Planning out a custom loop

[YattaRX8]

Attempting to plan out a CPU+GPU custom loop in the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv to see if I have space for everything I want. Atm I'm looking at top mounting a triple radiator with these fans and using this pump/res

 

I made this rough mspaint image where 1 pixel represents 1mm in an attempt to see how much free space I'd have above the res to hopefully be able to mount an extra HDD, but I was having trouble finding out how much "dead space" there is between the radiator mount and the actual top of the case, so I just gave it an extra 35mm.

 

Am I way off base and there's a better way to do this or does it look like I'm in the right ballpark? Any other information I need to supply?

[AV Techy]

Hello there, I think you are pretty spot on with your list of parts. And the rough layout seems to be pretty good. You may want to think about throwing some fans in the front of the case to keep airflow up and cool down the other components in your system adequately.

 

The fans will likely be fixed directly to the top of the chassis, and you'll fix the radiator underneath (which is a good orientation for direct access to the radiator fittings). Total thickness of radiator and fans will be 65mm, which won't be an issue in that case.

 

Apart from that I don't think you're far off base, have you planned your drain and fill ports?

Edited June 5, 2017 by Aloe Vera
Typo

[PrimeSonic]

I'll just add that if you want to put the CPU and GPU on the same loop, then you'll want just a little bit more than a single 360mm rad.

 

Rule of thumb: 120mm of radiator space minimum for each component in the loop.

 

That case has space for more. Consider adding a second radiator to mount in the front of the case; The bigger, the better.

[FrankV]

6 hours ago, YattaRX8 said:

Attempting to plan out a CPU+GPU custom loop in the Phanteks Enthoo Evolv to see if I have space for everything I want. Atm I'm looking at top mounting a triple radiator with these fans and using this pump/res

 

I made this rough mspaint image where 1 pixel represents 1mm in an attempt to see how much free space I'd have above the res to hopefully be able to mount an extra HDD, but I was having trouble finding out how much "dead space" there is between the radiator mount and the actual top of the case, so I just gave it an extra 35mm.

 

Am I way off base and there's a better way to do this or does it look like I'm in the right ballpark? Any other information I need to supply?

3

I just want to note: I'm currently installing the pump/res that you have listed in a Corsair 750d (full tower) and I'll be honest: It's a lot larger than I thought. I had to rearrange some things to get it to fit (don't forget to include room for filling). 

 

If I may suggest, measure and double check for room. I'm sure it'll fit in the case, but my suggestion pertains to the other customizations/parts in your system. There is, of course, other options such as the EK-XRES 100 which might provide you with more flexible placement. 

[AV Techy]

1 hour ago, FrankV said:

I just want to note: I'm currently installing the pump/res that you have listed in a Corsair 750d (full tower) and I'll be honest: It's a lot larger than I thought. I had to rearrange some things to get it to fit (don't forget to include room for filling). 

 

If I may suggest, measure and double check for room. I'm sure it'll fit in the case, but my suggestion pertains to the other customizations/parts in your system. There is, of course, other options such as the EK-XRES 100 which might provide you with more flexible placement. 

There is definitely potential for more cooling, it's just cost, complexity and the want to that is in question. Like "FrankV" I too have the same pump/res with a 280mm and 240mm radiator in the Evolv mATX. If I can fit all that in a case that is smaller than it's bigger ATX brother (which is the case in question) then you'll have all the room in the world.

 

Consider using one of the EK pump mounting brackets (https://www.ekwb.com/shop/pumps/d5-series/holders-brackets), you can use them to get your pump/res into different locations and orientations. They are mainly best used by mounting onto a fan, just another option to get the build they way you want it.

 

On the subject of drain and fill, I would strongly recommend setting up the fill port right at the top (coming off your radiator), and the drain at the bottom of the loop (most likely your reservoir). As well as that I would reccommend using a Ball Valve with the drain port for convenience sake (https://www.ekwb.com/shop/fittings/extra/ball-valves).

 

P.S.: if your a bit stumped on the exact components needed for the drain and fill port, I've made a some what decent video with explanations of both during a "does kinked tubing matter" test. I'll post it if you feel you need the help.

[YattaRX8]

5 hours ago, Aloe Vera said:

Hello there, I think you are pretty spot on with your list of parts. And the rough layout seems to be pretty good. You may want to think about throwing some fans in the front of the case to keep airflow up and cool down the other components in your system adequately.

 

The fans will likely be fixed directly to the top of the chassis, and you'll fix the radiator underneath (which is a good orientation for direct access to the radiator fittings). Total thickness of radiator and fans will be 65mm, which won't be an issue in that case.

 

Apart from that I don't think you're far off base, have you planned your drain and fill ports?

I was going to have the radiator fixed to the chassis with the fans attached to them, but it would be better the other way around? I feel having the fans attached to the chassis would make dust management easier as the fans wouldn't be in the way for cleaning, but I wasn't sure if they could handle the weight of the unsupported radiator under them.

 

I haven't planned a drain port but I figured I'd just fill from the reservoir as I'm not sure how I'd go about filling from the top radiator.

 

2 hours ago, PrimeSonic said:

I'll just add that if you want to put the CPU and GPU on the same loop, then you'll want just a little bit more than a single 360mm rad.

 

Rule of thumb: 120mm of radiator space minimum for each component in the loop.

 

That case has space for more. Consider adding a second radiator to mount in the front of the case; The bigger, the better.

My problem with putting a front radiator in would be that I'd have to remove the HDD cage at the bottom, or just get a single radiator, which might end up looking kind of tacky. I've honestly thought about just getting something like this for a while now but was never sure if it was the best solution.

