Radiators, what are those numbers?

Audigex

Audigex

Audigex

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I've just been poking around the watercooling section out of curiosity, and I see a lot of different numbers for radiators

3/8 and 1/2 etc I'm fairly confident are tube diameters/radii, and 120 I presume refers to the fan size, but what are 360 and 720 about? Are these 3 and 6-fan rads, would that be 6 in a row or 3 double-fan?

What are the .1 .2 and .3 etc?

An idiot's guide to radiator jargon would be great :-P
 
some manufacturers use a different size thread on there screw fixings G1/4 and G3/8 are common ones so be careful when buying barbs. Also there's "normal" and compression fittings and lots of different angles, splitters etc
as for RAD sizes a 120 can fit 1 120mm fan on each side so can fit 2 fans in push pull, all the way up to a 480 that can fit 4 fans on each side so 8 overall.
tubing size is all down to preference but bigger is generally considered better 1/2"ID is the largest "common" size used, a lot of people us 7/16" as this can be manipulated to fit over 1/2" barbs and form a good seal with no need for hoseclips to keep it place (*disclaimer i always use cable ties)
 
Think that covers most details there :p

But like you said 3/8 and 1/2 tend to refer to tubing inner diameters, and like Sayso said, theres also 7/16 which is also quite common. These are pretty much down to personal preference, the smaller diameters can be easier to work with, but the larger diameters definately look better imo.

For rads:

120 = 120.1 = 1 X 120mm fan in a row (or one on both sides)
240 = 120.2 = 2 X 120mm fan in a row (or two on both sides)
360 = 120.3 = 3 X 120mm fan in a row (or three on both sides)
480 = 120.4 = 4 X 120mm fan in a row (or four on both sides)

Theres also talk of 140.3 rads coming out, that being a rad that takes 3 X 140mm fans each side. To be honest, most people only put fans on one side of their rads, but putting them on both sides is the best for temps

You kinda see the way it works now Im sure :)
 
How do you know which barbs/tube size you can use with each component? Is it just a case of buying the right barbs for your tube size and fitting them to your block/rad of choice?
 
alexhull24 said:
How do you know which barbs/tube size you can use with each component? Is it just a case of buying the right barbs for your tube size and fitting them to your block/rad of choice?
Click to expand...

In a word... yes! Like Sayso said though, some rads (Im looking at you thermochill) use a different sized thread to screw the barbs in. Pretty much everything else uses G1/4" barbs.

Basically figure out how many barbs you need, decide what size tubing you want, and then buy that many barbs in that size.

e.g. if you were buying a radiator (we'll assume its G1/4 for simplicity), CPU block, pump and res, everything you would need for a basic loop, you would need to buy 8 barbs, 2 for each component. Then tubing choice, just pick a size! Say you went for 1/2" diameter, it would mean the 8 barbs you bought would have to be 1/2" to match.

Not the best explanation, but you see what I mean :) Basically decide on a tubing size, and work from there
 
Makes sense. So there are two measurements on a barb, the screw thread and the tube size it takes. The screw thread corresponds to the block/rad and the tube is, well, the tube.
 
Spot on :) Like I said, the majority of them will be G1/4" thread, proably 95% of manufacturers use that size, in fact, Thermochill are the only ones I can think of who use a different size!
 
Not that I know of, they probably just started manufacturing with the 3/8" before the G1/4" became an industry standard and havnt changed it... I'd guess :confused:
 
I've been confused about these figures myself, admittedly i've only done limited reading on the subject, but this thread has proved to be really informative.

I have a quick question, if Audigex doesn't mind me hijacking his thread for one reply ;) - once a cooling system is in place and running smoothly, on your cpu and gpu, is it a pain in the butt to upgrade components or does it become quite straight forward once you know what your doing? It's the only thing that's put me off - but having endured the push pin process on my latest third party cooler i'm wondering if it's not easier to re-sit an already well fitted water system?
 
I find blocks are easier to fit to the boards as they tend to be small and light compared to some of the huge air cooled solutions you can get today. However, It takes a few hours to do properly, remember to change a part of the loop, you have to drain the system first, then add the new component, then refil and bleed the system again... takes quite a while so I dont tend to change mine much haha
 
Thanks, Ducky Spud - that doesn't sound a major hassle for a cpu refit as, like you say, major air coolers are a b*tch to re-fit anyway.

The only draw back would be when upgrading the gfx card - as a normally straight forward task becomes a time consuming trial - plus warranties go out the window, which is rather a large sticking point for me. How long do you guys test your cards for before applying water to them?
 
GPU's are only a pain if you just add a full cover block without thinking or want the minimal tube look.
There are two easy options (that oldly most people don't use).

1) If using full cover blocks - use quickconnectors and buy your card from evga as there warrenty is not invalidated when you remove the stock cooler. The quick connectors mean you don't need to drain the loop.

2) Use a universal block - ok it's not as good as a full cover but it's no where near as restrictive, and can be detached and reattached to new card. Again QC's can make this easier but a little extra length on the tube is all you need.

I swapped my cpu 4 time last year and my graphic card twice - never drained my loop once.
But I don't have full cover blocks and do have QC's and alittle more tube than most.

Also on the barbs issue.
Compression fitting have a third dimention and are specific to one size of tubing ONLY.
They have a thread size - G1/4
then they have the compatable tube size - normally 3/8 ID 1/2 OD or 8/10 (metric tube with 8mm ID and 10mm OD)
For them to work both the ID (inside diameter) and OD (outside diameter) must be correct.
For example the TFC compression fitting will not accept standard 3/8 tubing as it has a 5/8 OD - you need to use thin wall tube (and that has 'kink' issued)
 
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ahhh, I was talking about changing the blocks in the loop. You could change the actual graphics card or CPU easily! Just remove the block from the mobo/graphics card but dont remove the tubing, just kinda leave the block hanging there :p Can then remove whatever it is you want to and refit the block on top of the new part. :)
 
This has become a lot more useful than I thought it would :p

How do you hold the tubes onto the barbs? I would've thought if you just leave the block hanging around the case for ten minutes there's a chance of it pulling off, or just when moving it accidentally giving it a bit of a tug.
 
Brilliant replies guys, that really has improved my understanding a great deal and got rid of a lot of misconceptions that i had about upgrading with water.

shadowscotland said:
buy your card from evga as there warrenty is not invalidated when you remove the stock cooler.
Click to expand...

For some reason that gem of information has totally eluded me - i wish i had bought an evga instead of my asus - as i'm going to be ditching it's cooling soon.

Appologies again, Audigex, for making a slight dent in your thread - but hopefully you've found some of the info useful.
 
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