Beginner - Case question - Any opinions appreciated

[Dartchen]

Hi, I've read the beginners guide and quite a few other articles on custom water cooling. But, now that I'm getting closer to my first build I'm trying to prevent buying components that will make it harder. Right now I'm looking for a case that would be fairly easy to work with. I ran across the Core x9...any thoughts on its viability for a newb? I know it is big but I figured it would be easier to work with my first time.

My plan right now is to go with something like this -

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Dartchen/saved/

I'm planning on a Maximus IX Extreme mobo.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. My plan right now is to try a single loop first to learn, then transition to a dual loop.

Thanks!!

 

[GTXJackBauer]

to OCFs.

Good to hear you've done your homework but have you figured out how much rad you'll need to cool it all? Tip: 100w per 120.1 worth of rad.

Also, you don't need to go dual loops because for one, it's just a waste, and two, most do it for show but you'll end up getting similar temps regardless in the end. Just make sure you have some headroom for noise and temp wise when it comes to rad selection on a single loop.

As for case buying, figure what you loop needs first and than go case shopping so you have in mind what kind of case you will need. The case you selected, is a nice cube size case if that's what you're aiming for verses a typical tower case.

I almost forgot, why two M.2s?

 

[Blaylock]

The Core X9 is an excellent case and will certainly provide ample water cooling capabilities. There are a few concerns with this case that you should consider.

The massive size of this case can be quite excessive. I've read reports of PSU cables not able to reach the areas they need to and cable extentions needed to be ordered.

The majority of builders choose to mount the rads to the top of the case for ease of assembly and quite frankly that's where the bulk of the rad space is. There are two issues to consider with this. First it makes it very difficult to get to your motherboard components. This may not be an issue for you tend to build the system and leave it alone for the foreseeable future. Many of us here swap out components regularly and that would be a major hangup. If this isn't you than you should disregard this point. Secondly with the rads on top you will generally have the fans exhausting from the top. If you decided to have say 2x240mm radiators up there then you would have 4x120mm fans exhausting. Most members here recommend a positive case pressure which would mean you would need to figure out how to get 5x120mm fans for intake. It's not crucial to have a case with positive pressure, but it does reduce the amount of dust build-up.

EDIT: I agree completely with Jack about the 2x SSD'S. Way excessive. Also you won't need a 1200W titanium rated PSU either.

 

[S_I_N]

As an Core X9 owner I've built a couple different rigs in mine and some of what Blaylock says is spot on. The rads on top can hinder working on the mobo but the case has a removable mobo tray so easy enough. I ran my X79 woth sli'd titan x's in mine when I had to work on mobo I removed it by taking cpu block off unlatching both gpus from the pci-e slots and raising one end off both upper rad mounts up about 2-3 inches which allowed me to swing the cpu block and both titans out of the way enough to remover the mobo tray. The only spot you may encounter short psu cabe length is the odd bay area if you run one, the cable will reach but its stretched across the expanse and just lookd fugly. As far as dust is concerned the only spot that does not have a dust filter is the rear of the case but most of that will be covered either with a fan or psu the only spot would be the secondary psu location. I ran 3 360mm x 60mm rads in mine in push pull with 2 140mm intakes in front 1 140mm rear exhaust one of the 360's as intake from the side and the other 2 360's as exhaust out the top never saw much dust gather as all intakes were filtered I did remove the filters from the top 2 spots. So that was a total of 21 fans I did have to end up removing the push fans from the upper rads as they were super close to the titans and trying to control 21 fans became a chore without buying a aquero fan controller. But she was super quiet for having that many fans lol.

I almost forgot, why two M.2s?

why not I have 2 in raid 0

 

[GTXJackBauer]

why not I have 2 in raid 0

I'm asking the OP this question in hopes I get the same answer!

 

[S_I_N]

i kow lol

 

[Dartchen]

Sadly it is the same answer for 2x m.2s. I figured...why not...raid 0 = mohr speed Ya...I know it is negligible. The only thing I didn't take into account is it looks like only one of the m.2 slots on the extreme IX is covered by the monoblock...*sigh*

Thanks for the words on the core x9. I think it looks like a sweet case and I figured I'd need a dual loop and it has lots of room for rads. Is there another case that would be easier to work on if I'm just doing one loop?

I really appreciate the help. Doing a nice wc looks challenging as it is. I don't want to start behind the power curve by trying to force a custom wc into a case I shouldn't.

 

[S_I_N]

one thing to keep in mind is if you do dual loops you'll need room to mount 2 pumps and 2 rez's if you put rads in the 4 main spots that only leaves room i the middle in front of the mobo trays unless you use a bay rez tha allows for 2 loops from a single rez which I've used the monsoon dual bay rez and its a sweet rez no doubt. But you'll also loose some hdd spots as well.

