I've currently got a basic loop set up with a CPU block cooling my i5-3570K, and a duel 120mm radiator. It's a no-name rad, but it's 50mm deep and keeps my CPU pretty cool, even under load (looks pretty similar to a Hardware Labs Black ICE GTX-Lite 240). Due to a nice bitcoin windfall I'm in the market for a new graphics card, so I've settled on an R9 290 (not 290X), and an EK full cover block for it. My question is, will my current rad cope with my CPU and the 290? Or should I think about adding another single 120mm rad to the rear of my case (about the only place I've got room for one). (My planned loop would go pump > 240 rad > CPU > 120 rad > GPU > res. Thoughts?)
You might be alright, I have two 290s and a core i7 3770k on a 3x120 it copes just, my watercooling setup is not amazing, 8mm pipes etc, it's for consistent noise rather than ultimate cooling performance, copes well enough and keeps the toasty radeons in check when gaming. Mining is another matter.
The rule of thumb for rad space is 120 + 120 for each block in the loop. Your 240 will work but at the expense of increased CPU temps.
I think I'll do without the second radiator for now, and see what the temperatures look like. I can always add a second one later on. Thanks for the responses.
Rad depth has minimal impact,thicker rads tend to be lower FPI while the thinner rads tend to be high FPI...the end result is that the rads perform similarly. FPI determines fan power,so lower FPI rads are better for low speed fans..this is offset by being a thicker rad.
Right-o - makes sense (I wasn't aware that the fin pitch varied to such a huge degree to be honest). This means thick rads = more quiet = more win
Quick update, all the parts arrived yesterday and it's all up and running right now. Before I added the 290 to the loop my load temperatures for the cpu was around 55-60C. With the 290 in they're all getting up to around 65, and the 290 is at 62. The water temperature is noticeably hotter, so it seems I've build a nice water heater It seem stable, but I've not done a long run yet. I think I'm going to stick another 120 radiator in before next summer, but for this winter I don't think there'll be any problems
Another update, I tried a bit of litecoin mining and under full load the temperatures got up to about 70+ degrees, and the other day after a few hours of Bioshock Infinite it black-screened so I've just picked up an AlphaCool radiator to add in, which should just fit inside. The fan will have to on the outside of the case (the mounting screws for the CPU block are a bit too long). Also, the fan grill on the back of my case sticks out a bit, so I'll have to snip that away, and find a fan grill so I don't stick my fingers in when I'm trying to plug cables in. Due to laziness I'm going to go 240 Rad>CPU>120 Rad>GPU because that way I only need to cut one new bit of tubing. Hopefully the extra 50% increase in cooling capacity will be enough, although I need to look into changing the fan control in the BIOS to be a bit more aggressive. Oh yeah, I picked up two of these fittings and they look even better than the pictures. so much so I'm almost considering picking up another ten to fit to everything else. I just have to stay strong and remember that I don't have a window so it would be a bit of a waste of £45(!).
