Custom Water Cooling Temperatures Optimize your system with tailored water cooling settings.
Custom Water Cooling Temperatures Optimize your system with tailored water cooling settings.
I've switched my failing 360mm AIO cooler for a tailored watercooling setup. The EK 280 kit with an added 420mm radiator is what I'm using. My concern is that my 5820k still hits 75°C at 4.5GHz and 1.295V. My friend thinks this is too high for a custom solution. The Asus Poseidon 1080 Ti stays under 52°C, and the fans on the 420mm radiator are EK Vardar F4 140mm models with a top speed of 2200rpm. The 280mm radiator fans come from the kit.
Potato Joe requested visuals. It looks like this might be your first water cooling installation—just in case, shorter tubes are preferable for better performance. Do the front radiator have push or pull settings? I see you’re using a pull configuration on the top one, which is acceptable but not ideal. A push setup would be better, though if space is tight, I understand your constraints. Your cables could benefit from better management tools, as they significantly improve temperature control. I’ve made a quick sketch of your original setup: http://imgur.com/1HLyVUS
Seanie280672 :
Potato Joe :
Wizard61 :
Please send some pictures.
Uh oh! Is this your first water cooling installation? Just in case, for future reference, shorter tubes are better.
Do you have push or pull settings on the front radiator? I see you only have a pull configuration on the top one—it's fine, but not ideal. A push setup would be better, though if space is tight, I can understand your choice.
Your cables might benefit from better management tools; it’s surprising how much this can improve temperature control.
I’ve made a quick sketch of your original setup. I probably would have done something similar: http://imgur.com/1HLyVUS
The fans don’t fit at the bottom of the radiator, and the screws wouldn’t secure them properly to the case. The radiator itself is too thick to fit around the VRM heatsinks on my motherboard. Because of the radiator, I can’t run the CPU power cables behind the motherboard tray.
Also, no. After many tests, the only factor that really hurt airflow and raised temperatures was completely blocking it with filters or similar items. Cables don’t matter in this case.
Likely the issue is due to overclocking. Have you reduced the voltage slightly to check stability?
Often people mention high temperatures without considering other factors like BIOS settings. Also, one of your tubing bends near the GPU and pump seems bent. You might want to use the port on the bottom of the GPU block instead.
Potato Joe shared his concerns about the setup. The fans aren't positioned properly at the bottom, and the screws wouldn't secure it well. The radiator is too thick to fit correctly, and it's already touching the VRM heatsinks on the motherboard. This prevents running the CPU power cables behind the tray. He also mentioned that after many tests, the main issue was blocked airflow—likely due to filters or obstructions—not the cables themselves. He asked if the front radiator fans use a push or pull configuration, noting heavy dirt buildup on the 240 model. If it's pull mode, switching to push mode with an extra fan at the back and fixing the hose routing would help. Cleaning the front radiator and addressing the airflow blockage could resolve the overheating problem.
Wizard61 shared concerns about the cooling setup, noting issues with fan placement and airflow. He mentioned problems with the radiator fitting properly, interference with heatsinks, and the need to adjust fan configurations. He also discussed potential solutions involving hose routing, cleaning, and fan direction.