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I7 970 Rad Size & Cooling (?)

liquidfluidity

liquidfluidity

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Getting ready to set up a NZXT Phantom with a watercooled I7 970 with an overclcock of at least 4.2 Ghz - although the chip will easily run 4.6Ghz :p. Will a 2x120mm rad be sufficient or should I plan for something bigger. I want to keep it all inside the case. Throw some rad suggestions. Is there a thicker 120x2 rad that will work as well as a 360? Should I be looking at a 655 pump or a 35x pump? This loop will most likely be just for the chip but I may add the chipset to it later - doubtful , though.
 
Thickness is no substitute for area. It can make up some difference, but a slim 360 will still be better than a thick 240. And of course, a thick 360 will be even better.

2x120 is enough for cpu and chipset. Any pump will be fine. RX240 radiator would be my recommendation.
 
Been doing a bunch of reading pertaining to Phantom cooling. The RX series seems to be too thick to use the included Phantom brackets. It puts the rad right down to the ram slots. The top can be modded to fit a thick 360 without the use of the Phantom rad brackets. I have seen the RS series used - the 360 that is, along with the Swiftech rads. Evidently, they're thin enough. Now I have a dilemma , do I just go with a 240 or do the full blown 360? Will I gain anything with the bigger rad for the cooling purposes I am looking into?
 
No, you will not gain anything from a bigger radiator except possibly less noise, depending on how far you overclock. Although, a 360 radiator will give you the ability to add graphics without being concerned about cooling capacity.
 
240 is more than enough for a processor. 35x is apparently the same as a 65x but with more pressure.
 
RedRaider said:
Sorry bud, not to get decent temps with low speed fans.
Click to expand...

Agreed. If you have the space to fit the 360, i don't see a reason to not drop the extra 20-30 bucks. You're committed to WC, you might as well not give yourself second thoughts later. A 360 also gives more headroom later if you had a video card, tho i'd probly add another rad at that point as well.
 
RedRaider said:
Sorry bud, not to get decent temps with low speed fans.
Click to expand...

I'm sure something thicker like the rx240 will be more than adequate for a single processor and a few chipsets. put some low speed fans on them and they'll perform equal if not better than thin 360mm rads.


Imitation said:
Agreed. If you have the space to fit the 360, i don't see a reason to not drop the extra 20-30 bucks. You're committed to WC, you might as well not give yourself second thoughts later. A 360 also gives more headroom later if you had a video card, tho i'd probly add another rad at that point as well.
Click to expand...

Bigger is always better, but it looks like op is leaning more towards the "just to get by" side.
 
No , not to just get by(I don't have what I have from being cheap) but to fit without a lot of modding. The RX series and a few others are too thick and will end up too close to the ram slots. At this point , I'm leaning towards either an ES or Swiftech 360 rad. Thanks for your opinions guys.
 
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