Best watercooling solution for a Fractal Design Torrent

[thomasg]

Hi,

I plan on buying a Fractal Design Torrent case and want to integrate a CPU Alphacool watercooling solution in it.
I would like ton install the radiator on the front face and, as it's my first watercooling experiment, I would prefer not spending too much and be able to upgrade some elements or extend the kit in the future.
Ideally the front radiator would be a 180x360mm, but:
- there doesn't seem to exist a kit (AIO or DIY) with this size of radiator
- even the 180x360x30 radiator alone seems to be out of stock everywhere
I fear that the 420mm (3x140) would be difficult to integrate "the right way"... (apart from removing 1 fan which I would like to avoid).

So I need your advice; what would be the best solution at a moderate cost?

I thought about:
- Eisbaer or Eisbaer Aurora (is there a difference in performance?) in 280 or 360mm
- Eissturm Gaming Copper 30 3x120mm or 2x140mm

Thanks for your help

 

[Thomas_S]

Which CPU/socket do you want to cool?

In the end, you can choose from both variants.

With the Eisbaer, you get an AIO and can start right away after installation, as it is already pre-filled, among other things. The difference between Aurora/non-Auroa is simply the lack of aRGB LED lighting.

The Eissturm Gaming is a complete set that you still have to assemble and fill. Advantages would be that you could adjust tube lengths & tube paths even better here, for example.

If you have the space, I would recommend the 360mm radiator in both cases.

 

[thomasg]

Thanks for your answer.
It's for a socket 1200 Core i7.

No problem for me it I need to assemble and fill the system, si Eissturm vs Eisbaer is not a problem (and prices are not too different).
Plus, I was a bit worried that tube lenght in the Eisbear would be too short... but on the other hand, I am not sure where I could install the Eisstation in the Torrent case.

You confirm that a 2x180mm (360x180) kit doesn't exist? It would have been the "cleaner" solution...

I take good note about the 360mm radiator

Thanks again for your help.

 

[Thomas_S]

We do not have any radiators for 180mm in our range.

You have to measure how the radiator, cooler and fan fit into the case yourself. The data for the dimensions of the individual components are all available in the online shop as a download (Datasheed).

 

[thomasg]

I was thinking about this one:

Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 Full Copper 180mm Dual Radiator

Der weltweit bekannte Hersteller Alphacool ist aktuell der einzige Hersteller weltweit der bei allen wasserführenden Teilen auf reines Kupfer setzt. Die Vorkammern, Wasserkanäle und die Finnen sind alle aus reinem Kupfer. Dadurch bieten...

www.alphacool.com

... but it doesn't seems to be available soon and is not part of any kit if I'm right.

I'll check the datasheeet and compare with the case datasheet.

Thanks again Thomas !

 

[Xeph3r]

I don't think you'll find an AIO in the 180mm size, best route would either be picking a different case with more traditional fan mount sizes or going completely custom with it. Or just leaving the front 180mm fans alone and using the lower 140mm/120mm mounts only.

Obviously the decision comes down to you here - a completely custom loop is almost always worlds away when it comes to pricing vs any kind of AIO loop.

 

[Thomas_S]

I was thinking about this one:

Alphacool NexXxoS XT45 Full Copper 180mm Dual Radiator

Der weltweit bekannte Hersteller Alphacool ist aktuell der einzige Hersteller weltweit der bei allen wasserführenden Teilen auf reines Kupfer setzt. Die Vorkammern, Wasserkanäle und die Finnen sind alle aus reinem Kupfer. Dadurch bieten...

www.alphacool.com

... but it doesn't seems to be available soon and is not part of any kit if I'm right.

I'll check the datasheeet and compare with the case datasheet.

Thanks again Thomas !

I expressed myself wrong (miserable English ;-)) we have 180mm radiators, but not in connection with an AIO. You can only buy them individually. And the delivery time is very long at the moment. Have fun with the data sheets ;-)

 

[thomasg]

Thanks all for your help and advises.
I'll start with the Eissturm 360; it'll be a good start and a first foot in the custom world... I'll upgrade it later (if 360x180mm radiator comes back for example )

I'll try not to forget keeping you informed about the setup in this (particular) Fractal case.

Oh, by the way, which is the best way to mount the Eisstation on the vertical face (between motherboard and front fans) ?

 

[zhangbanger]

If you are familiar with the Fractal Torrent -

Will you be able to fit a Monsta 180mm Dual and a reservoir behind the 180mm front fans? I couldn't quite see the measurements from page 32 of the Fractal manual, but from other owners' feedback and your own experience, is there sufficient clearance? (at least 85mm, correct?)

