Calling all P182 watercoolers!

So, i've made my mind up to get a P182 with:

D-tek fuzion
MCP655
Thermochill PA120.3

Wondering how these will fit in/outside case etc.....

Anyone with a p182 + watercooling setup willing to show pics of their rig?

You dont look very hard do you...

http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=532019

LOL- just thought it would be nice to get it all in one thread!

P180 (B) and all the variants are very similar to P182 apart from a few internal differences, there's some good P182 WC builds out there:

P180 Watercooling Compilation at [H]

Worklog: P180B at XS

That P180B thread was the inspiration for my setup, I was deciding between an internal 220 or an external 320 and this thread decided it for me.

Nice links,

If you are going for a full internal setup, you could fit that 120.3 up top. I think you would be sacrificing the top 5.25'' bay though.

And that compilation link that Clockwork posted is very helpful, I would imagine.

I'm... slightly jealous of the WC loop and setup of the system on XS. That has to be one of the best loops i've seen in a while.

ancalime said:

If you are going for a full internal setup, you could fit that 120.3 up top. I think you would be sacrificing the top 5.25'' bay though.

Click to expand...

You can fit a thin rad such as BIP or MCR in that space, but then if you want the fans internal they will hit into motherboard components. I've only seen one P180 with an internal rad like that, and he had the fans external on the top.

Yeh i'm still a bit confused as to which method i'm going to use. I want this system to be as close to silent as possible (the main reason i'm going for the P182).

If I go for the method of putting a 3 fan radiator on the back or top of case surely this will make a lot of noise!- even if i choose the quietest fans, sureley 3 of them is going to be a significant level of noise?! Although the radiator on the back looks quite good I think in the long run it would annoy me no end having such a huge addition on the back of the case.

Then of course there's the option of fitting a 2 fan rad internally. While this will help significantly with noise levels I fear it may adverslly affect the cooling. Will a two fan rad be able to cool a Q9450 and a 8800GTS? I don't think it will from what I've read.

So this whole process has left me non the wiser really. I could of course go for a larger case but, again I will be sacficing the sound. Maybe I just can't have everything I want!!

Unless any of you guys have had any similar experiences/can think of a solution?!

If you went with a double rad you'd need some mid-high speed fans, and although they'd be inside the case, the noise would still be noticable.

If you go with a triple rad, you can use extremely low speed fans and still get decent temperatures. However, they're external and the noise will not be dampened so may be more audible than faster internal fans.

It's a tough choice, I had to make the same one. In the end I decided on the triple as it allows room for upgrades, I wouldnt feel comfortable with a quad on a double rad.

What fans have you got on your rad clockwork? (nice setup btw!). How noisy is it?

The white one is a silverstone FM121, at it's lowest speed 800rpm. The two black ones are Antec Tri-Cools at Low setting. My PC is on my desk with the rad about 1' away from my head, with no obstructions and I cannot hear the fans over normal ambient noise. At night I can hear my pump, but still can only just hear the fans.

The MCR-320 works very well with low CFM quiet fans.

Indeed it does I got a P180 that I have the rad mounted inside on the top of the case. Its nice and quiet, which will be going away soon back to air cooling for me, always been just a little leary of water leaving it on or something like that, just never settled properly with me. Guess I gotta stop doing it

Clockwork_Apple said:

You can fit a thin rad such as BIP or MCR in that space, but then if you want the fans internal they will hit into motherboard components. I've only seen one P180 with an internal rad like that, and he had the fans external on the top.

Click to expand...

Really not even the BIP? The BIP is only 25 mm thick, I thought it would fit. What part of the motherboard does it hit?

Heres some pics, mines a P180 case so its nearly identical so take a gander.




I have the MCR320 rad and standard 25mm or 28mm think 120mm fans. It fits but depending on the board that your fitting into the case it can be VERY tight with any heatsink on the top row of the mobo or the power plug 4 and 8 pin that is located as well usually on the top half of the board at least with Asus being right butted up against the edge.

Very nice setup deathman20, first time I've seen someone successfully do that. Is the rad centred in the top panel, or did you have to put it to the side so it doesnt hit the motherboard?

Clockwork_Apple said:

Very nice setup deathman20, first time I've seen someone successfully do that. Is the rad centred in the top panel, or did you have to put it to the side so it doesnt hit the motherboard?

Click to expand...

Thanks, it was a fun build, it fits and many said I'd have a hard time hehe. As well even where it sits, I can remove every item from the case without taking the water cooling loop apart which is nice as well, you can see a pick of no mobo in the case in my sig with the The Dead Board thread.

No its pretty much cenetered due to the rad having to fit into the 5 1/4" bays in the front of the case. It nearly takes the whole thing up, along with at least 1 5 1/4" bay. Its a tight fit, the 8 pin connector is actaully rubbing the fan on the rad. Nothing from the board hits the rad, its really just the fan placement that will get you. I just wish that my loop would of cooled my CPU more since it seems to do a horrible job at it compared to my old Ultra-120. I was hitting nearly 70 with a 3.5Ghz clock, and my Ultra-120 bearly broke 60C at 3.76Ghz. I can't figure out the problem over the past 6 months nearly besides its something to do with the block but its all good. I personally am moving back to air, just feel safer that way and can tweak my system more, since I really haven't touched it since I put the water system in since it can take 1-2 days to put it back to running condition.

Wow- awesome setup deathman. Didn't realise it was possible to fit the triple rad in!

It's a pitty about your temps though!

Wierd temps for sure, possibly just a bad mount? Did you try remounting it?