Looking to top-mount a 360mm rad. Is there anyway to predict that thickness of the rad will be an issue?

[Gravt]

Hello intrepid forum goer.

 

I've just got to ask a simple question as I'm to be building a water cooling setup in the near future with 1 GPU and 1 CPU. Considering I don't give a damn if I run the fans at 2000-3000 RPM, I think one large radiator will suffice for my needs. With this in mind, if I want the best 360mm rad I can top mount in a case, what kind of thickness should I be looking for in radiators in say a Corsair 450D? 750D? Or what about thickness in a front mounted Corsair Air 540?

 

I'm looking to see which cases would support at the very least something like an Alphacool NexXxoS UT60 (Or a Monsta, if I'm at all lucky but that's hoping for too much). Is there anyway to do this without guestimating the distance between the mounting area and motherboard by looking at a build, looking for and hoping someone has tried it online to give feedback or buy the case myself and testing to see if it would fit? Or would I be stuck with 30-45mm rads primarily in the top (Front in the case of the Air 540) and just have to use the thicker rads in the basement of cases like the Stacker or 900D?

 

On that note, are there any basementless cases that can handle a 360mm+ rad that's at least 60mm thick that are reasonably priced (No 700 dollar Caselabs cases since that's pretty ludicrous)?

 

Thanks for giving this a read and it would help my case searching!

[Jodomcfrodo]

I run dual 45mm rads in my air 540 and it is tight to say the least. The front could fit a 60mm just barely. I mount my fans underneath the mesh. I have a longer gpu but it would still work with the 60. At the top you would hit the other radiator if it is a 240 if you had a 60. So if you have a 240 at the top it is a no go. No monstaaa or 60mm is really gonna work in the 540. You could put a 360mm 45mm with a 240mm 45mm and a 120mm (don't know how thick as I don't have one).

[Gravt]

The front could fit a 60mm just barely.

If I was to mount the fans right behind the mesh rather than inside the case, you're saying that the 60mm thick rad should work in an Air 540? I'm not looking for a 240/280 on the top, just the one rad on the front.

 

But with your setup, how are your fans circulating air? Which fans are intakes and which are outtakes?

[Jodomcfrodo]

If I was to mount the fans right behind the mesh rather than inside the case, you're saying that the 60mm thick rad should work in an Air 540? I'm not looking for a 240/280 on the top, just the one rad on the front.

 

But with your setup, how are your fans circulating air? Which fans are intakes and which are outtakes?

I can guarantee a 60mm will fit What's you gpu? Do you plan to fans up top? On my 45 I can slide my 25mm thick fan in between it and the gpu just barely. That's 70mm of a space. It all depends on what you want to do. You can mount fans under the mesh. My 25mm barely fit. You won't be able to have two fans up top as the rad will interfere with the one nearest to it.

I run the 360mm in the front as intake and a 140mm fan as exhaust as well as another 240mm rad up top for exhaust.

[Gravt]

That's awesome to hear, it seems like that's the case I'll be going with, then! That's sweet since that's the case I initially was eyeing, but thought it wasn't sufficient for the thicker rad.

 

If anything, I would be moving the stock AF140L fans up on the top of the case and using them as an exhaust while I buy high airflow/SP fans for the rad (They don't need to be crazy SP fans since there's 11 FPI).

 

Considering that though, I remember that Linus did a video in the Push vs Pull config for radiators and was greeted to http://puu.sh/9ykYi/c2ed579cec.jpg when he pulled off his fans that were in a configuration when the fans were pulling air from outside the case.

 

Considering the config for a front mounted 360mm rad, would be pulling air through it from the outside, would I have to worry about dust build up? And if so, how often would I have to clean that out? Or since there's 70mm of room as you've said, could I mount the rad and the fans inside the case rather than just behind the mesh?

 

e; Oh, and my GPU would be something as long as the 780 Ti. My current setup is working just fine, plus I'm waiting to be sitting in some cash before I drop the money on a new build, I just have some questions that I want to quell before I do such a thing. My GPU would be the best 800 series GPU that I could sink my teeth into, so I don't think that length of the card will be much of an issue.

