A big mITX watercooled Z170 build in Caselabs X2M...aka "Tiny Tina"

[Turbocharged]

UPDATED: 2/9/16: Purchased all water cooling components and edited original post. Corrections in red.

 

Main Components

Case: Caselabs Nova X2M - Gunmetal | Ordered 1/19/16

CPU: Intel i5-6600k | In-Hand

MB: ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac | In-Hand

Memory: G.Skill TridentZ - 16GB DDR4-3200 (15-15-15-35) | In-Hand

GPU: Asus GTX 980 Strix | In-Hand

PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA 850 G2 | In-Hand

Storage: Samsung 950 Pro - 512GB | In-Hand

Water Cooling Components

Pump/Res: EK-XRES 100 D5 REVO (D5 Vario) | Ordered 2/9/16

Tubing: Alphacool Acrylic 12/16mm | Ordered 2/9/16

Radiator 1: HWLabs Nemesis GTX 240 | Ordered 2/9/16

Radiator 2: HWLabs Nemesis GTS 280 X-Flow | Ordered 2/9/16

120 Fans: Dark Side Gentle Typhoon 1850RPM PWM | Ordered 2/9/16

140 Fans: Noctua NF-A14 PWM | Ordered 2/9/16

GPU Block: EK FC-980 Strix (Nickel/Plexi) | In Hand

CPU Block: EK Supremacy EVO (Nickel/Plexi) | Ordered 2/9/16

ORIGINAL POST

 

I originally posted this over at OCN where I have been a long time member, but since I'm wanting to branch out a bit I figured I would post it here too.

 

I'm coming from a i5-2500K Z68 based machine in a gigantic modded Thermaltake Armor case and was looking for something a bit smaller and quieter without sacrificing performance. I generally build or upgrade my machines every 3-4 years (GPU's excluded), so that I am maintaining that mentality with this build. All main PC components listed below are either ordered or already in my possession.

 

The case is configured with the 120.2 front radiator mount and the 36mm tall top so that the fans can reside outside the main case. Here is the complete list of how I am having the case configured...

 

 

The water cooling setup is still in the planning stages, but I'm fairly set on most the items. Right now it comes down to what is going to fit and look good. The plan is to cram as much water cooling capacity into this case as possible while maintain a clean build. To do this I am planning on running a thick 240 radiator up front and a 280 radiator up top. The top radiator has a limited thickness of 51mm so that it doesn't interfere with the motherboard when the case is configured in the "standard" orientation. I'm fairly certain that I will run either EK or Hardware Labs Nemesis radiators because of their quality and performance with medium speed fans. Here is the plan as of now...

 

After a few emails to Caselabs asking for extra dimensions, I threw together some 3D CAD mockup's of the radiator layout ideas. My initial finders are that the EK XE240 and EK CE280 combo will not work together, but any other combination of radiators listed above will. Right now prime path is to run both HWLabs radiators, but I'm not pulling the trigger on anything until the case arrives next month. EDIT: While the statement about running the two EK radiators is still accurate, the below images are not representative of what the case really looks like. There was one incorrect dimension in my original models (top radiators mounting holes are 28mm too far rearward) and it has been corrected. Long story short, the entire radiator setup had to be reinvestigated.

 

 

Edited February 9, 2016 by Turbocharged

[Sir Asvald]

Too much info!

Nice! Good luck with your build.

[8uhbbhu8]

Followed.

[Lobsta]

Looks good, Following as well 

[tommi_6o]

Edit: Wrong thread...

[Turbocharged]

On 2/1/2016 at 2:02 PM, tommi_6o said:

Edit: Wrong thread...

Thanks for the bump anyway .

 

While I'm here, a little update on some water cooling component decisions I have finalized.

 

CPU Waterblock: XSPC Raystorm Pro (white LED)
120mm radiator fans: Darkside Gentle Typhoon (1850RPM PWM)
140mm radiator fans: Noctua NF-A14 PWM
120mm case fan: Fractal Designs HF12

 

Still waiting on the case before finalizing on radiators. Will probably hold off on ordering anything cooling related until then as well. 

