The best case for water-cooling?

Metzen · 10-04-2004, 03:06 AM

Hi,

I'm going to modify a case to try to be one of the best water-cooling cases and I'm looking for some input on whether my ideas are good or bad. I'm very new into the water-cooling scene and have been lurking on these forums picking up pieces here and there as I go, so I'm very much a junior when it comes to this stuff.

Anyways, I've been looking at cases that are friendly to water-cooling and DIY'er's (or with a little modding could become greatly friendly) and would like some input from the guys who now this stuff

To start, I've used a water-cooling system in a very low-flow air case with very little air intakes (2 x 80mm fans) and very little air out-takes (2 x 80mm fans, case has been modded for this) with two 80mm radiators on the intakes. The intakes themselves are limited by the surface area of the intake "hole" which is smaller than the total surface area of the two rad's + fans. Obviously, this has not been great for feeding air to the rad's fans and hurts the potential cooling performance to some degree, about 2-5C whether idle or under load. The load has been measured by removing the air-intake barrier and running the case with the door off (which seems to improve air-flow?). The water-cooling system used is the SwiftTech H20-80 (original with fill-and-bleed) with two 80mm rad's and a VGA cooler.

This case has not been the most specatular it seems and required a fair bit of modding and it is still underwhelming in terms of performance. So, when looking for a new case, I've decided on the Lian Li PCV-1000. The modifications I've made to this case are:

1) Removed the bottom left hard-drive rack so the pump can fit there
2) Removed the floppy bay and bottom 5 1/2in bay to allow for a 120x240mm radiator setup

The 12x24 rad's will go in the front of the case, which is a much, much more higher air-flow case because of perforated design. The case will be cooling the same components the old one did (with maybe a second video card or processor). The cooling kit I plan to be using is the H20 220 R2 kit from SwiftTech with a VGA cooler.

So... What does everyone think?

MaxxxRacer · 10-04-2004, 04:13 AM

I predict this is gonna be one hell of a mess of a thread...

ferdb · 10-04-2004, 12:08 PM

Check out the Chenbro SR104 Genie case. The hard drive rack is placed up in the back near the P/S (which is flipped on it's side). This leaves the bottom front of the case free to put in a 120x240 radiator with fans easily (you can cut out the grill there too to improve airflow). The rear of the case has space for a 120 exhaust fan and a 90 exhaust fan (which cools the hard drives). You can even add 1 or 2 more 80mm fans above the card slots if you want to cut the holes. This leaves you with four 5/14" slots and one 3 1/2" slot in the front, and five 3 1/2" slots in the internal cage (6 if you push it). It's a nice layout with lots of room.

bobkoure · 10-04-2004, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ferdb

Check out the Chenbro SR104 Genie case. The hard drive rack is placed up in the back near the P/S (which is flipped on it's side).

Do you have a SR 104?
How much room is there between the "underside" of the PS (now pointed at the hard drives) and the drive cage? I'm asking because I'm using Seasonic "Tornado" PSs - 120mm fan on the PS "underside" (really nice PSs, quiet, high efficiency, high apparent-to-actual power ratio). Seasonic does make a similar PS with the fan in the "usual" place, which is only slightly louder - but it is louder...

Jag · 10-04-2004, 04:30 PM

I would go for the LIAN LI PC-6077B case with 9 modular 5.25" bays.
Has more flexibility than the PCV-1000.

MaxxxRacer · 10-04-2004, 06:14 PM

The pc-v1000 is great for water cooling from what alot of people say, but only if u have a small pump such as the mcp650 or the dange den d4 (same thing). As well u need to have a small rad. A single 120mm rad would the optimal for that case as it can either be attached where the hd rack is (have to remove one rack) or off the back of the case where there is that 120mm fan.

but for large pumps such as the iwakis or the larger eheims, along with a dual heatercore the case is limiting without some serious modification. I tried to think of a way to setup my current water cooling setup in the pcv100 and even the 2000 and i couldnt get it to work. The way it is setup is just not friendly to the larger water cooling gear imo.

Now actually reading your post, and seeing ur setup, I suppose it will work, but you dont need to put the pump down there. u can sit it next to the mobo. right to the left of it. it will shorten up your tubing alot. As far as the rad placement, im not fond of the way u plan to d it becaues u will be fuxxored if u want ot add any cd rom drives or if u need to use a floppy. and there will be a day when u need to.

moosturdsoed25 · 10-04-2004, 09:42 PM

Are you using the Black Ice Micro? They are thicker than the alternatives and the performance is better.

bobkoure · 10-04-2004, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moosturdsoed25

Are you using the Black Ice Micro? They are thicker than the alternatives and the performance is better.

