musings on antec P180 as quiet watercooling case

Ruiner · 07-02-2005, 06:08 PM

SPCR has a great review visual walkthrough here: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article249-page4.html
It does well aircooled, and even did well with a passively cooled heatpipe on a Preshott ( http://www.silentpcreview.com/article251-page5.html ).

Looking at the case got my mind going for a WC project.

1. Isolate the rear portion of the PSU chamber so that the PSU is separate from the front lower case. It will only have to cool itself, which should keep the fan quiet.

2. Rip out the lower chamber fan and put a twin 120 radiator (BIP2 or HE120.2 or heatercore, with fans) there lengthwise (sitting vertically on one of its long sides) and duct airflow from the front opening, thru the rad, and out blow holes in the case side cover.

3. The pump could either sit in front of the PCI slots, assuming they are empty, or where the removable HDD bay is. (I put my HDD in a 5.5" enclosure anyway. A swiftech pump/bayres would work great too.

4. Use the top or rear 120mm fan for mobo and hdd airflow. Seal off the other one.

All the main heatsources are isolated from one another, and the fans are kept far from the front case openings where they would be easily heard. The PSU and rad in particular get fresh air without dumping heat to one another.

Any thoughts?

maxSaleen · 07-02-2005, 08:06 PM

Hmmm... What to do.

Personally I prefer that the HDs and the PSU stay in the same chamber. They are easy to cool and are fairly tolerant to high temperatures. One low speed 12cm fan at the front and one low speed 12cm fan at the back should be more than adequate. Modify the front HD cage to accept your 5.5" tray and you'd be good to go.

If you are going to run 3/8" get a Swiftech Bayres/pump combo. It will save space and is very efficeint. I'm running one myself. I'd rip out that extra HD tray in the top portion of the case and mount my radiator there. The area is porbably large enough to house a PA160 or a single HC. If you tear out a couple of the 5.5" bays you might fit a dual BIP up front.

If you go the PA160 route you could cool the top compartment with two 12cm fans. I'd fiddle with the rear and top mounts to get your best temperatures. If you go with an HC and decide to stack two fans, I'd use both 12cm exhaust fans. If you squeeze a dual BIP in there , I'd also use both 12cm exhaust fans.

To tally up the fans....

With a dual BIP you would have 6 12cm fans, as you would with a HC with a stacked fan arrangement. With a PA160 you would have 4 12cm fans. For low noise the latter would definately be your best option.

Ruiner · 07-03-2005, 06:55 AM

I'd rather keep the radiator by itself, rather than heat the air going to the (passive) chipset/mosfet sinks. Moving the 5.5 bays would be a lot of work I think. A BIP2 in the bottom and a single 120 exhaust up top would total only 3 120 fans, plus whatever the PSU had. With the PSU completely isolated, a passively cooled Phantom would probably function nicely, even under heavy power draw.

CYberDruid · 07-03-2005, 01:33 PM

I was studying that case with similar plans in mind the other night and see the radiator at the top back by the vent--maybe a fat core single 120. I have a production G4 coming from SwifTech and last night put together an aircooled Sonata for the wife--with a faness Heatlane Zen cpu cooler by Heat Tronics--really really quiet PC--the drives are louder than the single exhaust or PSU.

But the wierdness in the Sonata is the nonremovable baystructure where the Radiator would probably go. The P180 solves that with the chambered structure. I think the PSU and HDDs should live together in the lower chamber--at least for atarters. Great ideas above--makes me look at it from a different perspective--thanks

Voodoo Rufus · 07-06-2005, 02:27 PM

Where would you put a PA160 though? I was thinking of placing a BIP in the bottom section on the 120 mount, and have the pump mounted somewhere in the main chamber on the bottom. Dual BIPs looks to be a possibility as well, one in the main chamber and one in the lower.

Ruiner · 07-06-2005, 02:44 PM

The PSU cable routing issues that people are having would make dual rad mounting a chore. I don't think a pa160 would fit w/o serious modding.

SPCR did an updated review....very complete.

Mathelo · 07-31-2005, 12:03 PM

Any further musings on PA160 in the Antec P180? I've got everything I need to WC my system but i think I want to try a different case. First, because I have to keep my existing system operational while I put this all together and second because I want a quieter box than I currently have, the Antec SLK3000B.

It looks to me that the PA160 would fit in the lower front portion of the upper chamber with some modification.

I note a comment here from Ruiner that he'd prefer to have the rad isolated in the lower chamber and not venting into the box. I thought the tempeture delta from ambient on the rad was so small that this didn't make a meaningful difference. Am I missing something here?

Thanks

L

Mathelo · 07-31-2005, 12:23 PM

I also wonder if the door on the front of the P180 will hurt airflow to the PA160 if mounted in the upper chamber. I know there are vents but SPCRs review demonstrated airflow restriction.

