Swiftech Testing Questions

[Techmasta]

My friend was talking with Bill and Gabe at Swiftech and they said their radbox lowered temps by as much as 6c? I don't see how that's possible because it mounts on an exhaust fan on the back of the case. Unless it was changed to an intake wouldn't that push warm air through the radiator and increase temps?

And he said that their new kit uses a 120mm Black Ice radiator. According to Swiftech's extensive testing it's better than a heatercore? I've always thought that a heatercore was designed better than any Black Ice radiator. Wouldn't everyone be recommending and using Black Ice rads if that was true?

[Etacovda]

Originally Posted by Techmasta

My friend was talking with Bill and Gabe at Swiftech and they said their radbox lowered temps by as much as 6c? I don't see how that's possible because it mounts on an exhaust fan on the back of the case. Unless it was changed to an intake wouldn't that push warm air through the radiator and increase temps?

Could be in comparison to their old 80mm fan/rad design(?) could be totally wrong here though.

Originally Posted by Techmasta

And he said that their new kit uses a 120mm Black Ice radiator. According to Swiftech's extensive testing it's better than a heatercore? I've always thought that a heatercore was designed better than any Black Ice radiator. Wouldn't everyone be recommending and using Black Ice rads if that was true?

US heatercores are thick, and therefor requires more air pressure to function well. The blackice should work better at a lower noise level, because they need less air pressure (generally with axial fans resulting in less noise)

With standard axial fans, with 2" heatercores, I believe they start losing a lot of pressure due the restriction.

[Techmasta]

Yeah, he said that Swiftech says you just have to use the right fan with the Black Ice. I don't know what fan they use though.

[Techmasta]

Anyone else?

[BillA]

Techmasta
only when all have the same info, and no reluctance to use that info, will recommendations be consistent
(I have test data that others do not, my 'recommendations' are in fact the products Swiftech sells - if I do not like the performance I make a change)

Swiftech provides info on the products that we sell, but not on things sold by others
i.e. the BIX; we don't sell it - so I have nothing to say re an appropriate fan

we do sell the MCR120, aka BI Pro, and with that rad we put a Delta WFB1212M fan
(based largley on noise, not performance)

take another (better) look at the Radbox, outside case air is passed through the rad
- the gain from adding a Radbox will depend on the initial cooling capacity, adding this unit to a small WCing system can have a significant effect

pH should be putting up a most informative review shortly (temps, graphs, the WORKS)

[Techmasta]

Can you comment on your results if you have tested the MCR120 vs. a Dtek Procore or comparable heatercore?

I took another look at the radbox and I see how it doesn't draw heat from the inside of the case. Good idea and it sure solves the problem for people who don't want to mod their case. Unfortunately the pci pass-through only allows for 3/8" ID tubing.

I'm looking forward to pH's review. I've always liked Swiftechs products and if the MCW6002 looked a little more attractive I probably would buy one to replace this MCW642.

[BillA]

lol, well if 4 or 5°C can't induce you . . . . . .

"Swiftech provides info on the products that we sell, but not on things sold by others
i.e. the BIX; we don't sell it - so I have nothing to say re an appropriate fan"
for sure I've tested about everything, why should I assist another vendor who does no testing ?

EDIT: another interpretation of your question might be a request to know if the MCR120 was 'better' than another rad
- no can do, a rad's performance is a function of the conditions on both the liquid and air sides
air flow rate(s) ?
liquid flow rates ?
temp differential ?

I have stated clearly that thin rads are superior with lower speed/noise fans
- feel free to draw your own conclusions

[HammerSandwich]

Originally Posted by unregistered

I have stated clearly that thin rads are superior with lower speed/noise fans
- feel free to draw your own conclusions

Bill, I'm especially interested in low noise and started working with your TMT data after seeing the above several times. I am now well confused... Here's why.

I began by comparing the cooling of the Becooling 5x5 and the Big Momma since the airflows are damned near identical. Then I tossed in the 5x10, assuming that it doubles the 5x5's airflow for a given pressure drop. Here are the rough numbers I pulled from the graphs at 1 GPM:

         5x5          5x10    Big Momma
      CFM  BTUs   CFM  BTUs   CFM  BTUs
.015   20  290     40   600    20   450
.050   50  400    100   850    50   900
.150   90  510    180  1175    90  1500
.250  120  580    240  1350   120  1850

Your point about frontal area is justified easily; upgrading from 5x5 to 5x10 is A LOT better than pushing more air through the 5x5.

Now, thinness isn't so clear. While the 5x10 needs less fan and noise for a given airflow, the HC dumps more heat per CFM. And it looks like a double-120 HC could compete with or beat the 5x10, even in a low-airflow scenario. At the extreme, such a HC could get 30ish CFM with one undervolted fan, right?

Does my argument hold water? Are both the revised dissipation charts and the airflow charts correct? Did Phaestus distract me to much with all his talk of a porn site?

[BillA]

HS
mixed data, and all the ThermoChill data is on thick rads
have not tested a dual 120mm rad with plenum and a single fan, could be worthwhile for a low noise soln

I have tested thick vs. thin (limited types though)
only with a SHE or EHE fan will the thick do better for single 120mm rads

[HammerSandwich]

Yeah, I was afraid of a data problem. Thanks for the extra info, though.