[Jodomcfrodo]

That's awesome to hear, it seems like that's the case I'll be going with, then! That's sweet since that's the case I initially was eyeing, but thought it wasn't sufficient for the thicker rad.

If anything, I would be moving the stock AF140L fans up on the top of the case and using them as an exhaust while I buy high airflow/SP fans for the rad (They don't need to be crazy SP fans since there's 11 FPI).

Considering that though, I remember that Linus did a video in the Push vs Pull config for radiators and was greeted to http://puu.sh/9ykYi/c2ed579cec.jpg when he pulled off his fans that were in a configuration when the fans were pulling air from outside the case.

Considering the config for a front mounted 360mm rad, would be pulling air through it from the outside, would I have to worry about dust build up? And if so, how often would I have to clean that out? Or since there's 70mm of room as you've said, could I mount the rad and the fans inside the case rather than just behind the mesh?

For me there is 70mm of room. Make sure your gpu is no longer than a 780ti classified edition or there will be less room. You will also not be able to use the hot swap bay at the bottom. You will need to even cut the metal slide to allow for room for the radiator. With my rm750, the other hot swap wouldn't even work because the power supply wouldn't fit with the cable sticking out the back of the mother board tray. You will have to find a way to mount your HDD in the back. I run SSD only so this was no problem. There is a higher chance it won't fit in the 540 and you'll run into some issues with sizing. You may have to mod the case a little. To be honest the 750d is the better option for water cooling.

In regards to dust. Since you have no dust filter, id say blow some air threw every 2 weeks to get the dust out. You can stick the nozzle through the fans and push the dust into your case and then blow it out.

Since you have 25mm + 60mm radiator you will not be able too unit both in 70mm of space. I mounted mine on the outside with only a 45 mm rad.0

[Gravt]

For me there is 70mm of room. Make sure your gpu is no longer than a 780ti classified edition or there will be less room. You will also not be able to use the hot swap bay at the bottom. You will need to even cut the metal slide to allow for room for the radiator. With my rm750, the other hot swap wouldn't even work because the power supply wouldn't fit with the cable sticking out the back of the mother board tray. You will have to find a way to mount your HDD in the back. I run SSD only so this was no problem. There is a higher chance it won't fit in the 540 and you'll run into some issues with sizing. You may have to mod the case a little. To be honest the 750d is the better option for water cooling.

In regards to dust. Since you have no dust filter, id say blow some air threw every 2 weeks to get the dust out. You can stick the nozzle through the fans and push the dust into your case and then blow it out.

Since you have 25mm + 60mm radiator you will not be able too unit both in 70mm of space. I mounted mine on the outside with only a 45 mm rad.0

 

I'd be going with a pure SSD build, a 1TB EVO is what I'd be buying for myself (Huge Steam libraries inc) with all my music and other large files being written to a sever, so HDDs wouldn't be an issue.

 

Perhaps in the time between now and when I actually do my build, Corsair will release a version without those silly slides on the bottom for HDDs, but it still isn't something a good dremel tool won't fix!

 

But that's a shame that it won't work without some warranty voiding and some elbow grease. But I certainly was looking at the 750D, and I was actually able to find something on 60mm thick rad support; http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/74069-update-corsair-750d-and-60mm-radiators/ and hell, it even supports a 420mm rad with 3x 140mm fans! That's what I'm talking about!

 

It seems the fans are just barely able to fit in that beast. With that, I'd probably want to have the fans on the outside if they got in the way of any 6-pin power ports on the motherboard, but this is the kind of thing that I wanted to come across!

 

Thanks for your help with the Air 540. Even though I would really like that case, it's certainly becoming a little less likely with all the extra messing around with the case.

 

The only reason behind my logic is the fact that I would like to use one beastly rad and use the best performing fans that I can rather than several smaller ones, sorry it it seemed my questions were uber specific/stingy.

[Jodomcfrodo]

I'd be going with a pure SSD build, a 1TB EVO is what I'd be buying for myself (Huge Steam libraries inc) with all my music and other large files being written to a sever, so HDDs wouldn't be an issue.

