Included in our kit was the XSPC RS360 radiator. XSPC make a variety of kits, most of which come with either a 240 size or 360 size (double or triple 120mm fans). Their are also two radiator thickness sizes available, the RX which is 58.5mm thick or the RS (included in our kit) which is a little slimmer at 35mm thick. The dimensions of the RS360 are: 121x35x397mm (WxDxH).
The general rule of thumb with radiators is that the bigger the surface area, the better it will be at dissipating heat. While this is true when all things are equal, a thin rad with a high FPI (fins per inch) can sometimes perform better but will need a very high speed/high CFM rad which equates to a lot of noise. The trade off is that the thin rad will fit in most systems whereas a thick rad will not. In short, it is not just the thickness of the radiator that needs to be considered but also the fin spacing on that radiator.
The FPI on our radiator is around the 15 FPI mark which is perhaps a little lower than expected for the 'thin' radiator. Perhaps XSPC are looking for the best balance between noise and performance?
There is 1 row of 11 flattened tubes in the radiator, each measuring 1.9mm in thickness. There are two plugs that prevent unwated material from entering the radiator and while welding flux is no longer user in radiator construction, it is still good practice to rinse the radiator out prior to use with clean, distilled water to ensure no fragments are inside which could later cause a blockage and lower performance.
The radiators is primarily made from copper but as you can see from the picture above, it has brass inserts in the plenum chamber of G1/4 sizing which is pretty much the standard fitment these days.
The fan spacing on the RS360 is 15mm which again, is the standard held by most, if not all manufacturers today. Fans can also be mounted on both sides of the radiator in a push/pull orientation. As there are only 3 fans included in our package, that is all we shall use. As the above picture shows, the fans will be used in a 'push' orientation (pushing air through the radiator).
