[SOLVED] Should I choose 120mm over 420mm water cooler and why?

[timleg002]

I got a Ryzen 7 2700X and I want to overlook it - for longer. I want the Alphacool Eisbaer 420 which is really cool water cooler (because it got 420mm radiator). My temperatures while in game are 70-80C° with my Wraith Prism. So, is 120mm better for me than 420 for example. I also want to note that 360 is more available in my country. (I can get 420 but it's not as available as 360.)

 

[faalin]

Radiators sizing go my the size of fan that can be mounted to then and by how many ( on one side) so from smallest to largest

120mm can only have 1 fan on one side, note you can mount 2 fans on it one on the front and one on the back, also known as a Push/Pull config.
240mm can mount 2 fans on one side
360mm 3 fans
480mm 4 fans

The more fans or surface area you have the better.

On top of this they also make 140mm radiators that use 140mm fans, consisting of 140mm, 280mm and 420mm. These are not as common since most cases lack the support for that big of a fan configuration.

When looking at AiO coolers you also need to see how they will fit inside your case, since looking at a 360mm or 420mm those will have to be mounted in the front or top of the case. Also note that the radiator will be longer and wider then the stated MM size since they are only judging that of fan size.

 

[feelinfroggy777]

I am a little confused by your question. But a 4200mm rad may be too big for your case, but I dont know what case you are going to use. But most cases dont support 420mm rads.

As for a 120mm, I would not get a 120mm AIO cooler. They just dont offer a very good cooling opportunity.

For the 2700x, the high overclocks will typically hit a wall with the architecture before a thermal wall. A decent 240/280mm AIO will get max overclock for the 2700x.

Personnally, I would not go with a 240mm or 360mm as 120mm fans are louder than 140mm. I would go for a 280mm AIO and be very happy.

 

[timleg002]

Sorry for not classifying, I am going to put the radiator on top of my case.

 

[The Original Ralph]

What faalin said "When looking at AiO coolers you also need to see how they will fit inside your case"

what computer case do you have? 2nd, go search youtube for your case & radiator
before i bought my liquid cooling system i went and found videos of my case with different radiators and was a little surprised to find a 360mm rad was going to cost me a 5.25" external bay and crowd my exhaust fan.

Also check your ram height if you are going to mount the radiator up top - you're going to be surprised how far down into the case the radiator w/fans is going to reach - i was lucky, my ram is 42mm tall, and the radiator + fan are just going to squeeze in