2xBIPII or 1xBIPIII
 

Just like the title says. Going by what the manu claims the rads are capable of (KCal per hour and BTU per hour) 1 Black Ice Pro III will outperform 2 Black Ice Pro II's. However the 3 has 528 sq inchs of frontal area and the dual 2's have a combined area of 736 sq inchs. Which should perform better assuming the same loop and same fans same everything?

That doesn't seem to make sense, did they change their test conditions between the two?

They've changed their website since I've last looked (so it may be lurking somewhere) but I don't see any mention of air volume moving through the radiator - and I don't believe the old site design had any mention of the delta between ambient air and coolant (general thinking here at proforums was that they were using 30C or maybe 40 - which is appropriate when spec'ing radiators for hydronic heating, but not for PC cooling, where IMHO 2C to 4C is more appropriate).
On the bright side, they seem to have also dropped all mention of coolant flow ( it seemed to imply that you need a large coolant flow for a radiator to perform - and actually doesn't mean much at all). :)
All that said, these two models appear to be of the same construction, so, at best*, a III should be able to dump half again as much heat as a single II.
I'd just choose based on frontal area - and what fit in my case.

*at best because radiator efficiency is directly proportional to the delta between ambient and coolant and as you get a larger radiator your coolant temp goes down (good) but this also means the radiator becomes less efficient.
Also at best because as you add fans you (at least potentially) increase airflow - and airflow resistance in your case may become an issue.

what the difference should be can be quite easily understood from the ThermoChill data
and the performance as well
Cathar (I think) mentioned the HW Labs data was with a 40°C deltaT, divide as appropriate
- the flow rate is NOT trivial with large rads

With what I have planned I can actually fit both or even one of each but if the 3 works as good as claimed then I wanna make sure it is if not the one it is at least one of. Bill are you saying that the claims may very well be true. I want to drop HW an email, what information would be needed? Or what questions should I ask?

I suggest reading the ThermoChill article a sufficient number of times until you understand it
then you don't need to ask anything of anyone, myself included

start using your head

Are you talking about the drop in efficiency due to coolant, well, cooling as it travels through - or is there something else I've missed - and, yes I have read your thermochill review/analysis and thanks very much for it.
Bob

no Bob, the comment was directed at ps

there is some liquid side flow rate sensitivity, a BIG crossflow may not be optimum at all
or 2 big rads in parallel
'nother can o' worms opens up

Bill, I don't ask these questions because I am too lazy to look up the info, I ask because I genuinely don't get this stuff. Although it may be elementary school math it just does not click with me. I have tried and tried and I still don't know half of what you wrote in the article (which I am seeing for the first time BTW). So I would say that it seems as though a single 3 is ~30% better than a single 2, so dual 2 should be able to outperform a 3 inspite of what HW's numbers say. Thanks.

psychofunk

Then have a go at the first article

If you can understand the contrast between "Big Momma(F)" and "Surplus(E)" you have a better understanding than me.
I suggest* the "big Momma (F)" dP(air) v Flow curve is erroneous

* I cannot not model it

please avoid that first article, too many errors
Les, doubtless the data is off

Give him the corrected set of data. Then let him ask questions.

http://www.thermal-management-testin...issipation.htm

The first article highlights the important parameters
As such it is essential reading

Possibly does not withstand in depth analysis.
However it is "far above" any other(even in French)

Taken me 2 years to absorb.

oohh, even in the tongue of cooling masters ?
high praise indeed
lol

but, yes - pH likes it too
probably should clean it up, another day

Might have been useful to the "Lancashire Cotton mills" if Reynolds had not been in the district at the time