What temp improvement should I expect going from 360mm AIO to a custom loop for 5950x?

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LGabrielPhoto

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Just wondering, what would be a realistic expectation going from a 360mm AIO to a custom loop for my 5950x?
Thanks
 
Depends.......what DO you expect? And if you're willing to shell out a bunch of cash and time to build one.

I have a 9900KF that runs at 83c full load 1.335v @ 5.2GHz, am I happy? Yes. Am I happy I paid so much damn money on the loop? No!

If it had hit 5.0GHz and used a Dark Rock Pro 4 cooler for $89.99 I would've been so happy too. Extra 200MHz for 5x the money I spent on the Loop instead of a DR4P?.......I regret it now.
 
Mmm...that is my concern too..looks like if I am not water cooling the GPU as well, its almost a waste to go with a custom loop.
 
Depends on your goal. In terms of pure performance, it's basically as follows:

AIOs tend to have pretty cheap block designs. That said, the difference is probably on the order of 10 C or less, and likely around 5.

The weaker pump of AIOs generally lead to less than ideal heat transfer. You might see a 2-5 C benefit from a watercooling loop with a stronger pump.

No advantage in the radiator as 360mm is more than enough surface area to make up for cheaper construction. If your fans are ramping up and becoming audible, a watercooling setup might net you a quieter system.

At best, you'll see a 15 C benefit and a quieter system in a CPU-only watercooled system. At worst, you'll see a 5 C benefit with no change in noise. A watercooling setup that will be better than your current AIO will cost you at minimum $500.
 
Aio or open loop cooling your gpu net you more bang for $.
Besides curbing bad game builds causing thermal shutdowns, I was getting 20c lower temps on a 1080ti.
 
Stick to good air cooling and get a high airflow case. It will be much cheaper in the long run.
 
Just wondering, what would be a realistic expectation going from a 360mm AIO to a custom loop for my 5950x?
Thanks

Here's the rub with custom loops. You want better performance? You gonna pay for every bit of the improvement...They're no different than "buying" more horsepower for your car/truck/van/scooter...

The level of performance you want is what's going to drive the price...so like the other poster said...What are your expectations?

I would recommend a soft-loop with a 360mm radiator (preferably a 40mm thick one rather than the 20mm ones in most kits.) That would take care of a CPU and video card.

Soft loop is what I wish I'd done. Not that hard loop wasn't fun to build but with every little upgrade you'll end up draining the system, removing half the parts, then re-building it for every upgrade...not something I relish doing now that the 5000 and 6000 series cous/video cards are here...
 
Here's the rub with custom loops. You want better performance? You gonna pay for every bit of the improvement...They're no different than "buying" more horsepower for your car/truck/van/scooter...

The level of performance you want is what's going to drive the price...so like the other poster said...What are your expectations?

I would recommend a soft-loop with a 360mm radiator (preferably a 40mm thick one rather than the 20mm ones in most kits.) That would take care of a CPU and video card.

Soft loop is what I wish I'd done. Not that hard loop wasn't fun to build but with every little upgrade you'll end up draining the system, removing half the parts, then re-building it for every upgrade...not something I relish doing now that the 5000 and 6000 series cous/video cards are here...
Those are very good points that are making reconsider staying with what I have been using for many years now instead.
Thanks for sharing!
 
Depends on your goal. In terms of pure performance, it's basically as follows:

AIOs tend to have pretty cheap block designs. That said, the difference is probably on the order of 10 C or less, and likely around 5.

The weaker pump of AIOs generally lead to less than ideal heat transfer. You might see a 2-5 C benefit from a watercooling loop with a stronger pump.

No advantage in the radiator as 360mm is more than enough surface area to make up for cheaper construction. If your fans are ramping up and becoming audible, a watercooling setup might net you a quieter system.

At best, you'll see a 15 C benefit and a quieter system in a CPU-only watercooled system. At worst, you'll see a 5 C benefit with no change in noise. A watercooling setup that will be better than your current AIO will cost you at minimum $500.
Yeah looks like i can use that money for much better upgrades or other things instead and it will be more wisely used.
Thanks for the info!
 
I would generally say that you should cool gpu and cpu with a custom loop. That being said I do think there are gains to be made from a custom loop. Once you have that loop in place it is easy to reuse and upgrade from that initial investment. If you buy a good radiator and decent fans, you can use those for years to come, simply changing tubing and fluid occasionally. A D5, once in place, should last many years and through many builds. I am not sure you can say that about an AIO. Your initial temps will, I agree, net you between 5 and 10 degree gains. However, a custom loop takes longer to reach max temps and, generally, can maintain those stable temps longer, resulting in higher sustained performance. Here is an example of what you would need to buy. It is well under $400, but there are no low quality or bad performing parts in there. Hope this helps inform your choice a bit.

https://www.performance-pcs.com/wat...ompression-fitting-black-thkn-3-8-b03-bk.html $30
https://www.performance-pcs.com/wat...10-3-8-id-ultra-clear-3m-9-8ft-retailbox.html $16
https://www.amazon.com/Aquacomputer...a0ac8&pd_rd_wg=rAiP3&pd_rd_i=B08FMTTC4V&psc=1 $152
https://www.performance-pcs.com/wat...ofile-radiator-black-carbon-n360gts-f2pb.html $63(WOW)
https://www.performance-pcs.com/wat...80-degree-water-cooling-accessory-bp-tmb.html $11
https://www.performance-pcs.com/wat...all-valve-silver-b-dv-cev2-b-dv-cev2-snb.html $13
https://www.performance-pcs.com/wat...erblock-amd-am4-v3-xspc-raystorm-amd-am4.html $53
https://www.amazon.com/PrimoChill-L...1&keywords=biocide&qid=1609278720&s=pc&sr=1-1 $16
https://www.newegg.com/arctic-cooling-acfan00119a-case-fan/p/N82E16835186209 $35 for 3(you can get these cheaper on amazon when in stock)
 
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His case can fit a 420
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hardwarela...082325?hash=item4db958bd15:g:IS0AAOSwhadf08My
I guess buy both of them if thermal capacity & low noise is important at the get go.

Soft fittings are plentiful used and rebuildable.

D5 pump I’d get new.

Older glass res are cheap:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/XSPX-Photo...125997?hash=item3b5439842d:g:pcQAAOSwwoRfx-sC

Cpu blocks are plentiful from budget $50 Bykski to $80 Heatkiller.

Soft tube he can always get inexpensively.

Dumping $140 on a Barrow gpu block, well that’s just a given sunk cost.

He can just use his existing fans to get started.
 
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OP should consider cooling his gpu as well if he went open loop as those workloads will benefit.
 
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