Perhaps in the time between now and when I actually do my build, Corsair will release a version without those silly slides on the bottom for HDDs, but it still isn't something a good dremel tool won't fix!

But that's a shame that it won't work without some warranty voiding and some elbow grease. But I certainly was looking at the 750D, and I was actually able to find something on 60mm thick rad support; http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/74069-update-corsair-750d-and-60mm-radiators/ and hell, it even supports a 420mm rad with 3x 140mm fans! That's what I'm talking about!

It seems the fans are just barely able to fit in that beast. With that, I'd probably want to have the fans on the outside if they got in the way of any 6-pin power ports on the motherboard, but this is the kind of thing that I wanted to come across!

Thanks for your help with the Air 540. Even though I would really like that case, it's certainly becoming a little less likely with all the extra messing around with the case.

The only reason behind my logic is the fact that I would like to use one beastly rad and use the best performing fans that I can rather than several smaller ones, sorry it it seemed my questions were uber specific/stingy.

Hey they were questions I was asking when playing my build. The metal is so thin you could almost cut it with scissors. I really love my air 540. The amount if room in the back is amazing and my build looks great. All you need to do is cut that thing and you're good. It's a good case for watercooling but I really wish I had gone 750d. But then again when I built my rig I had no clue id be watercooling. Hopefully you find the right case!

[Gravt]

Hey they were questions I was asking when playing my build. The metal is so thin you could almost cut it with scissors. I really love my air 540. The amount if room in the back is amazing and my build looks great. All you need to do is cut that thing and you're good. It's a good case for watercooling but I really wish I had gone 750d. But then again when I built my rig I had no clue id be watercooling. Hopefully you find the right case!

 

I just like my options.

 

I certainly like the look of the Air 540 more than I do the 750D, but it came up that EK actually has a 3x 140mm rad that is 55mm thick which would work perfectly in a 750D. I strangely cannot find the UT60 on NCIX or DazMode for a Canadian buyer (Which is how I'm going to buy all my watercooling parts, buying from FrozenCPU would cost me a pretty penny), so I will probably have to settle for the EK XTC.

 

But when it comes to the cases, both have the oversized window for my shallow needs for the internals to look beastly... But I'm just browsing at this point and looking for every case that would support my needs.

[Jodomcfrodo]

I just like my options.

I certainly like the look of the Air 540 more than I do the 750D, but it came up that EK actually has a 3x 140mm rad that is 55mm thick which would work perfectly in a 750D. I strangely cannot find the UT60 on NCIX or DazMode for a Canadian buyer (Which is how I'm going to buy all my watercooling parts, buying from FrozenCPU would cost me a pretty penny), so I will probably have to settle for the EK XTC.

But when it comes to the cases, both have the oversized window for my shallow needs for the internals to look beastly... But I'm just browsing at this point and looking for every case that would support my needs.

If you have no budget then case labs... Lol I doubt you want to spend $500 on a monster case. If you can wait I saw a similar case to the air 540 that's a little more gaudy. It's on display at computex and Tek syndicate had a video on it. I'll find a link. You could definitely fit a 60mm in the 540 but it would be tight and you may have to return things because of the possibility of it not working.

I wouldn't settle for anything else than a UT60. The full copper makes it cool much better. If you went 360 45 and 120 45 in the 540 you could have a very nice looking loop. I have it in my mind right now. If you really want the thick rad, you could do it in the 540 but it would be easier in the 750D. Can't you fit a 60mm 360 in the front of a 750D?

It is the first case they show in the video.

[Gravt]

Nawh, Caselabs certainly isn't my go to for cases! I'd be going with a 900D or a Stacker before I go with a Caselabs case.

 

But that would be sick if you could find that, I haven't really followed PAX or Computex or E3's unveilings simply because there's so much stuff that's out there!

 

According to Corsair, the 750D has support for:

 

Front: 240/280mm
Top: 240/280/360mm
Rear: 120/140mm 
Bottom: 120/240mm

 

I did make a mistake, I looked at the amount of fans you can mount on the 750D rather than the radiator. It's only a 360 still! I saw under fan mount locations:

 

Top: (x3) 120mm or (x3) 140m

 

And was just like "WOHA 420mm RAD!" nawh, I fooled myself.

