how much performance does an XD5 pump give

[DrKillo]

Hi all.

I've been reading the corsair forums for a long time, but this is the first time I've written, so excuse my English.

 

I am  creating the pc of my dreams (the fourth since I started in this) and despite having solved many of my doubts I still have some, mainly related to liquid cooling since it is my first time.

 

I still do not have all the components but in principle they would be:

 

Obsidian 1000d

Gigabyte x570 Master + WB EK PCH

R9 5950X + WB EK Momentum

Corsair Dominator Platinium 3200CL16 4x32

RTX3090 FE + EK Quantum Vector se

2 Corsair MP600PRO HydroX

2 rad Ek XE480 on P&P with QL120

 

Initially I wanted a complete Corsair system to manage RGB, fans and profiles with a single software, but researching I discovered the CPU block that included the VRMs and saw performance benchmarks between the corsair GPU blocks and the EKs for the FE.

Later I discovered the cables on eBay that facilitate the implementation of RGB with the icue system, so perfect on that side.

 

However, my big question comes regarding the performance of the water pumps. I've read a lot about the corsair XD5s being pretty quiet and haven't seen anyone complain, but I'm not sure it's powerful enough, also considering that if I get a chance to get a second 3090, maybe include one or two more radiators, also depending on whether one day I find the top tray of 2x4 120 fans… or do you think with a 420 radiator would be enough?

Do you think that a single XD5 pump is enough or would it be better to 2 in series or 2 separate loops or better another model from another manufacturer, taking into account that I seek silence as much as possible?

 

Thanks in advance

[DevBiker]

The XD5 is plenty to handle that.

There are plenty of folks with a single XD5, 4 radiators and blocks. Not an issue. You may need to increase the RPM a bit but it'll handle it.

Do you do single loop or dual loop? That's really up to you. There's no major need to at this point but when you add that second 3090 in there, it may be worth looking at to isolate the heat sources from each other. Just make sure that you design the fans and layout so you don't have the exhaust heat from one set of radiators being sucked into the second set of radiators.

[LeDoyen]

to be honest, it's not the noise that would trouble me or the pump flow, but the fact that the XD5 reservoir is so small for such a loop. it's a pain to fill big loops with a small reservoir 🙂 but it's a minor annoyance, you don't fill it everyday.

the XD5 has the same perfs as any D5 style pump, and since you are intending to use 60mm rads, they will be fairly low restriction compared to slim ones, so, waterflow should be good.

With one more GPU and one more rad, eeeh.. i guess if the GPUs are in parallel it shouldn't matter. All i know is the 3090 being hot as it is compared to the previous generation, it likes water flow. From my testing, below 100l/h, temps start to creep up. The D5 should be able to go well beyond that even with your potentially fully decked build, but the pump speed will need to be higher, so maybe it will be a bit more noisy but it's hard to predict.

D5 has some speed ranges that make more noise, like the typical 70-73% PWM, and other nuisances will be due to vibrations between the pump and the case, but it depends where it's mounted, what case..what speed etc.. very random. I think you'll really have to test and maybe change if necesary.

Just as an example, on my build i use only slim rads, high restriction. to keep the 3090 cool under load the pump accelerates to speeds that resonate in my case (66%pwm for some reason, it's an EK FLT 360). I recently swapped the pump to a DDC which is known to be whiny, but because of the higher head pressure i can run it much slower for the same flow, so in reality it's quieter for me.

All that to say, by the very nature of custom loop, what's good on paper may not be the best in reality.

[DrKillo]

In fact, if I see that I must add more radiators, the interest of obtaining the upper 2x4 tray is to take advantage of the two fans closest to the front to enter some fresh air. As you say, it is a matter of testing.

Regarding the pump, it is a shame that corsair does not have more models for sale.
I still have some parts missing, so I have time to think if I can put in one more deposit and if I finally decide on the XD5. In any case, as you said, if I add more radiators I would make two independent loops so I will need a second pump at some point.

Thank you guys very much, your advice is really enlightening!

[DevBiker]

Well ... let's be clear ... if you add more radiators,  you won't need to add a second pump or go dual loop. The XD5 will still handle it just fine. You may, however, want to have 2 loops for any number of valid reasons.

[Corsair HP]

You can add in a second pump if you want to lower the RPM. A custom cooled system really do not need THAT much flow to be highly efficient. I did 2 pump/res in my 7000D build, but you will have to be creative when filling a loop with two reservoirs. 

As DevBiker says, one will be plenty if you are OK with having it at 70+% power. If you want to go super low on the RPM, I would add in a second one.