Seems to me that the PA160 could be installed in the lower chamber with the intake from below and the exhaust either into the upper chamber or out the sides. My inclination is to exhaust it into the upper chamber to minimize the number of fans needed and to further muffle the noise (and possibly cool harddrives just above) but that is subject to this groups opinion on how that impacts temps in the main chamber.

L

RVWinkle · 08-06-2005, 01:51 PM

I initially wrote off this case due to the unconventional design but the more I think about it the more interesting it becomes. One of the coolest aspects is the flexibility in airflow configurations.

Based on my recent toying with the Lian Li 3077 case, I've come to the conclusion that massive front air intake causes too much noise which leads me to think that the dual 120's in the rear of the P180 could be used to great effect. I'm thinking of a simple configuration with minimal mod requirements and of course effective temperature control.

Howabout affixing the PA160 to the outside of the case at the rear 120mm hole and used as intake while the top 120 hole is set to exhaust?

This idea has led me to the thermal layout of motherboards. With the voltage regulators in the top left corner on most boards, the above configuration would be awesome. Unfortunately the board I have (and many others) is not ideal for this. The DFI NF4 has most of the mosfets on the right side of the board which would be most ideal for a case where the motherboard is installed upsideown where the front air intake blows right over the memory and fets, i.e. the V1000.

I expect this case to be capable of cooling most motherboards very effectively but it's not ideal for the DFI NF4 series.

brucoman · 08-06-2005, 04:56 PM

I have a PA160 & a P180 case

the rad will not fit in lower chamber, nor will it mount internally at the blowhole or rear fan mount

only way to mount it was to remove the lower 5 1/4 bay & upper 3 1/5 cage & rails...mounts very nice there

Ruiner · 08-06-2005, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brucoman

I have a PA160 & a P180 case

the rad will not fit in lower chamber, nor will it mount internally at the blowhole or rear fan mount

only way to mount it was to remove the lower 5 1/4 bay & upper 3 1/5 cage & rails...mounts very nice there

123456

pics?

brucoman · 08-06-2005, 09:32 PM

box at work, I am not
perhaps Monday

brucoman · 08-08-2005, 11:50 AM

sideways shot

Ruiner · 08-08-2005, 11:54 AM

links to pics broken. one link did come up in my email to a pic of someone.
check your [ img ] tags

Ruiner · 08-08-2005, 11:57 AM

Obviously, a radiator works best if it gets fresh air. How bad is dumping that hot air into the case (assuming decent ventilation)? I would think ideally, radiator exhaust would go straight out the case.

Mathelo · 08-08-2005, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brucoman

sideways shot

Why did you mount this in a push configuration? It looks like the Rad should fit against the case.

L

Voodoo Rufus · 08-08-2005, 12:42 PM

Did that require any modification of the front 120 mounts?

brucoman · 08-08-2005, 01:18 PM

@Mathelo/VR: fan mounts to original fan holes, no mod needed, was done in a push also to prevent air intake contention with lower chamber which is also an intake (across drives/pump/ps)

Ruiner · 08-08-2005, 02:39 PM

The lower chambers don't communicate with each other, why the worries?

One way to keep the rad fan 'pulling' would be to get a second shroud.
i.e. have one shrouded fan pulling, and the second bare shroud to mount the rad to the case opening.
Dangerden is selling bare shrouds now.

Otherwise, hack the front of the case to fit the 160 flush.

Mathelo · 08-08-2005, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brucoman

@Mathelo/VR: fan mounts to original fan holes, no mod needed, was done in a push also to prevent air intake contention with lower chamber which is also an intake (across drives/pump/ps)

Well either way, it looks like a perfect fit for this case.

Are those barbs BSP or did you retap? If BSP, where did you get them?

L

brucoman · 08-08-2005, 09:03 PM

BSP, from McMaster Carr (come in a 10 pack)

Mathelo · 08-08-2005, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brucoman

BSP, from McMaster Carr (come in a 10 pack)

Ah, but i don't need 10! :shrug:

L

brucoman · 08-09-2005, 07:06 AM

lol I have 8 extra, but they are cheap, perhaps $7 for 10 or so

Brians256 · 08-09-2005, 10:41 AM

Looks nice, brucoman. Going to put the pump on the floor of the upper chamber?

brucoman · 08-09-2005, 03:17 PM

pump on floor of lower chamber
bit more difficult routing tubing, but doing it anyway