 

Perhaps I could consider going with that case that you're about to link, or just go with 2 radiators like you have in your build. This thought is still more or less in it's infancy, so I'm still rolling all this around in my head.

 

e; Holy s... That's the case? That thing is an absolute beast of a case. Do they have 2 360mm rads in the top?

 

ee; According to

you can actually run 4 360mm rads in there.I suppose 2 in the top and 2 in the front. That thing is absolutely massive.

[Jodomcfrodo]

Nawh, Caselabs certainly isn't my go to for cases! I'd be going with a 900D or a Stacker before I go with a Caselabs case.

But that would be sick if you could find that, I haven't really followed PAX or Computex or E3's unveilings simply because there's so much stuff that's out there!

According to Corsair, the 750D has support for:

Front: 240/280mm

Top: 240/280/360mm

Rear: 120/140mm

Bottom: 120/240mm

I did make a mistake, I looked at the amount of fans you can mount on the 750D rather than the radiator. It's only a 360 still! I saw under fan mount locations:

Top: (x3) 120mm or (x3) 140m

And was just like "WOHA 420mm RAD!" nawh, I fooled myself.

Perhaps I could consider going with that case that you're about to link, or just go with 2 radiators like you have in your build. This thought is still more or less in it's infancy, so I'm still rolling all this around in my head.

e; Holy s... That's the case? That thing is an absolute beast of a case. Do they have 2 360mm rads in the top?

I really like the way my build looks. Btw link above.

How dual rad loop could go:

CPU block

Down

Gpu block

To bottom of 360 radiator in front

To pump and res mounted in the back

To 120mm rad in back

Back to CPU block

You would only have 3 cuts visible in the front section.

Also I can confirm that a 45 fits in the front although I did have to cut the drive cage to make my massive 1/2id 3/4od compression fittings work.

My loop goes:

Gpu block

Up to CPU

To 240mm on top with fittings mounted left

To res on top if psu

To pump on the floor in the back

To 360mm rad with fittings on the ground

Back to gpu

[Jodomcfrodo]

Nawh, Caselabs certainly isn't my go to for cases! I'd be going with a 900D or a Stacker before I go with a Caselabs case.

But that would be sick if you could find that, I haven't really followed PAX or Computex or E3's unveilings simply because there's so much stuff that's out there!

According to Corsair, the 750D has support for:

Front: 240/280mm

Top: 240/280/360mm

Rear: 120/140mm

Bottom: 120/240mm

I did make a mistake, I looked at the amount of fans you can mount on the 750D rather than the radiator. It's only a 360 still! I saw under fan mount locations:

Top: (x3) 120mm or (x3) 140m

And was just like "WOHA 420mm RAD!" nawh, I fooled myself.

Perhaps I could consider going with that case that you're about to link, or just go with 2 radiators like you have in your build. This thought is still more or less in it's infancy, so I'm still rolling all this around in my head.

e; Holy s... That's the case? That thing is an absolute beast of a case. Do they have 2 360mm rads in the top?

ee; According to

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ixnmns50zs

you can actually run 4 360mm rads in there.I suppose 2 in the top and 2 in the front. That thing is absolutely massive.

There is no way you need more rad space than what that offers. Keep in mind it is a first mock up so it will probably be at least a year before that comes to the market if it ever does. What do you think of the case? Reminds me of the black ops 2 logo.

[Gravt]

Gpu block

Up to CPU

To 240mm on top with fittings mounted left

To res on top if psu

To pump on the floor in the back

To 360mm rad with fittings on the ground

Back to gpu

I certainly do like the way that sounds. Given I also like the way the case looks perhaps two rads like that isn't such a bad idea. I'd probably be slapping SickleFlos or JetFlos and running them at max speed, so all that cooling area would also be a good setup for SLI if I was to buy another card. However the 2 XT45's cost 155 from NCIX while the 1 UT60 costs just 110 and I dunno how performance would differ be. Price wouldn't really be an issue, but you might as well sink the money into where you'd need it.

