GUIDE: Mounting the PA160 in a PC61 - 56k beware
 

As we're all aware, the new ThermoChill PA160 rad doesn't conform to previous "standard" dimensions of Built-for-PC Watercooling Radiators. In fact, it's a tad large... HOWEVER... it's size was partially chosen as more or less every case on the market is 160mm wide or more, so either way it should go in one way or another. We decided to demonstrate this by squidging it into a LianLi PC61!!

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100045.jpg


The PC6x range is one of the nicer compact MidiTower cases... lightweight... not overly expensive, with staggering build quality...

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100046.jpg

First job, remove the drive cages. The front cage can be removed by undoing the 3x thumbscrews and sliding it out. The bottom drive cage - just drill out the 4x rivets for the tray and out it pops...

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100047.jpg

Now, on the front panel we have 3x simple cuts. Dremel time. The hole left behind by the removeable HDD Cage is rectangular. Simply follow it's two sides down into the 80mm fan blowholes... and then a single cut across the bottom of the two blowholes to make them into one single hole... cut along the pink lines!

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100048.jpg

A few minutes of dental-drill noise later...

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100052.jpg

Now, on the rear of the inner face of the chassis, we unfortunately have some sticky-out items... namely the on/off switch and reser switch, and activity LEDs... this prevents us mounting the PA160 directly onto the case...

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100051.jpg

But all is not lost... the ThermoChill PA160 mounting kit adds additional mounting points. Combined with an antivibration pump mounting kit, this gives us the standoff we require...

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100049.jpg

Attach the wings to the sides of the rad, and the antivibe kit to the wings, and then go round the outer edge with the sealing foam provided with the mounting kit. (Note, I did this fairly quickly... it'll look as neat as you choose to make it look...)

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100050.jpg

Now, to aid mounting, we need some holes. 4mm Drill bit...
From the bottom left mounting hole of the front left 80mm blowhole, measure straight up from the center of the screw hole 149mm, and make a mark, then measure horizontally from this mark 144mm, and make another mark. Drill both these out with a 4mm drill...

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100054.jpg

Slide the rad into place...

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100055.jpg

Note the bottom left antivibe mount in the lower left blowhole screwhole, and the lower right mounting point bend to sit on the lip of the righthand blowhole (there isn't enough metal to drill a proper mount here)

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100056.jpg

Secure with supplied nut and washer... on the bottom right mount, the washer and nut should clamp onto the lip of the blowhole. The radiator is now held in place solidly by 3 corners, and is clamped / resting on the 4th. This is nothing to worry about, and is still a very sturdy mount.

Seal round the edges and any gaps with any leftover sealing foam. Voila! Rad mounted!

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100059.jpg

Now, you could stop there and call the job done... but the LianLi's front 3.5" blanking panels are attached to the removeable caddy, leaving an unsightly hole...

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100060.jpg
(Apols for poor pic quality)

There are several options... if you window-modded your case you may have some matching ali left to make a square panel and suspend behind the hole with double-sided tape... or you could cut a square of perforated ali sheet instead...

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100061.jpg

Personally, I prefer the proper approach. Take the removeable caddy, masking tape around the inner front lip, measure in 12mm (0.5") and draw a line all the way round...

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100063.jpg

Take your dremel, and cut!

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100064.jpg

And voila!!

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100065.jpg

Rad mounted, front blanking plates still attached!

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100066.jpg

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100067.jpg

This now leaves you with all 4x 5.25" bays free, for any combination of HDDs (in 5.25" adapters) and CD devices (eg: 2x CD / DVD Drives, 2x HDDs in 3.5 > 5.25 adapters, a Matrix Orbital in front of one HDD, a FanBus in front of the other HDD...

Or, alternately, recycle the bits you have left... the part that you sliced off the removeable HDD cage can be remounted into the bsae of the case with 4x screws, to give you back 3x 3.5" HDD Bays conveniently positioned in an airflow path...

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100068.jpg

Done n' dusted!

That looks so good I want to do that.

What's the price of the case, the rad and all the extra rad bits that you used in this setup? (obviously not tool costs)

Case - ~ £80 exc VAT
Rad - £46 exc VAT
Rad Mounting Wings Kit - £9.99 exc VAT (available within next few days)

A fine mounting guide, Marci, but I have serious reservations about mounting the lowest-restriction rad available behind that bezel. My PC-60 has 200 4.2mm intake holes, which is the equivalent of a single 60mm-diameter hole. Seems to negate using a PA160 in the first place.

