Watercooling case recommendations

[kazumi_mikuzi_x]

Budget (including currency): £600 GBP

Country: UK

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: High end gaming, database design modelling, web desijg

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): currently using a Thermaltake Core V71, only need a case. Multiple internal drive bays are a must. 8+ is preferable due to a NAS  not being an option. Internal reservoir or reservoir mounts are the reason I'm buying,  I don't want to drill into a case.

 

 

I'm looking for recommendations for cases that actually support custom loops instead of saying they're "watercooling built" , being able to put an AIO  in and its rad is fine but I'm looking for something I can have a reservoir or two without modifying my case. I'm currently interested in the Thermaltake The Tower 900 Black due to having an EATX build. Any recommendations are welcome. I'm only avoiding drilling cases or whatever needed because I kmow it would be my luck it'll just break on me somehow.

[cat milker]

25 minutes ago, kazumi_mikuzi_x said:

Budget (including currency): £600 GBP

Country: UK

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: High end gaming, database design modelling, web desijg

Other details (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): currently using a Thermaltake Core V71, only need a case. Multiple internal drive bays are a must. 8+ is preferable due to a NAS  not being an option. Internal reservoir or reservoir mounts are the reason I'm buying,  I don't want to drill into a case.

 

 

I'm looking for recommendations for cases that actually support custom loops instead of saying they're "watercooling built" , being able to put an AIO  in and its rad is fine but I'm looking for something I can have a reservoir or two without modifying my case. I'm currently interested in the Thermaltake The Tower 900 Black due to having an EATX build. Any recommendations are welcome. I'm only avoiding drilling cases or whatever needed because I kmow it would be my luck it'll just break on me somehow.

the o11d from lian li support custom watercooling and ATX motherboards. Also looks good, but thats just my opinion

[Ravendarat]

Corsair 7000 series. I am currently using one with 2 pump res combos and a 360mm rad and a 420 rad and like 14 fans in this thing and there is still space to work around, its not a small case but damn is it ever a dream to build a loop in. A close second for me was the older Define R6 (I still have one sitting in a box incase I wanna build a second water cooled computer) and the the new Define 7 has a very similar layout so I am sure it would be a good candidate as well. Yes the o11d is good for watercooling but there are SO many out there that are done and like 85% of them look the basically the exact same.

 

 

EDIT I missed the part where you said you needed internal drive bays. The Fractal Design Define 7xl would meet your needs I think, might be a bit tight but should be totally doable with some careful planning.

[kazumi_mikuzi_x]

34 minutes ago, cat milker said:

the o11d from lian li support custom watercooling and ATX motherboards. Also looks good, but thats just my opinion

Appreciate the thought thanks man

[RONOTHAN##]

Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2 or 719 is a decent option (they're the same case mechanically, just a different front panel). It can support a ton of HDDs (up to 12 if you only plan on running 1 rad), It has a number of different locations to mount a reservoir without drilling, can support up to dual 480 rads if you configure it that way, and is designed from the ground up for water cooling. 

[kazumi_mikuzi_x]

2 minutes ago, RONOTHAN## said:

Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2 or 719 is a decent option (they're the same case mechanically, just a different front panel). It can support a ton of HDDs (up to 12 if you only plan on running 1 rad), It has a number of different locations to mount a reservoir without drilling, can support up to dual 480 rads if you configure it that way, and is designed from the ground up for water cooling. 

That's where I fell short withbmy V71. Built for watercooling they said, fit any watercooling solution I was promised. I got swindled, I enjoy a full tower myself as is. My desk doesn't allow for a tower on it so having something I can plonk on the floor is great. Does the Pro 2 come with a res already in or is the Google image results just giving me false dreams? I'm not too concerned either way but it would be a nice feature to have.

[RONOTHAN##]

5 minutes ago, kazumi_mikuzi_x said:

Does the Pro 2 come with a res already in or is the Google image results just giving me false dreams? I'm not too concerned either way but it would be a nice feature to have.

It does not. 

 

If you want to see a build in it, JayzTwoCents' editor runs a water cooled Threadripper system in that case, which while it's soft tubing, only took a couple hours to build. It really is easy to build a full water loop in

 

[kazumi_mikuzi_x]

3 hours ago, RONOTHAN## said:

It does not. 

 

If you want to see a build in it, JayzTwoCents' editor runs a water cooled Threadripper system in that case, which while it's soft tubing, only took a couple hours to build. It really is easy to build a full water loop in

 

I'm  running  soft tubing anyway, I'm new to custom loops and cooling so I thought it was the safer bet lol

[kazumi_mikuzi_x]

On 4/30/2022 at 6:20 AM, RONOTHAN## said:

It does not. 

 

If you want to see a build in it, JayzTwoCents' editor runs a water cooled Threadripper system in that case, which while it's soft tubing, only took a couple hours to build. It really is easy to build a full water loop in

 

sorry to be a pain but in looking at the enthoo 719 I was wondering, you mentioned easy mounting for a res so would you know if there is space for say accross the case a spare pump for example or anywhere to be easily mounted without case mods like on the tower 900?

[RONOTHAN##]

10 minutes ago, kazumi_mikuzi_x said:

sorry to be a pain but in looking at the enthoo 719 I was wondering, you mentioned easy mounting for a res so would you know if there is space for say accross the case a spare pump for example or anywhere to be easily mounted without case mods like on the tower 900?

You mean like a second pump? I mean, maybe, if you get creative? Don't know why you'd want to though.

[kazumi_mikuzi_x]

4 minutes ago, RONOTHAN## said:

You mean like a second pump? I mean, maybe, if you get creative? Don't know why you'd want to though.

i got told a second pump would a good move for redundancy in a different thread so it's been something i've debated over

 

[RONOTHAN##]

3 minutes ago, kazumi_mikuzi_x said:

i got told a second pump would a good move for redundancy in a different thread so it's been something i've debated over

I wouldn't bother. If you get a good pump like a Lang D5, the odds of something dying are slim to none. I currently have a D5 that's over 10 years old that I've been using fairly consistently for those 10 years, it's still going strong. I'm not saying pumps don't die, but it doesn't happen often enough that it makes sense to have hot spares, since if one does die, odds are the second one won't be far behind it and you'll want to replace both anyway. The pump will either die immediately or it won't die for a decade or more (though there are a couple housings where they do need to be cleaned fairly regularly in order to maintain function)/

 

Besides, if you're doing soft tubing, servicing the loop is very easy, especially in a giant case like that one. I know in my personal system (I'm on soft tubing as well) I can have the entire loop drained and pump/reservoir combo swapped within an hour (got one that started making really bad noises pretty close to when I got it, had it replaced under warranty)