Im currently building a new PC. At the moment Ive already got the CM Scout case, 700w power supply, memory, and the 4870.
I just cant figure out how to water cool the system- I want to cool the AMD 955 and two 4870s (Im buying another soon!). The thing is theres only one 120mm rear fan, one front 140mm and one top 140mm(can replace with 120mm), so i cant work out how to set up the water cool the system.
By the way id rather not have external rads if possible.
Any suggestions on what should be in the loop and how to mount the rads?
Difficult case to watercool, its a strong mid-tower case especially designed for full size kit to be moved around to LAN parties and the like hence the handle on the top, which does not lend itsself to watercooling.
saying that you can always mod it a little by cutting the top and mounting the Rad under the handle with fans underneath (2x140), it would look amazing and sure it would cool it well. There is not much room in the case for the pump and res so thing dual 5 1/2 " bay Pump/Res combo would be needed, possibly strong enough for cpu and 1 top end gpu,
altenatively, door is strong and the side panel could be modded for Rad above gpu as well, there is enough space for that,
if you ever do it, please post pics please of the build!
Mid tower cases are pretty hard to internally watercool. I really doubt you'll be able to cool a P2 955 and 2 4870's in CF effectively. You could squeeze in a 240mm Rad in the front and kill some HD/Optical bays. See how much clearance there is in the top. You might be able to get a 240/360mm slim rad in there with some modding. By far the easiest way is to just hang one on the back.
cheers for the comments. Im thinking external is the way to go. for the graphics ill have a seperate loop with either a 120 on top or 2*120 on the side panel. Then ill have another loop with an external 2*120 rad mounted on the rear. Or i could have 2 seperate 2*120 rads in one loop.
let me know what you think!
OO - do you think ill be able to mount a slim 2*120 on the top fan without making another blow hole?(it will fit)
You are going to need a 320 rad for the processor alone, another 220 for each graphic card you add. You could probably get by with a 220 for each CPU+GPU if you run them in a single loop.
It is to the point of larger rads and hotter components that watercoolers need to start externally mounting their gear for the best results. I know that this isn't necessarily the intended result at first, but with how much room you really need, its almost required. Modding a case is more and more important if you want to get the intended cooling for the components being used.
Thanks guys! im definately feel that Im not going to water cool my GPUs as ill need a 220 for each card!
How hot does the 955 run compared to an i7 920 D0? because then i can use the same sort of loop as elmnator(nice loop btw!) using a 220 with push/pull fans. I reckon I can then mount it on the window where I can mount 2 120mm fans.
So ill have 2 external 120 fans and 2 internal 120 fans.
OR, I could just use a cm V10! (scout is designed to fit one + it cools ram as well)
I didnt mention it but im gonna use it for gaming, so im gonna overclock the system. Thats why ill need some crazy cooling! Plus, its a challenge to water cool a case with not a lot of room to water cool.
My dad reckons water cooling isnt any better than air cooling - so im gonna prove him wrong!
just had a thought!
what if i have two seperate 120 rads- one on the rear and one on the top. If I remove the 140mm fan and replace it with a 120 rad i can have like 2 rads in series. That way it stays as a window but still put two 120mm intake fans on the door.
Then it will be the equivelent of having a 240 rad intaking as the airflow can be high.
So, heres my loop:
1.dual bay pump/res
2.cpu block
3.rear 120 rad
4.top 120 rad.
5.res/pump and so on.