Installing radiator and fan in top of case

ive been looking around the forums and see a lot of cases that have the radiator and fan installed in the top of the case and thought this might help to save space in it. i was wondering how this is done or if people are just buying cases with it already set up for that.

Drill a 120mm hole where you want the fan and rad to be at the top of the case. Mount the rad with the fan pulling air thru, depneds on if you are sucking air in or blowing air out on where to mount the fan. I have found to get good case and water temps you have to fiddle with wether the fans blow in or out cause it is based on your case layout and ambient temps. Just fool around with it till you get something reasonably. By the way the easiest way to make a clean 120mm hole is to use a 120mm bi-metal hole saw in conjunction with a power drill. A STRONG power drill. With metal go at a lower rpm so it cuts it cleaner with out having to many jagged edges. Then go back and sand down the edges.

Keep clocking

is this something a newbie case modder would be able to do. also im not sure i understand what u are saying about rad and fan. would the fan be on top of the rad and does it stick out of the case or does it go flush with it and then u put a grill or something. also how would the rad screw in. thanks in advance for any help

You want the fan pushing against the radiator pushing air out the top of the case. Just put a grill over the top on the ouside of the case for protecting the radiator. A newbie can drill the hole. You can use a jigsaw if you want as well if you don't have a 5" hole saw.

heh sorry if this is a dumb questions but can u explain to me what these different tools are cause ive never really done this kind of stuff before. also what should i do to prep before i make a cut. and how would i attach the radiator.

A jigsaw is the tool that moves a blade very rapidly up and down. You'd need to drill a hol first inside the area you wish to cut out. A hole saw I haven't used before, but has a drill bit in the center to help guide the saw so it should be straightforward, as long as you take it slow. You attach the radiator by using long screws going through the core of the radiator through the fan holes and using nuts to tighten them together.

Voodoo Rufus said:

You want the fan pushing against the radiator pushing air out the top of the case. Just put a grill over the top on the ouside of the case for protecting the radiator. A newbie can drill the hole. You can use a jigsaw if you want as well if you don't have a 5" hole saw.

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how much performance loss would you see if the fan was on the top, blowing air through the radiator below it, and into the case? That's my setup.

It's hard to say. You could have very adequate performance with good exhaust ventilation to the point where it wouldn't matter.

I have mine at top sucking air out of the case through the rad. Works great. Blowing through the rad works just as good also. It was easier for me to mount everything in my case with the fan sucking air through the rad. Use a 4" (I believe it's 4") hole saw.

I use a 120x38mm fan and it over powers my other case fans when blowing the air into the case. My regular case fans can't exhaust the air fast enough. So I set the fan up to suck the air through the rad and exhaust it out of the case. Cpu temps were the same in either setup with the exception of my case temps being cooler with it exhausting.

I do not reccomend using a jig saw if you have never modded a case. A bi-metal hole saw is the easiest way and almost impossible to screw it up. Just google bi-metal hole saw and look for one that will drill a hole 1200mm wide(the exact circumference of a cd). As far as how to mount the rad i find it is easy to first mount the fan to the rad for your first step. Then drill the hole in the top of the case. Then drill 4 holes around the 120mm hole so you can installl a grill. Now line up the four mounting holes on the fan to the four you just drilled around the 120mm blow hole and put screws in between the grill to the fan. The screws will support the rad and keep it snug against your case. In this setup you will be pullling air thru the rad and out of the top of your case. Thats the jest of it. There are many possible configurations possible just do what works for you and remeber the fans should be pulling air thru the rad not pushing. And it also helps if you can shround the fans to the rad for less noise and better cooling capabilities. Pm me if you want any pics.

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i dont think i have a drill powerful enough for drilling through the case. the only one we have is pretty old and not that great. can u reccommend a good one we could probably use a new one anyway.

anyone over 12-16 volts

thanks