What size rad do i need in order to cool an i5 or perhaps i7 (depends on money), dominator memory, two GPU's and perhaps the motherboard? Would a 360 cover it? Perhaps two 240 or a single 480? I am trying to plan out my next build but i am wanting some help with how to set it up and this would be my first watercooling build so i am trying to get as much as information that i can. Regards, ianclowe4c
We'll need more details on the GPU's to make a conclusion. We also need to know what kind of loop you want to make - a balls-out super overclocking monster, or just a quiet, decently cooled system? i.e. are you looking for ultimate temps or just decent cooling? p.s. Hardware is the place for this.
An XSPC RX360 will cool that easy, Deadbeat has one cooling 3 x 580's... My question is, why are you cooling the RAM...?
That's a good point - I'd leave the RAM and mobo aircooled unless you've got a serious need for massive volts.
I could be wrong on this count, but I think it'll depend somewhat on the kind of fans you want to use and the kind of noise you can tolerate. My loop contains a 3x120 and a 2x120 to cool an i7 920 @ 4GHz and a GTX580 - Dual radiators may be slight overkill, but on the other hand it allows me to run five quiet 120mm fans at low-medium RPM instead of two or three 120mm fans at high RPM. I haven't done much comparitive testing on that though - Maybe a good 3x120 rad with good fans can offer similar performance at the same noise level. The i7 920 dumps out quite a bit of heat though, perhaps less than newer models - So I guess your choice of CPU is going to influence things as well. If your hardware choices are already dependent on money then you may want to consider if it's worth spending more on the hardware or on the cooling - Watercooling can be expensive and that expense increases significantly the more you add to the loop. Also, as Pete and Krikkit point out - You don't need to cool your ram or your mobo with water. It may look good and inflate your e-peen, but it's a waste of money. It made more sense back in the days of scorching-hot northbridges on nForce 6 boards and the like; but it's just not necessary with current chipsets if you have some airflow through the case.
I am wanting something that is failry quiet. I am not too woried about getting the lowest number in the world and i am wanting to do some minor overclocking but nothing major. I have made some decisions on hardware so hopefully you guys can give me more information. I have noticed that the case that i am wanting to get will accomadate a 280 radiator. Would that be sufficient for an i7 and perhaps two GTX460? Here is a list of the hardware and links... Motherboard: MSI X58A-GD45 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130500 Video Card: MSI N460GTX Hawk GeForce GTX 460 x 2 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127518 CPU: Intel Core i7-940 Bloomfield 2.93GHz 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 8MB L3 Cache http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115201 Memory: CORSAIR DOMINATOR 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145271 Hard Drive: Corsair Force CSSD-F115GB2-BRKT-A http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233160 Power Supply: CORSAIR Professional Series AX750 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139016 Case: LIAN LI PC-V1020B http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112308 Clearly I am going for a blue and black theme. I am wanting it to be as clean as possible. Would a 280 radiator be able to cool potentially two graphics cards and and i7? Also, any help on edits to the hardware is welcome too. I appreciate it guys. Thank you so so so very much. Regards, ianclowe4c (Ian)
if you're set on that case, i would probably do a 280 on the front, sacrificing the hdd cages, then a 140 or 280 on the roof. then set up the loop res, pump, cpu, 140/280 rad, gpu, gpu, 280 rad back to res. also if it was me i would probably either go sandybridge instead, or possibly wait a few more months for ivybridge.
As for cases. Theres some full tower Lian Li's that you can get a top 120x3 panel for. Or, a coolermaster atc 840 (as i have) will take a 120x3 on the top and you can squeeze in a 120x1 or mod it to take a 120x2 in the bottom. or the classic Silverstone TJ07 (which is what I would go for) as that will take a 120x3 in the top, a 120/140x4 and a 120//140x2 in the bottom! Finally, i don't know what your thoughts are about external radiators but you could go for a small Lian Li and have an external 123x9 radiator? As a side issue, why are you going for a 1366 set up? If i was building a new machine, i would go down the 2500k/2600k route as its cheeper, cooler, and faster!
I would love to know what would be the best case to have a 240/280 radiator in it. I am wanting something that is quite compact as well. I am open to modding it some but not a complete mod though. I am also open to changing the socket type as well. I would really love a gerat micro atx watercooled gaming machine but i do not like the color scheme of the asus and i have heard some negatives about the MSI board that is out there. I am wanting to stay with the blue and black theme. Any help would be great.
