Water cooling

[killroy67]

So currently Im using air cooling for my 5900X, and was thinking of going with a water AIO. I have a Corsair 780T where I can mount a 360mm radiator in the front or at the top. Currently i have two intake fans in the front, two exhaust fans at the top, and one at the back. Where would be the ideal location to mount the radiator, I was thinking the front so it could take in air.

I can also mount it in the top if that's better, but would the fans be intakes or exaust. Thanks!

 

[Enigma]

I would personally put it at the top of the case, and set it for intake into the case.

That would give you the best temps possible and would also make sure the pump on the unit is fed a constant supply of water.

PS. sorry for the late reply I was going to reply last night but [H] would not let me login for some reason

 

[pendragon1]

i dont think front mounting will work in this case, the top of the rad and tubes wouldnt be high enough up. mount it up top and flip all your other fans to exhaust. is there a spot for an intake under the gpu?

 

[killroy67]

I would personally put it at the top of the case, and set it for intake into the case.

That would give you the best temps possible and would also make sure the pump on the unit is fed a constant supply of water.

PS. sorry for the late reply I was going to reply last night but [H] would not let me login for some reason

Thanks for the response

i dont think front mounting will work in this case, the top of the rad and tubes wouldnt be high enough up. mount it up top and flip all your other fans to exhaust. is there a spot for an intake under the gpu?

For some reason I just can't get by the idea of air blowing out the front, I wonder if the top is intake and so is the front, if the one rear 140mm and the PSU fan will be enough for exhaust. When you say under the GPU do you mean the bottom of the case, if so I believe I can. although not easily.

 

[pendragon1]

Thanks for the response

For some reason I just can't get by the idea of air blowing out the front, I wonder if the top is intake and so is the front, if the one rear 140mm and the PSU fan will be enough for exhaust. When you say under the GPU do you mean the bottom of the case, if so I believe I can. although not easily.

no one 140 out wouldnt be enough. yeah case bottom.
top mount it as exhaust and have the fronts and back as intake. it will just be a little bit warmer due to the gpu heat.

 

[kirbyrj]

I would personally put it at the top of the case, and set it for intake into the case.

That would give you the best temps possible and would also make sure the pump on the unit is fed a constant supply of water.

PS. sorry for the late reply I was going to reply last night but [H] would not let me login for some reason

The problem with that is you're fighting physics. Hot air rises. Work with physics and blow the hot air out the highest points. What you're describing would give you the best temps possible on your CPU, but not your GPU and other components.

As long as the highest point of your radiator is higher than the pump on the CPU block, you won't have an issue with a constant supply of water (which may or may not work in this case due to the drive cages if mounted in the front).

 

[Dan_D]

The problem with that is you're fighting physics. Hot air rises. Works with physics and blow the hot air out the highest points. What you're describing would give you the best temps possible on your CPU, but not your GPU and other components.

As long as the highest point of your radiator is higher than the pump on the CPU block, you won't have an issue with a constant supply of water (which may or may not work in this case due to the drive cages if mounted in the front).

Well said. Typically the best practice when installing an AIO at the top of the case is to setup your fans to blow through the radiator and exhaust the air out of the top of the case.

 

[killroy67]

The problem with that is you're fighting physics. Hot air rises. Work with physics and blow the hot air out the highest points. What you're describing would give you the best temps possible on your CPU, but not your GPU and other components.

As long as the highest point of your radiator is higher than the pump on the CPU block, you won't have an issue with a constant supply of water (which may or may not work in this case due to the drive cages if mounted in the front).

Well said. Typically the best practice when installing an AIO at the top of the case is to setup your fans to blow through the radiator and exhaust the air out of the top of the case.

So I'll mount it at the top with the fans blowing through the fins as exhaust, and keep my two front intake fans and one rear exhaust.

I have other questions about a AIO, my ambient temps are basically 68F or cooler year round in the house. Thus the AMD Wraith has served me very well for what i do, gaming. The questions are
1: Will there be much of a difference in temps while playing games, I typically hit between 60F-65F.
2: Will the noise level be less then the AMD Wraith
3: Is there any chance these AIO's can fail and leak liquid onto the PC components, especially the $1000+ GPU.

