Space for 240mm and 120mm rad, need to cool xfire GPUs and CPU

[Zabuzaxsta]

Does anyone know a good 120mm rad (I'm flexible as far as thickness goes) for cooling an i7 2600k CPU on its own? This is my first build, so I selected a Phantom 410 case, and am now finding that it really doesn't have enough internal space for watercooling a CPU and a crossfire/sli setup. I can't get rid of it either, since my wife bought it for me for Christmas. The only way I can make it work is to save the 240mm space up top for the GPUs (it can house a dual thickness radiator, supposedly) and then use a thick 120mm for the GPU on the base of the case next to the power supply.

I'm gonna want to overclock the i7 pretty significantly (not something crazy, but definitely the 4.5-5.0 Ghz range if possible), and I want to know if there is a good 120mm rad people suggest for this. I've looked into XSPC's RX120, and it seems like it would work well. Does that seem sufficient to you guys? There's gonna be two loops, so that would mean two pumps (prolly MCP655's) and XSPC's dual 5.25" split bay reservoir reservoir. Price is really no object here, so however I can make this set up work I'll make happen - just tell me what you think and what thoughts/suggestions/ideas you have.

 

[Zabuzaxsta]

Basically, I just want to know if people think there is a good 120mm rad one could use for significantly overclocking a CPU...anyone?

 

[dcds1]

XSPC RX series is about the best all around radiators out there right now. You would want to pair it with a fan that operates around 1450 rpm. That is about the optimal noise vs performance level. If you have the room and can do a push/pull with shrouds, that would be the best performance. Then from there it would go push/pull, pull for 25mm fans, and push for 38mm fans. If you can pair any configuration with a 30mm shroud, you will gain performance.

 

[robble]

That's gonna be tough. In general you are going to want at least a 240 radiator for your highly overclocked CPU - and 4.5-5.0 qualifies.

Crossfire/SLI? Theres another 240 radiator if you are going to overclock them too.

You might get away with 360 worth of rads for all 3 IF you have really good high FPI radiators and fans in push/pull but you won't have a really cool system. Cooler than air perhaps but not typical low WC temps.

You might consider the 240 inside and using something like a radbox to hang another 240 or 360 off the back end of your case.

 

[semiconductorslave]

If you want to get the highest overclock possible and make sure heat is not affecting you, and noise is not an issue, you could pick a radiator that does better with more airflow

http://skinneelabs.com/2011-2012-radiator-comparison/4/

One option (just to throw it out there) is to not use full coverage GPU blocks (Like swiftech blocks with the added heatsink plates), and combine the loops, that way the only added heat to the loop would be from the GPUs.

Do you have room to use stacked 120mm rads?

I would guess that with its own pump and loop, the heat might be a little higher than a high performance set up, but would still be less than a mediocre air cooler and might not be a big limiting factor in your OC. Your not gonna be running CPU burn in software all the time, and in gaming, the CPU cores never get that high.

For myself, I went the value route with a 240 Black Ice2 and a 120 BI stealth. I got the 240 on craigslist added the 120. Sure there are better rads out there, mine is bottom of the barrel, but I run with a 3.6Ghz overclock (1Ghz on GPU) and heat has never been an issue for me. If I bought new, I would go with Thermochill PAs for the best low to medium speed performance, cause its great to turn the fans down and have near silent cooling. I was trying to fit all my gear in a Antec P180 case, but then gave up and used an old Lian Li server case instead.