Which Rad and Fans?

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Hi guys,

I'm modding a case I have, which I am watercooling. Because I want everyting in the case, I only really have room for a 280 rad to cool my cpu and possibly a gpu in the future (by the time I get round to cooling the gpu I may have bought a new case anyways!).

What I need to know is:

Which rad would be better suited for this?

Which fans would be recommended?

I'm stuck between a few, especially as I have a tiny budget. Any input would be greatly appreciated :)
 
Firstly need to know if you are watercooling for silence or lowest possible temperatures?

If you definately want a 140mm based rad and are cooling for noise reasons the sr1-280 is probably your best bet with some 140mm yate loon fans (i have the 420 with these fans and they work brilliantly together) or some Sharkoon Silent Eagle 800 140mm if you fancy spending a bit more money on fans.

Some might say get a 240 rad as there is a much wider range of fans but these rads have a smaller surface area and lower cooling potential then the equivalent 280 rad. The 240 option will however be cheaper, approximately £45 for an ek dual rad and a couple of yate loon fans compared to £60-70 for a decent 280 rad and a couple of 140mm yate loons.

Most cases that are made with watercooling in mind seem to be geared towards the 120mm fan sizes.

Hope this helps you make a decision
 
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Thanks for the heads up guys.

I'm going to be upgrading from a LCS system built in to my Kandalf case, which is pretty noisy as it is, so anything quieter than that will be acceptable.

The reason I am looking at 140mm rads is because I can fit one in quite easily, as the case is rather wide. However it's not very tall, so I can probably only take a dual rad. I can probably put up a quick googlesketch to show what I mean if that would help?
 
The 280 would be preferable if your adding a gpu later, it'll just have more cooling capacity than a 240. If it fits your case better as well it seems like a good decision.
 
cheers Jeffy. I know I'm probably worrying over nothing, so it's good to have someone reinforce my ideas :)
Just annoying how OCUK don't sell 140mm rads... Oh well
 
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I was unsure about getting a 420, with the 140mm fans not having as big a range but manufacturers are catching on fast with more doing thier fans in 140mm. More airflow with lower rpm fans, which is perfect for quiet loops.
 
If you can make sure its one of the thicker rads (50mm+) with low FPI, as that way you can virtually have the fans running silent and still have excellent cooling.

But if budget won't stretch to the thicker rads, the thinner (35mm or less) will still do the job well, just u have to run the fans slightly faster, but still a lot quieter then full blown air.
 
ok, so I think I'm looking at something like the Phobya G-Changer 280. Looks beasty... I like! Any issues with that?
So what about fans? I'd really like Orange or clear fans (picky I know, only because of the build though) however I have seen the Phobya fans... now it's crossed my mind to do a phobya based WC system! Dammit, this could be getting out of my price range!
 
Are you just pricing stuff up from Ocuk? or other sites too.

As if its just here, i'll trust message u some links to some places with a lot more choice if u want.
 
Nice chunky rad with med/low fpi (12) which makes fan choise easier as you don't need to look for high static pressure. Xigmatek do some nice 140mm orange bladed fans XLF-F1453.
 
That dutch site, is probably the best one, they seem to sell stuff u just can't get in the UK, Im fairly sure some of the more experienced water coolers here, will have experience of them, i personally have never bought from them myself.
 
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