Building a silent custom liquid cooling loop in a Thermaltake Core X9, advice on the best layout?

[VioletGiraffe]

I'm going to be moving my system into the new case - Thermaltake Core X9.

The system itself is nothing to write home about:

• CPU: Ryzen 7 1700 + a CPU waterblock
• Mobo: a regular ATX board (not mini, not extended)
• GPU: single GTX 1080 Ti Founder's Edition + a full cover waterblock
• PSU: Corsair RM1000i - this one is slightly longer than lower wattage PSUs.
• Storage: 1x3.5" HDD, 2x2.5" SSDs.

 

This will be cooled by the following components:

• DDC-1T pump. It will be running at 2060 RPM because that's its sweet spot for ultra low noise, anything above is unfortunately well audible, even if not loudly.
• Thermochill PA120.3 - a thick 3x120 mm rad, NB eLoop fans at ~800 RPM.
• XSPC EX280 - a thin 30 mm 2x140 mm rad, Noctua NF-A14 fans at ~620 RPM.
• Alphacool Nexxos ST30 420 - a thin 30 mm 20 FPI 3x140 mm radiator, haven't decided on the fans yet but it's a minor detail, the important thing is they will be running at low RPMs as well.

 

The reason I'm posting this is I have little understand on how to best lay out the cooling components inside the case, will I need extra case fans, if yes - where, etc.

Currently, I'm running the exact same setup, but without the 420 mm radiator. That rad will be the only addition as I move into the new bigger case. So far there are no problems except the layout is not great: I have the 280 mm blowing inside the case on the front panel, and the thick 360 mm on the ceiling blowing outside. All fans in push configuration. Apart from the rad fans, there is just one other 140 mm exhaust fan on the back of the case. The thermals are quite OK but not great, and I assume it's because of that inward-blowing radiator. And because 360 mm +280 mm at ultra low fan speeds is not too much.

 

My first concern is water flow and how I should connect the rads. Currently everything is in series and there are no obvious GPM issues, but if I add a third radiator (the 420 mm) wouldn't it be too much? Should I connect something in parallel?

And the second point of confusion is how do I mount the three radiators in the case for best thermals (and ease of use/installation as a secondary factor)? I'm thinking the two larger radiators in the top blowing out (all fans in push mode), but where do I mount the 280 mm? And do I need case fans? If so - where? The fewer spinning things and the fewer noise sources in the system - the better, but I also don't want my mobo and disk drives to be roasting.

 

Looking forward to any advice, and thanks in advance!

 

 

[HM-2]

If you want it to be truly quiet, I'd recommend a D5 over a DDC. At any given flow you'll be running a lower RPM and therefore creating less noise. My D5 is totally inaudible at 60%. You don't need 3 radiators- 2 360s or a 360/420 would be more than sufficient and I doubt you'd see any performance increase from a third. I'd also recommend HardwareLabs over Thermochill as they're tailored for sub-800RPM fans. A pair of GTS, or a GTS/GTX combo, would do nicely with NB eLoops.

 

Many people swear by having all their radiator fans set to intake and just dealing with the positive pressure. 

[VioletGiraffe]

It's been a long time since my initial post - I've procrastinated this build for a very long while, but it's time to get to work. Also, thank you HM-2 for your thoughtful post.

 

I still can't decide which radiator and fan arrangement(s) would work better. It's an interesting remark on the fact that the 3rd radiator won't do much, I agree that 280 mm on top of the other 360+420 isn't that much. And I intend to test this - obviously, more radiators is better, just diminishingly better. So I still would like to cram all 3 of my rads into the case, then test with/without the smallest one.

Also a good remark on Thermochill being suboptimal for low RPM fans. Higher FPI radiators are better for low RPMs, is it?

 

And as much as I would like to achieve positive pressure inside the case (so that the air can only go in through the dust filters and not through every single hole and slit), it's not feasible with water cooling. I've tried intake fans on a radiator and it sucks, blowing hot air into the case, even when it's not too hot. Every radiator should be on the exhaust, not intake.

 

Anyway, here's an overview of the case:

 

 

As you can see, my initial idea was to install at least one of two large rads at the top, reservoir mount on the front, a radiator on the side. This case has one fully perforated side panel and one acrylic window side. So one side can be ventilated (or I can always tape any unwanted holes), but the other side is sealed.

 

Perhaps, both large radiators at the top, and the small one (280 mm) on the side, but at the top, not bottom as I have the side bracket placed here.

 

I'm not sure I want air being pulled from underneath the case. It might be cooler, but it's also very dusty. Should I tape the bottom, only using front, back and lower half of the side for intake?

Or I could mount a radiator in the front, the 5.25 bays are easily removable and I don't need them (nor expect to need them in the future).

 

More photos of the disassembled case and its mounting options:

Spoiler