 

[thomasg]

Hi,
Sorry but I didn't receive my Fractal Torrent yet... I'll measure it for you when it'll be here

 

[zhangbanger]

I just got my Torrent and measure. 85mm will intrude into the mounts for a reservoir. Any ideas and recommendations?

 

[thomasg]

Hi all,

Happy new watercooled year ?

I finished my setup with Fractal Torrent case and Eissturm 360mm watercooling kit.
Very happy with the result except one thing: the pump noise! I never would have thought that a waterpump could be so noisy, even when not fixed to the case, held horizontally... ?
I tried to add rubber gaskets to isolate more between the included silentblocks and the metal plate... with no luck.
Or is my Eisstation defective ? (which I'm begining to think as videos I find of this pump all seem very silent).

Apart from this disappointment, I'm very happy with the setup and the quality of Alphacool products and packaging.

My setup:
- Gigabyte Z590 AORUS ELITE AX
- Intel Core i7-11700K
- 64 GB (4x16) Crucial Ballistix RGB 3200 MHz
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX1660 OC
- 1 TB Samsung 980 Pro PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2
- FRACTAL DESIGN Torrent Black TG Dark Tint
- Alphacool Eissturm Gaming Copper 30 3x120mm
- Fractal Design Ion+ 2 860W Platinium

Assembly went well: the case is well thought and cable management is excellent (you have to take your time if you want to make things clean!).
Sadly, I had no choice but to remove the 2x180mm fans in order to fit the 360mm radiator. So I used the 3x120mm fans included in the kit.
Later I think I'll upgrade the radiator to a 360x180 one and put the (impressive! ???) 180mm Fractal fans. They look SOOOOO cool!

It took me 3 purges to manage to eliminate most of the air and avoid bubbles or water noise, but it's now perfect!

Temps seems good (CPU package is 28 to 30°C idle, 58 to 61 °C running OCCT stress test (small data set / normal).
I was a bit astonished that the CPU temperature rises immediately, but then it remains constant and lowers immediately when the test stops.

Here are some pictures...

 

[Xeph3r]

Hi all,

Happy new watercooled year ?

I finished my setup with Fractal Torrent case and Eissturm 360mm watercooling kit.
Very happy with the result except one thing: the pump noise! I never would have thought that a waterpump could be so noisy, even when not fixed to the case, held horizontally... ?
I tried to add rubber gaskets to isolate more between the included silentblocks and the metal plate... with no luck.
Or is my Eisstation defective ? (which I'm begining to think as videos I find of this pump all seem very silent).

Apart from this disappointment, I'm very happy with the setup and the quality of Alphacool products and packaging.

My setup:
- Gigabyte Z590 AORUS ELITE AX
- Intel Core i7-11700K
- 64 GB (4x16) Crucial Ballistix RGB 3200 MHz
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX1660 OC
- 1 TB Samsung 980 Pro PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2
- FRACTAL DESIGN Torrent Black TG Dark Tint
- Alphacool Eissturm Gaming Copper 30 3x120mm
- Fractal Design Ion+ 2 860W Platinium

Assembly went well: the case is well thought and cable management is excellent (you have to take your time if you want to make things clean!).
Sadly, I had no choice but to remove the 2x180mm fans in order to fit the 360mm radiator. So I used the 3x120mm fans included in the kit.
Later I think I'll upgrade the radiator to a 360x180 one and put the (impressive! ???) 180mm Fractal fans. They look SOOOOO cool!

It took me 3 purges to manage to eliminate most of the air and avoid bubbles or water noise, but it's now perfect!

Temps seems good (CPU package is 28 to 30°C idle, 58 to 61 °C running OCCT stress test (small data set / normal).
I was a bit astonished that the CPU temperature rises immediately, but then it remains constant and lowers immediately when the test stops.

Here are some pictures...


View attachment 3498View attachment 3499
View attachment 3501View attachment 3502
View attachment 3503View attachment 3504

Hey Thomas,

Congratz on the build, looks pretty nice! As for the pump noise, what RPM is your pump running at? If it's at 100% you can expect some noise but it definitely doesnt need to be 100%. Another possible cause is some air bubbles stuck at the pump, maybe try giving your case a quick shake if possible.