I'm not vouching for performance, just demonstrating the ease of fitting the rad in a regular Midi-Tower sized case... it's ultimately the end-users choice of which case to fit it in.... this is solely for a mounting example. Nothing stopping the enduser modifying the front panel for greater air intake... everyone kept asking for pix of the rad fitted in a case / how easy is it to fit in X case vs Y case etc... only way to demonstrate is do it and post the pix.

As it goes, I'm custom designing a PC Case specifically for the ThermoChill range at the mo anyways... but it's a long way off release... not reached prototype yet.... still messin in Autocad...

EDIT: That & cutting a 160mm hole in the front of the case isn't really viable whilst no grill exists to cover that hole... which is something ELSE I'm working on...

Yep a 160mm mesh filter would be handy.

Damnit :cry: How long before it's in production, aluminium and £50? Unrealistic, I know, but I'd love to have this case some time in late July, early August ;) Would definitely pay more than £50 for it as well :dome:

I assume that this would come about quicker. How long? ;) Not that I'm impatient or pushy you understand ;)

Timescale for the case - 2006.
Timescale for the grills - end of summer 2005.

nice post! wish i had that combo!

A pump mounting example....

Dual CSP-MAG...

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100069.jpg

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100070.jpg

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/llpc...0/S4100071.jpg

Still plenty of clearance for SLI setup, doesn't foul mobo, retains 3x 3.5" bays. Alternatively, remove 3x 3.5" bays and use D4 / 1250 / 1048 etc.

Lianli are the widest cases I know of, iirc both around 207mm wide.
For a rad this wide I would put it like this but requires cutting the bottom.

Both ways are good though. Ill be fitting a XSPC 120.3 in a thermaltake case sometime this week. I havent meausred it up yet but I think it would only fit along the bottom.

Marci is the p160 compareable to bigger rads, for example a 120.3? I know it is designed for low noise fans so to compare the 120.3 would have to have 3 lower-niose fans to get a fair comparason of performance/noise... if that makes sence..

See thermochill.com for C/W figures, then compare those to C/W ratings for the HE Series as quoted on the relevant product page.

When we going to see these stateside, Marci? Can't wait to get my hands on one. Sweet setup with the mags, BTW.

DangerDen have stocks en-route.... they just haven't put them on their website yet.

You mean like the one they sent me that is in my basement?
 

Guess what my weekend project is :evilaugh:

Just call em up and ask!

(I'm wimping out and using a Panaflo M for now, just feel too lazy/busy to design a new shroud for my Papst 150mm).
Pics when round one is done.

I cant find any mounting wing kits, a link possibly?

Oh does anyone know a 1/2 chipset block that fits the DFI? I found 3/8 but no 1/2!

still seems to be "coming soon" atm
http://store.over-clock.com/ThermoChill.html

Waiting for antivibe mounting studs to arrive for em...

Marci,
Do you plan to manufacture the PA160.1 with 1/4 fittings, for the European consumers?

Its currently on 1/2BSP, simply buy adaptors from Thorite or similar?
Or am I missing something?

Cheers,
Sam C

Er, nope... we've been selling to Europe as ThermoChill for 4 years now and have ALWAYS used 3/8" BSP threaded fittings. To reduce the collar size to 1/4" would be pointless when you can just go and buy whatever fittings you need with a 3/8" thread, or just get a 3/8" > 1/4" thread reducer, allowing the best of both worlds. 1/4" fittings are simply too restrictive for use in a 1/2" ID tube setup, hence most folks on 1/2" ID Tubing moved away from the Euro manufacturers and over to the US Manufacturers.

I LOVE the 3/8" fittings Marci. I'm one of the oddballs who prefers 5/8"OD hosebarbs (for true 1/2" ID) on rads and pumps. The Thermochill rads make me happy on that front. For the HWLabs rads I'm stuck with instead going with the pipe connection instead of the 1/4" threaded versions for a bigger id.

I'd love to start using the 9/16 HiFlow fittings that DangerDen now use on their blocks... but to make that kinda of change across the full range of rads is too dramatic... still working on stocks of 7/16" Tygon this end to sit nicely with current 1/2" fittings...

Just got me stock of D5's.... off to play...!