Beginner Radiator Questions.

RogueTadhg

[H]ard|Gawd
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Dec 14, 2011
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I already know what type of fans I'm going to use. But not how to power or control them... That's a different problem.

But this topic is all about radiators!

1) How can I tell how much TPW a radiator should be able to dissipate?
2) Does a 280 (2x 140) Rad dissipate more heat than a 360 (3x 120)? If everything else is equal - Fin density, materials, coolant, Fan would be different but same maker and same static pressure, Fan configuration, Location,...
3) What are some good radiators?
4) What's the easiest way to flush a new/old radiator?

I'd like to find radiators that have opposing openings so that water should flow out of them easier. Instead of both inlets facing the same direction.

I've got my loop planned out with three radiators:
1x 120 Rad.
1x 280 Rad.
1x 280 / 360 Rad.

I can't find numbers to say whether a 280 would cool better (or worse) than a 360.
 
I already know what type of fans I'm going to use. But not how to power or control them... That's a different problem.

But this topic is all about radiators!

1) How can I tell how much TPW a radiator should be able to dissipate?

Not sure what you mean by TPW? If you are looking on how to calculate heat based on components, it's not an exact science. But here, here and here are good places to start.

2) Does a 280 (2x 140) Rad dissipate more heat than a 360 (3x 120)? If everything else is equal - Fin density, materials, coolant, Fan would be different but same maker and same static pressure, Fan configuration, Location,...

A 360 Radiator has the capacity to dissipate more heat than a 280. But some situations may not require more than a 280. The reason for their designations is their size, a radiator with a size of 360mm has more space to cool than one with 280mm generally.

3) What are some good radiators?

That is a matter of perspective, here is a site that has a breakdown. I have experience with XSPC and Hardware Labs radiators. I was pleased with both. EK CoolStream is supposed to be very good as well.

4) What's the easiest way to flush a new/old radiator?

With Water? Bad dum ching!

But seriously, most people rinse out a number of passes with tap water, then do a few passes with distilled water to try and remove any minerals from the tap water. Here is another method if you want to be truly efficient.

I'd like to find radiators that have opposing openings so that water should flow out of them easier. Instead of both inlets facing the same direction.

I've got my loop planned out with three radiators:
1x 120 Rad.
1x 280 Rad.
1x 280 / 360 Rad.

I can't find numbers to say whether a 280 would cool better (or worse) than a 360.

There are a number of different things to consider on whether it will cool better or not. If you look through the list I linked to above that should help. Generally 360s have more space to dissipate heat, but if you have a crappy 360 and a good 280, who knows.
 
I already know what type of fans I'm going to use. But not how to power or control them... That's a different problem.

But this topic is all about radiators!

1) How can I tell how much TPW a radiator should be able to dissipate?
2) Does a 280 (2x 140) Rad dissipate more heat than a 360 (3x 120)? If everything else is equal - Fin density, materials, coolant, Fan would be different but same maker and same static pressure, Fan configuration, Location,...
3) What are some good radiators?
4) What's the easiest way to flush a new/old radiator?

I'd like to find radiators that have opposing openings so that water should flow out of them easier. Instead of both inlets facing the same direction.

I've got my loop planned out with three radiators:
1x 120 Rad.
1x 280 Rad.
1x 280 / 360 Rad.

I can't find numbers to say whether a 280 would cool better (or worse) than a 360.


The previous post answers most of those questions pretty darn well, but just to clarify..

1. You will never calculate an accurate TPW for this situation. Not unless you have a lot of good lab equipment and several weeks to spend on collecting data and performing differential equations. What you CAN do is use a really basic rule of thumb, in that you need a minimum of a "120" radiator for each component. So if you're using 1 CPU and 1 GPU, a 240 rad should keep things within "acceptable" ranges. Going up to about "240" per component should keep things super cool, and anything much more is probably overkill and will not help your temps.

2. For rads, just look at surface area. Assuming all the things you mentioned are constant, you can directly compare cooling capacity to surface area. A "360" radiator has a surface area of about 3 fans (120x120mm fans). A "280" is 2 fans, 140x140mm. So a 360 has 43200mm2 of area, and a 280 has 39200mm2 of area. So in theory, a 360 has about 10% more cooling capacity than a 280.

Last, if you're looking for radiators with "cross flow", so your coolant goes in one and and out the other, they're not hard to find. Alphacool makes a bunch, in the "XT30" and "XT45" series. Just remember a "cross flow" rad will provide LESS cooling than a regular "in and out the same end" radiator. In the 2nd type, the coolant makes a "U" turn inside the rad, and basically makes two passes, spending more time flowing, and therefore losing a lot more heat. So everything else being equal, a cross flow is less efficient than the "U" style. That doesn't mean they're bad, it just means you have to plan appropriately.

Unless you've got a more then 2 GPUs, I'd recommend going with 1 x 280 + 1 x 280 (or 360). That extra 120 isn't going to be worth the effort.
 
Also the TDP ratings that manufacturers provide have to be taken with a grain of salt. I'd say expect about 2/3 of what they quote - hence Bandalo's advice to use a 120 per component.

On radiators I've only used two:
EK Coolstream - terrible build, crooked, smelled strongly of flux
Hardwarelabs - Used two different kinds on two different orders. Perfect construction, clean, ports perfectly aligned. Highly recommended.

I flush with boiling water as many times as required until they don't smell like flux. Probably something like 15-20 times. About 15mins of pouring and shaking per radiator...
 
I already know what type of fans I'm going to use. But not how to power or control them... That's a different problem.

But this topic is all about radiators!

1) How can I tell how much TPW a radiator should be able to dissipate?
It's tough to tell honestly, as flow and fan speed/volume have a lot to do with it

2) Does a 280 (2x 140) Rad dissipate more heat than a 360 (3x 120)? If everything else is equal - Fin density, materials, coolant, Fan would be different but same maker and same static pressure, Fan configuration, Location,...
Take the dimensions of the rads you're looking at and figure out how many sq inches of radiator surface there is

3) What are some good radiators?

Depends a lot on what fans you're wanting to go with, higher RPM fans, the HWL GTX series is tough to beat, slower quieter fans, I'm partial to Alphacool, Koolance is solid as well, never been a big fan of EK.

4) What's the easiest way to flush a new/old radiator?

Bunch of tap water followed by distilled is good, if known funky, hot water and some vinegar for the first few rinses is good, there is also kits you can get that are supposed to be great.

I'd like to find radiators that have opposing openings so that water should flow out of them easier. Instead of both inlets facing the same direction.

Alphacool XT series is badass

I've got my loop planned out with three radiators:
1x 120 Rad.
1x 280 Rad.
1x 280 / 360 Rad.

I can't find numbers to say whether a 280 would cool better (or worse) than a 360.

Again, it has a lot to do with flow and fans, a 280mm HWL GTX with 3500RPM Deltas will more than likely cool better than an 360 EK SE with 800 RPM fans, but the 280 will sound like a vacuum cleaner heh.

Have to decide why you're going custom water cooling, do you want maximum cooling performance, or do you want a silent PC?

Maximum performance, high FPI (fins per inch) radiators, with high speed fans, as thick as you can fit, push/pull better (usually), silence, low FPI rads with low RPM fans.
 
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