 

[thomasg]

Hey Thomas,

Congratz on the build, looks pretty nice! As for the pump noise, what RPM is your pump running at? If it's at 100% you can expect some noise but it definitely doesnt need to be 100%. Another possible cause is some air bubbles stuck at the pump, maybe try giving your case a quick shake if possible.

Hi Xeph3r,

Thank you very much for your comment!
The pump is running @ 3125 rpm, seems to be its nominal speed.
It's meant to be connected via Molex on 12v (yellow cable only). I could try to modify it, but not sure that's a good and viable idea... perhaps someone @alphacool could answer ?

However, I'm pretty sure that I've no bubble in the pump: I did 3 purges and between them I turned in every way and shaked the setup in order to make the air go at the highest point. The pump doesn't make any kind of rattling noise as when there is air stuck, but more a buzz comparable to the sound of a 5400 rpm HDD, a bit more noisy.

Hope I will manage to solve this because otherwise, the setup is really pretty silent!
??

 

[Xeph3r]

Hi Xeph3r,

Thank you very much for your comment!
The pump is running @ 3125 rpm, seems to be its nominal speed.
It's meant to be connected via Molex on 12v (yellow cable only). I could try to modify it, but not sure that's a good and viable idea... perhaps someone @alphacool could answer ?

However, I'm pretty sure that I've no bubble in the pump: I did 3 purges and between them I turned in every way and shaked the setup in order to make the air go at the highest point. The pump doesn't make any kind of rattling noise as when there is air stuck, but more a buzz comparable to the sound of a 5400 rpm HDD, a bit more noisy.

Hope I will manage to solve this because otherwise, the setup is really pretty silent!
??

So theres only a molex out from the pump? Hmm

There might be a dial on the pump itself you can turn with a screwdriver - that RPM feels a bit high to me especially for a loop that compact. I know for some of these smaller non-D5 pumps theres no reason to run them above 80% as they get much noisier and dont produce much more performance.

 

[thomasg]

Exact; only 1 molex wired on 12V (2 additional wires for speed report and led logo).
The specs for the DCC-1T pump (powering my Eisstation) give a possible voltage range between 6 and 13.2 V.
There doesn't seem to be any kind of speed variator on this pump however.

I could try to wire the molex for 7V... but I didn't dare as for now.

If someone @alphacool could confirm if my pump seems deffective or if I should try to undervolt it, it would be appreciated

Thanks Xeph3r, thanks all

 

[Eddy]

DDC-1T is a noisy pump at full speed and it vibrates then also quite nicely. Throttling and decoupling the reservoir help to reduce the noise considerably. The problem is also that the metal sheets of the mainboard trays are now extremely thin and therefore absorb every vibration and pass it on to the rest of the enclosure. It's like a resonance chamber.

 

[thomasg]

DDC-1T is a noisy pump at full speed and it vibrates then also quite nicely. Throttling and decoupling the reservoir help to reduce the noise considerably. The problem is also that the metal sheets of the mainboard trays are now extremely thin and therefore absorb every vibration and pass it on to the rest of the enclosure. It's like a resonance chamber.

Hi Eddy,

Thanks for this feedback.
I'm a bit confused: at some places it's stated that the pump included in my kit ( https://www.alphacool.com/shop/aios...issturm-gaming-copper-30-3x120mm-complete-kit ) is a DDC310, on other places it's stated as a DDC-1T.

The description of my kit, however, describes the pump as "extremely quiet"... that's why I'm a bit disappointed :
"Pump: DDC310
Alphacool has further optimised the classic DDC pump and with the DDC310 has launched a version that runs extremely quietly and in most cases does not require any further control. The DDC310 is a perfect compromise between performance and volume. It is strong enough to operate even larger water circuits, but remains so quiet that it is barely perceptible from a housing. The design is slightly more compact than that of the VPP755, which can result in an advantage in very narrow housings."

Moreover, there is no vibration transmitted from the pump/eisstation to the case (the included silentblocks play it's role and the noise is the same if I hold the pump in my hand).

Should I try at a lower voltage or is there a problem with my pump?

 

[Eddy]

Sorry my fault, its a DDC310. I was confused because the technical name of the DDC310 is 3.1 T-1 and the pump i spoked about is the normal 3.2 T-1. The DDC310 based on the 3.2 T-1 but it has lower rpm. Sorry for that.
Well, than forgett what i have written. The DDC310 is quiet but like all DDC pumps it vibrates. And the vibrations can generate massive noise in a casing. Ideally, you should record the noise as a short video or audio recording so that you can listen to it. Then you can also say more about what exactly it is.