5 replies to this topic

[Morg]

Looking to upgrade from a 212 Evo air-cooling solution to a closed-loop AIO solution because temperatures are high and it's the next upgrade I'm actually looking to do aside from a new mobo (which will come whenever I upgrade the CPU, aka 4 years from now). Any pointers? I'll post what I've seen online as well as my situation.

 

A little preface is that the case I have, the NZXT H440, is aimed to be a liquid cooling case - airflow for air-cooling isn't so great. Case has 2 large 3x140mm fan-accommodating rows, 1 top and 1 front, and then a 1x140mm fan slot in the back. I am not looking for a massively expensive open-loop system that will make moving the computer a hassle, it's been suggested in the past but I would like to avoid it.

 

CPU: Intel Core i5 4690K @ 4.5GHz

Cooling: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

Mobo: MSI Z97S Krait (1st Gen)

RAM: Kingston Fury White 16GB DDR3-1866

SSD: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB, WD Blue 1TB

GPU: Sapphire R9 290 Tri-X OC (not refresh version)

Case: NZXT H440 (1st Gen)

PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650 Gold

 

Current temps: average 50C idle, average 80C load such as GW2 or Overwatch 

 

What I've found so far:

• Corsair H110i GTX - 280mm (2x140mm) radiator: common complaint is tube rigidity and bad stock fans
• Enermax Liqmax II - 240mm (2x120mm) radiator: at $85 it's probably a good bang for its buck, and 120mm lets me slot in my existing case fans
• Ttake Water 3.0 - 360mm (3x120mm) radiator: $10 more than the H110i for larger radiator surface. As it's 120mm I can slot in my existing case fans
• NZXT Kraken X61 - 280mm radiator: wow LED lighting so gud (idc about LED), brand loyalty? Â¯\_(ツ)_/¯

• Suggestions are welcome

[Gregor Payne]

What I use, and I highly recommend is the Corsair 100i. Its 240MM and 96$ atm. The fans are nothing special but they get the job done.

 

https://smile.amazon...=corsair h100i 

 

I have a i7 4790k OC to 4.7 Ghz @ 1.4 volts, idling at about 40 degrees, and 70 underload with GW2

[Haematic]

Be water my friend -- http://www.idcooling...ROSTFLOW 240L-W

 

One thing to keep in mind, which is often overlooked, is the finish on the copper plate.

 

I've noticed that through various heat-sinks, if they mill the copper w/ a rough cut only, and don't finish the cut ... you lose out on thermal conductivity.

 

The more "rough" the cut, the less thermal conductivity, thus less heat-transfer. The AIO cooler I linked has a "finished" surface, has a great pump, and decent aluminum radiator.

 

Otherwise, I would go with the Corsair item if you feel iffy about the idcooling option, their heat-sink looks to be finished correctly; I just couldn't get the specs on their pump / flow.

[Faulty Krew]

Ekb>closed loop

[Haematic]

Ekb>closed loop

Ekb is nice

 

If you're intentions are an upgrade in the future, I would get it @ that point.

 

The technology behind liquid coolers right now is stale and nothing extremely ground-breaking.

 

Ekb is what I want to say a few steps ahead, and you pay for it.

 

Just like the NOCTUA fans / heatsinks > Corsair fans/heat sinks to put that into perspective.

[Gregor Payne]

I mean, if you want to go for broke. Just get a phase change cooler and keep your CPU at subzero temps.

 

http://www.ldcooling...ase-change.html