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Triple Radiator setup?

R

romeo11523

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 20, 2006
Messages
135
I am trying to put together a triple radiator setup together but I'm torn between 2 radiators, can you guys help?

Swiftech MCR 220 or the Swiftech MCR 320

Thanks,
Ryan
 
Easy, the 220 is 2x120mm and the 320 is 3x120mm, thus longer.
 
Well, bigger is better so get the MCR320 unless you have fitting issues. The only reason ppl get the smaller ones is for fitting in the case mostly.

 
Xilikon said:
Well, bigger is better so get the MCR320 unless you have fitting issues. The only reason ppl get the smaller ones is for fitting in the case mostly.

Click to expand...

Bigger is usually only better if you need the extra heat dissipation of the bigger one. Radiators can only take the water temperature down so much. However that said get the 120x3. Radiators are like security safes - buy more room than you need to grow or you'll be wishing you had.
 
I will do the 320 then, do I need a pump for each? The pumps I have in mind are Swiftech MCP-655.

Thanks,
Ryan
 
To the OP:

I'm confused. You want to create a "Simple triple radiator setup" yet you've listed a double and a triple radiator in your first post... The answer should be clear, for a triple radiator setup, you need the larger radiator.

Now, as for "having a pump for each," No... You only need a single pump for your entire loop, unless you're running more than one loop...

Alien1099 said:
Bigger is usually only better if you need the extra heat dissipation of the bigger one. Radiators can only take the water temperature down so much. However that said get the 120x3. Radiators are like security safes - buy more room than you need to grow or you'll be wishing you had.
Click to expand...

Bigger is ALWAYS better as it allows you to use extra, quieter fans to get the same heat dissipation as a smaller rad with fewer loud fans ;).
 
I did not list a two radiator setup in my op, I ask which size I need to go with, the 220 or the 320. I ordered the first of 3 320's and 1 pump today.

Thanks,
Ryan
 
oh god man. the the 320 is 120mmx360mm. its the size of 3 120mm fans (3 fans in a row). a single 320 is all you need for a "3 rad" setup.

you just ordered a square foot of radiator. and it's gonna be hard for you to fit 1 of those bad boys in your p180, and 3 just isnt possible.

see, 3 spots for a fan. this is a single radiator with the capacity of 3
Swiftech-Mcr320-QP-3x120.jpg

sorry to jack the image, but i think its warranted, lol
 
This has to be a joke/troll thread.

He's sophisticated enough to know the model names of specialized rads. Wasn't a newbie question like 'what rads should I get'?

Either he's trolling or seriously slow...
 
Why am I slow? I know exactly what I'm doing but I need some advice here and there. I don't intend on mounting it in the case, I have a friend that does cnc work making me a custom enclosure for them. I'm wondering if 3 will be too much now though, I want it to be super cool for my chips. Oh, and I realize that it's 3 120mm fans in length, that would be why I ordered 9 yate loon 120mm medium speed fans!

Thanks,
Ryan
 
romeo11523 said:
Why am I slow? I know exactly what I'm doing but I need some advice here and there. I don't intend on mounting it in the case, I have a friend that does cnc work making me a custom enclosure for them. I'm wondering if 3 will be too much now though, I want it to be super cool for my chips. Oh, and I realize that it's 3 120mm fans in length, that would be why I ordered 9 yate loon 120mm medium speed fans!

Thanks,
Ryan
Click to expand...

alright, I'm a bit buzzed right now, but what you're saying makes sense. I'm sorry I thought you were trying to have a triple radiator setup, instead of a triple - triple setup :p. Makes sense now, it's just quite out of the ordinary as more than a 5.120mm radiator is kinda useless.

You'd be fine with the double radiator, if you're going with three of them.
 
romeo11523 said:
Why am I slow? I know exactly what I'm doing but I need some advice here and there. I don't intend on mounting it in the case, I have a friend that does cnc work making me a custom enclosure for them. I'm wondering if 3 will be too much now though, I want it to be super cool for my chips. Oh, and I realize that it's 3 120mm fans in length, that would be why I ordered 9 yate loon 120mm medium speed fans!

Thanks,
Ryan
Click to expand...

