watercooling radiators thickness vs quantity

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Clarabet

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May 13, 2014
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hi all, i am getting a corsair obsidian series 900d chassis for my computer build and i want to insert a water cooling unit.

My question is that i can insert 5 different radiators into my chassis, could i compromise on the thickness of all the rads just because i plan to have 5 of them or should they still be at least a medium thickness. baring in mind i plan on doing a push / pull configuration on 4 of them. The front will be pull only.

please help as i am a little confused.com
 
Solution
toolmaker_03
well I have not seen any real difference between thick 80mm and medium thick 45mm to 60mm as far as cooling ability but I did notice that the thicker the radiator the faster the flow through it could be, or the thicker the radiator the lower the resistance through it.
example a D5 pump has a max flow rate of 8LPM, a single 80mm thick radiator on a loop by its self has a flow of 7LPM, a 60mm has a flow of 6.4LPM, a 45mm has a flow of 5.3LPM, and finally the common radiator of 35mm has a flow of 4.2LPM I hope this helps
To give a real life example as to why I know this info is simple I have a 3-way parallel setup on my 35mm radiators so that I could achieve a high flow rate on my system.
https://imageshack.com/i/0fleehj...
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rubix_1011

rubix_1011

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Jan 12, 2007
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That is discussed in the watercooling sticky, linked below in my signature. There is a complete section on how to determine how much radiator you should plan for, including some math to help determine calculations.

Why do you think you need so many radiators? There is a definite point of diminishing return when it comes to number of radiators in a loop vs. actual load TDP.
 
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toolmaker_03

toolmaker_03

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Mar 26, 2012
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well I have not seen any real difference between thick 80mm and medium thick 45mm to 60mm as far as cooling ability but I did notice that the thicker the radiator the faster the flow through it could be, or the thicker the radiator the lower the resistance through it.
example a D5 pump has a max flow rate of 8LPM, a single 80mm thick radiator on a loop by its self has a flow of 7LPM, a 60mm has a flow of 6.4LPM, a 45mm has a flow of 5.3LPM, and finally the common radiator of 35mm has a flow of 4.2LPM I hope this helps
To give a real life example as to why I know this info is simple I have a 3-way parallel setup on my 35mm radiators so that I could achieve a high flow rate on my system.
https://imageshack.com/i/0fleehj
https://imageshack.com/i/j6j1srj
https://imageshack.com/i/j5xfhlj
with this type of setup you really have to know the flows on all of the components in order to archive the best possible configuration for the highest flows to keep everything cool.
https://imageshack.com/i/0ib40nj
https://imageshack.com/i/13wb3vj
https://imageshack.com/i/e9oldbj
 
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Solution
4Ryan6

4Ryan6

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Apr 14, 2002
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You can compromise on the thickness but with 5 radiators and the water blocks, I'd recommend a dual pump reservoir setup as you'll be building in some serious flow restriction.

http://www.performance-pcs.com/cata...e=product_info&cPath=59_367&products_id=36037

 
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4Ryan6

4Ryan6

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For the record if you are even considering 5 radiators you should at least consider this, which you can use one Swiftech MCP655 variable speed pump to run the loop.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1..._-_Black_Powder_Coat_25020.html?tl=g30c95s667

The MO-RA3 can stand alone with the feet accessory or be side mounted to the case or wall mounted.

The pictures below show how some have used the MO-RA3, to my thinking 5 radiators vs the MO-RA3s cooling capability is simply a No Brainer.

https://www.google.com/search?q=Wat...7M8-oyASM84HIDA&ved=0CCUQsAQ&biw=1536&bih=744
 
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manofchalk

manofchalk

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May 11, 2012
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Pretty much, surface area (120mm,240,etc) beats thickness in terms of price/performance when it comes to rads. If you have the mounts and want to deck your system in rads for some reason (because performance is limited by ambient air, no amount of rad will fix that) go for lots of thin rads rather than fewer thicker ones.

So basically.
A thin 360mm will beat a thick 240mm while costing less.
 
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rubix_1011

rubix_1011

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Surface area (both water/tubes as well tubes/fins/ambient air) and flow...this is what makes a radiator effective.

Well, that and construction materials. A radiator made of copper and brass would perform much better than a radiator made of say, plastic. A radiator made of aluminum should be recycled back into beer cans.
 
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manofchalk

manofchalk

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Nope, only difference is aesthetics. Whatever additional cooling area you might get from metal piping is pretty insignificant compared to just another 120mm of rad space, and again, you hit the point where more rad (or really, cooling surface area) just doesn't make a difference.
Metal or acrylic tubing looks great, but is an absolute pain to do. Your stock standard tubing will do fine, and doesnt need a heat gun to make a curve.
 
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