Hmmm... care to mention which "alternatives" you're referring to?

HammerSandwich · 10-05-2004, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobkoure

How much room is there between the "underside" of the PS (now pointed at the hard drives) and the drive cage?

Not much - that's why I put a Super Silencer in my SR-104. Probably the best way to use a 120mm PSU would be with Coolcase's HD cage mod, though I haven't tried that yet. Agreed that the Super Tornado is quieter, but I'd probably refan the SS instead for use in a Genie.

ferdb · 10-05-2004, 10:01 AM

I have an SR104. The case is wider than a typical midtower at almost 9 inches. If you have a supply with a bottom fan on it there is 5/8" clearance between that fan and the side of the case for airflow (that's the default mounting) however you can flip the supply over and the bottom fan will be facing the drive cage. There is about 3/8" spacing between the supply and the drive cage and the cage has about 40 1/2" holes on each side for ventilation. You can easily cut more slots in it if you want it to be even more open. There is no problem with ventilation with bottom fan type PS. Here is a URL with details and pictures. click on the pics and links for more details.

http://www.coolcases.com/cases/sr104_m_p1.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobkoure

Do you have a SR 104?
How much room is there between the "underside" of the PS (now pointed at the hard drives) and the drive cage? I'm asking because I'm using Seasonic "Tornado" PSs - 120mm fan on the PS "underside" (really nice PSs, quiet, high efficiency, high apparent-to-actual power ratio). Seasonic does make a similar PS with the fan in the "usual" place, which is only slightly louder - but it is louder...

Metzen · 10-07-2004, 02:31 AM

Here are the modifications done to the PVC-1000... Removing the hard drive bays on the left allows for a fair sized pump, dual pump or just lots of room for future growth. Removing the last optical drive bay allows for a 120x240mm Rad, no worries about a floppy, we can fill one of the three bays with a 5 1/2 -> 3 1/4 adapter, leaving two bays for optical drives. This case is not huge, but not small (unlike the other PVC models) and has plenty of space for all cooling requirements.

What does everyone think?

MaxxxRacer · 10-07-2004, 02:46 AM

I got all 5 of my 5 and 1/2inch bays filled... So that setup would suck for me. but its an interestin idea. And where the hell would u put ur hds. the racks are all taken out...

Check out my thread on the pc-70. Im gonna get it for my watercooling setup. For big watercooling setups is the nicest case you can get. Absolutely beautiful and big enough to fit anything u want in there.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...328#post557328

Metzen · 10-07-2004, 02:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaxxxRacer

I got all 5 of my 5 and 1/2inch bays filled... So that setup would suck for me. but its an interestin idea. And where the hell would u put ur hds. the racks are all taken out...

Check out my thread on the pc-70. Im gonna get it for my watercooling setup. For big watercooling setups is the nicest case you can get. Absolutely beautiful and big enough to fit anything u want in there.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...328#post557328

The hard drive "sliders" are outlined in red. This setup allows for 4 HDD's. Since I'm trying to get the old SwiftTech Fill N' Bleeds (which fit above the top optical bay) I have no need for a reserviour. If you ditched the reserviour and went with a setup similar to mine you wouldn't need 5 - 5 1/2in bays either

MaxxxRacer · 10-07-2004, 03:25 AM

I like my res..... I defend it with great vigor and deep passion.

t lines are a cool idea, but I just dont like them. And besides i would still need 3 5 inch bays and 3 inch for floppy.

but still. nice mods man. How did u make it? And how are you going to deal with the front bezel having more 5 inch bays than it does now??

I just dont like modifying the front panels of cases. Side walls and tops are ok but not front pannel. mine is hacked to hell right now and i dont much like it. I like the mod to be elegant and modest... Atleast on the outside. On the inside it better look cool and be fast.....

