- Joined
- Dec 26, 2004
Bout time I got around to redoing my WC loop/case. Impulse bought some parts over the last couple weeks (PA120.3, MCW82, TJ07B-W, MCP35x, etc) and decided I wanted to finally get rid of that annoying whine my old DDC-1 made (and do the whole WC thing right for once!)
My goals for this were as follows:
1. Silence! No more annoying pump whine!
2. Do it right! My TJ06 was cut up, but I didn't fabricate any mounting for the PA120.2. It just sat jammed in under the 5.25" bay and the bottom of the case. It had nothing holding it in besides friction. Moving the case around left me worried sometimes that the rad would fall loose and hit something, etc. Speaking of moving around...
3. HANDLES! My friend has fallen in love with the CM Storm and has used it for at least 3 builds in the past year. It's real convenient, so I really wanted some on this case.
4. Polish! Kind of like #2. I wanted it to be clean, well done, and look as if it was planned right from the start. No rough cuts, no eyeballing. No SSDs just sitting in the drive bay held only by wires and no brackets or other mounting, etc.
A quick summary of the parts I bought for this setup and the prices:
Swiftech MCW82 - $35
Thermochill PA120.3 (Rev. 1) - $60
Silverstone TJ07B-W - $320
Swiftech MCP35x - $89.95
120mm Yate Loon D12SL-12s (4x) - $20
PTS Gel Stuff - $4.99
Swiftech MCP35x Reservoir - $20
25ft Masterkleer 7/16"ID x 5/8"OD tubing - $14.25
Black Nylon Handle (2x) - $9.84
EK 1/2" G3/8" High Flow Barbs (2x) - $5.98
Akasa SSD Mounting Kit - $8.95
Akust Dual HDD Mounting kit - $9.95
Red/Green 5mm LEDs (4x - for Sunbeam Rheo) - $3.96
Misc. screws, nuts, brackets, etc - ~$20
Valved Quick Disconnect fittings (2x) - $48.06
Machined hole into MCP35x Res cap - $20
G3/8" to G1/4" adapters (4x) - $11.96
G1/4" 90° Fittings (4x) - $23.96
Total so far: ~$726.85 + shipping
So let's begin. After receiving the major parts (case, rad, GPU block, etc), I started the gritty work. I saw a TJ07 for sale in the classies, but wasn't quick enough to snag it. I saw some pictures of it and realized it was the PERFECT case for WC as well as quality and looks. I spent a couple days wondering if I wanted the case, then just binged on it
Some shots of it in comparison with my old TJ06:
Backs of the cases were lined up, the TJ07 has almost 3 inches on it in depth. Thing is a beast!
As more parts started coming in, I started to work. The first task at hand was getting the case disassembled (which as most know by now from the cases reputation, is stupidly easy given there are pretty much no rivets on it). Got it disassembled and taped up the bottom, where I was planning on mounting the rads. I had to figure out how exactly I wanted them to be mounted. I wanted them to be raised from the bottom of the case floor (so the fans would line up with the side vents), but still under the middle plate. I also wanted to separate them with some sort of sound absorption so the fans wouldn't vibrate through. I strolled through Home Depot and found some fence brackets that looked like they would do the trick. I eventually got 8 of them, and JB-Welded together two of them to create the brackets you'll see in the pictures. I then drilled a hole on the top of each bracket and JB-Welded a 6-32 nut on the inside such that I could attach the brackets to the shroud mounting holes of the PA rads. See pics for the triple:
A quick mockup of the rad and the case bottom:
A pic of the mess after the first night of work:
After I got the triple essentially where I wanted it, I decided I'd mount the pump next (my rig was not yet disassembled, so I couldn't mock up the 120.2). I figured the best place for the pump would be on top of the middle plate of the case. There certainly wouldn't be enough room in the bottom (with 2 rads and a PSU), and it made loop routing very simple where I mounted it finally. Pics:
And a shot from the bottom:
From here, I started rewiring fans. I'm not worried this time around about keeping the fans revertable to stock, so I decided to fully-custom wire them. First up were the 92mm rear-panel fans that came with the case. Wired them so that they only use one plug. I present, 2fans1plug:
Did the same for the fans on the triple:
Next, I finalized the mounting on the triple. This was actually after I JB-Welded nuts inside the brackets, as well as used double-stick tape between the bracket and the rad to help from wobble. I used some gel stuff between the mount and the case to help with vibration as well as firming up the mounts (and protecting from scratches, not too worried about that on the inside of the case though. Also used some double-stick tape without the backing removed on the bottom to keep from scratching the bottom of the case with the nuts:
At this point, I got too eager waiting for the rest of the pieces (at that moment, was just barbs), so I tore down my current rig. A shot as it stood beforehand:
First matter of business after that was getting the double mounted. Followed the same steps as the triple:
If you're paying attention, you'll notice the clearance (or lack thereof) between the rads. Something I should have thought of before I decided to mount them with the fans on the outside exhausting. I decided to keep them where they were and just order 90° fittings. Which, btw, was a hassle, had to get G3/8" to G1/4" adapters and then 90°s on top of that. That was the last part I actually had to wait for.
