thin 420mm rad vs thick 360mm rad

[katiekitsune]

in my current build im working with a fractal design define S so i have a lot of options when it comes to radiators. i was wondering what would be the most effective radiator to mount in the top with the limitation that anything larger than 360mm would have to be thin.

 

[WYP]

I think a thicker 360mm radiator will serve you better than a thin 420mm rad.

This will give you more surface area for the radiators fins.

 

[JR23]

Frontal surface area has a more profound effect than thickness. Generally thicker radiators are lower fin density which can make them great for low RPM fans. Another consideration might be there is a lot less choice when it comes to static pressure optimized 140mm fans.

Either way isn't going to be a huge loss/gain, just go with whatever is neatest.

JR

 

[shambles1980]

more area is better than fatter.

 

[Asperatis]

what's already been said, the more surface area you get, the better. It outweighs the thickness of the rad. Difference in rad thickness won't give you huge performance boosts either, it's been proven multiple times already that rad thickness doesn't really matter. (it's what you do with it that does :lol

 

[katiekitsune]

alright so ill go with a 30mm 420 in the top and a 45mm 280 in the front since thickness doesnt change cooling performance

 

[Asperatis]

There's an excel file somewhere on my pc with a bunch of numbers in there with a reasonably good estimate of how much heat (W) is dissipated by certain rads. The numbers are for alphacool rads but I suppose they're roughly the same across the board for rads with the same dimensions. I'll have a look for it later today when I'm on my pc

 

[katiekitsune]

The numbers are for alphacool rads

I'm actually looking at using alphacool rads

 

[SuB]

You'd be better off going with 120mm based rads as there are far more options for static pressure fans at low rpms for 120mm

 

[katiekitsune]

im using FD venturi HP-14 pwm fans

 

[SuB]

im using FD venturi HP-14 pwm fans

They're for low restriction, they're not rad fans at all. You need more static pressure

 

[katiekitsune]

you're thinking of the HF-14's the HP line is static pressure optimized and gets around 2.3 mmH2O which would be more than enough for average density radiators.

 

[SuB]

Ah fair enough I googled and got a sheet with the wrong numbers on probably. *sigh*, it's too early!