What's wrong with DeltaT > 10C ? (Water cooling for low noise gaming)

[the_enemy]

Hi
first post, actually registered to ask this question.

I will soon be building a gaming rig with water cooling (cpu+gpu). The main aim of the w/c is silence not overclocking. This will be my first w/c build so I've been reading a lot about w/c in general in the past month or so (reviews, overviews, build logs etc). One thing still bugging me is the deltaT = 10C target and the suggested rad/fan combos accordingly.

I was just reading this thread. Great discussion on deltaT but my question is basically "what if I set my DeltaT target to say 20C ?".

Let me elaborate on my logic so you can help me understand if I'm missing something or not.

I will be watercooling a 3570K + GTX680 (or HD 7970) setup.

According to PSUEngine these two will draw approximately 300W @ 90% TDP + 90% Load, I also used the overclock my CPU option to set CPU speed as 4500 Mhz, vcore 1.3V and that's included in the 300W.

To be safe, let's just say I will need to dissipate 350W.

Based on this review, an XSPC RS240 radiator with a single Yate Loon D12SM12 fan @ 1000 rpm will dissipate 350W with a Delta T = 20C.

Let's say ambient temperature is 25-30C + Delta T 20C = water temp 45-50 C. And let's assume the TJ max for the CPU and the GPU is 100C (I think it's 105C for the 3570K).

So, is this unacceptable or anything wrong with it? Everything seems to be within spec temps (including pump + tubing).

What I'm essentially trying to get at is:

Can I watercool the above system with a low FPI 280 Radiator (something like this) + 2*super quite 140mm low rpm fans (still researching on this) ?
And when I say watercool the system, I don't mean to use watercooling to do overclocking and high performance computing, I mean watercooling the cpu and the gpu enough to keep them within (of course somewhere below) their safe TJ Max values while having a quiet system. After all, the cpu and the gpu are designed to operate below 100C for years and the average life of my builds is max 4 years.

I am thinking about throwing all this into a Fractal Design Define R4 (rad behind front panel + 1extra quiet 140 mm fan as rear exhaust at the back panel), even connect all 3 fans to the Integrated fan controller (to possibly reduce V on the fans even further) that comes with the R4 and have very quiet gaming pc. Btw, the idea behind the R4 selection is silence, I was initially thinking about Bitfenix Prodigy.

Am I dreaming or is this plausible? I am thinking what I described above should give me a deltaT ~10-20C. Possibly something around 15C, with a very simple loop.

I appreciate any input on this and I hope my question and the following suggestions will help others as well.

 

[Lutfij]

TDP & Calculating Delta-T

 

[the_enemy]

TDP & Calculating Delta-T

thanks for the discussion Lutfij.

 

[rubix_1011]

There is nothing wrong with having a Delta over 10C, it's a decision of how well you decide to have your cooling loop operate. Obviously, the lower the delta, the closer to ambient temperature your water temps are to actual room temps at full system load. Watercooling loops can still be effective with a higher calculated delta as water is such an excellent energy transfer medium over traditional air cooling and whether watercooling guys want to admit it or not, we almost always over-rad a loop whether accidental or on purpose.

Based on what you have listed above, you've done well in your homework and either should work fairly well for you. Personally, I like the SR1 280 due to size but also that the SR1 is a better-designed rad altogether. I think you are right on track for what you are wanting to achieve.

 

[the_enemy]

Best answer selected by the_enemy.

 

[the_enemy]

Thank you, that's the reassurance I needed. I hope it helps others as well.