this case.

I mainly wanted to consider custom loop because my idle temps on a 4670K at 4.2GHz is around 40°C, which seems a bit high to me. But after 30 minutes of Prime95, it only reached a max of 61°C.

 

[Jake Wenta]

Edited my previous post, but you could always get another case 😛. But 61*C!! You shouldn't worry! My AMD runs at that under full load when I push it a little more than now 😀. 61 for Intel is nothing. 62*C for AMD safe temp, 104 I think is max for Intel, safe is ~75 I think. 61 at load is golden But if you want to get a heck of a lot m ore out, then increasing cooling will help if you want to keep the 61*C

 

[thismafiaguy]

I don't think I will be switching to another case because I invested $80 in custom sleeved cables... I still kind of regret that price. I like the reservoir+pump combo, that seems to be logical because I'd otherwise have the reservoir feeding straight to the pump anyway. That would probably work actually! Do you know if they make one for mounting in a 2.5" or 3.5" HDD bay?

Here is what my system looks like, btw. (If my image links load)

 

[Jake Wenta]

Beautiful build!
But 80 dollars!? It is time consuming and stuff, so understandable. But...
I'm looking to see if there are, I wouldn't doubt it. But they'll probably consume multiple bay positions/slots.
If your keep the fans, you can always take the red ring off and get that special spray paint in white to go with the color scheme
I couldn't find anything , I apologize. I guess we just aren't ready for the < or =3.5"Res/Pumps right now :lol:

 

[thismafiaguy]

Oh I'm having way too much fun with gathering information at 3am! As for a pump+reservoir combo, look what I found!

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/14981/ex-pmp-182/Alphacool_DC-LT_Ceramic_12V_DC_Pump_Plexi_Top_Reservoir_-_Installed.html?tl=g30c107s152#blank

And it just happens to be 92mm tall after assembly, which is the exact same size as those front intake fans, so it will fit perfectly on top of the PSU.

I also have white and blue rings that came with those SP120 fans, but the white rings didn't quite match the shade of white that the case was painted in, and my overall color scheme is black/white/red. It's a Maximus VI Impact motherboard(red/black) with red Corsair Vengeance Pro RAM sticks. I'm planning on a GPU upgrade next spring, something to match the color scheme hopefully!

I used to have an ATX tower build, but I became too intrigued by cramming the most amount of awesomeness into the least amount of space. Hence this gaming microwave. I don't think I can spare ~$250 for all the custom loop components that I'll need, but then again, I didn't think I could spare $80 for 5 cables... The only issue I can see with that cube radiator is the lack of space for the tubing to reach the CPU block, the push fan will just miss the top of the RAM sticks.

 

[Jake Wenta]

Oh I'm having way too much fun with gathering information at 3am! As for a pump+reservoir combo, look what I found!

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/14981/ex-pmp-182/Alphacool_DC-LT_Ceramic_12V_DC_Pump_Plexi_Top_Reservoir_-_Installed.html?tl=g30c107s152#blank

And it just happens to be 92mm tall after assembly, which is the exact same size as those front intake fans, so it will fit perfectly on top of the PSU.

I also have white and blue rings that came with those SP120 fans, but the white rings didn't quite match the shade of white that the case was painted in, and my overall color scheme is black/white/red. It's a Maximus VI Impact motherboard(red/black) with red Corsair Vengeance Pro RAM sticks. I'm planning on a GPU upgrade next spring, something to match the color scheme hopefully!

I used to have an ATX tower build, but I became too intrigued by cramming the most amount of awesomeness into the least amount of space. Hence this gaming microwave. I don't think I can spare ~$250 for all the custom loop components that I'll need, but then again, I didn't think I could spare $80 for 5 cables... The only issue I can see with that cube radiator is the lack of space for the tubing to reach the CPU block, the push fan will just miss the top of the RAM sticks.

It's after 4 here 😀
When the R9 290x of MSi hits, it'll match:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127759

And for tubing. You can run acrylic tubes. They're sturdy and bend when heated, so less fittings. For example:

I didn't think that pump/res will suit your needs
There's also something like a cube you can use.
http://www.frozencpu.com/products/11219/ex-res-232/XSPC_Dual_525_Bay_Reservoir_-_Laing_D5_MCP655_w_Blue_LED_Light_-_Clear_Silver_Black.html?tl=g30c107s152

 

[thismafiaguy]

Is the 92mm pump/reservoir combo not powerful enough? The dual 5.25" will probably fit, but it'll block most of the airflow for the radiator fans. I really like Acrylic tubing though, it looks so clean, and less fittings mean less cost and points of failure to me.

I think the aftermarket 290X cards are going to have a lot of potential, but I hear that the next-gen Nvidia GPUs are going to hit the market earlier than most would expect. I'll probably have around a $500 budget after selling my GTX 670 and getting my tax return, so it should be a very good market indeed!

 

[Jake Wenta]

Is the 92mm pump/reservoir combo not powerful enough? The dual 5.25" will probably fit, but it'll block most of the airflow for the radiator fans. I really like Acrylic tubing though, it looks so clean, and less fittings mean less cost and points of failure to me.

I think the aftermarket 290X cards are going to have a lot of potential, but I hear that the next-gen Nvidia GPUs are going to hit the market earlier than most would expect. I'll probably have around a $500 budget after selling my GTX 670 and getting my tax return, so it should be a very good market indeed!

I'm not sure, but it may not be enough if you will be adding a GPU to the loop. (Especially since 290x run at 95*C atm). But a 280x is powerful as well.
(And cyber week is coming 😀 so here come the deals)

 

[thismafiaguy]

I'll probably just have the loop running to the CPU block unless ASUS releases their Poseidon cards, which have air coolers with water cooling inlets. Otherwise it's definitely going to be out of my budget to buy a GPU water block along with a GPU upgrade. The only thing that's really holding me back from the 290X is the immense heat it produces. I would have to water cool it just so that it doesn't cook the rest of my system. Did AMD really think 95°C is an acceptable stock temperature?

 

[Jake Wenta]

I'll probably just have the loop running to the CPU block unless ASUS releases their Poseidon cards, which have air coolers with water cooling inlets. Otherwise it's definitely going to be out of my budget to buy a GPU water block along with a GPU upgrade. The only thing that's really holding me back from the 290X is the immense heat it produces. I would have to water cool it just so that it doesn't cook the rest of my system. Did AMD really think 95°C is an acceptable stock temperature?

Well if the PCB allows for it, and they've tested it-then I guess haha. The fans don't kick in untill 90*C and keep the GPU at 95*C. So it's what they want :lol:
And EVGA sometimes releases waterblocked gpu's, such as the titan-but they're more expensive then getting your own. (You pay for a warranty haha) It is 1200 for EVGA titan with waterblock or 990 for EVGA Titan and 100 for a block, hmmm, which one would I choose? Oh! the R9 290x and a Waterblock :lol: :lol:
And custom loops are expensive sadly. (Or I would have made one in this build too)