Radiator TDP / General Advice

[RFNS13]

Hi there!

My current hardware is an overclocked i5 8600k and a RTX 3070, both watercooled... but poorly. During summer, as I live in a hot place with no a/c, ambient temps are normally around 32-35º (ºC), and my case is only fitted with a 240x120x25 radiator. Due to enclosed desk space (Ikea...), my best results are with an inverted airflow: top intake via 2x120mm filtered fans and front exhaust through the radiator. If I flip the fans around to their "normal" position, my nvme drive - for example - gets up to a constant 70+ ºC, which is unacceptable. With my current setup, typical temperatures while gaming are as shown on the screenshot below.... not bad per hardware specs, but somewhat disappointing for an watercooled system.

Now... I'm planning to upgrade my cpu to a 12700 (non-K) soon, on a motherboard running the 125w pl1 specs, which stands for a little lower cpu tdp, as my current i5 can draw up to 150w under full avx load. That along the 180w tdp of the 3070, leaves me with a total of around 305w of heat to dissipate (330w with current cpu). I have either the option to fit a second 240x120x25 radiator, which by the old rule of thumb "100w per 120 radiator space" (but let's call it 90, due to low fan speed) should be enough, or..... I have a pending deal on an used case that fits a 360x180x45 XT45 (this!) inside, along with 3x 140mm fans, which would be used for intake. However, i can't find any specific info on this radiator tdp, so I can't figure out what option would be best for me, all things considered: warm ambient temp, hardware specs, space constraints and airflow path to get around them....

What are your thoughts on this?

 

[RFNS13]

For those wondering about that 'inverted airflow' I mentioned, here's why I have it set up like that (sorry for the dust, shame on me).

If I set the top fans as exhaust, like one would normally would, the hot air would be trapped on the desk itself, which is right up against the wall on the back, making it basically a rgb oven... lol! So I placed them as intake, catching fresh air from the top gap, and the radiator fans expelling to the front and away from the system. It works, trust me! The only issue with this is dust, so I usually vacuum the top filter every once in a week, and that keeps it under control inside the case.
If I end up switching the pc case, the subwoofer and shelf would have to be removed and the airflow path would be 3x140mm filtered fans as bottom intake and 2x180mm front exhaust through rad

 

[RFNS13]

Anyone....?

 

[Thomas_S]

Hi, I think your temperatures are great for the setup & in view of the fact that you cool everything with only one 240mm radiator! If you want to achieve more cooling performance, then of course more cooling surface by adding another radiator & fans (if the space is available). All recommendations are of course difficult without knowing your system. A few pictures would be helpful ;-)