Question Is a 240 rad enough?

[knght990]

Is a 240 rad enough if both the CPU and GPU are on the same loop?

Something like an 011 mini with a 240 in the top. 12900k and 3070. Alternatively a Phantek Evolv Shift XL with the same GPU and CPU.

 

[Tech Junky]

I can say a $50 air cooler on a 12700k at full tilt keeps it under 70c. I would concentrate on the GPU for LC.

In my laptop I put graphite pads on both and the GPU sits around 70c under load and the CPU still hits higher temps under load but idles in the 30's. GPU in the laptop is a 3060.

Ultimately though you won't know until you do it and put the system under load.

 

[aigomorla]

Depends on the 240.
Depends on the pump your using.
Depends on the fan.

Too many questions you haven't answered.

For example, if the 240 is a NeXXXoS UT or a Monsta, and your using powerful fans, like a Nidac Gentle Typhoon @ 3000 rpm.... and your not going to load both the cpu and gpu at 100% constantly, then possibly..

Rule of general thumb is for every 120x1 rad space, you got about 150W on a mid thick radiator.
On a NeXXoS UT, that number is probably about 220W. On a Monsta its about 250 to 275, provided you can get enough air though the monsta.

Monsta:

https://www.amazon.com/Alphacool-NexXxos-Monsta-Radiator-120mm/dp/B007R798IY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3AVLPDZE4P6TV&keywords=Monsta+240&qid=1690486884&sprefix=monsta+240%2Caps%2C132&sr=8-1

Also flow is important.
If your using a D5, which will give you about 1gpm, then your carry capacity is about 350W / 1C.
This means your water can transport about 350W of heat and only bring about a 1C increase in temps.

So Doing math, the problem rises when you have 350W of heat being moved, and 300W of disappation.
You see where this is going.
Your heat will build up and up, until you reach another threshold at about 10-15C delta (which means water temp vs ambient temp) where radiators become more efficient, but your equilibrium temperature gets higher.

To calculate heat, i ususally tell members to add up TDP.
If you overclock, add about 15% for light OC... 20% for moderate... and 40% for high.
For GPU's you can typically hold TDP @ TDP, unless you shunt mod, however GPU's like to be as cold as possible because the performance boost is dependant on core temp... meaning the cooler your keep your cores, the higher the boost clock it will achieve.

On a o11 Mini... i have shoved in 2 x 240mm radiators.
One on top and one on the front side, for a total of 480mm.
You need to be a bit creative with the loop planning, but it can be done, and would be my recommendation.
480mm would give you a nice capacity of about 600W, which exceeds the carry capacity of your water coolant.
Also having 2 x 240's you can use slightly thinner rads, however i still recommend you using the NeXXXos XT (top) + UT (front side).

Nexxxos XT:

Amazon.com

NeXXXos UT:

https://www.amazon.com/Alphacool-NexXxos-Copper-Radiator-120mm/dp/B007P05XUU/ref=sr_1_5?crid=18ERZGPA1OG9C&keywords=nexxxos+ut+240&qid=1690486818&sprefix=nexxxos+ut+240%2Caps%2C134&sr=8-5&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840

 

[aigomorla]

Oh last note... loop order does not matter, because the system works on the principle of equalibirum.
Anyone that says oh you need the radiator right before the cpu, is telling you snake oil.
Closed loops are powered by equilibrium, unless you have absolutely horrible flow.

So when designing your loop, always remember the cardinal rules:

1. The reservior should be at the highest place.
2. The pump should always feed directly from the reservior.
3. The shortest loop which does not cause kinking, is always the best layout.
4. Leave paralell setups to the professionals or youtube bloggers who do not keep there system, as paralell setups can get VERY complicated and 90% of the time are done WRONG, as water and flow will aways work its way though the path of least resistance, and not what looks aesthetically the best, which most Youtube bloggers build by.

 

[knght990]

Depends on the 240.
Depends on the pump your using.
Depends on the fan. ...

I've never liquid cooled anything before and I've only built ATX tower systems which is why i'm leaning toward the o11. I don't know the questions I should be asking. Any help here is appreciated.

