Better to cool the GPU and CPU in line or independantly ?

nickmhp

nickmhp

nickmhp

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21 May 2014
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17
Hi all, I'm planning (what I hope) will be a fairly straightforward watercooling loop to cool 1 GPU and 1 CPU with 3 main aims -

1) Lower "standard" temperatures for high end gaming graphics (not planning on any overclocking for the time being)
2)Quiet running
3)Must look tasty (building inside an NZXT switch 810 case with UV lighting)

I'm pretty happy with 90% of the general do's and don'ts but there's just one thing I'm not sure about. I've seen quite a few setups that have just one loop going RES/PUMP > GPU > CPU > RAD > RES/PUMP

But this means your delivering already warmed fluid from the GPU onto the CPU and I'm assuming that cooler fluid can take on more heat than warmer fluid ?

Would it therefore be better to have two lines (feeding into 1 RAD )

Line 1 - RES/PUMP > GPU > RAD
Line 2 - RES/PUMP > CPU > RAD
Line 3 - RAD > RES/PUMP

Any advice would be much appreciated :)
 
Keep the loop simple, run it in series

Basically my loop goes RES>PUMP>GPU's>CPU>RAD

The water temperature will balance out across the loop (assuming the flow is good)
 
Sry, should have put all this up at the start, schoolboy error....

Pump - XSPC Photon D5 170 resevoir & pump combo
Rad - Alphacool NexXxos UT 60 dual 120mm
 
Mark This Day said:
Just out at the moment will have a look when I get home I'll look your case up


Gotta love that combo
D5 is boss

U should be able to get a 360 in there
Click to expand...

It would fit, you're right but I'm really keen to use acrylic solid tubing and a 360 would squeeze the rad inlets / outlets right up against the edge of the case (unless I get funky with a hacksaw and Dremmel :eek: )
 
nickmhp said:
But this means your delivering already warmed fluid from the GPU onto the CPU and I'm assuming that cooler fluid can take on more heat than warmer fluid ?
Click to expand...

This is a general misconception.

The coolant is itself heat-conductive, and therefore the coolant effectively function as one unit. So the fluid temperature is more or less uniform across the loop, with 1 to 3C difference max.

Comparing with the temperature difference between the loop fluid and the CPU/GPU, the 1 to 3C difference is not a concern.

However, dual loop configuration is beneficial over single loop, but not due to the "fresh" fluid going to the GPU. It is due to the increased flow rate to the individual compartments, but that can be resolved by using a more powerful pump in a single loop.

As for your requirements, single loop is better for you because 1) You are not doing any extreme overclocking, cooling capacity is sufficient with a single loop assuming you have enough rad area. 2) 1 pump is generally quieter than 2. 3) Dual loop configuration is higher to manage in order to give a good loop.

Hope this helps :)
 
The joys of having a 900D (Got 2x 480, 2x 240, 1x 120) in mine

The UT60 is a very thick radiator (e.g. 85mm with fans attached), however it's got some great connection options due to it's multi-port design
 
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