 

[kirbyrj]

1). There should be a significant difference in temps between a 360mm AIO and a wraith stealth. I'm guessing you really mean 60-65C (not F). You will also see better boost speeds as the CPU has more thermal headroom to boost higher.
2). It depends on the fans. But generally speaking instead of one 92mm? fan on the wraith stealth you'll have 3x120mm fans spinning slower making less noise.
3). There is definitely a larger chance that the AIO will fail more spectacularly than the wraith stealth would, but generally speaking the build quality is good enough to ensure no leaks for a few years anyway. I've never had a leak after using 10+ different AIOs through the years.

 

[killroy67]

60-65C (not F

Yes Celsius sorry, thanks for the information.

 

[NightReaver]

"Hot air rises", while true, is greatly overstated when it comes to PC cases. A single 120mm fan has so much more force than natural air convection in such a relatively tiny area.

When it comes to PC air flow, heat goes where you blow it.

You'd have to really be sitting on the edge of cooling capacity for it to matter.

 

[Tsumi]

The problem with that is you're fighting physics. Hot air rises. Work with physics and blow the hot air out the highest points. What you're describing would give you the best temps possible on your CPU, but not your GPU and other components.

As long as the highest point of your radiator is higher than the pump on the CPU block, you won't have an issue with a constant supply of water (which may or may not work in this case due to the drive cages if mounted in the front).

Eh... natural convective air currents are far weaker than even a 500 RPM fan at the temperatures computer components run at. I would hardly use that as a consideration for where to place radiators.

The far more compelling reason is that most cases are set up for front and bottom intakes with top and rear exhausts. Many cases have filters in the intake positions. A rear exhaust GPU or good airflow through the case would mitigate CPU temp increases due to higher case temps. Keeping the CPU as exhaust would also help in keeping case temps down. Unless you're benchmarking at the limits, a few degrees higher on your CPU temps really is not going to affect anything.

 

[kirbyrj]

Eh... natural convective air currents are far weaker than even a 500 RPM fan at the temperatures computer components run at. I would hardly use that as a consideration for where to place radiators.

The far more compelling reason is that most cases are set up for front and bottom intakes with top and rear exhausts. Many cases have filters in the intake positions. A rear exhaust GPU or good airflow through the case would mitigate CPU temp increases due to higher case temps. Keeping the CPU as exhaust would also help in keeping case temps down. Unless you're benchmarking at the limits, a few degrees higher on your CPU temps really is not going to affect anything.

The original post said to have the upper location as intake.

 

[Digital Viper-X-]

I have had a 360mm AIO mounted in a 780T, works fine for me, it does take up the drive bays though, so if you use them, that would be a no go.

 

[NightReaver]

The original post said to have the upper location as intake.

Yes? To which it was replied that "it fights against physics". While true, the physics in question are incredibly weak and trivial to overcome. They should not be a consideration when arranging radiator setup.

 

[kirbyrj]

Yes? To which it was replied that "it fights against physics". While true, the physics in question are incredibly weak and trivial to overcome. They should not be a consideration when arranging radiator setup.

Ok...I wouldn't set the top as intake but more power to you.

 

[Digital Viper-X-]

Also keep in mind that the air at the bottom of the case(outside of the case) will be cooler as well even if you force the air in from the top and out of the front/buttom, that air is going to mix with the air around the case and radiate upwards where you'll pull some of it back in, so you may as well use the natural flow to help your setup.

 

[NightReaver]

Also keep in mind that the air at the bottom of the case will be cooler as well even if you force the air in from the top and out of the front/buttom, that air is going to mix with the air around the case and radiate upwards where you'll pull some of it back in, so you may as well use the natural flow to help your setup.

Again, natural convection currents at pc case temp are so miniscule that any amount of forced air defeats it. These things are all true in theory but in practice, at this scale, it literally doesn't matter as long as you're using some sort of forced air.

Unless your cooling setup is so marginally close to the load it's cooling where every percent of efficiency matters. I run overkill cooling anyways so that my fans can be at 30% speed for 3 degrees over ambient. I have a top case mounted intake rad merely for aesthetics (case sits on floor, didn't like looking at the back side of the fans).

