Downsizing my Watercooled NCase M1 to the Dan Case A4-SFX

[NannerBeans]

8 minutes ago, amvoith said:

My plan is to replace the slim fans and have an external rad on the underside of my desk with quick disconnects so I can use the computer away from home too. 

Make sure you get silver qdcs. The painted ones usually have issues with the paint. 

[amvoith]

12 hours ago, SuperShires said:

I thought the temps were okay with that 240 rad you have installed? idling at 30 degrees right? what were the temps under load?

load temps are sitting around 55-60 after a few hours of gaming. Really the external rad is just for fun since i already have the parts for it minus some fittings. 
 

12 hours ago, NannerBeans said:

Make sure you get silver qdcs. The painted ones usually have issues with the paint. 

I was looking at these ones recently as they are significantly shorter. Do you or anyone else have any experience with them? http://www.swiftech.com/quickdisconnect.aspx

 

In the meantime I've propped the case up to use some older fans while I order some new slim ones lol  

[NannerBeans]

1 minute ago, amvoith said:

-snip-

I have no idea if those are good or not but I think most people get Koolance QDCs because they were the first ones to come out with them. 

[hearthofsin]

On 11/2/2016 at 0:02 AM, amvoith said:

My plan is to replace the slim fans and have an external rad on the underside of my desk with quick disconnects so I can use the computer away from home too. 

that is an awesome plan! can't wait to see it. 

[amvoith]

2 hours ago, hearthofsin said:

that is an awesome plan! can't wait to see it. 

It may take a while to actually complete it. I've been looking into fittings and will likely cost me $200+ in fittings... Not to mention how tight of a fit it will be so fittings need to be measured in millimetres in order to fit in the setup.

Basically for me to complete this setup I need to buy:

• 2 x Quick disconnects = 2 x $33.99 = $67.98.
• 2 x panel cap for qdc = 2 x $5.99 = $11.98.
• 1 x 3way flow splitter = $10.50.
• 1 x 5way flow splitter = $13.95.
• 1 x shutoff valve = $9.95.
• 2 x smallest male-male extension I can find (3mm) = 2 x $4.69 = $9.38 (CAD).
• 2 x 90 degree angled adaptor = 2 x $16.59 = $33.18 (CAD).
• 2 x compression fitting = 2 x $4.99 = $9.98.
• 1 x barb fitting (for rad under desk) = $2.

Total = $217.50 CAD. Seems like a lot of money just to add some more cooling so I dunno...

 

Also I still want to do custom cables, tempered glass window, and Dominator Platinum Ram so I have to prioritize my upgrades I guess. One possibility is to set up the external rad without the qdcs as that would cut my cost by more than half. Then just add them in later down the road maybe when the Canadian dollar is stronger (I'm hopeful). 

 

Thoughts?

 

Edit: Also shipping from PerformancePCs to Canada is miniumum $25 + charge on delivery (usually like $40)

[CtW]

Try seeing what fittings you can take out of the parts list to save cash if you are set on the external rad.

[amvoith]

3 minutes ago, CtW said:

Try seeing what fittings you can take out of the parts list to save cash if you are set on the external rad.

The issue is that I need to have a shutoff valve for when the qdcs are connected in order to force the fluid through the external rad. Otherwise the fluid will just bypass the rad since its higher resistance than going direct to the cpu block from the gpu block. Then I open the valve when the qdcs are disconnected in order to allow flow through the loop. 

 

I think I'll just avoid using qdcs for now and hence avoid the need for flow splitters and the shutoff valve. The downside is that my computer will not be leaving my desk anytime soon. 

[CtW]

2 minutes ago, amvoith said:

The issue is that I need to have a shutoff valve for when the qdcs are connected in order to force the fluid through the external rad. Otherwise the fluid will just bypass the rad since its higher resistance than going direct to the cpu block from the gpu block. Then I open the valve when the qdcs are disconnected in order to allow flow through the loop. 

 

I think I'll just avoid using qdcs for now and hence avoid the need for flow splitters and the shutoff valve. The downside is that my computer will not be leaving my desk anytime soon. 

You should have the fluid go through the external rad to get to the cpu rather than using flow splitters. That way you can connect the QDCs that are on the pc together when you aren't using the rad and not worry about shutoff valves and paths of least resistance.

[amvoith]

5 minutes ago, CtW said:

You should have the fluid go through the external rad to get to the cpu rather than using flow splitters. That way you can connect the QDCs that are on the pc together when you aren't using the rad and not worry about shutoff valves and paths of least resistance.

That is a good idea which I have looked into before. The space in my case prevents me from doing it inside though. The only way it would work is to have some tubes hanging out of the back of the case with the qdcs on the end. Not the best asthecally but definitely an option. 

