You should consider getting a second radiator when it starts to fail or show signs of inefficiency.
You should consider getting a second radiator when it starts to fail or show signs of inefficiency.
Hi,
Before today I was using only the EKWB Professional Watercooling kit to cool my CPU, maintaining around 30 degrees. Now I upgraded the loop and added a watercooled 1080 ti. The GPU temperature is about 45 degrees when loaded, but some CPU cores reach up to 60 degrees now. I understand it’s not a cause for concern, though I aimed for a maximum of 50 degrees overall.
Here are the details:
The system uses the Professional-Kit from EKWB with a 360 radiator. My CPU is an i9-7900 and the Gigabyte 1080ti Aorus completes the setup. The loop follows Pump → radiator → GPU → CPU → pump. Since I have extra space for another 280 or 360 radiator, I’m unsure if I should install a second one. Would adding a second radiator increase power demand on the pump and cause liquid flow issues?
I’d appreciate advice from experts here.
Radiators are generally among the least restrictive parts in a loop. There are minor variations between models and makers, yet they remain less restrictive compared to blocks and numerous 90-degree bends.
Unless your pump lacks sufficient power, everything should work fine—rubix_1011 mentioned that rads are low restriction parts in a loop. Including another rad will certainly reduce your temperatures, though it isn't absolutely required. Since you're already comfortably within safe temperature ranges, unless you really want to reach the goal, upgrading isn't necessary.
During my investigation I came across this video and it seems to align with what I expected. Adding a second radiator would lower the cooling by around 6 degrees, which isn't much but at least that's a reduction of 6 degrees if I take into account my PC case having two front vents without a radiator and only bringing in fresh air.
Maybe, but there are numerous elements that influence how you actually assess your loop delta-T, which may vary from what is shown in that video. It’s important to recognize that expectations shouldn’t be rigid, as differences in:
1. hardware used
2. coolant flow rate
3. airflow rate
4. radiators and their thermal properties
5. ambient room temperature
can lead to results that differ from the depicted values.
Hi rubix_1011,
That's precisely what I was expecting. For decision-making, I need a clear example to start.
I'm curious about ordering another 360 PE rad and seeing the results next week.
Thanks for your assistance!
Also, I need to fix the temperatures I shared earlier. The GPU reaches up to 55 degrees, and some i9 cores go as high as 69 or even 71 degrees sometimes.