[Gooserider]

sevisehda:
If I had to put a dual-core rad in a case(with enough clearence) right now... I'd cut openings in the bottom of the case, then put the rads on top. I'd then use the PS and system exaust fans to draw air out of the case. Air naturally would be sucked through the rad, so in essence the case itself would the shroud. The downside would be slighter warmer air inside the case but with efferything watercooled it wouldn't be that bad.

Either I'm misunderstanding you, or your idea has problems (possibly both ) If your rads are on the top of the case, and you have holes in the bottom, then convection is going to pull air in through the bottom. Your fans are also going to pull air through the bottom in preference to the more restrictive rad core - I would expect little or no airflow through the rad. The only way having a rad at the intake and fans at the exhaust will get airflow through the rad is if the case is otherwise sealed.

Looking at your post again, perhaps you were meaning to put the rads directly on top of the holes, in which case it would work if the case were otherwise sealed. However the previous posts were suggesting that you couldn't find a case with the clearances, which is why I was thinking about alternative designs.

Blackeagle:
Interesting disscussion. What about a bit differant approach. Set up the pump, res and rad in a external case of their own. This would allow you to design for a Xtreme sized rad.

Not a bad idea, and one that I've seen many times in different forms. As I see it the seperate box approach has advantages and disadvantages. It simplifies system design since you no longer have to figure out how to squeeze all the plumbing into a standard PC case (and possibly be forced to swapp cooling for compactness) It is also possible to locate the cooling box (and it's noise) away from the system. OTOH, it makes moving the system more of a headache, and possibly causes other problems with more complex plumbing.

I'd suggest looking at rad #2-192 in the heater core data base. 10.75" X 10.25" X 2" for the finned area.

Not bad, but if you want big, why not just go whole hog and get an actual car RADIATOR - say something from an old V-8 smogmobile...

A huge core that can handle about anything I can imagine a single system having, even TEC's on CPU & GPU.

I don't claim expertise on extreme / subambient cooling, but my understanding is that if one is using a TEC, etc. it is best if you use multiple independent circuits. The reason is that the different parts are operating at different temeprature ranges and you defeat the purpose if you mix the coolants.

And no messy cutting of tanks, just shorten the odd inlet & outlet tubes.

Good, but note that often the size of the intended hose connection is different from the size of the tubes coming out of the core. This isn't a big deal, but you need to be aware of it. Also if necessary, it is not that bad to add adapters to change the size or type of fittings coming out of the rad.

And this large of a rad would greatly reduce air flow resistence form your dual 120mm fans. Or perhaps some really large fans, 172mm push=>pull anyone? Small squirrel cage blower of 8-10" tall x 6-8" wide? And as long as you are going with a external case for max attempt at reaching ambient temps you will have room for a pump of any size you desire (Little Giant or Iwaki?).

Note that getting to ambient (w/o using pelts, or other radical cooling tech) is nearly an impossible goal, that you approach on an assymptotic curve - the closer you get, the harder you have to work, and you rapidly get into the diminishing returns zone. At the same time much of what you're mentioning is going to come with a major noise cost - IMHO this isn't acceptable, my objective is 'good enough' cooling with the lowest possible noise level. Going to larger pumps can also be self defeating as larger pumps will put more heat into the system. Get a big enough pump and your system will be doing more to cool the pump than it is to cool the CPU!

And the above rad has 5/8" inlet & outlets so you could also increase your line size to 5/8" as well for lower flow resistence in the lines. This could become a never ending spiral, eh? But if anything is going to come very close to ambient, this monster sure should! I intend to build something along these lines for my new system. The exterior cooling case will be elongated and open at both ends as a sort of wind tunnel. And with the cooling case elongated the puter case will sit on top of it. My water lines will go up through the puter case's floor. Rad will be 2-342 however and pump a Iwaki MD-15 & DIY custom res. IN my build one goal will be to maintain the lowest noise level I can.

This last proposal sounds more reasonable, and has a goal I'd agree with. (It also isn't far from my own system in terms of components.) The only thing I would be concerned about in terms of noise is your mention of having an opening on the front of your box. Openings let noise out, so you might consider how to muffle the front opening. Alternatively, consider doing a 'U' shaped box with both input and output at the back, or some other alternative. You might want to look at the Silent PC Review website for other ideas on building a quiet cooling box. (I like to go where the experts are, the folks here are great on cooling, but tend to be noisy. They are silent, but tend to be hot. I go here to learn about cooling, there to learn about silence, and get the best of both worlds....)

Gooserider