First Custom Loop - Radiator Advice Needed

[Turbo Ben]

I'm currently collecting parts for my next rig, which is going to be my first attempt at a custom loop.

I'm looking for advice on which radiator manufacturer to use and how big I need to go.

I'm somewhat size limited, though this is somewhat flexible as i am building my own "case" out of wood. I was hoping 2 x 280mm rads in push only will be enough for a high end GPU and what will probably end up being an overclocked 11900k.

I like the look of HW labs nemesis gtx280, but can't seem to find any in stock anywhere, and they're expensive. I'm also considering corsair XR5 280mm radiators, but these are slimmer. I can't seem to find much information on how well they perform, though it seems they are also produced by HW Labs, so should be pretty good. Is there anything else (in stock) that I should consider?

Also, I'm planning on using corsair ll140 fans. I know they're not the best but I really like how they look. I'm also keeping the lian li unifan in mind, as they can go to 1900rpm, will have less wires to worry about, and are cheaper. Again though, is there anything else I should be considering for fans?

 

[SirConfused]

Thermalbench.com and extremerigs.net are solid for comparisons if you want to look at rad v rad.

With 2x240/280's you'll be fine in terms of cooling potential as long as your wood construction case has enough airflow... Unless you're planning on doing some ridiculous oc'ing or want your fans running at really low rpm.

 

[Turbo Ben]

Thermalbench.com and extremerigs.net are solid for comparisons if you want to look at rad v rad.

With 2x240/280's you'll be fine in terms of cooling potential as long as your wood construction case has enough airflow... Unless you're planning on doing some ridiculous oc'ing or want your fans running at really low rpm.

I've looked at extremerigs for quite a few options, but I can't see any reviews of the corsair rads. I can't see them on the thermalbench site either. They do review the ll140 though, and suggest they're not very good for radiator fans, so I'll probably switch to the lian li's.

Good to know that 2 x 280 will be enough. I am planning on getting whatever 24/7 overclock I can out of the components, but will probably only need maximum cooling during stability testing. Case airflow shouldn't be a problem. I'm building the computer into a support for my desk, so the thing will be mostly empty space. As long as I have a couple of exhaust fans it should be fine. I have an MSI Z490 Ace which has an overkill VRM and VRM cooling solution, so I think I only need to worry about SSD and memory temps.

I have found the HW labs GTX 360 in stock, and though expensive, a pair of those combined with the lian li 120mm unifans should give me about 800W of cooling according to extremerigs. I might have to rethink the layout of my build a bit, but I think it will be worth it for that level of cooling.

 

[SirConfused]

That's because Corsair = HW Labs . They're just rebranded products.

Dependin on your budget, the Corsair ML fans are great static pressure for the £11-12 point as long as you're not after RGB. If you want something a little cheaper the Arctic P12 is a pressure optimised fan and super cheap.
If you want to go for RGB then you'll have to look around yourself because I have no idea!

2x 360mm would be absolutely plenty for your setup so if you can go that far and it's not going to utterly blow the budget or cause you design problems I'd say that's a great option. It also means you can have very quiet running with low fan rpms as a bonus.

 

[Parsley]

The Arctic P12 PWM fans are great rad fans. I populate my radiators with the PWM PST CO (PST for daisy chain connectors for adding more fans, CO for ball bearing) version and I think they perform better than the Corsair ML fans at the same rpm. They don't have as high an RPM range but running the corsair fans at their highest RPM must sound like a tornado on radiators. If you don't want RGB fans, I think they're great.

 

[Turbo Ben]

That's because Corsair = HW Labs . They're just rebranded products.

2x 360mm would be absolutely plenty for your setup so if you can go that far and it's not going to utterly blow the budget or cause you design problems I'd say that's a great option. It also means you can have very quiet running with low fan rpms as a bonus.

Great info, thanks! Looks like the Corsair XR7 is the HW labs Nemesis LX, which is the OEM version of the GTX, which is just what I'm looking for And they're actually in stock! I can redesign my desk to be a little deeper to accomodate them.

 

[Turbo Ben]

Dependin on your budget, the Corsair ML fans are great static pressure for the £11-12 point as long as you're not after RGB. If you want something a little cheaper the Arctic P12 is a pressure optimised fan and super cheap.
If you want to go for RGB then you'll have to look around yourself because I have no idea!

The Arctic P12 PWM fans are great rad fans. I populate my radiators with the PWM PST CO (PST for daisy chain connectors for adding more fans, CO for ball bearing) version and I think they perform better than the Corsair ML fans at the same rpm. They don't have as high an RPM range but running the corsair fans at their highest RPM must sound like a tornado on radiators. If you don't want RGB fans, I think they're great.

I'm making this project as a bit of a showpiece, so want to go with RGB fans if I can, as long as I don't have to compromise too much on performance, hence ditching the LL120 idea. Unless anyone has any horror stories, I'll probably be going with the Lian Li SL120's. They have a better static pressure and can hit 1900rpm to the LL120's 1500rpm meaning a higher maximum flow rate. They may be noisier at high RPM but with two 360mm rads, hopefully they'll rarely need work that hard. This is of course assuming I can find any, they seem to be hard to come by. I'm in no rush though, need a GPU so might be waiting a while anyway.

I'm still open to suggestions on nice RGB fans though, I'm sure there are lots of options I haven't even considered yet.

 

[MikeTimbers]

I now happily rely on cheap EZDIY-FAB 120mm ARGB fans. Dirt cheap for a pack of 5, great performance, comes with a controller with a remote.