Well let's assume you're on the level.

Your objective is "super cool" right? (and you know exactly what you're doing)

And you're faced between identical radiators, specifically one that is smaller (i.e. less cool) and one that is bigger (i.e. more cool).

Everyone tells you the VERY OBVIOUS answer given the limited context of your question and you agree.

And now that you've done that, you turn around and wonder if that's "too much".
Well you may be on the level, but the logic followed is...unusual.
 
I only wonder because my original intent was to have 3 separate radiators. I am wondering now if 3 separate radiators will be too much and not cool correctly, like a reverse effect.

Thanks,
Ryan
 
Dude, first of all you don;t need three MCR320's to cool. But if you want just for fun then even 10 is not enough.

You should list your hardware setup, and your desire of how much overclock. From my experience 3 radiators are really really hard to manage, and 2 will do the job just fine.

But in the end choice is your, i don;t want to hold you back. If money is not issue and you want 3 rads, then 3 it is. If you already bought it then, be happy because there is a lot of fun coming your way.

Enjoy.
 
I have only bought 1 pump, 1 radiator, and 1 res. I don't know if I will even overclock but putting this together is so much fun! My system specs are below:

Antec P182 Case
Intel Q6600 2.4ghz Quad
EVGA 680i A1 New Version
4gb OCZ SLI Ram
2- Geforce 8800gts 640mb
4- WD 500gb Sata Drives
Corsair 620hx ps
 
What pump did you buy? you are going to need an Iwaki if you want to cool CPU/Chipset/GPU/Power regulators with that much radiator. that is alot of restriction.
 
I have bought the processor block only, it's a Dtek Fuzion. I plan on using Dtek for my GTS cards and MC14's to compliment them. I don't know if I want to do the nb/sb because I hear they only create pressure drop.

Thanks,
Ryan
 
alright, if you want to have that much radiator room with so little blocks, you way overkilled. And another point, if you want blocks for your cards DO NOT get the Fuzions, they will kill your flow as they are massively restrictive, and since you want to run two, that is a terrible idea. You will need to get two MCW60s to do that.
 
So do I need to buy an Apogee GTX and ditch the Dtek altogether? I think having all the same blocks would make things more consistant.

Thanks,
Ryan
 
sorry I made that post sound confusing. the D-Tek Fuzion is fine for the CPU, best CPU block they make. however the Fuzion GFX blocks are the most restrictive blocks on the market, and it is highly suggested you get some MCW60s instead.

You can mix and match different makes too ;) no one maker has every top end product.
 
Are the threads I read about cooling the nb/sb with waterblocks correct in that they aren't worth the pressure drop?

Ok, getting back on track with the radiators and pumps. Since I have 1 330, 1 pump, and 1 reservoir, what are your suggestions to go from here. I am not set on anything but I want my rig to be temp. cool and I really don't care how big I have to go. When I started this post my intent was to buy 3 MCR-220's or 330's, 6 or 9 Yate Lune fans, 3 MCP-665's, and 3 EK 250 res. I was going to connect them to the Dtek Fuzion cpu block, 2 Dtek video blocks and my nb/sb blocks. I would house all the cooling system in a custom external case as made by my friend that does cnc work. I know the possibilities are endless and some of it is preference but I just want a correct cooling system.

Thanks,
Ryan
 
romeo11523 said:
So do I need to buy an Apogee GTX and ditch the Dtek altogether? I think having all the same blocks would make things more consistant.

Thanks,
Ryan
Click to expand...

Nope, the Fuzion is one of the best, really.

Lets look at your heat problem logically. Heat is constant within the loop, there's an input (all the chips) and an output (radiators). Both the input and outputs are summed up into a single figure. You can't take more heat out of a loop than there is... Ever. And if you don't take enough heat out, you overheat. So, following these rules we come with the following conclusion: You need to have a big enough radiator to handle your loop, and having one bigger than that only lets you run with lower noise, but won't help your temperatures any more.

For every 120mm spot on your radiator (The MCR220 has 2 spots, the MCR320 has 3... etc.) it can dump around 125 joules of heat every second, with a slow (1200rpm) Yate loon at 12v. This means a single triple radiator (the MCR320) will dump around 375 watts of heat (or 375 joules per second).