 

Also, I'm starting to question my idea of running rigid PETG tubing. The benefits of soft tubing seem to completely outweigh the purely aesthetic benefits of rigid tubing setups. I've run soft tubing for nearly a decade now and would like to do something new, but the idea of having to drain my entire system to do something as simple as reapplying thermal paste to the CPU is kind of hard to swallow.

[tommi_6o]

19 minutes ago, Turbocharged said:

Thanks for the bump anyway .

 

While I'm here, a little update on some water cooling component decisions I have finalized.

 

CPU Waterblock: XSPC Raystorm Pro (white LED)
120mm radiator fans: Darkside Gentle Typhoon (1850RPM PWM)
140mm radiator fans: Noctua NF-A14 PWM
120mm case fan: Fractal Designs HF12

 

Still waiting on the case before finalizing on radiators. Will probably hold off on ordering anything cooling related until then as well. 

 

Also, I'm starting to question my idea of running rigid PETG tubing. The benefits of soft tubing seem to completely outweigh the purely aesthetic benefits of rigid tubing setups. I've run soft tubing for nearly a decade now and would like to do something new, but the idea of having to drain my entire system to do something as simple as reapplying thermal paste to the CPU is kind of hard to swallow.

 

I would say go for the PETG. It looks so much better than soft tubes. Also it won't gunk up your loop. I don't think it's actually any more hassle than soft tubing. Yes, you always need to drain your loop when doing any changes but you might have to drain it even with soft tubing. Also draining the loop isn't all that much hassle. It takes about 10 mins to drain my hard line loop.

[Turbocharged]

1 hour ago, tommi_6o said:

 

I would say go for the PETG. It looks so much better than soft tubes. Also it won't gunk up your loop. I don't think it's actually any more hassle than soft tubing. Yes, you always need to drain your loop when doing any changes but you might have to drain it even with soft tubing. Also draining the loop isn't all that much hassle. It takes about 10 mins to drain my hard line loop.

 

With a CPU only loop, you pretty much never need to drain your system. The GPU block adds some complexity even with soft tubing though, so you may be right that hard tubing isn't much more of a hassle once that is added.

 

The biggest benefit to soft tubing that I see is you can put the machine on its side, detach the reservoir and pull it to the top of the loop for filling/bleeding the system. I have to imaging that's going to be much harder with my roof mounted radiator and upside-down front radiator. Not impossible with hard tubing, but a bit harder.

 

I'm going to keep the PETG in the plans for now, only because it looks way better.

[tommi_6o]

1 hour ago, Turbocharged said:

 

With a CPU only loop, you pretty much never need to drain your system. The GPU block adds some complexity even with soft tubing though, so you may be right that hard tubing isn't much more of a hassle once that is added.

 

The biggest benefit to soft tubing that I see is you can put the machine on its side, detach the reservoir and pull it to the top of the loop for filling/bleeding the system. I have to imaging that's going to be much harder with my roof mounted radiator and upside-down front radiator. Not impossible with hard tubing, but a bit harder.

 

I'm going to keep the PETG in the plans for now, only because it looks way better.

I always fill my loop with the reservoir in its normal position. I haven't had any problems getting the air out that way. I also have a front rad mounted fittings down.

[Necrodead]

Looks like a nice build! Love the little cases with lots of hardware.

 

Also just as a word of warning about PETG, you shouldn't use any ethylene glycol based coolants with it as it may react over time. People have only just started noticing this as PETG is quite new. Acrylic takes a little longer to bend properly, but it is clearer and guaranteed not to react with anything. If you are going for looks the PETG is also slightly 'foggier' than the acrylic, which is like glass for clearness.

[Turbocharged]

19 hours ago, Necrodead said:

Looks like a nice build! Love the little cases with lots of hardware.

