Ok, here are my final overclocks with the bits in place:
The maximum GPU temperature of 53°C reported by Afterburner was before I shoved the fans to 100%, it remained at the 47°C level throughout the test.
Overall I'm quite pleased with the temperatures, though I think I might drop the i7 to 4GHz, as I know it can do that at a much lower voltage, which should result in lower temperatures. Of course the temps reported here are literally worst case scenario temperatures, as both the CPU and GPU are at 100%. In games the temps are much lower on the CPU.
I think, in summary that it's entirely possible to run a very capable rig on a single 240 radiator, with the following caveats:
- The radiator must absolutely be matched to the fans (and vice versa) very carefully. You need to squeeze all the performance possible from the radiator, so this choice is crucial.
- Equally, it's unlikely you'll be able to run a silent computer with such a set-up, so bear that in mind. While it's still subjectively quieter than a stock GPU cooler at full load, it's still not quiet per se. This isn't an issue for me as I wear headphones when I game and can't hear the fans, but it would put many off.
- 38mm fans have good and bad points. At full load, they are subjectively quieter than a 25mm fan pushing a similar amount of air, but at idle they produce an annoying motor noise similar to a pump that hasn't been fully bled of air. I'm already thinking about changing them, as they're really quite annoying.
- You'll need good pumping power, as a set-up like this thrives with higher flow rates. An 18W DDC would be preferable even with a simple loop like this to a 10W DDC or below.
As always, the EK water blocks are impeccably well made, and perform admirably well. They were chosen as whilst they are not the best performers, both blocks have low flow restriction, which is vitally important.
I'm not particularly happy with the XSPC reservoir. As expected, a Lian Li plus a reservoir/pump that's not particularly well damped results in a vibrating noise, which is annoying. In hindsight, I'd have saved some money and bought a DDC 18W, then put it on my fan controller, as the D5 doesn't seem to scale well when put on the fan controller, and it doesn't have a signal wire, so I can't see what speed it does.
So, where this will go next? I may just change the reservoir and pump top to a tube style reservoir or similar, and an EK D5 top. This will also free up a couple of drive bays, which I could use for the SSD and HDD. I might also experiment with some high-rpm 25mm fans in place of the Ultra Kazes and see how they affect noise and temperature. I have two more Sharkoon 2000rpm fans (like the one in the back of the case) to try, and I might see what else there is on the market and give them a go.
Of course I could also try different radiators, maybe a Coolgate or TA120.2 with the high RPM fans, to see whether the loop can perform well even fairly quietly. Then there's the possibility of adding a radiator to the roof or rear 120mm fan for more power, though the looks would suffer.
Anyway, thanks for taking an interest in my project, I'll be sure to update when the next changes fall in...
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