PC Part Picker proposes a 550w system. GPU is 220w TDP and CPU is 150w TDP. Call it 400w. A single 360 rad should work with high airflow fans?

This system won't be overclocked, my 3080 system is for that but, this 3070 system may have high loads for 15min to 1 hour during a video render. Most of the videos I make are 10 minutes in length with the outside being 50 minutes. Mostly graduations and event memory stuff and a friend told me I will be helping with his youtube channel. I'm not a professional editor.

The whole system will sit on top of a wire rack. So it can pull air from the bottom pretty easily despite the short feet on the O11-minis. It won't be able to pull much air from behind or exhaust much by the IO ports due to proximity to walls. If i use an ATX power supply with the O11-Air Mini then the power supply will need those spaces to draw and exhaust air. Anything I build in this space will need a mostly vertical airflow. I anticipate putting the video card on a vertical riser to reduce air restriction. This would put the card's water fittings pretty close to the CPU.

The stock Asus Dual 3070 I own has a poor air solution and it throttles, so replacing it with a water block seems a no brainer to me. The only block I see for this card is a Bykski.

The O11D mini says it can support a top 360 rad+fan with 65mm thickness if I use an M-ATX motherboard or 360 rad+fan w 100mm thickness if I use an ITX motherboard and a a few 240s(rear and bottom) while the O11-Air mini says a few 240s (top, rear, front, bottom). The Phantek says single 240 as well (top).

It is a dusty room no matter what I do and the case will have to have dust filters. My other system I clean the filters every 30 days.

I'm open to other case suggestions, but the space is the limitation. The o11-mini is the largest that will fit unless it is a console instead of tower style.

 

[aigomorla]

PC Part Picker proposes a 550w system. GPU is 220w TDP and CPU is 150w TDP. Call it 400w. A single 360 rad should work with high airflow fans?

Depending on the 360, yes it should work out well.
I would still select either a Nexxxos XT since the UT maybe a bit too thick, or a XSPC RX.
It should give you almost 600W of cooling if you use Nidac GT's, or Noctua NF-A12. Both are a bit pricey but worth every penny.

Nidec GT:

Amazon.com

Noctua NF-A12

Amazon.com

Most of the videos I make are 10 minutes in length with the outside being 50 minutes.

Wont be an issue, as Transcoding does not load the GPU as much, vs having RTX and DLSS on full boat.

The whole system will sit on top of a wire rack. So it can pull air from the bottom pretty easily despite the short feet on the O11-minis. It won't be able to pull much air from behind or exhaust much by the IO ports due to proximity to walls. If i use an ATX power supply with the O11-Air Mini then the power supply will need those spaces to draw and exhaust air. Anything I build in this space will need a mostly vertical airflow. I anticipate putting the video card on a vertical riser to reduce air restriction. This would put the card's water fittings pretty close to the CPU.

Put the radiator up top.
Put the GPU vertical with the Vertical kit to prevent PCB Sagging, and possible PCI-E cracking.

The only block I see for this card is a Bykski.

Ugh i have a love hate detest relationship with Bykski.
I have gotten blocks which were not perfectly milled.
I have gotten blocks missing pads.
I have heard from other people about rough installs knocking resistors.
Be very careful when mounting the block, and be prepared to possibly buy extra parts like Thermal Pads, as Customer Service is almost non existant with Bykski, unless you can get your seller to assist.
(Titan Rig on amazon) for example will help you out if something is missing and you bought it from them at there store front.

It is a dusty room no matter what I do and the case will have to have dust filters. My other system I clean the filters every 30 days.

You can double up on filters....

Amazon.com

The fans i linked are very powerful static fans and can work its way out of a lot of restrictions.
However doubling up the filter means you will need to clean them up more.

I would setup the system so the fans are below the radiator pulling air from the top outside of the case down into the case. So (Case)->Radiator->Fans on pull.

This will also allow cleaning to be easier as you don't have fans in your way when you blow your radiator fins.

 

[knght990]

Depending on the 360, yes it should work out well.
I would still select either a Nexxxos XT since the UT maybe a bit too thick, or a XSPC RX.
It should give you almost 600W of cooling if you use Nidac GT's, or Noctua NF-A12. Both are a bit pricey but worth every penny.

