Extra Rad - Worth it?

jinxpad

jinxpad

jinxpad

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Joined
12 Nov 2009
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1,151
Location
London
Hi all,


Am just about to checkout with an order for some stuff, but before I do I'd like to get the opinion of you fine folk :D


I currently have the following stuff cooling my gear:

1 x GTX 360 Radiator
3 x Gentle Typhoon 1850RPM
1 x EK HF Supreme CPU Block (Copper/Acetal)
1 x EK FC480 GPU Block (Copper/Acetal)
1 x MCP355 + XSPC High Flow Acetal Top
1 x EK 250 Multioption Res

One thing this fricking insanely hot few days we've had (At least down in London) is that this kit is still pushed to it's limit.

I've seen my GPU go +10oC and my CPU go +15-20oC during the mini heatwave we had. With that said, a good old de-dusting shaved a few degrees off thankfully, but it did get me wondering.

I'm looking to add:

1 x EK Coolstream XT 140mm

to where my Case exhaust fan is (same place you would put a corsair Hxx). The loop would look like:


Res > Pump > GPU > 140mm > CPU > 360mm > Res

I'd like to know if anybody would have any rough idea as to how much extra cooling performance I could expect to see by adding the extra radiator.

Also would the performance be better if I stuck the 140mm somewhere else in the loop i.e.

Res > Pump > GPU > CPU > 360mm > 140mm > Res


thanks for the input folks!
 
JeffyB said:
If you have the space adding 3 more fans and running push pull would net a much better temp drop.
Click to expand...

oooooo.... I might do... problem is I don't know what screw's I'd need... wouldn't be too hard to find out I guesssssss...

hmmm... maybe get the second rad AND add 3 more fans, although adding another 3 more fans would increase the noise... or would it, as I'd be using another 3 GT's and would be running them at the same speed...
 
Last edited:
Other option is to do a dual loop, as your pump may struggle with the extra resistance
 
Nah. That pump is fine for much more resistance than a radiator would add which is one of the least resistant thing in a loop.

I'd say go for it if you can, it cerainly won't hurt. However remember ambiient temps are all in this game, pumping hot air into a hot uncooled room will only make it hotter. :)
 
Biffa said:
Nah. That pump is fine for much more resistance than a radiator would add which is one of the least resistant thing in a loop.

I'd say go for it if you can, it cerainly won't hurt. However remember ambiient temps are all in this game, pumping hot air into a hot uncooled room will only make it hotter. :)
Click to expand...

Ahh thats a relief, I wasn't looking forward to having to replace the pump if this would require it. Noted about the ambient room temp, only thing I can do atm is have my windows and door open to drop the temp.

While I love the weather we're having, I can't say my PC enjoys it much :P
 
Right so I've just ordered another 140mm Radiator so I'll be installing that when it arrives on Tuesday.

I was just wondering, if anybody could recommend any other checks I should do while I am changing the loop around (I'm changing the tubing colour and such so will be disconnecting everything).

I've been reading a lot of disconcerting posts about the nickel EK blocks flaking, do I have the same things to worry about seeing as I'm using all copper based blocks?
 
No you won't have to worry with copper blocks.

I would check for any clogging of the blocks, esp the cpu block. Strip it down as far as you can go and flush it all out. If there is anything that looks like its growing in the loop scrub it clean and flush the system thoroughly.
 
Got the Radiator installed today and I have to say I'm mighty happy with the result...

Although taking apart the loop to fit it in, change the tubing, was a serious pain in the ass... I had to change the orientation of the 360 rad to accommodate the new 140 and mounting that thing in a pull config is not fun... In the end I went with the following config:

Res > Pump > GPU > CPU > 360 > 140 > Res

Here are some quick pics of the final setup, will clean up the case some more tomorrow and take some better pics to put in the watercooling case gallery :)

P1020842.jpg


P1020844.jpg
 
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