 

Also just as a word of warning about PETG, you shouldn't use any ethylene glycol based coolants with it as it may react over time. People have only just started noticing this as PETG is quite new. Acrylic takes a little longer to bend properly, but it is clearer and guaranteed not to react with anything. If you are going for looks the PETG is also slightly 'foggier' than the acrylic, which is like glass for clearness.

Thanks for that tidbit about PETG. The plan as of right now is to run EK-Ekoolant, which looks to be propylene glycol based (Propane‐1,2‐diol on MSDS) so hopefully that won't react.

 

The "slightly foggier" look won't matter much to me because I'm going to run dark red coolant through larger 12/16mm tubing. I really like the idea of PETG over PMMA because it is much more forgiving to work with and impact resistant.

[pvtmatchsticks]

Please don't use PETG tubing, acrylic tubing is 100x better. I know allot of youtubers such as JazsTwoCents say it is way better but it is not. I would never ever use PETG tubing in one of my systems. 

P.S I love this build very similar to me own mini system I'm working on at the moment.

[Turbocharged]

Interesting you like acrylic that much more. I think I owe it to myself to buy a short piece of both and do some test bends before making a final decision.

 

In other news, it ends up that the HWLabs Nemesis GTS280 and GTX240 radiators for sale at Performance PCs are two different finishes (Carbon Black on the GTS and Dark Matter on the GTX). This isn't going to fly, so now I'm looking at other options. Top of the list is getting the primered version of the GTX240 and the normal EK CE280 and custom painting both (shrouds only that is).

[pvtmatchsticks]

PETG melts at a lower temperature and also has a higher impact. Acrylic has a higher torsional strength, tensile strength and shear strength.

Modders such as Singularity Computers (The innovator of hard tubing) says that Acrylic tubing is better then PETG. Also Modders such as B Negative (A hydro Engineer) who work with PETG and Acrylic tubing for career says that for PC water cooling he wouldn't trust PETG and would only ever use Acrylic.

I also prefer the look of acrylic tubing.

[Turbocharged]

Well, you guys convinced me and I pulled the trigger on acrylic.

I also went a head and ordered all my watercooling components since I have asked Caselabs for enough dimensions and done enough CAD work to feel confident in my ideas. I updated my original post with the finalized components, but here there are again anyway.

 

Water Cooling Components

Pump/Res: EK-XRES 100 D5 REVO (D5 Vario) | Ordered 2/9/16

Tubing: Alphacool Acrylic 12/16mm | Ordered 2/9/16

Radiator 1: HWLabs Nemesis GTX 240 | Ordered 2/9/16

Radiator 2: HWLabs Nemesis GTS 280 X-Flow | Ordered 2/9/16

120 Fans: Dark Side Gentle Typhoon 1850RPM PWM | Ordered 2/9/16

140 Fans: Noctua NF-A14 PWM | Ordered 2/9/16

GPU Block: EK FC-980 Strix (Nickel/Plexi) | In Hand

CPU Block: EK Supremacy EVO (Nickel/Plexi) | Ordered 2/9/16

 

The only thing that really changed was my CPU waterblock so that it would match the system better (negligable performance difference from the XSPC Raystorm Pro from XtremeRigs and Thermal Bench reviews) and to the X-Flow version of the GTX280 radiator since I could get it in the Dark Matter finish (and due to the 28mm of dimensional error in my original CAD model).

 

Still no idea when my case will be here, but if the 4-5 week lead time is correct, then it should be sometime between 2/16 and 2/23. Unfortunately I am traveling for work both those weeks, so I won't get to check everything out until I get back. 

[KWelz]

If it isn't too late may I suggest switching from acrylic to PETG.   Trust me you will not regret it.  Much easier to work with.  And much safer overall.  

[KWelz]

On 2/6/2016 at 0:35 AM, pvtmatchsticks said:

PETG melts at a lower temperature and also has a higher impact. Acrylic has a higher torsional strength, tensile strength and shear strength.

