Large rad no fans?

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Soldato
Joined
30 Aug 2018
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2,864
Is anyone here using rad space and volume of water to cool their pc without fans?

I was looking at buying something like the Alphacool Cape Cora but it being aluminium put me off. I do have a Mo-Ra3 and I was thinking that several in the loop could be enough for completely silent (aside from pump noise) cooling. For extreme loads or during summer I can have fans switch on if required but if i have enough rad space presumably I should be able to cool the system with fans off for a good portion if the time it is in use.

So back to the original question. Is anyone doing anything like this?
 
I've thought about this before. I have my current loop setup so that the fans are no louder than the pump. I guess adding enough rad space for passive cooling would mean I have to raise the pump speed therefore making my pump louder. I lose the swoosh of the fans but to my ear the noise of the pump is slightly more distracting than that of the fans, so I decided against it.

edit* My ear is only 1 foot away from an open bench.
 
I'm not sure about having to raise the pump speed for more rads, but if that is the case i can add a second pump and run them both low. At low speeds either the d5 or ddc is practically inaudible.

I've ordered some more radiators anyway since the warm weather is coming and I saw some externals rads on offer. I don't expect to see lower temps, but I do expect the temp of the loop to take considerably longer to rise. Perhaps I'll have enough rad space to make radiating the heat without fans a possibility, perhaps not. I think I won't know for sure until I get it all connected and see how it performs during warm weather.

I imagine something like the cape cora would be more effective than using multiple 1080 rads due to its design, but since it is aluminium it wasn't an option. With enough rad space I think the additional volume of liquid in the loop is going to have an impact on temps as well.

It will be interesting to try it out.
 
Yes, I’ve been doing this for years. I started out with Zalman Reserators and moved on to Cape Cora radiators. At one point I had all my PCs on a manifold attached to my central heating cold return in the garage, effectively extend8ng my central heating system to heat the garage. There are literally dozens of options but Alphacool are probably still the main suppliers.
 
WJA96 said:
Yes, I’ve been doing this for years. I started out with Zalman Reserators and moved on to Cape Cora radiators. At one point I had all my PCs on a manifold attached to my central heating cold return in the garage, effectively extend8ng my central heating system to heat the garage. There are literally dozens of options but Alphacool are probably still the main suppliers.
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Thanks for replying. Do you have any issues with corrosion? Are your pcs completely fanless?
 
Yes, no problems with corrosion. I do run VAG G13 antifreeze though. It’s pink and smells nice. And yes, completely fan free.
 
My passive watercooled PC uses 22 Cape Cora tubes, never had an issue with corrosion either, just be sensible with the fluid you use as you should be regardless, ie corrosion inhibitor needs to be in there.
 
VHRYubW.jpg


11 tubes down either side of a Silverstone TJ07B.
 
that looks super, what the ruff cost of 22 of them?

Edit: found them and i have to say £45 pre block is about the cost of a 360 rad so that a lot less than i thought
 
I've now got an additional 5 x 1080 sized rads to add to my loop when the rest of the PC is sorted.
In my case right now I am using 2 x 360 20mm rads and 1 x 120 20mm rad with pwm fans responding to cpu temp. The external rads are 1 x 1080 x 65mm (the Mo-Ra3 that i already owned) and 4 x 1080 x 60mm so once they are added there will be a massive increase in both fluid and surface area.
I imagine with that much surface area I should be able to cool the 1080ti and 9900k without fans even with both overclocked during summer.
Thank you for all the replies, it has given me hope that, pump permitting, I can have near silence if I add enough rad space.

I'll post an update if and when I ever get the loop finished. :rolleyes:
 
What pump do you have? I use a D5 and it’s effectively silent with the sides of the case on.

I would also recommend putting your new radiators in parallel with each other to minimise the pressure drop across them to maximise flow rate.
 
I've got a pwm D5 and it is quiet with the case closed, even at high speed. I also have a pwm ddc which is quiet when in a closed case as well, though it is louder than the d5. That is comparing max speed to max speed.
 
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