Some more mess shots and old parts from my old setup:
Next up was a break from the big stuff and working on making sure my GPU mod would work. As my old 9800GTX+, I cut up the heatsink on the GTX260 I got for free. Cut out the core portion and use the rest as a ram/vrm-sink. Use the block for the core xD
Pics of a fitting mockup:
I then test-fitted the middle plate with the pump mount with the rads installed:
Tight fit!
Time for the handles! Some quick measuring and cutting and they were done!
Pics of some of the accessories I got. Since I didn't have 3.5" bays with the rads taking their space up, I got adapters for the SSDs and HDDs to fit in the 5.25" bays:
For this build, I replaced my trusty MCRes with the MCP35x res for convenience as well as function. I bought the res off of the classies here, and it was a rev1. The rev1 had no hole in the fill cap unlike the rev2 or rev2b ones. I went to a local machine shop and got the hole drilled and tapped to 1/4" NPT (not G1/4" because that's impossible to find here in the states =_=). Freshly machined metal is just beautiful:
Next up, I mounted the mobo to the tray. Pulled the covers off of the NB and FET sinks on the board. On a side note, MOBO TRAYS ARE AWESOME! Never had the luxury of using one. It really is much appreciated, it makes things much easier during build and afterwards. Note the cable-fu beginning to take place:
Then I started cleaning all the fans and mounting/wiring them. 2fans1plug reprise:
One of my old yates fully disassembled and ready for cleaning and re-oiling:
Top exhaust fans mounted/wired:
Time to finally start the build! Began by flushing the rads with hot tap water:
After they were mounted and rinsed with distilled, I mounted them for the last time:
Definitely a tight fit, huh?
Rads connected:
Then I mounted the middle plate with the pump:
Drive bay in:
PSU in. Tight fit, yet again:
Vid card fully assembled:
Mobo tray fitted:
Some tubing runs, closeups of the vid card after the tubing has been finalized:
Ramfan installed and wiring mocked up:
Rig filled/bleeding:
A shot of the front before putting the covers in. You can see some wire management as well as the drive mounting and such:
And a back shot of some of the old cable-fu:
Front shot with the covers installed:
Complete with the panel open:
Complete!
It's like Christmas (0-7v = red, 7-12v = green)!
So it's done!
Except it's not. After a day of enjoying the new look, I realized the pump mounting I used (2 #6 sheet metal screws) was NOT working. It was louder than my DDC-1, even after running at 30% PWM. So I tore it all back down the next night and figured out a new way.
Gotta love Quick Disconnects!
