Number or size of Rads

Iwf · 8 Oct 2020 at 19:20

I’m completing a build using an Evolv Shift X, currently with 280rad, two 140 industrial intua fan pulling up to 3000rpm. I’ve just bought a 3080 and am thinking of watercooling.

my chosen game is FS2020, which is heavily GPU dependant but not so for the CPU. I can’t easily fir another rad other than to replace the 280, with a 240, then o could fit a 120 in the base.

so the question is do I need to. I rarely hear the fans spin up to max, and cpu temps run at mid 70s at most. The 3080 sees temps of high 60s. It occurs to me I could put a bigger reservoir in to increase the volume of coolant.

ideas anyone?

MeddlE · 8 Oct 2020 at 20:44

External rad maybe? Watercool MO-RA3. It will cool anything you can throw at it.

Iwf · 8 Oct 2020 at 22:44

I don’t think I need to watercool it that badly

Other than hearsay is there a more scientific way of calculating cooling requirements?

MeddlE · 9 Oct 2020 at 00:29

EKWB list the cooling capacity of their radiators on the custom loop configurator.

SE 280 - 444W

SE 240 - 283W
SE 120 - 141W

According to them it's only the SE that fit your case and your 280 will outperform a 240+120.

Radox-0 · 9 Oct 2020 at 09:33

I have the Shift X with custom loop and a 240 and 120mm SE radiator on top and bottom as you suggest. Temps with a 1080Ti overclocked (planning to move to 3xxx also) and 9900k OC'd and temps stay reasonable. the 120mm radiator in the bottom work well I think as the fan for that rad can bring in a decent amount of air from the bottom. The side panel 240mm is kind of chocked in this case. You do not need a bigger reservoir to hold more coolant though.

In all with this case without any mods to panels, I have found the temps are always going to be on the warmer side with whatever config you go 240 + 120 vs 280. But temps are still cooler then most air cooled solutions, stay within check and look damn awesome.

Iwf · 9 Oct 2020 at 09:54

Many thanks

I took the opportunity to reread the EK docs on the subject, and will try the 280. swapping to a 240/120 though possible, means the 140 fans become redundant. Instead I might a add a bottom fan pulling in cold air with the rad fans pulling.

that said these comments are very helpful. I'll report progress

Radox-0 · 9 Oct 2020 at 11:30

Iwf said:
Many thanks

I took the opportunity to reread the EK docs on the subject, and will try the 280. swapping to a 240/120 though possible, means the 140 fans become redundant. Instead I might a add a bottom fan pulling in cold air with the rad fans pulling.

that said these comments are very helpful. I'll report progress

Yup would defo add a fan in bottom of the case to help bring in cool air. As mentioned the intakes along side panels are restrictive in this case somewhat.

Iwf · 9 Oct 2020 at 12:08

Interesting info about the Shift X My current build has 2 140 fans pulling air out of the 280 rad, with a thin 120 pushing and a 120 pulling air across the MB. I took the filters out of the front and until I sort out the cabling the read cover removed.

I don't know if you saw it, but a Shift X was recently sold on ebay, where the seller had hacked the case around to support a 480 rad! I nearly bought it simply out of interest.

Iwf · 12 Oct 2020 at 18:16

So the alphacool is in and the gpu watercooled. The order of the plumbing is pump , cpu, rad, gpu pump.

I’ve noticed the cpu runs hotter but under full load the gpu didn’t any hotter than 55c. Time spy benchmark on a 4k monitor was 13304. I think the cpu is running hot, because it’s getting the coolant post the GPU but before the rad. Potentially I could change the order of the coolant, but I felt the gpu needs more coolant than the cpu.

Brizzles · 12 Oct 2020 at 19:12

Iwf said:
I think the cpu is running hot, because it’s getting the coolant post the GPU but before the rad. Potentially I could change the order of the coolant, but I felt the gpu needs more coolant than the cpu.

Irrelevant, the loop will reach its a max temp regardless of block order.

Amount of cooling, not block order, is the only thing that reduces temps.

Don't waste your time re-doing your loop.

If you do then you hit deminishing returns, adding more rads will not drop temps drastically.

Settle on a set of temps that are acceptable, is an extra 360 rad worth dropping 3 degrees for example ?

Iwf · 12 Oct 2020 at 19:27

Thanks. I think I hit the law of diminishing returns when I first encountered water cooling

Apart from swapping out the soft for hard tubing I’m therefore done.

dazzerd · 13 Oct 2020 at 07:54

Fan speeds key here as well, well at least pressure. Those wattage numbers will be based on a specific fan at a specific rpm probably full whack so bare that in mind if you are sensitive to noise.