Space constraints, need solution ideas

So I picked up a 780ti with full cover waterblock. I knew it would be longer than that 660ti it replaces, but I guess I didn't exactly realize by how much. This is the old setup:



The new card extends all the way to the edge of the back of the upper drive bay area, which is where the lines for the radiator need to go.



The case isn't QUITE wide enough to put the pump next to the card, otherwise I'd do exactly that. I could put a 45deg or 60deg rotary fitting on the pump inlet and hope that the tubing doesn't kink as it makes the turn. I could also cut a hole in the bottom of the drive bay area and route the tubing that way, but that would require disassembling the entire rig to avoid getting metal shavings where they don't belong.

Another solution involves finding a new pump with restop that's a little shorter so that it fits under the card. The pump is 6 years old, but it shows no signs of trouble. Something like this might fit (I'd need to measure to be certain). My current pump+res combo is 96mm per specs and is just barely too tall. This one is listed at 90mm tall.

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/1..._Blue_LED_Light_-_Acrylic.html?tl=g30c107s152

Does anybody see other solutions that retain most of the existing equipment? New fittings wouldn't be much trouble to get. A new pump/res combo would be a less desirable but doable option.

Do what I do.. put the reservoir outside the case... Run the lines through those black rubber things I see on your case for wiring... and put the reservoir outside the case... This would also help with the temps as your res wont be inside a hot case... And as for mobility ? Who the hell carries their towers around these days ? Yours doesn't look secured either so why not outside the case ?

Not a bad idea. I still have the XSPC non-res acrylic top for it I think. Do you know of any reservoirs that have up/down inlet/outlets like my built-in passthroughs?

You could cut the bottom of the ODD bay a bit to let the tube move forward further and then you could slide the res forward.

Yea, that was an initial thought of mine as well. As much as I like new shinies (who doesn't??) that's the leading contender at the moment. The case is already hacked so much that it couldn't realistically support an air setup, so why not cut on it a little more?

Time to get a new water cooling friendly case?

Go for it Jeremy! That's definitely the quickest and cheapest option you have.

And you don't even need to take the loop apart to do that!

GTXJackBauer said:

Time to get a new water cooling friendly case?

Click to expand...

That's just crazy talk. This case and I are friends, we've been through a lot together. Plus, if I go THAT route it opens the whole can of worms of re-imagining the system in general. Topics such as getting one of those "hybrid cool" mostly silent Seasonic PSUs, a quieter pump with PWM control, some different fans (I've never really liked the Corsairs, don't undervolt enough for me). And when I start thinking about all that I start shopping at places like CaseLabs, and the whole thing starts getting expensive very quickly.

Better to let my cheap Polak side show through and keep using what I've got until it becomes entirely unusable.

ATMINSIDE said:

Go for it Jeremy! That's definitely the quickest and cheapest option you have.

And you don't even need to take the loop apart to do that!

Click to expand...

Cheap? Yes. Quick and easy? It'll probably take at least solid half day to take everything apart (all electronics need to come out to prevent metal shaving shorts), cut it, smooth the edges, clean the case, blocks, and new parts, then put it all back together and start leak testing. Not terrible, but free time's kinda been at a premium for me lately.

I'm also kind of thinking of converting to an old school reservoir-less setup with t-line. The system is operational at the moment, so I have some time to think things through.

JeremyCT said:

That's just crazy talk. This case and I are friends, we've been through a lot together. Plus, if I go THAT route it opens the whole can of worms of re-imagining the system in general. Topics such as getting one of those "hybrid cool" mostly silent Seasonic PSUs, a quieter pump with PWM control, some different fans (I've never really liked the Corsairs, don't undervolt enough for me). And when I start thinking about all that I start shopping at places like CaseLabs, and the whole thing starts getting expensive very quickly.

Better to let my cheap Polak side show through and keep using what I've got until it becomes entirely unusable.



Cheap? Yes. Quick and easy? It'll probably take at least solid half day to take everything apart (all electronics need to come out to prevent metal shaving shorts), cut it, smooth the edges, clean the case, blocks, and new parts, then put it all back together and start leak testing. Not terrible, but free time's kinda been at a premium for me lately.

I'm also kind of thinking of converting to an old school reservoir-less setup with t-line. The system is operational at the moment, so I have some time to think things through.

Click to expand...

Why saw it?
Use some tin snips, cut the sheet metal, roll it back, and you already have smooth edges.

I don't have tin snips, only a die grinder and a dremel. The rear edge of the ODD is a rolled edge, so tin snips might struggle with that part anyway.

Alright, I just looked at prices online. "I don't have tin snips" is an awful excuse when they're under 20 bucks a pair at Lowe's or Home Depot. Certainly worth a shot to avoid needing to disassemble everything.

Good call, now I just need to eyeball exactly which new angle fittings I'll need.

Tin snips didn't "cut it". (ha ha?) The angles were all wrong and I couldn't get them where they needed to be easily. Plus the cuts were ugly as heck. I'll remove everything from the case and do it properly soon.

Well, it was worth the shot.

Yea, it was a good suggestion and I'm not at all sorry to have tried it. Believe me, I tried like hell to make it work. It just didn't want to cooperate. Damn Antec using quality steel of a decent thicknesss. What were they thinking??

JeremyCT said:

Yea, it was a good suggestion and I'm at all sorry to have tried it. Believe me, I tried like hell to make it work. It just didn't want to cooperate. Damn Antec using quality steel of a decent thicknesss. What were they thinking??

Click to expand...

My guess is that their priority wasn't for this to be a flag ship water cooling case.