I settled on using a couple of twist ties to suspend the pump on top of some gel stuff (in addition to the tubing runs). This is plenty secure to keep it still during movement, but not nearly tight enough to transmit any vibration into anything. Pics of the mounting:
And a shot of the inside after redoing the wires (don't have a back shot, but it is significantly neater and easier to close the back side panel:
Now the rig runs near silent. It's definitely something I really am glad I got around to doing. This cooling loop should be able to handle an upgrade as well, not to mention it should be real easy to do with the quick disconnects
My goals for this were as follows:
1. Silence! No more annoying pump whine!
2. Do it right! My TJ06 was cut up, but I didn't fabricate any mounting for the PA120.2. It just sat jammed in under the 5.25" bay and the bottom of the case. It had nothing holding it in besides friction. Moving the case around left me worried sometimes that the rad would fall loose and hit something, etc. Speaking of moving around...
3. HANDLES! My friend has fallen in love with the CM Storm and has used it for at least 3 builds in the past year. It's real convenient, so I really wanted some on this case.
4. Polish! Kind of like #2. I wanted it to be clean, well done, and look as if it was planned right from the start. No rough cuts, no eyeballing. No SSDs just sitting in the drive bay held only by wires and no brackets or other mounting, etc.
A quick summary of the parts I bought for this setup and the prices:
Swiftech MCW82 - $35
Thermochill PA120.3 (Rev. 1) - $60
Silverstone TJ07B-W - $320
Swiftech MCP35x - $89.95
120mm Yate Loon D12SL-12s (4x) - $20
PTS Gel Stuff - $4.99
Swiftech MCP35x Reservoir - $20
25ft Masterkleer 7/16"ID x 5/8"OD tubing - $14.25
Black Nylon Handle (2x) - $9.84
EK 1/2" G3/8" High Flow Barbs (2x) - $5.98
Akasa SSD Mounting Kit - $8.95
Akust Dual HDD Mounting kit - $9.95
Red/Green 5mm LEDs (4x - for Sunbeam Rheo) - $3.96
Misc. screws, nuts, brackets, etc - ~$20
Valved Quick Disconnect fittings (2x) - $48.06
Machined hole into MCP35x Res cap - $20
G3/8" to G1/4" adapters (4x) - $11.96
G1/4" 90° Fittings (4x) - $23.96
Total so far: ~$726.85 + shipping
So let's begin. After receiving the major parts (case, rad, GPU block, etc), I started the gritty work. I saw a TJ07 for sale in the classies, but wasn't quick enough to snag it. I saw some pictures of it and realized it was the PERFECT case for WC as well as quality and looks. I spent a couple days wondering if I wanted the case, then just binged on it
Some shots of it in comparison with my old TJ06:
Backs of the cases were lined up, the TJ07 has almost 3 inches on it in depth. Thing is a beast!
As more parts started coming in, I started to work. The first task at hand was getting the case disassembled (which as most know by now from the cases reputation, is stupidly easy given there are pretty much no rivets on it). Got it disassembled and taped up the bottom, where I was planning on mounting the rads. I had to figure out how exactly I wanted them to be mounted. I wanted them to be raised from the bottom of the case floor (so the fans would line up with the side vents), but still under the middle plate. I also wanted to separate them with some sort of sound absorption so the fans wouldn't vibrate through. I strolled through Home Depot and found some fence brackets that looked like they would do the trick. I eventually got 8 of them, and JB-Welded together two of them to create the brackets you'll see in the pictures. I then drilled a hole on the top of each bracket and JB-Welded a 6-32 nut on the inside such that I could attach the brackets to the shroud mounting holes of the PA rads. See pics for the triple:
A quick mockup of the rad and the case bottom:
A pic of the mess after the first night of work:
After I got the triple essentially where I wanted it, I decided I'd mount the pump next (my rig was not yet disassembled, so I couldn't mock up the 120.2). I figured the best place for the pump would be on top of the middle plate of the case. There certainly wouldn't be enough room in the bottom (with 2 rads and a PSU), and it made loop routing very simple where I mounted it finally. Pics:
And a shot from the bottom:
From here, I started rewiring fans. I'm not worried this time around about keeping the fans revertable to stock, so I decided to fully-custom wire them. First up were the 92mm rear-panel fans that came with the case. Wired them so that they only use one plug. I present, 2fans1plug:
Did the same for the fans on the triple:
Next, I finalized the mounting on the triple. This was actually after I JB-Welded nuts inside the brackets, as well as used double-stick tape between the bracket and the rad to help from wobble. I used some gel stuff between the mount and the case to help with vibration as well as firming up the mounts (and protecting from scratches, not too worried about that on the inside of the case though. Also used some double-stick tape without the backing removed on the bottom to keep from scratching the bottom of the case with the nuts:
At this point, I got too eager waiting for the rest of the pieces (at that moment, was just barbs), so I tore down my current rig. A shot as it stood beforehand:
First matter of business after that was getting the double mounted. Followed the same steps as the triple:
If you're paying attention, you'll notice the clearance (or lack thereof) between the rads. Something I should have thought of before I decided to mount them with the fans on the outside exhausting. I decided to keep them where they were and just order 90° fittings. Which, btw, was a hassle, had to get G3/8" to G1/4" adapters and then 90°s on top of that. That was the last part I actually had to wait for.
