My System - Need Suggestions

[muzicman82]

OK,

Here's a rundown of my system in it's current iteration. It's been about the same for several years but it's perpetually getting upgrades. I just upgraded my NVIDIA Geforce 8800GT card to a GTX 570. I didn't intent to put that on water, but I found the fan to be very annoying when it was going full on. It's not so much loud but it was high pitched I guess.

I just replaced all of my tubing and flushed all of the cooling components. I also found two leaky caps on my board so I replaced those as well.

We'll call it a mini-overhaul.

Now that it's all put back together and working, I'm interested in putting in more radiator to get my water temp down a bit. It is currently idling at around 47°C. If you all think that is just fine, I could just stop here. It used to be around 35°C before the GPU was added. I also have the northbridge on water. This system is not overclocked.

It looks like Swiftech used to have a MCP120-QP STACK model that I could gang onto the MCP120-QP that I already have, but looking around the web, it appears it has been discontinued. If someone can help me track it down, I'd love to add that.

Here's a full list of gear in this:

EVGA NVIDIA 680I LT MOTHERBOARD
INTEL CORE 2 QUAD Q6600 (B6 STEPPING)
SWIFTECH APOGEE GT WATERBLOCK
PATRIOT MEMORY 4X 2GB 6400EL SERIES
EVGA NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 570
HIGHPOINT TECH ROCKETRAID 2300
CREATIVE SOUNDBLASTER LIVE X-FI
SIIG FIREWIRE 800 CARD
OCZ VERTEX 2 3.5" 120GB
2X HITACHI 7K500 500GB IN RAID0
PIONEER BDR-205 BD-RW
LG CH08LS10 BD-ROM
SONY OPTIARC AD-7240S DVD-RW
SWIFTECH MCW30 WATERBLOCK ON NORTHBRIDGE
SWIFTECH MCRES-MICRO REV2 RESERVOIR
SWIFTECH MCP350 PUMP
SWIFTECH MCR120-QP RADIATOR W/ NOCTUA NF-P12 FAN
THERMALRIGHT HR-05 SLR/IFX ON SOUTHBRIDGE W/ SILENX FAN
THERMALTAKE 700W PSU

 

[Tsumi]

I would go straight to a larger radiator if that's possible for you. You want at least a 2x120 radiator, or 3x120 for good temps. The MCR Stack series aren't that great in terms of efficiency, unless you stick on 3 fans (one on each outside of radiator and one in the middle). That would greatly increase how much space you need at the back of your case.

 

[muzicman82]

I would go for a dual rad, but I'm not sure it would fit on the back. It would have to hang without support and might cover PCI slots.

I did put another fan on the outside. The Noctua is only 54CFM. I guess I should do something more like 80CFM on the front and back? I just don't want all that fan noise.

Is it better to have two of the same speed fans?

I like SilenX fans, but they just don't last. The Noctura has a 6 year warranty which is quite nice.

 

[Tsumi]

Are you using the radbox? If so, I have hung a 3x120 radiator using the radbox. Hell, I've seen people use that radbox with 4x120 radiators. It can definitely support larger radiators. If you're worried about stress on the radbox, why not make a custom mount for the side of your computer? Or maybe on top? Using larger radiators will allow you to get away with quieter fans. Also, use Gentle Typhoons if you're worried about noise, they're much better for watercooling (high static pressure fans, CFM is not all that relevant when it comes to radiators).

As for covering the PCI slots, there is nothing much you can do there. There is usually enough room between the radiator and the PCI slots for you to get to them anyways.

 

[muzicman82]

Yeah I could hang it I suppose. I liked the MCR120 upside down for tube routing.

Is the Noctura OK if I did two of them with a MCR220? Obviously I want them both to be the same.

 

[muzicman82]

Actually, I just checked. Hanging a 2x 120 will cover half of all of the PCI slots. I'd have to bend cables to plug them in. I think I might be better off moving the Radbox up over the 80mm fan slot of my case (it will cover some of the PSU) and then hanging it there, but keeping it mounted upside down. I know this isn't ideal for air reasons, but I have it pretty air free.

I might just have to order a MCR220 and figure it out. This case is not very mod-friendly. It had all kinds of pre-configured stuff for Thermaltake's Big Water kits, which I never used.

 

[AdvanSuper]

Why can't you mount the rad up here? You can keep the mount where it is the the 2x120mm rad will face upwards so it doesn't cover the PCI slots.

 

[Tsumi]

You can use the Noctuas. However, I believe most of us would recommend the Gentle Typhoons since they have pretty much the best noise/CFM ratio, especially on radiators.

 

[muzicman82]

Why can't you mount the rad up here? You can keep the mount where it is the the 2x120mm rad will face upwards so it doesn't cover the PCI slots.

That's what I think I'll do. It'll just have to be mounted upside down like it is now and stick upwards. It will cover the PSU slightly but no biggie. Do you think I need to support it at the top there if I leave the radbox at the bottom?

 

[muzicman82]

You can use the Noctuas. However, I believe most of us would recommend the Gentle Typhoons since they have pretty much the best noise/CFM ratio, especially on radiators.

Which Gentle Typhoon RPM/CFM model do you think is necessary?

 

[muzicman82]

Actually, I was comparing the Noctua I have and the Gentle Typhoons. Accord to spec, the Noctua has a quieter noise spec of 19.8 dbA for it's 92.3 m3/h. The Schythe 98 m3/h is 28 dbA.

Now, I know that those noise spec are all subject to variables not consistent between manufacturers.. and that the Gentle Typhoon may indeed be better for radiators...

Thoughts?

EDIT: I went ahead and ordered another Noctua and the MCR220. I figure I already have it so I might as well keep using it. It is really quiet. I'm thinking two of them on a MCR220 will do the trick. I read a TON of stuff on the NF-P12 and it seems like a great way to go. This one is actually designed for radiators. I had also moved the fan inside of the radbox to save space on the back, but I know this is somewhat restricting airflow. I'll move it out when I mount the MCR220. The only other downsides I could find on the NF-P12 were color and price. Neither are a problem for me.

 

[muzicman82]

UPDATE:

I replaced the radiator with a MCR220. It was pretty easy although I had planned on using my old barbs. This MCR220 has flush barb mounts and no recessed spot for the O-ring to sit. As such, it was tricky to get them tightened without pushing the O-ring out.

My temps went from a 47°C idle down to 35°C idle. At full CPU load, the temp went up to 42°C max. However, I didn't test full GPU load.

As mentioned I added another Noctua fan. The two are very quiet together.