 

The only thing I would probably change is the res in the back, I'd try to pull that to the front just because I like the idea of seeing the res. But when I have all those parts, I'll make the decision then since I have no idea how cluttered it would be.

 

When it comes to that case, I honestly think it looks like a cube right out of Portal more than anything. I wasn't really one to play Call of Duty past MW2, so I know next to nothing about the franchise since then. 

[Jodomcfrodo]

I certainly do like the way that sounds. Given I also like the way the case looks perhaps two rads like that isn't such a bad idea. I'd probably be slapping SickleFlos or JetFlos and running them at max speed, so all that cooling area would also be a good setup for SLI if I was to buy another card. However the 2 XT45's cost 155 from NCIX while the 1 UT60 costs just 110 and I dunno how performance would differ be. Price wouldn't really be an issue, but you might as well sink the money into where you'd need it.

The only thing I would probably change is the res in the back, I'd try to pull that to the front just because I like the idea of seeing the res. But when I have all those parts, I'll make the decision then since I have no idea how cluttered it would be.

When it comes to that case, I honestly think it looks like a cube right out of Portal more than anything. I wasn't really one to play Call of Duty past MW2, so I know next to nothing about the franchise since then.

Do you have a reference gpu because if you do I have the perfect solution for where the res goes. The pcb just has to be not wide.

Just a warning, the air 540 is not very good with noise canceling. I can't hear my rig now but when I aired cooled it sure buzzed.

The two rads would probably cool better or the same as the thicker one and save some headaches down the road. I say XT45's.

Just a quick side note.

Do you live in B.C.? I head up to whistler every year to snowboard.

[Gravt]

Do you have a reference gpu because if you do I have the perfect solution for where the res goes. The pcb just has to be not wide.

Just a warning, the air 540 is not very good with noise canceling. I can't hear my rig now but when I aired cooled it sure buzzed.

The two rads would probably cool better or the same as the thicker one and save some headaches down the road. I say XT45's.

Just a quick side note.

Do you live in B.C.? I head up to whistler every year to snowboard.

 

I would be buying a reference GPU of the next gen Nvidia cards since I'm not going to be building this PC as of now. I'll be making a new build in the near future (Perhaps a year or two, I just want to be well versed when I finally do go for this and keep my knowledge fresh and up-to-snuff until I'm finally ready to take the plunge on a setup). At the moment I do have an EVGA 770 ACX, not superclocked or classified or anything like that. I do believe that this card is on a reference PCB

 

In response to the case being loud; I'm one to wear closed ear headphones and like a loud sounding computer. I'd much rather have a loud computer that can move lots of air through my radiators. I understand silence freaks, but I'm certainly not one of them.

 

Right on, the XT45's are probably a very solid choice, and like you said, wouldn't be a pain in the behind to mount in a standard Air 540 setup. Plus all that room in the back that I can hide all the bad looking hose connections! That has to give the Air 540 some bonus points.

 

As to where I live, I live on the other side of the mountains in Alberta, to which I also hit up the mountains to board every winter; I still have my Forum board, and it's sad to see the company be dissolved!

 

The idea I had for the res would have been to have it on the right side of the board and be fed from wherever (Probably the CPU block), then have the hose come from the bottom of the res through one of the grommits to the back and then down into the pump, then through the grommit in the bottom of the tray to the GPU block. It would look pretty cool with some white lights!

 

But looking at you signature, I see you're using the Mayhem Pastel coolant! I was debating going with something like that or a colored hose and just water, but I dunno how I'd get a semi-transparent blue/yellow hose to really look good since I'm not really crazy with my lighting effects like Linus is.