Some more mess shots and old parts from my old setup:
Next up was a break from the big stuff and working on making sure my GPU mod would work. As my old 9800GTX+, I cut up the heatsink on the GTX260 I got for free. Cut out the core portion and use the rest as a ram/vrm-sink. Use the block for the core xD
Pics of a fitting mockup:
I then test-fitted the middle plate with the pump mount with the rads installed:
Tight fit!
Time for the handles! Some quick measuring and cutting and they were done!
Pics of some of the accessories I got. Since I didn't have 3.5" bays with the rads taking their space up, I got adapters for the SSDs and HDDs to fit in the 5.25" bays:
For this build, I replaced my trusty MCRes with the MCP35x res for convenience as well as function. I bought the res off of the classies here, and it was a rev1. The rev1 had no hole in the fill cap unlike the rev2 or rev2b ones. I went to a local machine shop and got the hole drilled and tapped to 1/4" NPT (not G1/4" because that's impossible to find here in the states =_=). Freshly machined metal is just beautiful:
Next up, I mounted the mobo to the tray. Pulled the covers off of the NB and FET sinks on the board. On a side note, MOBO TRAYS ARE AWESOME! Never had the luxury of using one. It really is much appreciated, it makes things much easier during build and afterwards. Note the cable-fu beginning to take place:
Then I started cleaning all the fans and mounting/wiring them. 2fans1plug reprise:
One of my old yates fully disassembled and ready for cleaning and re-oiling:
Top exhaust fans mounted/wired:
Time to finally start the build! Began by flushing the rads with hot tap water:
After they were mounted and rinsed with distilled, I mounted them for the last time:
Definitely a tight fit, huh?
Rads connected:
Then I mounted the middle plate with the pump:
Drive bay in:
PSU in. Tight fit, yet again:
Vid card fully assembled:
Mobo tray fitted:
Some tubing runs, closeups of the vid card after the tubing has been finalized:
Ramfan installed and wiring mocked up:
Rig filled/bleeding:
A shot of the front before putting the covers in. You can see some wire management as well as the drive mounting and such:
And a back shot of some of the old cable-fu:
Front shot with the covers installed:
Complete with the panel open:
Complete!
It's like Christmas (0-7v = red, 7-12v = green)!
So it's done!
Except it's not. After a day of enjoying the new look, I realized the pump mounting I used (2 #6 sheet metal screws) was NOT working. It was louder than my DDC-1, even after running at 30% PWM. So I tore it all back down the next night and figured out a new way.
Gotta love Quick Disconnects!
I settled on using a couple of twist ties to suspend the pump on top of some gel stuff (in addition to the tubing runs). This is plenty secure to keep it still during movement, but not nearly tight enough to transmit any vibration into anything. Pics of the mounting:
And a shot of the inside after redoing the wires (don't have a back shot, but it is significantly neater and easier to close the back side panel:
Now the rig runs near silent. It's definitely something I really am glad I got around to doing. This cooling loop should be able to handle an upgrade as well, not to mention it should be real easy to do with the quick disconnects