How much radiator space do you need then? I'll be quoting this in watts (but remember, watts are a "rate", 1 watt = 1 joule per second)
  • Your CPU uses around 95w stock. Overclock it to 3.6 and it should use around 200w.
  • The 8800 GTS uses around 120w at stock. Overclocked and it sees 150w. Each

So, adding those up, you're at around 500w of heat, in the worst case scenario. This means you need at least 4 120mm radiators, or any combination thereof (a triple and a single, two doubles, 4 singles etc.) to deal with the heat. Any more and you can run quieter fans, but your temepratures won't be helped at all.
 
The D-Tek Fuzion GFX blocks are only worth it if they are on there own loop.

I would highly suggest you go this route:

CPU - D-tek Fuzion with Nozzle kit
GPU - 2x Swiftech MCW60 with 8800 RAMsink kit
Chipset - Swiftech MCW30
for the power regulators I recommend getting some Thermalright HR-09, as watercooling power regulators is pointless unless you are doing a massive OC.

You will want 2 3x120 rads just so you can have silence as well as performance.

then when you hook up your loop you should go: res-pump-MCR320-CPU-MCR320-GPUx2-res
 
Ok, the plan is to get the rest of the blocks swiftech then.

Arcygenical- Thank you for the info, you have been a big help in all of this!

Will my system be ok to run off stock intel fan and stock case fans till I get all my pieces to do the watercooling? I can order more of it this week but not all of it. My SLI ram will not be here until the 28th, bummer.

I am excited for this to all be put together and running. I put 2gb of ram in my p4 today and stuck one of my gts cards in, booted up vista and wow. So if this runs this good I can just imagine my quad with 4gb of ram.
 
for sure, it always helps to get a baseline of temps before water, makes you feel better about your purchase when you see it drop in temps while having a higher overclock ;)
 
Arcygenical said:
Nope, the Fuzion is one of the best, really.

Lets look at your heat problem logically. Heat is constant within the loop, there's an input (all the chips) and an output (radiators). Both the input and outputs are summed up into a single figure. You can't take more heat out of a loop than there is... Ever. And if you don't take enough heat out, you overheat. So, following these rules we come with the following conclusion: You need to have a big enough radiator to handle your loop, and having one bigger than that only lets you run with lower noise, but won't help your temperatures any more.

For every 120mm spot on your radiator (The MCR220 has 2 spots, the MCR320 has 3... etc.) it can dump around 125 joules of heat every second, with a slow (1200rpm) Yate loon at 12v. This means a single triple radiator (the MCR320) will dump around 375 watts of heat (or 375 joules per second).

How much radiator space do you need then? I'll be quoting this in watts (but remember, watts are a "rate", 1 watt = 1 joule per second)
  • Your CPU uses around 95w stock. Overclock it to 3.6 and it should use around 200w.
  • The 8800 GTS uses around 120w at stock. Overclocked and it sees 150w. Each

So, adding those up, you're at around 500w of heat, in the worst case scenario. This means you need at least 4 120mm radiators, or any combination thereof (a triple and a single, two doubles, 4 singles etc.) to deal with the heat. Any more and you can run quieter fans, but your temepratures won't be helped at all.
Click to expand...


No, that doesn't mean you need at least 4 120mm radiators, it just means you don't need more than that. If he has 3 120mm radiators it doesn't mean that heat is going to keep building up and up and up until theres a problem, it'll just run at a little bit hotter temp.
 
So basically what you guys are telling me is I need to back it off and go with 2 320's?

P4 is showing it's age, jerks really bad at 800x600 in gears.

Thanks,
Ryan
 
Yes, 2 MCR320 or even 1 MCR320 and 1 MCR220 and it will be ok.
 
Nicolaskl said:
No, that doesn't mean you need at least 4 120mm radiators, it just means you don't need more than that. If he has 3 120mm radiators it doesn't mean that heat is going to keep building up and up and up until theres a problem, it'll just run at a little bit hotter temp.
Click to expand...

I never said anything about heat build up, or anything like that... I don't know where you got that from? Coolant temperatures will stabilize around 2-4c above this 10c delta.