[Jodomcfrodo]

I would be buying a reference GPU of the next gen Nvidia cards since I'm not going to be building this PC as of now. I'll be making a new build in the near future (Perhaps a year or two, I just want to be well versed when I finally do go for this and keep my knowledge fresh and up-to-snuff until I'm finally ready to take the plunge on a setup). At the moment I do have an EVGA 770 ACX, not superclocked or classified or anything like that. I do believe that this card is on a reference PCB

In response to the case being loud; I'm one to wear closed ear headphones and like a loud sounding computer. I'd much rather have a loud computer that can move lots of air through my radiators. I understand silence freaks, but I'm certainly not one of them.

Right on, the XT45's are probably a very solid choice, and like you said, wouldn't be a pain in the behind to mount in a standard Air 540 setup. Plus all that room in the back that I can hide all the bad looking hose connections! That has to give the Air 540 some bonus points.

As to where I live, I live on the other side of the mountains in Alberta, to which I also hit up the mountains to board every winter; I still have my Forum board, and it's sad to see the company be dissolved!

The idea I had for the res would have been to have it on the right side of the board and be fed from wherever (Probably the CPU block), then have the hose come from the bottom of the res through one of the grommits to the back and then down into the pump, then through the grommit in the bottom of the tray to the GPU block. It would look pretty cool with some white lights!

But looking at you signature, I see you're using the Mayhem Pastel coolant! I was debating going with something like that or a colored hose and just water, but I dunno how I'd get a semi-transparent blue/yellow hose to really look good since I'm not really crazy with my lighting effects like Linus is.

Boom: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1040559825

That looks good where the res is there I think. You might need to get a pump res combo or a short res and run a tube back to the pump.

Idea:

Where the res is

To pump in back

To 360 with fittings either way

To CPU block

To top mounted 240

To gpu

To res

Or

Where the res is

To pump in back

To 360 mounted up or down

Through the back to the 240

To CPU

To gpu

To res

Edit:

Better idea

Where the res is

To pump in back

To 360 in front with fittings on bottom

To gpu

To CPU

To top mounted 240

Straight down to res

You could hide the one tube from 240 to res and go from CPU to res if you did

Res

to pump in back

To top mounted 240

Go through the back to the 360 with the fittings on bottom

To gpu

To CPU

To res

[Gravt]

Boom: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1040559825

That looks good where the res is there I think. You might need to get a pump res combo or a short res and run a tube back to the pump.

Idea:

Where the res is

To pump in back

To 360 with fittings either way

To CPU block

To top mounted 240

To gpu

To res

Or

Where the res is

To pump in back

To 360 mounted up or down

Through the back to the 240

To CPU

To gpu

To res

Edit:

Better idea

Where the res is

To pump in back

To 360 in front with fittings on bottom

To gpu

To CPU

To top mounted 240

Straight down to res

You could hide the one tube from 240 to res and go from CPU to res if you did

Res

to pump in back

To top mounted 240

Go through the back to the 360 with the fittings on bottom

To gpu

To CPU

To res

That setup does certainly look very solid! I was having a hard time even finding the pump in those pictures, and I was like "That res looks like it's too low! Might not be feeding pump!" But I suppose that it is since the loop is working.

 

I was actually able to find a build that initially turned me on to the Air 540; http://imgur.com/a/CmWbJ#23 The Gold Love case. It's pretty crazy since it looks like he has a crazy thick radiator in the top and a slimmer rad in the front. Then there's also the idea of using a bay res that can be visible in the front that could just look awesome...

 

All these ideas are pretty solid for building the loop out. The most straight looking tubes and nickle fittings I have visible, the better! I'm contriving a way to make it work in paint.

[Jodomcfrodo]

That setup does certainly look very solid! I was having a hard time even finding the pump in those pictures, and I was like "That res looks like it's too low! Might not be feeding pump!" But I suppose that it is since the loop is working.

I was actually able to find a build that initially turned me on to the Air 540; http://imgur.com/a/CmWbJ#23 The Gold Love case. It's pretty crazy since it looks like he has a crazy thick radiator in the top and a slimmer rad in the front. Then there's also the idea of using a bay res that can be visible in the front that could just look awesome...

All these ideas are pretty solid for building the loop out. The most straight looking tubes and nickle fittings I have visible, the better! I'm contriving a way to make it work in paint.