10-04-2004, 03:06 AM	#1
Metzen Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Canada Posts: 18	The best case for water-cooling? Hi, I'm going to modify a case to try to be one of the best water-cooling cases and I'm looking for some input on whether my ideas are good or bad. I'm very new into the water-cooling scene and have been lurking on these forums picking up pieces here and there as I go, so I'm very much a junior when it comes to this stuff. Anyways, I've been looking at cases that are friendly to water-cooling and DIY'er's (or with a little modding could become greatly friendly) and would like some input from the guys who now this stuff To start, I've used a water-cooling system in a very low-flow air case with very little air intakes (2 x 80mm fans) and very little air out-takes (2 x 80mm fans, case has been modded for this) with two 80mm radiators on the intakes. The intakes themselves are limited by the surface area of the intake "hole" which is smaller than the total surface area of the two rad's + fans. Obviously, this has not been great for feeding air to the rad's fans and hurts the potential cooling performance to some degree, about 2-5C whether idle or under load. The load has been measured by removing the air-intake barrier and running the case with the door off (which seems to improve air-flow?). The water-cooling system used is the SwiftTech H20-80 (original with fill-and-bleed) with two 80mm rad's and a VGA cooler. This case has not been the most specatular it seems and required a fair bit of modding and it is still underwhelming in terms of performance. So, when looking for a new case, I've decided on the Lian Li PCV-1000. The modifications I've made to this case are: 1) Removed the bottom left hard-drive rack so the pump can fit there 2) Removed the floppy bay and bottom 5 1/2in bay to allow for a 120x240mm radiator setup The 12x24 rad's will go in the front of the case, which is a much, much more higher air-flow case because of perforated design. The case will be cooling the same components the old one did (with maybe a second video card or processor). The cooling kit I plan to be using is the H20 220 R2 kit from SwiftTech with a VGA cooler. So... What does everyone think?

10-04-2004, 04:13 AM	#2
MaxxxRacer Cooling Savant Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Los Angeles, Ca Posts: 310	I predict this is gonna be one hell of a mess of a thread... __________________ Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler.

10-04-2004, 06:14 PM	#6
MaxxxRacer Cooling Savant Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Los Angeles, Ca Posts: 310	The pc-v1000 is great for water cooling from what alot of people say, but only if u have a small pump such as the mcp650 or the dange den d4 (same thing). As well u need to have a small rad. A single 120mm rad would the optimal for that case as it can either be attached where the hd rack is (have to remove one rack) or off the back of the case where there is that 120mm fan. but for large pumps such as the iwakis or the larger eheims, along with a dual heatercore the case is limiting without some serious modification. I tried to think of a way to setup my current water cooling setup in the pcv100 and even the 2000 and i couldnt get it to work. The way it is setup is just not friendly to the larger water cooling gear imo. Now actually reading your post, and seeing ur setup, I suppose it will work, but you dont need to put the pump down there. u can sit it next to the mobo. right to the left of it. it will shorten up your tubing alot. As far as the rad placement, im not fond of the way u plan to d it becaues u will be fuxxored if u want ot add any cd rom drives or if u need to use a floppy. and there will be a day when u need to. __________________ Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler.

10-07-2004, 02:46 AM	#12
MaxxxRacer Cooling Savant Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Los Angeles, Ca Posts: 310	I got all 5 of my 5 and 1/2inch bays filled... So that setup would suck for me. but its an interestin idea. And where the hell would u put ur hds. the racks are all taken out... Check out my thread on the pc-70. Im gonna get it for my watercooling setup. For big watercooling setups is the nicest case you can get. Absolutely beautiful and big enough to fit anything u want in there. http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...328#post557328 __________________ Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler.

10-07-2004, 03:25 AM	#14
MaxxxRacer Cooling Savant Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Los Angeles, Ca Posts: 310	I like my res..... I defend it with great vigor and deep passion. t lines are a cool idea, but I just dont like them. And besides i would still need 3 5 inch bays and 3 inch for floppy. but still. nice mods man. How did u make it? And how are you going to deal with the front bezel having more 5 inch bays than it does now?? I just dont like modifying the front panels of cases. Side walls and tops are ok but not front pannel. mine is hacked to hell right now and i dont much like it. I like the mod to be elegant and modest... Atleast on the outside. On the inside it better look cool and be fast..... __________________ Excuse me, I believe you have my stapler.

10-04-2004, 12:08 PM	#3
ferdb Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: texas Posts: 68	Check out the Chenbro SR104 Genie case. The hard drive rack is placed up in the back near the P/S (which is flipped on it's side). This leaves the bottom front of the case free to put in a 120x240 radiator with fans easily (you can cut out the grill there too to improve airflow). The rear of the case has space for a 120 exhaust fan and a 90 exhaust fan (which cools the hard drives). You can even add 1 or 2 more 80mm fans above the card slots if you want to cut the holes. This leaves you with four 5/14" slots and one 3 1/2" slot in the front, and five 3 1/2" slots in the internal cage (6 if you push it). It's a nice layout with lots of room.

10-04-2004, 04:30 PM	#5
Jag Cooling Savant Join Date: May 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 179	I would go for the LIAN LI PC-6077B case with 9 modular 5.25" bays. Has more flexibility than the PCV-1000.

10-04-2004, 09:42 PM	#7
moosturdsoed25 Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Andover, MA, USA Posts: 14	Are you using the Black Ice Micro? They are thicker than the alternatives and the performance is better.

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