All I said, was to maintain the "optimal" (a 10c coolant to ambient delta), you need at least a 4.120mm radiator.
 
romeo11523 said:
I want it to be super cool for my chips.
Click to expand...

OK... Thermal Dynamics 101

Regardless of what cooling system you use, i.e water cooling, air convection, or natural radiation (passive), you will NEVER cool below the ambient temperature of the room.

More fans, bigger radiators, and increased CFM only allow you to dissipate more heat, but still only to ambient room temperature. If you want to "super cool" then you need a chiller of some sort.

This is why corporate server rooms run air-conditioning 24/7. With all those servers running in a closed room, the ambient temperature of the room rises, and thus does the operating temperature of the servers. But, the air-conditioning acts as a chiller, dropping the ambient room temperature, and subsequently the air flowing through the fans and heatsinks.

In order to "super cool", you would need a refrigerant system or a peltier device... something with the ability to cool below ambient.

:)
 
Also, and this may be common knowledge, but if you do cool below ambient temperature, condensation would become a serious concern.
 
Well I'm kinda at ground zero on the water cooling part. I still have the 9 fans and res coming but the company I ordered the pump and radiator from refunded me after they told me they would discount my order to beat another companies price and after payment wouldn't. So this could be a good thing. I can now get things straight and get what I really need. As posted above you said I only needed 4x120, so now I can just order 2 MCR220's. The pump or pumps is what I'm going to think about, I have read a lot about the swiftech pump that I had on order but what other pumps are good or better? Are DB-1 pumps good? What should I stay away from?
 
romeo11523 said:
Well I'm kinda at ground zero on the water cooling part. I still have the 9 fans and res coming but the company I ordered the pump and radiator from refunded me after they told me they would discount my order to beat another companies price and after payment wouldn't. So this could be a good thing. I can now get things straight and get what I really need. As posted above you said I only needed 4x120, so now I can just order 2 MCR220's. The pump or pumps is what I'm going to think about, I have read a lot about the swiftech pump that I had on order but what other pumps are good or better? Are DB-1 pumps good? What should I stay away from?
Click to expand...

I use the db-1 in one of my systems... Great pump, but nothing to use in more than a CPU+1 rad only loop.
 
After playing gears for a few minutes my temp shot up to 54c, when should I get concerned or should I already be? Any way to help this before my water cooling gets here?

Update: If I leave my left side panel off it only goes up to 46c when playing gears. I am kinda dissapointed though, with my setup being as big as it is Gears still jerks every couple of minutes. Could this be because I don't have my SLI ram yet? I'm running 2.5 gb of ddr2 533 and I have the gts cards in sli? I hope thats what it is or I'll feel like poo!!!

Thanks,
Ryan
 
romeo11523 said:
After playing gears for a few minutes my temp shot up to 54c, when should I get concerned or should I already be? Any way to help this before my water cooling gets here?

Update: If I leave my left side panel off it only goes up to 46c when playing gears. I am kinda dissapointed though, with my setup being as big as it is Gears still jerks every couple of minutes. Could this be because I don't have my SLI ram yet? I'm running 2.5 gb of ddr2 533 and I have the gts cards in sli? I hope thats what it is or I'll feel like poo!!!

Thanks,
Ryan
Click to expand...

Your temperatures are fine. The 46c shows you what you'll be getting on water, most likely.

And, as for the jerkiness, SLI RAM doesn't do anything. SLI RAM is a gimmock, it's not any better than normal RAM (of similar speeds and timings). However, depending on how your "2.5gb" is installed, it might not be in DDR. This can cause some problems, but not jerkiness.

What res are you playing at? OC those GPU's, and leave the side panel off!
 
I am playing at 1280x1024 on Gears. I know about the SLI thing but the ram I'm running is 2gb at 533 and the ram I have on order is 4gb at 800. If the jekiness is from the cards and thats the best they can do even when in SLI, they suck and I'm very dissappointed. Other than the game the machine is fast and impressive. I am running Vista Ultimate 64.

Thanks,
Ryan

PS: I got my first order for my cooling stuff. I have 9 120mm fans now and an EK250 res. fun fun!
 
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