I painted my mesh before I put watercooling in. I made a ton if upgrades but no pictures. Here is my painted mesh and build before watercooling:

http://i.imgur.com/HKlj8Qo.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/I8cxF7l.jpg

Since then I put in sleeves cables and watercooling and ditched the led fans.

Holy god does that link you posted make it look glorious. I wouldn't never put that amount if work in. That build is incredible. Spray painting the mesh is surprisingly easy. Make sure not to put too much on at once or you will fill the holes and ruin the mesh. Made that mistake and had to order whole new panels.

But that build must've took a ton of work. I'm guessing a 45 or 60 in the top and a 45 in the front.

They look thicker than my rads and the same thickness so maybe dual 60's? I didn't think that was possible...

[Gravt]

I painted my mesh before I put watercooling in. I made a ton if upgrades but no pictures. Here is my painted mesh and build before watercooling:

http://i.imgur.com/HKlj8Qo.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/I8cxF7l.jpg

Since then I put in sleeves cables and watercooling and ditched the led fans.

Holy god does that link you posted make it look glorious. I wouldn't never put that amount if work in. That build is incredible. Spray painting the mesh is surprisingly easy. Make sure not to put too much on at once or you will fill the holes and ruin the mesh. Made that mistake and had to order whole new panels.

But that build must've took a ton of work. I'm guessing a 45 or 60 in the top and a 30 in the front.

 

Yeah, it also cost the guy who made it $5,000 for some strange reason! http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/24459q/build_complete_upcs_black_gold_5k/

 

Perhaps the fittings were actually gold... That's the only explanation!

 

Surely I will take that into account! This thread is getting saved for when I finally dive in. Your painted build certainly looks awesome, and I'd be going with a white/blue/black, so a white Air 540 with a painted blue mesh would look pretty sweet! Just use lots of painters tape. In your case when you clogged the holes of the mesh though, you couldn't just take an air compressor and push the paint through the holes in the mesh?

 

That being said, what kind of sleeved cables did you go for? Something like the Lutro0 customs? Or the BitFenix Alchemy style sleeved cables?

 

When it also comes to your LED effects, what strips did you use? I have a choice between several different brands and just wanna buy something that just plain works (Or perhaps is UV reactive if I choose to go with a UV sensitive coolant).

[Jodomcfrodo]

Yeah, it also cost the guy who made it $5,000 for some strange reason! http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/24459q/build_complete_upcs_black_gold_5k/

Perhaps the fittings were actually gold... That's the only explanation!

Surely I will take that into account! This thread is getting saved for when I finally dive in. Your painted build certainly looks awesome, and I'd be going with a white/blue/black, so a white Air 540 with a painted blue mesh would look pretty sweet! Just use lots of painters tape. In your case when you clogged the holes of the mesh though, you couldn't just take an air compressor and push the paint through the holes in the mesh?

That being said, what kind of sleeved cables did you go for? Something like the Lutro0 customs? Or the BitFenix Alchemy style sleeved cables?

When it also comes to your LED effects, what strips did you use? I have a choice between several different brands and just wanna buy something that just plain works (Or perhaps is UV reactive if I choose to go with a UV sensitive coolant).

I used plastidip at first. I spend hours trying to get it off. I used chemicals, hot water and a ton of scrubbing. Nothing helped. Just spray it on lightly from around 4 feet away so you just dust it and you'll be fine.

I have a RM750 so I just got the corsair red sleeved cables. It was easy and they're fine. They're expensive and I still don't have a 24 pin in red since it's $30 and not much to gain.

The LED strip is a NZXT one. It's fine. Has 3 levels which are all pretty bright, a moles connector, and even the short version is plenty long.

Cons: has a kinda annoying PCI bracket mount. Lifts the lights off the ground at the start of the run.

The stick pads are terrible. Absolute useless garbage.

I really like my mayhems red with clear tubing. I'll try to get some pics up tomorrow evening of my new build with watercooling.

[airdeano]

phanteks enthoo primo can house what you need easily.

 

480x 60 in the roof, 480x 60 in the floor with no modifications. since you are

looking to SSD only, they will fit in the 2.5" carrier in the back.

