Do i need 2 radiators to cool CPU and GPU?

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Chiekotz

Chiekotz

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Jun 16, 2013
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Aside from the new Intel build i am building, i am considering custom watercool. However, since im a noob in custom cooling...

If i cool the GPU, then the Coolant passing to the CPU is hot (coming from the GPU) and vice versa, so i thought its a good idea to cool the coolant from the GPU then back to the CPU

Frankly i am hoping that is not the case...
 
Solution
photonboy
You can cool both components with a single loop, however an AIO (All In One) for the CPU and for the GPU separately are much easier to work with for a beginner.

There's not much performance benefit to cooling most modern GPU's (like GTX1080) and the fans (and pump) can't be turned off whereas a normal solution like Asus Strix (nice cards with backplate and RGB lighting) can turn the fans off completely in light usage.

If still stuck on GPU cooling I'd consider an AIO solution that comes with the card. EXAMPLE:
https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Water-cooling-Graphics-08G-P4-6188-KR/dp/B01M4FMZYI

I would thus recommend something like a 280mm cooler for an i7-7700K. Look carefully as some of them are too loud and have fans that won't...
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photonboy

photonboy

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Jun 20, 2006
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You can cool both components with a single loop, however an AIO (All In One) for the CPU and for the GPU separately are much easier to work with for a beginner.

There's not much performance benefit to cooling most modern GPU's (like GTX1080) and the fans (and pump) can't be turned off whereas a normal solution like Asus Strix (nice cards with backplate and RGB lighting) can turn the fans off completely in light usage.

If still stuck on GPU cooling I'd consider an AIO solution that comes with the card. EXAMPLE:
https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Water-cooling-Graphics-08G-P4-6188-KR/dp/B01M4FMZYI

I would thus recommend something like a 280mm cooler for an i7-7700K. Look carefully as some of them are too loud and have fans that won't spin below a certain point whereas a good air cooler can be almost silent in medium usage.
 
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Solution
faalin

faalin

Illustrious
Feb 22, 2012
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So for custom water loops there are a few things to look at.

1 case size and radiator mounting points

2 GPU, not all of them are created equal. Find the model card you want, lets say a GTX 1070, find a block for a 1070 and then see what cards make/model fits that block. I've been bit a few times buying a card then finding out no one makes a block for it.

3 loop order doesn't matter, after about 30 min of run time the water will reach a stable temp point. Most of my builds go cpu then gpu, my last build went 4 gpus then cpu. As long as you have enough radiator space to cool the water back down everything will be fine.

With that being said, for a cpu I wouldn't go smaller then a 240mm radiator. Then add 120mm for every part added to the loop.

My build right now runs a OC i7-980x @ 4.27Ghz, MB, and 4 GTX670's all cooled by a RX480mm and RX360mm XSPC. CPU @ 50% load is just under 50*c and all 4 GPU's are just under 30*c
 
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G

gasaraki

Distinguished
Jun 11, 2008
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To answer your question, No, you don't need to radiators to cool both your cpu and video card. For new builders I would not suggest a custom loop cooler. A lot of design and thought has to be put in to it, like is my CPU going to be cooler or the video card? Where in the loop is it going to go to cool the components properly, etc.
 
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faalin

faalin

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Feb 22, 2012
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Custom loops are not that hard and have gotten a lot better and easier to find parts. Back when I started with the P4 Prescott you had to spend days researching for different parts and where to buy them.

resurrecting an old socket 1366 build this past January I made two stops. 1 to EK waterblocks, the second to amazon to pick up all the rest by XSPC.

Here is the same system just about 6 years apart

This one ran 3 pumps with 3 loops CPU, MB, and 2 GTX 480's

Same computer except for the 4 670's but runs just as cool as the other build on a single loop.
 
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