Ok, I think that all makes sense.
I like the Noctua fans, I have a bunch of NF-A14s in my tower.

I will have to check some clearances with an M-ATX board, but an ITX board should fit with room to spare.

The case has a bracket to mount a pump/Res which will put the pump at the lowest part of the system. Any thoughts on a distro block with a pump? It will make space for a 3rd fan on the bottom. This way I could have 3 120s on the bottom and 3 120s on the rad.

Also, what do I need to know about cutting my own soft tube?

What do I need to look for when choosing a liquid for the system? I don't need to add any fancy colors, clear works fine, I can add light strips when I'm bored.

Also, how interchangeable are water parts from different manufacturers?

 

[aigomorla]

Any thoughts on a distro block with a pump?

I like Distro plates, but they are very pricey.
If its in your budget, they make things very easy.

Also, what do I need to know about cutting my own soft tube?

I like these guys cuz they cut straight.
However you mean soft tubes and not rigid/hard pipe ones correct?

Amazon.com

What do I need to look for when choosing a liquid for the system?

Are you going to use nickel plated blocks or copper?
If your going to use nickel you can go to a grocery store and buy a gallon of distilled.


Then i would recommend a type of biocide... like copper 2 sulfate.

Amazon.com

You need a TINY bit... id say along the lines of 10mg or maybe 500mg for the entire 1 gallon jug.
Do not overdose, and keep it away from children and pets, as its very toxic.
Its called a biocide for a reason.

They used to sell a premixed bottle called PTNuke, but its no longer found.

But i use distilled, flush every 6 months, but i also use pure silver in my system.
You won't find silver coils, because of all the myths behind it, that completely ruined silver, not to mention a lot of fake silver got leaked into our hobby from China which contained iron, and well, i don't need to tell you how bad that ended up.

But since your using a distro block, you can't really throw in a silver mint bar, so silver may not be a choice for you. Also it doesn't play nice with Nickel.

Also, how interchangeable are water parts from different manufacturers?

Pretty much everything is universal as long as you keep like sizes.
Meaning you can't use 3/8 barbs on a 1/2 tubing.
But you can use radiator from company X and waterblock from company Y.

Most important thing is stay away from thermaltake.
They use ALU with sacrificial node. This is a NONO in my book.
Stay AWAY from Aluminum PERIOD.

Look for Copper / Brass / Nickel plated Copper / Chrome.
If any of the wetted part (means the part which is in contact with water) contains Alu, Toss it off your list.
The only time ALU is fine, is if its a exterior shell which has no contact with water.
Thermaltake LIES and says it doesn't, then a few months later you notice pressure, and your coolant turning bluish green and well, nightmare ensues from there.

 

[knght990]

What do you think of the Ek-Mana G2 plate? It says it has a DDC pump that can be replaced for a D5. It should look like a custom fit in the o11-mini.

So, general layout idea for the O11D-Mini, mATX 5 slot configuration with a vertical GPU mount. Ek-Mana G2 w D5 pump, to GPU plate, then 120 rad and fan exhausting the back of the case, to the CPU to a top mounted exhaust 360 Rad on the top. Also have 3 120mm fan on the bottom as intake; sitting on the wire rack so intake isn't obstructed by a table surface. Clear soft tube.

 

[knght990]

So... I might end up with an ATX board. Lian Li documentation says I won't be able to use a rad in the top of the O11-mini with an ATX board. If I locate a 360 on the bottom of the case while using a distro-plate, I should catch any loss of fluid before the pump becomes exposed and is damaged.

Does that make sense or am I missing something?

 

[aigomorla]

So... I might end up with an ATX board. Lian Li documentation says I won't be able to use a rad in the top of the O11-mini with an ATX board. If I locate a 360 on the bottom of the case while using a distro-plate, I should catch any loss of fluid before the pump becomes exposed and is damaged.

Does that make sense or am I missing something?

oh sorry i missed this post.
In a full custom like you state, as long as the pump is at the lowest point and the reservior is feeding the pump direct like a distro plate, it is perfectly fine.