 

[GTXJackBauer]

Make sure your board is capable of handling two M.2s for RAID. AFAIK, I haven't seen much support for this as of yet, maybe on a few boards overall. If it doesn't support, just stick with one.

Don't forget, you could also go with a PCIe slot instead of the M.2 interface or you could scratch all that and run a bunch of SATA 3.0 SSDs in RAID0. For the price a paid for mine which is only a PCIe 2.0 M.2 SSD, I would have gone with the latter.

As for cases, do you still like that case or open to other options since there's a ton of great water cooling cases out there. What's your budget and what kind of size are you willing to go?

 

[S_I_N]

why skip the m.2 interface??? doesnt make sense and most if not all high end mobos in the z270 range allow for raid on the m.2 side. I've had 2 2 aorus's K5/K7 and an msi M7 and all 3 allowed raid via the m.2 route but you'll have to load raid drivers like in the old days prior to windows seeing the raid. Its simple to do either have them on a flash drive as I did or put the cd drive in and hunt for them during the initial install.

if your saying skip the m.2 interface due to heat the board he's getting one is under a water block that cools the cpu mofsets and m.2 slot the other is open air. But I have not had any heat issues on my m.2's at all most its seen is 58c while benching them.

ops leaving it as is but misread your comment GTX I thought ya said skip it my bad sire

 

[GTXJackBauer]

I meant if it's a limiting factor.

 

[Dartchen]

Hi, I've been working overtime all month to make sure that money isn't the limiting factor. I'd like to keep the build with monitor under $8k which doesn't seem a problem at this point. I'm definitely open to any case if you guys have another suggestion for one that looks great that would be easier to put together. This is mainly about trying to make something that looks good and overclocks nicely. I've always wanted to do a custom wc build even though the end use doesn't require it (playing Warcraft on it - hence the single 1080 TI and 7700). Thanks again for all of the advice. I'm having a great time just learning as I go.

 

[Blaylock]

Before we can recommend a case I think it's crucial for you to determine how much and what size radiators you will use for this build. Also, you really need to determine if you will use a dual loop, whether you want a bay reservoir(s), and if you want to use a pump/reservoir combo(s) as this can save on space. Essentially all major case manufacturers have been producing a large variety of watercooling friendly cases so it will really help in narrowing down the multitude of options.

EDIT: I'm also assuming here that you plan to watercool your 1080ti.

 

[Dartchen]

Correct on watercooling the 1080ti and obviously the monoblock. It would be nice to get the ram also unless that isn't recommended.

I was worried that there would be too much heat for a single loop. If you think that a single loop will allow a solid overclock I'll probably just go with that for this build. Using the 100w per 120.1 worth of rad that GTX mentioned I'd need a 480 rad? The EK configurator is showing a 240 and a 360 with a random case I picked (https://www.ekwb.com/custom-loop-configurator/shared/oW58f74ed02bf40).

I don't know enough to talk intelligently about the bay reservoir...from what I've read it limits upgradability and would be more challenging for a beginner? (ref https://www.ekwb.com/blog/pump-reservoir-combo-or-separate/).

As far as pump/reservoir combo or not. I like the looks of separate a bit better. However...my initial thought would be combined would be better for space and less chance of me burning up the pump as a noob.

I adjusted the psu down to a 850 which still gives headroom. Price isn't much difference but as you said the 1250 was a bit of overkill for the build =)

 

[Blaylock]

Correct on watercooling the 1080ti and obviously the monoblock. It would be nice to get the ram also unless that isn't recommended. Some people watercool their ram though it really does nothing performance wise. I would suggest using two pumps for sure if you decide to. Each water block you add to the loop you create a restriction point. Dual pumps will ensure you have the head space to get proper flow. It also adds redundancy to your loop. In the event of a pump failure you are less likely to burn up $7-8k worth of equipment.

I was worried that there would be too much heat for a single loop. If you think that a single loop will allow a solid overclock I'll probably just go with that for this build. Using the 100w per 120.1 worth of rad that GTX mentioned I'd need a 480 rad? This is a topic of much debate here and other PC forums. The general conclusion is that a single loop will run a few degrees warmer overall, maybe 2-3c. This is marginal at best and with a proper amount of radiator space a non-issue. I would say 480mm of rad space would be a minimum. You mentioned you plan to overclock the system so the TDP of your components will increase from stock listings. If you were to add an additional 120mm to that formula you should have enough room for a solid OC. So you're looking at 1x360mm & 1x 240mm radiators or 2x 360mm depending.

I don't know enough to talk intelligently about the bay reservoir...from what I've read it limits upgradability and would be more challenging for a beginner? (ref https://www.ekwb.com/blog/pump-reservoir-combo-or-separate/). I've only ever used the combos so I'll defer to those with more experience on this.