Modders such as Singularity Computers (The innovator of hard tubing) says that Acrylic tubing is better then PETG. Also Modders such as B Negative (A hydro Engineer) who work with PETG and Acrylic tubing for career says that for PC water cooling he wouldn't trust PETG and would only ever use Acrylic.

I also prefer the look of acrylic tubing.

I am curious to see what the supposed reasons are.   PETG is literally better in every category except possibly light transfer which is so minor that it isn't even noticeable.  

 

I for one would never trust Acrylic again after the problems I had. 

 

[Turbocharged]

Ease of working with it really isn't the issue as I have plenty of experience bending and flaring stainless steel tubing and I can't imagine it is any harder than that. I just want the best performing tubing once it has been worked. Worse come to worse, I can always redo it in PETG since the fittings will all work the same. Only a few bucks lost in the end. 

 

Here's a picture of the stainless tubing work I did on my race car. Thought about doing something similar for a PC one day.

 

[IMPERIUS]

RACE CAR?!?! 

 

i demand pics m8

[hearthofsin]

isn't that for air ride? 

[Turbocharged]

1 hour ago, IMPERIUS said:

RACE CAR?!?! 

 

i demand pics m8

It's a '93 Mazda RX-7 and isn't complete yet..a build in progress you could say. You can check out all the pictures of the build here though. I've written five articles about it so far.

 

http://www.motoiq.com/Projects/Mazda/RX7(3rdGen).aspx

 

Here's a couple of my favorites though...absolutely love my turbo setup :).

 

 

 

1 hour ago, hearthofsin said:

isn't that for air ride? 

Air ride systems have similar looking plumbing, but that is actually for the fuel system. It is a surge tank that holds fuel in place for the fuel pump during corners to eliminate fuel starvation. The is a pump inside the main fuel tank that pumps fuel into the small black tank shown in the picture. There is another fuel pump inside the small black tank that pumps the fuel to the engine. Here's a video from Radium Engineering showing how they work...

 

 

 

[z3kron]

19 hours ago, Turbocharged said:

 

 

 

 

HOLY TENNIS BALLS!

 

Thats some top class fab work and engine build you have there.If you made it mostly yourself - you sir are a god amongst men.I often browse driftworks and other car forums and this definitely goes in the "Best of turbo" personal collection! 

 

If your focusing more on pure horse than torque how much does this bad boy push to the wheels/crank? If I percieve the scale of the turbo and its rotor , ignoring what you may have done to the internals, shouldn't this  be able to push around 600~700+ at the wheels?

[Turbocharged]

8 hours ago, z3kron said:

HOLY TENNIS BALLS!

 

Thats some top class fab work and engine build you have there.If you made it mostly yourself - you sir are a god amongst men.I often browse driftworks and other car forums and this definitely goes in the "Best of turbo" personal collection! 

 

If your focusing more on pure horse than torque how much does this bad boy push to the wheels/crank? If I percieve the scale of the turbo and its rotor , ignoring what you may have done to the internals, shouldn't this  be able to push around 600~700+ at the wheels?

Thank man and yes I do all my own work. I wouldn't all it top class fab work though, but its all structurally sound and doesn't look terrible. Also, I didn't fabricate the turbo manifold, that's an amazing piece from Full-Race. Basically if its raw stainless, I fabbed it.

 

The build is for a super reliable time attack car in the 450 wheel hp range on 93-octane pump gas. If I were to push the engine and turbo, it should be able to hit 500-550 on pump or closer to 600 on E85.

 

Back on the topic of computers though...looks like all of my watercooling stuff shipped today and will be here this weekend. Unfortunately I get to travel for work the next two weeks and don't get to mess with anything until after :(.

[IgnorantBastrd]

Want some engine with your turbo mate?    

 

In all seriousness though, looking forward to the build.  Seems like you've got some really good ideas.

 

Would like to see more about the car as well, those FD rx7s are things of beauty.