 

[Gravt]

 

phanteks enthoo primo can house what you need easily.

 

480x 60 in the roof, 480x 60 in the floor with no modifications. since you are

looking to SSD only, they will fit in the 2.5" carrier in the back.

 

 

That case is pretty rockin', for an extra 100 dollars I will definitely consider it!

 

The amount of radiator space in that thing is insane, and it also comes in white! Yet I'll have to order those rads from out of country since both DazMode and NCIX don't carry Alphacool rads that are that large, and the amount of rad space that's usable is for people that are going to quad SLI. But it's also much cheaper than the 900D without that basement that looks quite silly.

 

I can forsee myself doing something wild and creative with that case. Thanks for sharing and I'll certainly consider using that as my main box!

 

http://img.ncix.com/images/97130_2.jpg

 

With that kind of a side shot, it certainly looks awesome, but I'm not really a big fan of how it looks in the front when it's all said and done.

 

I used plastidip at first. I spend hours trying to get it off. I used chemicals, hot water and a ton of scrubbing. Nothing helped. Just spray it on lightly from around 4 feet away so you just dust it and you'll be fine.

I have a RM750 so I just got the corsair red sleeved cables. It was easy and they're fine. They're expensive and I still don't have a 24 pin in red since it's $30 and not much to gain.

The LED strip is a NZXT one. It's fine. Has 3 levels which are all pretty bright, a moles connector, and even the short version is plenty long.

Cons: has a kinda annoying PCI bracket mount. Lifts the lights off the ground at the start of the run.

The stick pads are terrible. Absolute useless garbage.

I really like my mayhems red with clear tubing. I'll try to get some pics up tomorrow evening of my new build with watercooling.

Indeed, I've heard that the BitFenix ones are just terrible when it comes to emitting light, the NZXT ones are good from what I've heard, but your complaints are helpful! I'll just need lots of clear packing tape, it seems.

 

I think I could surely make a blue and white case look good with their Blueberry colored coolant, though!

[Jodomcfrodo]

That case is pretty rockin', for an extra 100 dollars I will definitely consider it!

The amount of radiator space in that thing is insane, and it also comes in white! Yet I'll have to order those rads from out of country since both DazMode and NCIX don't carry Alphacool rads that are that large, and the amount of rad space that's usable is for people that are going to quad SLI. But it's also much cheaper than the 900D without that basement that looks quite silly.

I can forsee myself doing something wild and creative with that case. Thanks for sharing and I'll certainly consider using that as my main box!

http://img.ncix.com/images/97130_2.jpg

With that kind of a side shot, it certainly looks awesome, but I'm not really a big fan of how it looks in the front when it's all said and done.

Indeed, I've heard that the BitFenix ones are just terrible when it comes to emitting light, the NZXT ones are good from what I've heard, but your complaints are helpful! I'll just need lots of clear packing tape, it seems.

I think I could surely make a blue and white case look good with their Blueberry colored coolant, though!

Wenches grape juice is a better coolant than other grapes juices because the acidity levels are toned down. You could always use that and when ever you're thirsty just open your drain port into a glass.

On a serious note, it you are mounting LEDs, ridged bars look much better than strips IMO. I would use electrical tape instead of clear tape because it isn't reflective and will blend in with the strip and case nicely.

[Gravt]

Wenches grape juice is a better coolant than other grapes juices because the acidity levels are toned down. You could always use that and when ever you're thirsty just open your drain port into a glass.

On a serious note, it you are mounting LEDs, ridged bars look much better than strips IMO. I would use electrical tape instead of clear tape because it isn't reflective and will blend in with the strip and case nicely.

 

Electrical tape. I'm assuming hockey tape would work too.

 

That being said, all of these are great tips (Minus using grape juice as coolant, I'll let that one slide. )

 

But yeah! Off to sleep I am! I may have more questions later, but I'll roll all this over as I drift off into that good night! All of this being said, I think I need to make a white and blue space ship looking case, and i'll see if I can come up with some sweet looking loop configs that would work for either the Air 540 or the Plantek's case.