Zitat von »GI_Biochip«

I have read items where people are concerned about the amount of heat that can be removed per radiator, would a dual 120mm rad be enough to cool two HD4870X2s ? I'm thinking of a triple rad for the system, CPU, NB, SB.Thanks, everyone.

Will a dual-raditor be enough to cool the system? Rather not. Would such a system be quiet? No way, you'll propably need two strong fans, running at full power. I'd rather try to go for at least a triple-radiator. Maybe you can install a second on on the outside of your system or use an aquaduct with an additional internal radiator...

Zitat von »GI_Biochip«

I was considering a triple rad to cool the loop with the CPU, NB, SB, Mofsets. I'd like a second loop just for the graphics cards, it is the radiator for this I am unsure of for cooling two HD4870X2 cards. Would a dual 120mm rad be sufficient to cool two big Radeons?

Which radiator? Which pump(s)? Which fans? How many degrees above ambient at idle/load you're looking at?

For starters, putting the Mosfets and the CPU in the same loop is a no-win (this is a PERSONAL opinon). Reason being, voltage regulators are really comfortable running at 70-80 degrees. They're designed to do this. They can even go all the way to 90 degrees for extended periods of time without a hiccup.

On the other hand, they dump heat like no tomorrow. Is like trying to cool a toaster.

There are many valid reasons to watercool the voltage regulators, and being open minded as I am, even "I like the looks of the blocks" is a valid reason for me. As long as they don't hurt the overall performance of the loop. And in the same loop as the CPU, they're hurting the performance. It's like adding a 2nd CPU to your loop in terms of heat, but with no performance returns whatsoever. Of course, as I mentioned before, returns can be quantified using a different measurement than performance (noise, looks, convenience...), but in this particular scenario your trading off the performance of your CPU for the convenience of the voltage regulators. Doesn't look promising from where I stand.

Besides, you are adding unnecessary restriction, and some CPU blocks (any injector type, like the cuplex xt di2) are really sensitive to this, and can really benefit from higher pressure on the loop. Mosfet blocks are (in most cases) free flowing, but you still have a 90 degree angle in each entry and exit points, plus the restriction of the block itself, plus the sharp bends or added 90 degree angles needed to connect the blocks.

Now add the NB. More restriction, more heat dump. It does help your OC, but only to an extent. And finally the SB, which is more a cosmetic exercise than anything else. I've never seen an scenario where a watercooled SB yielded better results (in any respect) than an air/passively cooled one.

The end result is a loop that's crippled even before you power on. It may look good. But does very little else for you, in exchange for a sizeable amount of your hard earned (or otherwise) cash.

Now, coming to radiator sizes, and how much I need, you have to think that each radiator removes so much heat from the coolant depending on coolant and air flow rates. Each radiator is different when it comes to this. All of them have "sweet spots" depending of what you're after (total silence, maximum performance, balance between both). Go above those "spots", you hit the point of diminishing returns (where adding coolant flow/air flow yields very little in terms of improvement in temperatures). Go below, you're compromising the performance of the loop.

And of course, the mother of all variables, ambient temperature. No radiator, no fan, no setup will ever allow you to go below ambient temperature. So, if you live in a tropical paradise, and you are environmentally conscious (and you've voluntarily given up the comforts of air conditioning), or you like your dwelling to feel like a greenhouse, this will affect your temperatures greatly. To an extent, more than any component you add to your loop. On the other hand, if you think that an ambient of below 21 degrees is a key component of a healthy lifestyle, this will aid the performance of your loop more than any radiator, block or pump you can think on.

So summarizing, the question you have to ask yourself, before asking questions to others, is "What do I want?". Once you know this, you can word it in an intelligible way and ask "this is what I have to cool, this is how much I'm prepared to spend, this is where I'd like to fit it and this is what I'm looking to achieve, can you help me with it?"

At this point, without knowing your average ambient temperature, what CPU you want to cool and how much you're looking to overclock it, how much noise are you prepared to put up with, whether you want the radiators mount internally or externally, how many loops you want and many other relevant variables, I can't answer your question. And without the gift of foresight or mind reading skills, I don't think anyone could really.

"A priori", depending on which fans and pump are you going to use, and considering that GPU overclocking is more limited by voltage than it is by temperature (most components in a GPU can live a long a plentiful life running @70-80 degrees load temp), a dual rad could be enough to cool them. But if silence is what you're after, that's not a winning horse you're putting your money on.

And from whichever point of view, a CPU+NB+SB+Mosfet loop is not a winner either. You are going to get very little above what you would achieve with air cooling.

Edit:

Also bear in mind that, although this is the manufacturer's official forum, due to localization, the greatest wealth of knowledge (with some remarkable exceptions like Shoggy, Top_Nurse and Fox3 for instance) may be found in the native language. Unless you're looking for support regarding a specific Aquacomputer product, if what you are seeking is general guidance on how to plan, build and execute your loop (which, no disrespect intended, you seem to be in dire need of), a general and English speaking forum might be a more suitable place for your endeavours.

My personal favourite is Xtremesystems, which now is unfortunately down due to the owner migrating server setup, but once it comes back online it's an always useful source of information, facts and f(r)iction

I'm sure there are other sources as well. Just ask around. You can't teach new tricks to an old dog, and I put the "O" in "old"

Zitat von »MrToad«

Zitat von »GI_Biochip«

I was considering a triple rad to cool the loop with the CPU, NB, SB, Mofsets. I'd like a second loop just for the graphics cards, it is the radiator for this I am unsure of for cooling two HD4870X2 cards. Would a dual 120mm rad be sufficient to cool two big Radeons?

Which radiator? Which pump(s)? Which fans? How many degrees above ambient at idle/load you're looking at?

Well said.

However, as you point out this is a manufacturers forum so I will suggest that the OP go with a separate 360 for the dual video cards if you want to water cool them. I'm water cooling mine just because I like the looks, the software/hardware integration appeals to me, and I can't stand the vacuum cleaner noise coming from the GPU fan.

The Aquaero will control two loops and two flow sensors, but you have to reconfigure the 4th fan header to be used as a flow sensor IIRC. This is simply done via the Aquasuite software or by the firmware directly from the Aquaero interface. The Tubemeter's can be both controlled through the Aquabus interface, but IIRC you will have better controlability by interfacing the Tubemeter's directly through a USB interface.

The question about radiator size is only relevant about how much heat you can remove from the water. Whether adding radiator size will change the ability of your computer in either a detrimental or positive manner is not so clear. However, when it comes to radiators bigger is always better all other things being equal.

I am pretty sure the aquaero can only handle one tubemeter. I do not see any refrerence to another in the parameter list for samurize. As TN pointed out you can have multiple instances of tubemeter in USB.

A single HD4870 X2 puts ~300W into the loop. The only good reason I can think of to watercool the GPU is for reduced noise, I chose to lose the GPU fan myself, two of them would be really unacceptable to me.

I have the MB chipset and CPU on one loop. The case is much cooler now so I am able to lower the rpm on the case fans for a much quieter solution but to get acceptable temps I needed to use a 480 RAD.

Not knowing your wish list it is difficult to offer valid suggestions. Having said this ... if your constraints are two loops with a 240 and 360 RAD ... consider putting the CPU on the 240 and the chipset and GPU onna triple. JMO