07-02-2005, 06:08 PM	#1
Ruiner Cooling Savant Join Date: May 2003 Location: New Smyrna, FL Posts: 258	musings on antec P180 as quiet watercooling case SPCR has a great review visual walkthrough here: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article249-page4.html It does well aircooled, and even did well with a passively cooled heatpipe on a Preshott ( http://www.silentpcreview.com/article251-page5.html ). Looking at the case got my mind going for a WC project. 1. Isolate the rear portion of the PSU chamber so that the PSU is separate from the front lower case. It will only have to cool itself, which should keep the fan quiet. 2. Rip out the lower chamber fan and put a twin 120 radiator (BIP2 or HE120.2 or heatercore, with fans) there lengthwise (sitting vertically on one of its long sides) and duct airflow from the front opening, thru the rad, and out blow holes in the case side cover. 3. The pump could either sit in front of the PCI slots, assuming they are empty, or where the removable HDD bay is. (I put my HDD in a 5.5" enclosure anyway. A swiftech pump/bayres would work great too. 4. Use the top or rear 120mm fan for mobo and hdd airflow. Seal off the other one. All the main heatsources are isolated from one another, and the fans are kept far from the front case openings where they would be easily heard. The PSU and rad in particular get fresh air without dumping heat to one another. Any thoughts?

07-03-2005, 01:33 PM	#4
CYberDruid Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Blue Ridge Mountains Posts: 44	I was studying that case with similar plans in mind the other night and see the radiator at the top back by the vent--maybe a fat core single 120. I have a production G4 coming from SwifTech and last night put together an aircooled Sonata for the wife--with a faness Heatlane Zen cpu cooler by Heat Tronics--really really quiet PC--the drives are louder than the single exhaust or PSU. But the wierdness in the Sonata is the nonremovable baystructure where the Radiator would probably go. The P180 solves that with the chambered structure. I think the PSU and HDDs should live together in the lower chamber--at least for atarters. Great ideas above--makes me look at it from a different perspective--thanks __________________ Electronics are prefilled with factory smoke--if the smoke gets out they stop working--So Don't Let The Smoke Out!

08-08-2005, 11:50 AM	#13
brucoman Cooling Savant Join Date: May 2003 Location: Midwest Posts: 157	sideways shot Last edited by brucoman; 08-08-2005 at 12:11 PM.

07-02-2005, 08:06 PM	#2
maxSaleen Cooling Savant Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Orlando, Florida Posts: 383	Hmmm... What to do. Personally I prefer that the HDs and the PSU stay in the same chamber. They are easy to cool and are fairly tolerant to high temperatures. One low speed 12cm fan at the front and one low speed 12cm fan at the back should be more than adequate. Modify the front HD cage to accept your 5.5" tray and you'd be good to go. If you are going to run 3/8" get a Swiftech Bayres/pump combo. It will save space and is very efficeint. I'm running one myself. I'd rip out that extra HD tray in the top portion of the case and mount my radiator there. The area is porbably large enough to house a PA160 or a single HC. If you tear out a couple of the 5.5" bays you might fit a dual BIP up front. If you go the PA160 route you could cool the top compartment with two 12cm fans. I'd fiddle with the rear and top mounts to get your best temperatures. If you go with an HC and decide to stack two fans, I'd use both 12cm exhaust fans. If you squeeze a dual BIP in there , I'd also use both 12cm exhaust fans. To tally up the fans.... With a dual BIP you would have 6 12cm fans, as you would with a HC with a stacked fan arrangement. With a PA160 you would have 4 12cm fans. For low noise the latter would definately be your best option.

07-03-2005, 06:55 AM	#3
Ruiner Cooling Savant Join Date: May 2003 Location: New Smyrna, FL Posts: 258	I'd rather keep the radiator by itself, rather than heat the air going to the (passive) chipset/mosfet sinks. Moving the 5.5 bays would be a lot of work I think. A BIP2 in the bottom and a single 120 exhaust up top would total only 3 120 fans, plus whatever the PSU had. With the PSU completely isolated, a passively cooled Phantom would probably function nicely, even under heavy power draw.

07-06-2005, 02:27 PM	#5
Voodoo Rufus Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Hollister, CA Posts: 44	Where would you put a PA160 though? I was thinking of placing a BIP in the bottom section on the 120 mount, and have the pump mounted somewhere in the main chamber on the bottom. Dual BIPs looks to be a possibility as well, one in the main chamber and one in the lower.

07-06-2005, 02:44 PM	#6
Ruiner Cooling Savant Join Date: May 2003 Location: New Smyrna, FL Posts: 258	The PSU cable routing issues that people are having would make dual rad mounting a chore. I don't think a pa160 would fit w/o serious modding. SPCR did an updated review....very complete.

