Dual loop question

alexkyriak

alexkyriak

alexkyriak

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Mild curiosity question, that may influence my build depending on what you guys say….

If going dual loop with three 360 rads, with one WCed cpu, and one WCed gpu, how would you divide the rads? 2 for CPU and one for GPU?

I appreciate that a single loop might be better cooling overall and maybe more efficient. Just interested to sound you out and get some input from those who’s been there done that and bought the t-shirt. :)
 
Thanks all. My intended usage is going to be running both GPU and CPU with an overclock, but intended to run as a silent system as I can get away with, hence the three rads (which I had read thet more rads makes it more a more silent system). GPU will be a 3080ti and the CPU an 11900K
 
More rads make more surface area for fans meaning the fans can be quieter. But there is a point at which more cooling becomes of little to no benefit.

When the fans are already silent and the system allows the performance you want, do the temperatures matter?

Some people are happy with silent and temps in the 80s or 90s (i.e. within spec), others want some arbitrary "cool" temps (which ultimately make little to no difference to the life of the components) and are prepared to pay to achieve that.

Then there's the whole aesthetics of the thing. If you don't care about aesthetics, put a single 360mm on long tubes to far enough away from you you can't hear it. Put the rad outside!

My advice: build what you like and can afford. Two 360mm rads will be fine but put in three if you like. There's no magic formula that decides what is "right". It's down to individual taste, budget and time.
 
I agree with miketimbers
Some of it when comes to water-cooling
There's no right or wrong way to do it
Personally with 2 pumps I prefer not to do 2 loops
I prefer the 2nd pump for redundancy
As for 3 radiatiors I use 3 because just happened to
Have them laying around
And there's no issues fitting 3 in my pc case
But for 2 loops my opinion anyway would be one radiatior
Per loop would be fine
But for using 3 which loop got 2 would depend
On what GPU and what CPU was being used
So yeah a lot of its personal choice and not a this is
The only way/answer
PS. I aim for temps that are lower than 80c
But not worried about reducing by every single degree C possible
If it's under 80c and quiet with fans always under 1k rpm
That's my goal
 
Going with a single loop, your CPU will run hotter than with it's own loop.
Depending on the GPU, and your use of the PC, I would tend to use one for the CPU and 2 for the GPU.
But depending on the case you're using, let's say if it is the O11 XL, a bottom 360 * 60mm should be plenty for any GPU.
 
I'm in the same position as you. Have everything ordered to make up the dual loop but unsure how to split the cooling.
I've got a 5900x and a 3080.
1 x 60mm EK XE rad and 2 Alphacools (XT45 and ST25)
 
Chockymonster said:
I'm in the same position as you. Have everything ordered to make up the dual loop but unsure how to split the cooling.
I've got a 5900x and a 3080.
1 x 60mm EK XE rad and 2 Alphacools (XT45 and ST25)
Click to expand...
The XE should be enough for the GPU, as a single XT should be fine for the 5900x.
I believe you're using the Lian Li O11 XL?
For dual loop, I would have top exhaust for CPU, Side exhaust for GPU (or vice versa, but first radiator after waterblock as exhaust) and the XE before the GPU as intake. Most of the heat would be exhausted, and the 3080 will possibly generate much more heat than the 5900x.
As the 5900x will get its own loop, the temperature should be more than fine with a XT.
The 3080 could do with one XE, but the problem would be a single radiator dumping all that heat inside the case (when all complete, just check how hot the air from the GPU radiator is under load).
Normally I would advise for top as exhaust and side and bottom as intake, but that works fantastic for single loop. For dual loop, only the bottom as intake, and to be the second radiator, as you don't want it to get the hot coolant right after the GPU.
Also, the XT would fit nicely in the second chamber, almost flush with the side panel. Most of the air being exhausted will leave the case, and the fans at push tent to be quieter.
 
Drumroll said:
Loads of really useful stuff
Click to expand...

thanks! There’s a lot to unpick in there, I hadn’t taken into account airflow and case temps so will need a bit of a rethink. I’d planned everything out based on sensible routing, but would need to rethink how I’d Lay-out the pipes based on the Radikult front reservoirs, components and radiator positions.
The 45mm alphacool is crossflow, the 25 isn’t.

XE in the roof as an exhaust would sort the GPU, but it’s not the most economical of routes.
I’m wondering if with the XT in the side I route res -> gpu -> xt -> xe -> res. with ports of the xe at the front and the xt at the bottom they’re nicely positioned for simple connections.
 
My advice would be bottom intake XE for GPU.
Top XT 45 exhaust and side 25mm intake for CPU.
Even if the warmer air from the bottom rad will affect the top rad to perform at its best, the side intake, using cooler air, would bring coolant's temperature closer to what the top would if using cooler air, if not better.
The XL has a good floor clearance, and using some good fans, the XE can handle a 3080 without issues.
The only issue but nothing to worry about too much is internal temperatures. If a probe is available, you can check how warmer the air from the bottom rad is compared to ambient. But airflow is better than no airflow.
NVME, M.2 and Chipset temperature would only be an issue if the GPU still generate too much heat despite the main offenders being watercooled (3090).
The XL, despite the lack of front intakes perform very, very well. Cases like the Corsair 5000D, due to the lack of bottom intakes would be more complicated to balance the airflow path.
Also, if going for bottom and side intake, and top exhaust, a rear exhaust isn't really necessary.
 
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