Dooglas

I am working on modding my case, but I have a question. I already have a triple black ice pro radiator, would buying a second one and attaching it to save money be a bad idea? I know it would slow down flow rates but im pretty sure they have low restriction. It will be driven by a D5 vario pump and it will have a cpu and gpu block(maybe 2).

tehpwnerofn00bs

If don't know if even the vario could handle two 360 rads, a cpu block and two gpu blocks. however, you can stack the rads, but it would not perform well. One, because the airflow would be really poor unless you had at least 6 fans (9 would be better). And two, because the first rad will be feeding warmer air into the second one. you would be better off doing it like this:

(looking from the back of the case)

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________

cleverchris

yea you would need alot of head to get 2 360's in one loop if you really want to Rads break it into 2 loops one for cpu and another for gpu's

Martinm210

It's fine, I ran two in series for a while myself, but just make sure it's not a GTS rad. They have very thin tubes to improve thermal performance, but at the price of being many times more restrictive than most radiators.

I still have a bit of a sneaking suspicion the GTX rads are restrictive too, but Ira has done some testing to show otherwise.

I know for sure any of the swiftech MCR series, HWlabs BIX or BIP series, or Thermochill rads flow freely enough that adding a second in series can only help your temps.

For a rounded reference.

One normal triple radiator is about less than half as restrictive as most free flowing CPU blocks and many many times less restrictive than a smaller nozzled fuzion.

I'd say go for it unless it's a GTS (suspect GTX). Also stay away from the micro rads like the 80mm types, they tend to be more restrictive as well.

__________________
Flow Rate Estimator | Radiator Sizing Estimators

ira-k

Yeah stacking them like that doesn't usually work to well since your drawing the hotter air from the first rad through the second......Dryadsoul stacked 2 Bonnies together all the time though and had good luck with it, he was running a AC chiller type thing on his rads though...


Yeah I was going to pressure test the 480 GTX and I did but one of my DDC's was dieing and I didn't know it so that kind of crapped that out...


But here is a 240 BIX and components and the pressure reading...Gauge is right afte rthe pump..

Attachment 61810
click...


And here is a 480 GTX and the components and a pressure reading...Gauge is right after the pump...

Attachment 61811
click...


I have a dual out Stinger on the 480 but as you can see it has less back pressure then the loop with a 240 BIX...So just guessing from that it doesn't seem anymore restrictive then a 240 BIX....But I know it has to be, the DO out block is helping a little but I would bet its no more restrictive then a 360 BIX...Both were done with a single 18W DDC with Petra top..

__________________
**Water Cooling Essential Threads** Overclock.net's Downloads Section**TEC Cooling Essential Threads

**E8600 @ 5.3Ghz 10x **E7200 @ 4.5Ghz 9x **5000BE @ 3.5Ghz 10x**150 Opty @ 3.2Ghz 12x**

Dooglas

From what I've been reading, this rad has very low pressure drop. http://www.overclockers.com/articles1163/

Martinm210

Good point, I didn't even catch that they were actually sandwiched, oops...

The GTX must use a different flow path than the GTS rads, lower backpressure would indicate less restriction like you said..

BIP are also good on low pressure drop.


Anyhow, two in series is fine for flow rate, but getting cool air into both is also really important.

On top of the case isn't actually the best place for cool air either, sunken into the bottom drawing cool air from the floor would be even better.

__________________
Flow Rate Estimator | Radiator Sizing Estimators

Martinm210

BIPs are good on low pressure drop, I would just avoid the sandwich like previously noted above...

__________________
Flow Rate Estimator | Radiator Sizing Estimators