07-31-2005, 12:03 PM	#7
Mathelo Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Connecticut Posts: 63	Any further musings on PA160 in the Antec P180? I've got everything I need to WC my system but i think I want to try a different case. First, because I have to keep my existing system operational while I put this all together and second because I want a quieter box than I currently have, the Antec SLK3000B. It looks to me that the PA160 would fit in the lower front portion of the upper chamber with some modification. I note a comment here from Ruiner that he'd prefer to have the rad isolated in the lower chamber and not venting into the box. I thought the tempeture delta from ambient on the rad was so small that this didn't make a meaningful difference. Am I missing something here? Thanks L

07-31-2005, 12:23 PM	#8
Mathelo Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Connecticut Posts: 63	I also wonder if the door on the front of the P180 will hurt airflow to the PA160 if mounted in the upper chamber. I know there are vents but SPCRs review demonstrated airflow restriction. Seems to me that the PA160 could be installed in the lower chamber with the intake from below and the exhaust either into the upper chamber or out the sides. My inclination is to exhaust it into the upper chamber to minimize the number of fans needed and to further muffle the noise (and possibly cool harddrives just above) but that is subject to this groups opinion on how that impacts temps in the main chamber. L

08-06-2005, 01:51 PM	#9
RVWinkle Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Richmond Posts: 13	I initially wrote off this case due to the unconventional design but the more I think about it the more interesting it becomes. One of the coolest aspects is the flexibility in airflow configurations. Based on my recent toying with the Lian Li 3077 case, I've come to the conclusion that massive front air intake causes too much noise which leads me to think that the dual 120's in the rear of the P180 could be used to great effect. I'm thinking of a simple configuration with minimal mod requirements and of course effective temperature control. Howabout affixing the PA160 to the outside of the case at the rear 120mm hole and used as intake while the top 120 hole is set to exhaust? This idea has led me to the thermal layout of motherboards. With the voltage regulators in the top left corner on most boards, the above configuration would be awesome. Unfortunately the board I have (and many others) is not ideal for this. The DFI NF4 has most of the mosfets on the right side of the board which would be most ideal for a case where the motherboard is installed upsideown where the front air intake blows right over the memory and fets, i.e. the V1000. I expect this case to be capable of cooling most motherboards very effectively but it's not ideal for the DFI NF4 series.

08-06-2005, 04:56 PM	#10
brucoman Cooling Savant Join Date: May 2003 Location: Midwest Posts: 157	I have a PA160 & a P180 case the rad will not fit in lower chamber, nor will it mount internally at the blowhole or rear fan mount only way to mount it was to remove the lower 5 1/4 bay & upper 3 1/5 cage & rails...mounts very nice there

08-06-2005, 09:32 PM	#12
brucoman Cooling Savant Join Date: May 2003 Location: Midwest Posts: 157	box at work, I am not perhaps Monday

08-08-2005, 11:54 AM	#14
Ruiner Cooling Savant Join Date: May 2003 Location: New Smyrna, FL Posts: 258	links to pics broken. one link did come up in my email to a pic of someone. check your [ img ] tags

08-08-2005, 11:57 AM	#15
Ruiner Cooling Savant Join Date: May 2003 Location: New Smyrna, FL Posts: 258	Obviously, a radiator works best if it gets fresh air. How bad is dumping that hot air into the case (assuming decent ventilation)? I would think ideally, radiator exhaust would go straight out the case.

08-08-2005, 12:42 PM	#17
Voodoo Rufus Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Hollister, CA Posts: 44	Did that require any modification of the front 120 mounts?

08-08-2005, 01:18 PM	#18
brucoman Cooling Savant Join Date: May 2003 Location: Midwest Posts: 157	@Mathelo/VR: fan mounts to original fan holes, no mod needed, was done in a push also to prevent air intake contention with lower chamber which is also an intake (across drives/pump/ps)

08-08-2005, 02:39 PM	#19
Ruiner Cooling Savant Join Date: May 2003 Location: New Smyrna, FL Posts: 258	The lower chambers don't communicate with each other, why the worries? One way to keep the rad fan 'pulling' would be to get a second shroud. i.e. have one shrouded fan pulling, and the second bare shroud to mount the rad to the case opening. Dangerden is selling bare shrouds now. Otherwise, hack the front of the case to fit the 160 flush.

08-08-2005, 09:03 PM	#21
brucoman Cooling Savant Join Date: May 2003 Location: Midwest Posts: 157	BSP, from McMaster Carr (come in a 10 pack)

08-09-2005, 07:06 AM	#23
brucoman Cooling Savant Join Date: May 2003 Location: Midwest Posts: 157	lol I have 8 extra, but they are cheap, perhaps $7 for 10 or so

08-09-2005, 10:41 AM	#24
Brians256 Pro/Staff Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Klamath Falls, OR Posts: 1,439	Looks nice, brucoman. Going to put the pump on the floor of the upper chamber?

08-09-2005, 03:17 PM	#25
brucoman Cooling Savant Join Date: May 2003 Location: Midwest Posts: 157	pump on floor of lower chamber bit more difficult routing tubing, but doing it anyway

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