Suggestions, Comments, Critiques?

I recently purchase an absolutely huge case from ebay, it's got 11 5.25" bays (I'll post pics once I have a chance to take them) I'm planning on doing the following:

1) I think I've got enough room below the motherboard panel to put my PSU down there, otherwise I can mount it in the front of the case or something.

2) I'm going to seal off the area where the PSU currently is and the area above it up to the roof of the case with aluminum panels.

3) I'm going to put a 2-342 HC on the 2 sides of the case as intake vents (need to figure out how to seal the area around the edges, neoprene foam?)
they'll be in series, one will have a fill/bleed port that will run to an access @ the top of the case.

4) I'm going to put my Iwaki Md-20RT in there with the HC and mount 3-4 120mm fans (the awesome ones from the classifieds) as exhausts on the roof of the case. I need to get a variable resistor that I can mount on one of the 5.25" bay covers. I belive I was looking for a 4ohm 20watt one to convert 4 120mm fans to around 7v

5) flow will go Iwaki->HC->HC w/ fill/bleed->Storm G4 (gonna get soon hopefully)->GPU->Pump->and so on

6) I'm hoping to pass tubing through the enclosure with panel-mount barbs. Any suggestions on those, I think they're hard to find on mcmaster.

I was going to use my huge blower, but it's not going to fit. Did these drawings up in paint, hope that they're self-explanatory with my plans above.
(They're as much to scale as I could manage, I think I did 20 pixels to an inch)

Well, the case is only 16.5" deep, as apposed to the 19.5 I though it was. I'm going to have to ex a 120mm fan.
This also may cause a problem with fitting the pump in there too

Finally, I'm going to have to lose the bottom pci port to fit my psu in the bottom of my case.

looks good, i'm doing a very similar thing but with 172mm fans and a 30RZT

To seal around the edges of my radiator, I used adhesive weatherstripping normally used in automotive applications. It sounds to me like it would work for you as well.

Anyone know how much it would hurt my flow to put the pump at the bottom of the case, instead of at the top with the radiators? The case is around 26" tall

feyd83 said:

Anyone know how much it would hurt my flow to put the pump at the bottom of the case, instead of at the top with the radiators? The case is around 26" tall

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none or VERY little

pump placement does not matter

length of tube does, to a certian extent

I'm feeling lazy, so here are the pics from the posting I bought it off of.

that case is awsome hope all your mods work out good. post some pics when its done

Well, placing it at the bottom would make my life a whole lot easier, except all the heat from that thing will be going into my case. I'm guessing it would add an extra foot or 2 of tubing. The input would come from my GPU block, but the output would have to travel all the way up to the HC @ the top of the case. Though, with 14.5' of head, I shouldn't be hurting too much.

Either way, the psu is going to stay where it is @ the top. I might be able to do some creative squeezing and put the pump inbetween the 2 HCs. the airflow coming throught the HC would then help cool the pump, without dumping all of that heat into my system.

Which might hurt flow more, a few feet of tubing or a couple of 90 elbows on the inlet and outlet of the pump. Guessing a 90 on the inlet would make my pump really pissed at me.

I plan on painting the case at some point in time, and adding window(s). That's not really my main concern right now, trying to not spend anymore money than buying the aluminum.

Nice case amigo!
Big cases ROCK!

With all those drive bays you have, is there no way to mount the pump in a few of the upper ones?
Seems to me you could essentially have what many people BUILD as an external pump/rad case included in the top of the case....

Note that I have neither a 2-342 or Iwaki, so I can not speak with certainty, but it looks like it should go. As long as you don't mind losing the topmost drive bays.

Other things:
the pump at the bottom will work fine although as stated above, too much extra tubing does have an effect. An amount that small may not be noticeable though......
Adding a 90 elbow to the inlet.....is bad. But if you HAVE to, well- use a BIG elbow.

I'm talking use a 1" piece if the pump inlet is 1/2".
I have no fact of figures to quote, but I do know that using larger fittings will lessen the impact of the elbow on the system.

Best advice for that though: add a straight length of tubing as an "inlet manifold" kind of thing. This will help get the 90 further away from the pump and definitely lessen the negative effects on the flowrate.

feyd83 said:

Well, placing it at the bottom would make my life a whole lot easier, except all the heat from that thing will be going into my case.

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you're talking about 30w.

that's the same as 2 hard drives, not too much

The iwaki 20rt is 10.5" long and 4.36" high, without the barbs screwed on. So it's a little large.

I've gotta find some place to weld the aluminum panels on for me, I don't think I'm gonna have the space for rivets. I'm also gonna have to do some mods to the HC. I think I'm gonna replace the inputs with 45 degree street elbows, atleast for the barbs that connect the 2 HCs

Well, the fans are going to have to go on top of the case. There won't be enough room for them between the HCs. I think 3 will go on top and 1 in back. The pump is going at the bottom of the case.

Well, I'm getting ready to sell a bunch of stuff I have lying around my apt. to help pay for all this. I'm hopefully going to get some pretty decent parts from work that I can sell too. It's really tempting to get a couple of Black Ice III Pros (3x120mm) from alpha cool, though I doubt I can sell enough to justify the $200 price incl. shipping.

if you want a triple 120mm rad then i would suggest the thermochill 120.3
it is just over 100 most places.
that is better than the bix (well price wise anyway)
but still hella expensive..

i would definately put the pump at the lowest point in the system ( yes it does matter for some pumps )

magick_man said:

if you want a triple 120mm rad then i would suggest the thermochill 120.3
it is just over 100 most places.
that is better than the bix (well price wise anyway)
but still hella expensive..

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The only place I know of to get a Thermochill 120.3 is mountianmods.com or DD, both want 120 apiece, not including shipping. I could get 2 Black Ice Pro 3s (not the xtreme, I'd want the pro cause it is thinner and has less air resistance) for around $195 shipped from Germany. I think I could get the VAT refunded to me also, though I don't remember what percentage of the price that it is.

I also wouldn't mind Alpha-cools version of this innovatek res. I like the rounded top, though I still have no idea how you're supposed to fill those things. I wish they'd fix their listed dimensions , I doubt that thing is a meter long