What's the smallest size radiator I can use?

J

jale

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Oct 8, 2013
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Im building a small compact system and plan on cooling the cpu and gpu. Neither will be overclocked - just looking for a quiet system. Can I get away with a 140mm Radiator?

Mobo: Asrock x99E-ITX
CPU: Asus 970 4GB (mini card)
 
I would say no, you will want at least 240mm worth of radiator space to cool that system quietly.
 
What's the case and the cpu?

To build off what Tsumi said. It depends on max temps of hardware and what you deem acceptable. I am running a 280mm rad in a Node 304 on a 4770K and 660 SC. It could be cleaner but does the job.
 
sorry guys I forgot to mention what CPU. it's a 5820K (145 TDP) and a Asus GTX 970 4gb (mini itx size).

I haven't purchase a case yet - trying to determine was the smallest size case I can go with.
 
Yeah... nope. You're not going to get away with a single 140mm radiator for quiet cooling with that processor and GPU.
 
Do you have an idea of a case? I think that would really depict what you can or cannot do. Also, are you looking to do any modding to the case?

If you are, you can probably get a dual 140 to mount somewhere and keep everything within spec.
 
Use as much radiator as you can fit for your case. A 140mm will cool those components, but you will need a faster fan than you want.
 
I think a ton of WC enthusiasts have unrealistic expectations of what they consider "acceptable" temperatures. AMD managed to cool down the 9590 220w CPU with a 45mm thick 120 radiator and a tiny AIO pump, the same with the FuryX card, which is closer to 400w. Replace that with a thicker 140mm rad and have a decent pum/res and you'd be JUST cooling down a 120w CPU + 200w card, as in load temps would be in the 80s (Celsius) after the res warmed up.

Quiet? Another issue. There's always the option to have two 30mm thin 140 rads at different locations, this would allow you to have a much smaller footprint, but you're still getting 280mm of rad space. You introduce a bit of flow resistance though...

The Fractal Design 304 is one of the smallest 'mainstream' ITX gaming cases, and it only has room for one 140mm rad mount. Good news is that in that case you may be able to fit a 60+mm thick radiator in that space. See if you can fit this beast in there.
 
Last edited:
KazeoHin said:
I think a ton of WC enthusiasts have unrealistic expectations of what they consider "acceptable" temperatures. AMD managed to cool down the 9590 220w CPU with a 45mm thick 120 radiator and a tiny AIO pump, the same with the FuryX card, which is closer to 400w. Replace that with a thicker 140mm rad and have a decent pum/res and you'd be JUST cooling down a 120w CPU + 200w card, as in load temps would be in the 80s (Celsius) after the res warmed up.

Quiet? Another issue. There's always the option to have two 30mm thin 140 rads at different locations, this would allow you to have a much smaller footprint, but you're still getting 280mm of rad space. You introduce a bit of flow resistance though...

The Fractal Design 304 is one of the smallest 'mainstream' ITX gaming cases, and it only has room for one 140mm rad mount. Good news is that in that case you may be able to fit a 60+mm thick radiator in that space. See if you can fit this beast in there.
Click to expand...

In regards to the only room for 1x 140mm rad. This is where user requirements and expectations come in. You can also fit 1 x 184mm rad in the front with some modification. You will lose your HDD bays though and may limit graphics card options. In my 304, I opted for as much cooling as possible and stuffed a 60mm thick Coolgate 280 in it and chose to relocate the hard drives. Obviously, some assembly required and not everyone wants to go that route.

On that note. To save some money, you may just be able to get a really good air cooler, If only temp concern is keeping within spec during high load, you can probably get an air cooler to widen search for smallest case possible. Having a rad of any size is going to use a good bit of space, especially in smaller cases.
 
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