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JamieElston · 25th Nov 2011, 14:19

Hi,

just in the process of planning out my first project build - a mod using the Lian Li PC-8NB.

Im going to install a full water cooling loop but due to case size and the fact I want to hide as much away and make it look good, im going to use two seperate loops.

Loop 1:
CPU and motherboard - single fan/radiator to be roof mounted with a bay mounted reservoir and pump hidden away at the top of the case.

Loop 2:
Graphics card - possibly RAM - again a single fan/radiator but this one mounted at the bottom/front of cabinet, with a single pump and a cylinder reservoir mounted on the frame.

The design sounds cluttered but it actually looks good and and most the Loop 1 is hidden at the top of the case behind the panel.

My only concern was that most people seem to be using a double or even tripple radiator. Would my idea still give me good cooling?

LennyRhys · 25th Nov 2011, 14:31

Short answer - no. If you're going to use a single 120 radiator for the CPU loop you'd be as well getting a Corsair H70 or H80, or high end air cooling.

The reason most people use 240 and 360 rads is because 120 rads suck!

mars-bar-man · 25th Nov 2011, 14:44

While LennyRhys has a point, I managed to cool an i7 860 OC'd to 4Ghz in an ITX rig on only a single 120mm rad, was a Black Ice Stealth GT, didn't have a brilliant fan on it either. Temps never went above 60*C.

Although in your instance I'd say go for the H-Series from Corsair. I only did mine because 1) I had most of the parts, 2) I hadn't seen a custom loop ITX build before I did mine.

asteldian · 25th Nov 2011, 14:48

Seems a lot of effort to get that kind of OC. The Hyper 212+ EVO should be able to get that kind of OC for just £23. So, either get 240 or 360 or a decent air cooler

Big Elf · 25th Nov 2011, 14:54

Depends on what you're cooling. Unless your motherboard chipset runs hot or you want the bling then there's no need to watercool it. You'd probably get OK temps on the CPU with a single rad similar to a high end air cooling setup.

Graphics cards can cope with higher temps but a single rad would probably give you similar temps to the stock cooler, something like a GTX580 might struggle.

Edit: Forgot to add that you don't need to watercool the RAM either unless it's for the looks.

JamieElston · 25th Nov 2011, 15:27

Cheers for all the advice

I think RAM is a no - it was just a thought and like Big Elf said probably not rquired aside from looks.

Again same for the mobo might save some money and give that a miss.

Going to see if I can squeeze in a 240 rad - if not, back to the drawing board

dead beat · 25th Nov 2011, 18:55

I would want a 360mm rad to cool a cpu and one gpu on a single loop.

total zombie · 25th Nov 2011, 19:11

id consider using a double thick rad for the cpu alone.

25th Nov 2011, 14:19	#1
JamieElston Minimodder Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 31	Is a single fan radiator enough? Hi, just in the process of planning out my first project build - a mod using the Lian Li PC-8NB. Im going to install a full water cooling loop but due to case size and the fact I want to hide as much away and make it look good, im going to use two seperate loops. Loop 1: CPU and motherboard - single fan/radiator to be roof mounted with a bay mounted reservoir and pump hidden away at the top of the case. Loop 2: Graphics card - possibly RAM - again a single fan/radiator but this one mounted at the bottom/front of cabinet, with a single pump and a cylinder reservoir mounted on the frame. The design sounds cluttered but it actually looks good and and most the Loop 1 is hidden at the top of the case behind the panel. My only concern was that most people seem to be using a double or even tripple radiator. Would my idea still give me good cooling?

25th Nov 2011, 14:31	#2
LennyRhys Silenced Join Date: May 2011 Location: Dundee, Scotland Posts: 3,387	Short answer - no. If you're going to use a single 120 radiator for the CPU loop you'd be as well getting a Corsair H70 or H80, or high end air cooling. The reason most people use 240 and 360 rads is because 120 rads suck! __________________ i7 930 @ 4.2 :: Gigabyte X58 USB3 :: 6GB Elpida @ 1528MHz 6-7-6-18-1T GTX480 SE :: Toughpower 775w :: 320GB & 2TB :: Cherry G80-3000HSMGB

25th Nov 2011, 14:44	#3
mars-bar-man Side bewb. Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Vulcan High Council Posts: 6,842	While LennyRhys has a point, I managed to cool an i7 860 OC'd to 4Ghz in an ITX rig on only a single 120mm rad, was a Black Ice Stealth GT, didn't have a brilliant fan on it either. Temps never went above 60*C. Although in your instance I'd say go for the H-Series from Corsair. I only did mine because 1) I had most of the parts, 2) I hadn't seen a custom loop ITX build before I did mine. __________________ Bewbs.

25th Nov 2011, 14:54	#5
Big Elf 'Black Noise' Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Westcliff on Sea Posts: 1,722	Depends on what you're cooling. Unless your motherboard chipset runs hot or you want the bling then there's no need to watercool it. You'd probably get OK temps on the CPU with a single rad similar to a high end air cooling setup. Graphics cards can cope with higher temps but a single rad would probably give you similar temps to the stock cooler, something like a GTX580 might struggle. Edit: Forgot to add that you don't need to watercool the RAM either unless it's for the looks. Last edited by Big Elf; 25th Nov 2011 at 15:01.

25th Nov 2011, 18:55	#7
dead beat Rippin six 4 life Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: East Grinstead UK Posts: 1,259	I would want a 360mm rad to cool a cpu and one gpu on a single loop. __________________ ASUS ROG Maximus IV Extreme-Z68 \| Intel i7 2600K @ 5.1Ghz \| 2x EVGA GTX680's SLI (water) \| 8GB Corsair Dominator GT RAM @ 1866Mhz \| Corsair AX1200 PSU \| Crucial M4 256GB SSD \| 2 x Samsung Spinpoint F3 HDD's \| Dimastech Easy bench Dual V2.5 \| Dell 3007 WFP-HC 30" monitor \| Custom dual radiator waterloop Photography gear: Nikon D800 \| Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 \| Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 VRII \| Nikkor 35mm F2/D \| Nikkor 50mm 1.8D \| Nikkor 85mm 1.8G \| Nikon TC-14E II \| SB-700 Speedlight Last edited by dead beat; 25th Nov 2011 at 21:11.

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25th Nov 2011, 14:48	#4
asteldian Supermodder Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Peterborough, UK Posts: 313	Seems a lot of effort to get that kind of OC. The Hyper 212+ EVO should be able to get that kind of OC for just £23. So, either get 240 or 360 or a decent air cooler

25th Nov 2011, 15:27	#6
JamieElston Minimodder Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 31	Cheers for all the advice I think RAM is a no - it was just a thought and like Big Elf said probably not rquired aside from looks. Again same for the mobo might save some money and give that a miss. Going to see if I can squeeze in a 240 rad - if not, back to the drawing board

25th Nov 2011, 19:11	#8
total zombie jedi Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: mostly in space Posts: 173	id consider using a double thick rad for the cpu alone. __________________ Multi Tool Ninja!