 

Edit: or keep the qdcs mounted on the case and use a small piece of tube with the the other ends of the qdcs on it to close the loop. 

[CtW]

Just now, amvoith said:

That is a good idea which I have looked into before. The space in my case prevents me from doing it inside though. The only way it would work is to have some tubes hanging out of the back of the case with the qdcs on the end. Not the best asthecally but definitely an option. 

if you made the tubing as short as possible, it might not look too bad.

[amvoith]

Just now, CtW said:

if you made the tubing as short as possible, it might not look too bad.

See edit above. I actually like the idea of a separate tube piece to close the loop when the external rad isn't connected. 

[amvoith]

So good news, the slim fans don't click if I reverse them to exhaust. They must have been clicking on the rad when they sped up. Now they don't since I've flipped them over. The only downfall is that I've got negative air pressure in the case. 

 

Also I've got a little surprise coming in the mail

[amvoith]

I've always wanted a set of these

 

 

Went with 16Gb 2133 MHz, CL 9

 

I also placed the fans back on intake and rearranged the runs to the rad. Makes it a little cleaner.

 

[SuperShires]

16 hours ago, amvoith said:

-snip-

Looks amazing mate. Is the left fitting on the radiator higher than the right one or am I seeing things?

[amvoith]

55 minutes ago, SuperShires said:

Looks amazing mate. Is the left fitting on the radiator higher than the right one or am I seeing things?

Thanks man. No they're both the same right angle fittings so same height. Must just be the angle of the photograph. 

[amvoith]

Ok so we're back in buisiness! After being away for about a month I'm moving forward with this project again. Next up is the external rad. Quick disconnects and other assorted fittings are currently in the mail  Will be adding the 480mm to the loop this hopefully this weekend/early next week. 

 

What are people's thoughts on running the pump outside the case with the external rad? I would be using a bigger reservoir with the D5 if I went that way. yay or nay?

[Contas]

I wouldn't go for an external pump If you won't to take you PC somewhere.

 

Pump+Res in the Case and Rad+(Res) outside would be what I'd do

[amvoith]

Update: 

 

Installed the 480mm external radiator. This thing is a monster, EK Coolstream XE's are thick. Currently bleeding the loop. A couple pics in the meantime: 

 

 

 

[amvoith]

[Sazexa]

This was a good read! I'm considering doing an exterior mount for my radiator as well, if I don't get the temperatures I desire when my build is finished. I might two 2x 240mm and mount them side by side, on the far-side of the case, as opposed to one big 480mm radiator. Glad to have kind of an idea of what mine will look like when finished, ours have a lot in commons!

[amvoith]

6 hours ago, Sazexa said:

This was a good read! I'm considering doing an exterior mount for my radiator as well, if I don't get the temperatures I desire when my build is finished. I might two 2x 240mm and mount them side by side, on the far-side of the case, as opposed to one big 480mm radiator. Glad to have kind of an idea of what mine will look like when finished, ours have a lot in commons!

Thanks. I've been following your build as well, loving it so far. My temps were decent with just the single 240 slim rad but I had the 480 rad from a previous build that didn't actually happen so I figured what the hell haha. It was more of just for the hell of it, having even lower temps and less noise. I like having it in the system though. You can also operate the build without the external rad by completing the loop with a piece of tubing and the other quick disconnects. 

 

If if you are interested in an external rad setup, I've seen these and they look slick with stands,fan grills and everything. Many size configurations too. Brand is watercool. I've never used them but they look interesting. I didn't hear about them until after I already had the 480 rad. 

[Sazexa]

What were the temperatures, using a single 240mm, and what CPU/GPU? Kind of curious, I have no idea what temperatures to expect.

[amvoith]

13 minutes ago, Sazexa said:

What were the temperatures, using a single 240mm, and what CPU/GPU? Kind of curious, I have no idea what temperatures to expect.

I posted them a few previously but 4790k at idle was around 30^oC and the GTX 970 at idle was around 28^oC. After a few hours of gaming the GPU was around 55-60^oC. I can't remember what the CPU was at. 

[Sazexa]

I'd be pleased with something similar. I think my CPU runs a tiny bit cooler, and I don't have it overclocked. But my GPU is a fair bit warmer, so, I may be in the 60-75C range on my GPU.  We'll see what happens!

[amvoith]

Overclocked my 970 today. Currently running it at 1530MHz clock with a +400MHz memory OC. No additional voltage added to the card. I'd say it's a pretty good card at least for my first attempt at overclocking. No crashes with a bunch of synthetic benchmarks and a few hours of playing The Division. 

 

With my external rad setup the GPU only gets to a max of 38C on full load so I'm more than happy with that.