Best radiator size
Best radiator size
Execute the bottom with an extremely thick push/pull configuration and let the top rad expel heat using just one. The substantial rad will manage most of the thermal load, making it highly efficient when paired with powerful high-pressure fans. This approach eliminates the need for additional cooling above the CPU, allowing a single high-quality exhaust fan to suffice for effective cooling.
I don’t have all the details needed to fully address your question.
What specifications do you have?
Are you considering heavily boosting your CPU or graphics card performance?
What is your budget looking like?
Which parts are you planning to cool with water (CPU only, full monoblock, memory, cards)?
If this isn’t a top-tier build, I’d recommend something like the Thermaltake RL 360 radiator with their PR-22 D5 pump and reservoir. The setup would include a loop connecting pump, video card, CPU, radiator, and reservoir. For fans, the EK Vardar FF5 PWM high static pressure models are a good choice—they run quietly even at full speed.
For extreme performance builds, you might opt for two separate cooling loops or a dual rad loop in series or parallel. The series setup keeps components close together, while the parallel version splits the flow but can reduce water delivery to each loop.
I recently assembled a rig with two custom loops and can confidently say it’s worthwhile, though the expenses are quite significant.
+1 Wizard.
Your cooling setup should focus on the components you're actually cooling, not just the physical space available. If you aim for maximum performance with significant heat from your CPU and multiple GPUs running at high intensity, dual loops can help isolate the CPU's heat from the GPUs. However, with Pascal GPUs that struggle to dissipate heat due to fixed voltages even during overclocking, I personally don’t think extra loops are necessary in a dual-GPU configuration. Start by placing your CPU in the loop after the pump, install a high-quality radiator there, then direct the flow through your GPUs and finish with another radiator after them, returning the liquid to the reservoir.
In my custom build (non-gaming, niche setup) I use four 1080Ti GPUs and a 2011-3 CPU. Cooling the GPUs comes first since there’s no overclocking on the CPU. The workloads run mainly on the GPUs without stressing the CPU at the same time. I pass coolant through the GPUs using an EK semi-parallel bridge, then through a 280mm radiator, followed by the CPU, another 280mm radiator, and finally back to the reservoir. It works well—CPU stays in the 50s even when GPUs are under load.
If I could overclock the CPU as well or run it alongside the GPUs, I’d either need two loops in this build or a better case with larger radiators. The key is matching the cooling solution to what you’re really trying to manage.
Regarding noise, using radiators with 140mm fans is ideal rather than 120mm. Fans like the new ML140 Pro and ML120 Pro from Corsair are popular. They offer sleek designs and impressive static pressure. Like any fan, they increase noise as they spin faster, but their sound quality is great in my opinion.
Tell me about your CPU, GPUs, whether you plan to overclock, and your case model?