 

If I did remove the HDDs for another rad, should I put the triple on the front and a dual on the top (off the top of my head I feel that would fit)? That way I'd have three fans pulling in and two pulling out. Otherwise I could do the dual on the front, triple on the top, with a fan at the back pulling in, but I feel that's more counter-intuitive.

 

45 minutes ago, Aloe Vera said:

There is definitely potential for more cooling, it's just cost, complexity and the want to that is in question. Like "FrankV" I too have the same pump/res with a 280mm and 240mm radiator in the Evolv mATX. If I can fit all that in a case that is smaller than it's bigger ATX brother (which is the case in question) then you'll have all the room in the world.

 

Consider using one of the EK pump mounting brackets (https://www.ekwb.com/shop/pumps/d5-series/holders-brackets), you can use them to get your pump/res into different locations and orientations. They are mainly best used by mounting onto a fan, just another option to get the build they way you want it.

 

On the subject of drain and fill, I would strongly recommend setting up the fill port right at the top (coming off your radiator), and the drain at the bottom of the loop (most likely your reservoir). As well as that I would reccommend using a Ball Valve with the drain port for convenience sake (https://www.ekwb.com/shop/fittings/extra/ball-valves).

 

P.S.: if your a bit stumped on the exact components needed for the drain and fill port, I've made a some what decent video with explanations of both during a "does kinked tubing matter" test. I'll post it if you feel you need the help.

 

How would one go about filling from the top radiator? I assume a drain port would just need a T splitter and a ball valve. Would it be similar for a fill port?

[AV Techy]

Yeah you'd essentially use a T-splitter, then I'd recommend a soft tubing section (with a fitting either end of course) - this helps get the draining and filling ports out of the case away from your components (redundancy), then the Ball Valve (for the drain) with a plug on the end for backup (the plug is not necessary though, but it does look better).

 

If you want a video explanation check this out:

 

[PrimeSonic]

59 minutes ago, YattaRX8 said:

My problem with putting a front radiator in would be that I'd have to remove the HDD cage at the bottom, or just get a single radiator, which might end up looking kind of tacky. I've honestly thought about just getting something like this for a while now but was never sure if it was the best solution.

 

If I did remove the HDDs for another rad, should I put the triple on the front and a dual on the top (off the top of my head I feel that would fit)? That way I'd have three fans pulling in and two pulling out. Otherwise I could do the dual on the front, triple on the top, with a fan at the back pulling in, but I feel that's more counter-intuitive.

I'm not sure what your needs are for the traditional HDD cage.

Personally, I don't use them anymore but that might not be your situation so it might be a deal-breaker.

 

If you are able to place all your drives without the HDD cage, you have several options for what do to with a extra radiators.

 

According to the case specs, you can fit a 120 or 140 rad in the rear (exhaust). You could also fit up to a 360 or a 280 radiator in the front.

Aesthetically, a 280 mounted in the front should be centered where as a 240 would be off-center.

 

If you go with the 280, you shouldn't have any clearance issues between it and the 360 rad in the top.

If you put a 120 or 140 radiator in the rear, you might.

 

If you have concerns about keeping positive air-pressure in the case with a front mounted radiator, the space left by the HDD cage gives you plenty of room to run that radiator with fans in push/pull.

 

At the end of the day, it's your build. Only you can decide what will work best for you or how you want it to look.
The only thing I can say is that a single 360 radiator for both the CPU and GPU might not be enough when both are working hard. So if you have any chance to add more radiator space to your loop, I would highly recommend you take it.

[YattaRX8]

17 minutes ago, PrimeSonic said:

I'm not sure what your needs are for the traditional HDD cage.

Personally, I don't use them anymore but that might not be your situation so it might be a deal-breaker.

 

If you are able to place all your drives without the HDD cage, you have several options for what do to with a extra radiators.

 

According to the case specs, you can fit a 120 or 140 rad in the rear (exhaust). You could also fit up to a 360 or a 280 radiator in the front.

Aesthetically, a 280 mounted in the front should be centered where as a 240 would be off-center.

 

If you go with the 280, you shouldn't have any clearance issues between it and the 360 rad in the top.

If you put a 120 or 140 radiator in the rear, you might.

 

If you have concerns about keeping positive air-pressure in the case with a front mounted radiator, the space left by the HDD cage gives you plenty of room to run that radiator with fans in push/pull.

 

At the end of the day, it's your build. Only you can decide what will work best for you or how you want it to look.
The only thing I can say is that a single 360 radiator for both the CPU and GPU might not be enough when both are working hard. So if you have any chance to add more radiator space to your loop, I would highly recommend you take it.

I think I'm just going to buy the case now so I can get a better idea on how I want to lay things out. I get nervous about space concerns when I only have pictures/videos and the supplied case dimensions to work with. I think things will be way easier if I just do my own measurements with the case in hand. I'll keep everything you said in mind while I figure everything out.

[PrimeSonic]

You should be able to find photos and video online of water cooling loops in this case (if you really like it).

 

That's how I saw that I was going to be able to cram three radiators into my Air 540.
It was a tight squeeze but there was just enough space.

 

I'm sure there's plenty of examples of custom loops in this case. The Phanteks Enthoo line is a popular choice for water cooling builds.

[YattaRX8]

Yeah, I've seen a few builds and what they can fit in them. I just have an issue where I have to see it in person before I feel comfortable with it. I have a similar problem at work where we have to do simple isometric drawings of piping systems for training purposes. I've seen other people take various pictures and draw from them. I'm not comfortable with drawing unless I'm looking at the pipe in question.