To the OP, mount the rad however you want in intake/exhaust. Top mounted intake works just fine. Smaller cases would make even less of a difference than my 900D.

 

[killroy67]

I have had a 360mm AIO mounted in a 780T, works fine for me, it does take up the drive bays though, so if you use them, that would be a no go.

If you have one of the 5.25 plastic drive bay covers for the 780T and don't want it I'll buy it from you, I lost mine and would like to remove my CD drive.

To the OP, mount the rad however you want in intake/exhaust. Top mounted intake works just fine. Smaller cases would make even less of a difference than my 900D.

I've decided to top mount it in a exhaust configuration.

 

[pendragon1]

I lost mine and would like to remove my CD drive.

if you cant get a plate you can use the face plates off the drive as one, just hold it together and in place with sticky tack/putty.

 

[Digital Viper-X-]

If you have one of the 5.25 plastic drive bay covers for the 780T and don't want it I'll buy it from you, I lost mine and would like to remove my CD drive.

I've decided to top mount it in a exhaust configuration.

I have never used an optical drive in it, so I do not have a spare

 

[killroy67]

if you cant get a plate you can use the face plates off the drive as one, just hold it together and in place with sticky tack/putty.

I have never used an optical drive in it, so I do not have a spare

Thanks, I actually found mine in one of the half dozen bins I have of computer stuff. Time to get rid of some junk!

 

[kirbyrj]

Again, natural convection currents at pc case temp are so miniscule that any amount of forced air defeats it. These things are all true in theory but in practice, at this scale, it literally doesn't matter as long as you're using some sort of forced air.

Unless your cooling setup is so marginally close to the load it's cooling where every percent of efficiency matters. I run overkill cooling anyways so that my fans can be at 30% speed for 3 degrees over ambient. I have a top case mounted intake rad merely for aesthetics (case sits on floor, didn't like looking at the back side of the fans).

To the OP, mount the rad however you want in intake/exhaust. Top mounted intake works just fine. Smaller cases would make even less of a difference than my 900D.

I'm not denying that natural convection is minimal. I get that. I'm not looking to pick a fight. I'm curious and asking.

Wouldn't you'd still need to set up an airflow path using the fans to allow hot air to exhaust from the case? I suppose you could set up the case to pull air in from the top and exhaust out the bottom or the front, but why would you? The hot air is collecting at the top, so you might as well exhaust it from there rather than force it back to the bottom or front of the case. Most cases are designed to draw from the bottom or the front and exhaust out the back and top. I get that you are saying it is only if you're on the edge of cooling, etc. I don't know.

I came across this guy who did some testing seemingly indicating the front placement is better. I'm not going to criticize his testing methods or conclusions. I just watched his video and it made sense.

 

[NightReaver]

I suppose you could set up the case to pull air in from the top and exhaust out the bottom or the front, but why would you?

As said, I did it merely for aesthetics. That little 240mm AIO is also worlds away from my 480mm push/pull custom loop, and since my gpu is on the loop it's not discharging heat into the case. When I move the pc into the basement (tired of it warming up the pc room by like 10 degrees), I'll most likely switch the airflow around since I won't be looking at it anymore.

It's a neat subject to talk about. probably getting o/t for here though (if anyone cares).

 

[Dan_D]

The better option is to fill all possible radiator mounting spots (for anything larger than 120/140mm rads) with rads and not debate where they should go. The answer is yes. A radiator should go there.

 

[NightReaver]

The better option is to fill all possible radiator mounting spots (for anything larger than 120/140mm rads) with rads and not debate where they should go. The answer is yes. A radiator should go there.

True. A fan without a rad is just a wasted space.

 

[Hakaba]

Self test, run it at the top of the case as intake, record your temp. Swap the setup to exhaust, record your temps. See which one cools better. Also, look at your GPU temps, see how both setups impact it.

I think your radiator/cpu temps will mostly be fine in intake or exhaust. However, under sustained load exhausting warm air into the case might raise your GPU temps. Unless you have fans under it bringing in fresh air.