As far as pump/reservoir combo or not. I like the looks of separate a bit better. However...my initial thought would be combined would be better for space and less chance of me burning up the pump as a noob. So long as the reservoir is located to feed into the pump and you don't run the pump dry you won't have an issue. Never place the pump before the res in the loop.

I adjusted the psu down to a 850 which still gives headroom. Price isn't much difference but as you said the 1250 was a bit of overkill for the build =) 850W should be plenty for this build. Many people don't realize the efficiency of the PSU is based on the load. If you are loading a titanium rated PSU at 20% it will be less efficient than a gold rated at 80%. Don't quote these numbers as they are just for an example. We could do the math between the two but over the course of a year we're really only talking about a few dollars (unless you're running multiple mining/folding rigs).

 

[S_I_N]

lol I played WoW on my X79 and sli'd titan x's (non pascal)

Ok as a long time water cooler and I've done it all let me share some experiences.

Dual bay rez's are imho by far the easiest to bleed out, at least that is my experience with the Monsoon Dual bay rez with a single D5 pump. I tried a dual bay rez with dual d5's was the hardest bytch ever to get the air out of. One pump always seemed to get a small air pocket in it. Once fully bled it was fine.

Separate rez pump I think of the 2 choices of pump/rez thats non bay rez is the quietest I ran an EK 250 V3 with a seperate pump with top and it was by far the quietest of pump rez seperate vs pump rez combo.

pump rez combo unit which is what I am currently using now with Monsoons MMRS series has been the noisiest of the 3 by noise I'm referring to vibrations I even put rubber on both sides of the mount to try and calm it down but while quiet now its funny I need speed 5 to keep it down vs speed 3 where I normally run it. But making the rubber gaskets require some minimal modding and the screws were just long enough to grab.

I strongly advise against dual loops for a single gpu and cpu loop. Just way to mush tubing thats not going to net you anything but as Blaylock said 1-2 degrees in temps. Just adds to the messy factor. As far as dual pumps I've run single pumps most of the time and the D5 is a tried and true pump I've never had one die on me so never felt the need for 2 pumps in one loop. I'm runing a 7700k oc'd to 4.9GHz @1.36 vcore and a Gtx 1080 (had 2 in sli for the weekend) on a 360mm monsta rad and 280mm 45mm thick rad and my temps while playing Ghost Recon Wildlands were cpu 45 gpu1 40 gpu 2 40. Single loop pump/rez to 280 to 360 to cpu to gpu1 to gpu2 to pump/rez. Now my case is unique as its a test bench open air case so I only have a spot to mount a single 360mm rad the 280mm is directly behind it so I'm pushing thru the 360 into the 280.





now you'll notice I dont have the GTX1080 in there at the moment it had a bad water block and is being sent back to Gigabyte for refund I'm getting a GTX1080 Ti tomorrow and that will go under water as soon as blocks become available for it. also dont mind the look of it its still a work in progress had a few bad parts which required several tear downs and redo's over the last few months.

 

[Dartchen]

OMG....that is beautiful looking!

 

[Blaylock]

I'm currently running the EK-XRES 140. Ultra silent on setting 3 of 5 (iirc). I've had the Swiftech pump combo and pushed it very hard until she finally gave out. It was under extreme situations so there's no bad feelings about it. Quality product but most definitely the loudest component in the build at the time.

 

[Suppressor1137]

air 540 has room for a 360 and 240, but it's not very easy to work with. no tube passthroughs, so you have to make your own. but it has potential to look great if done well

 

[GTXJackBauer]

Hi, I've been working overtime all month to make sure that money isn't the limiting factor.

I was referring to the board if it can handle M.2 RAID since no one specificed it could or not.

Blay is on point on everything's he said about single vs. dual loops and having two pumps for redudancy, if you want to go that route.

If you're ever looking to go SLI down the road, I would actually stick with a 1000w or 1200w PSU. Reason why is because I feel if you run your PSU too close to max, it will get loud, hotter and less efficient than a higher rated PSU with Platinum or Titanium components. My 1200w PSU isn't that audible since my system maxes at the most while folding around anywhere from 700w-900w and runs pretty efficient during the course.

As for cases, it looks like a 480mm or combination of is enough for a CPU and single GPU loop but if you're looking to go SLI ever down the road, a 320mm and 240mm would be ideal or you could go a bit more for OCing headroom and low audibles.

So take your time and let us know what you're feeling and thinking. Have a look at other builds along here and see what cases you might like.

Some cases off the top of my head with the capacity for CPU plus single GPU or SLI are, Corsair 900D, Corsair 540 and the stylish Corsair 570X RGB, Thermaltake Tower 900, Thermaltake P3 (For single GPU). Other companies include NZXT, Phanteks and I'm sure some others I've missd off the top of my head. Blay has a amazing thread of all if not most of the case companies out there you should take a look at.