Antec P180 Case Modding

[eternicus]

I'm about to embark on a rather ambitious project (for me any way) inspired by the Swiftech W/C mod on the Antec P180 case.

Before I start ordering parts I'd like some input from people that have used this case, modders, and anyone familiar with water cooling.

I've read that the P180 can get a bit cramped, so my idea won't work if there's not enough room.

1. Is there enough room inside the case to support an 8800GTX?

2. How much clearance is there between the top edge of a motherboard and the top of the case (measurements would be great)?

3. What is the length of the top of the P180?

4. Would there be enough room to internally top-mount a double or triple rad (TC PA120.2/PA120.3)?

5. How big is the DD-D5 pump and will it fit into the lower section of the case between the fan and the drive bay?

6. On an 8800 GTX W/C edition, would it make sense to have a separate rad between it and the cpu (e6600 3.2GHz O/C)?
(pump > cpu > rad > 8800GTX > rad > pump)


If all the parts appear to fit, then I can start ordering within the next few weeks.

Thanks

 

[slim142]

I_love_tacos, I think that case is kinda old now

If what you are looking for is a big spacious enough case then what you need is the

ThermalTake Armor VA8004BWS
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133037

The #4 differs it from the others because is the last armor series cases released until now and its AMD Quad-FX recommended so it should be spacious enough for what you need.

8800GTX, Water cooling etc..

 

[slim142]

Oh well I think we should check that, Im not really sure since the #4 was released laterand is Quad-FX recommended (and as you know Quad-FX needs E-ATX)

 

[progrip]

I have a P180. It's probably the best case I've ever used.

1. Should be enough room, the end of the card might go to all the way to the upper hdd bay though.

2. Well, I have the d975xbx2 mobo and there's about 4.5 cm from the top edge of my board to the top of the case.

3. 20 inches

4. Don't know.

5. Well, the lower HDD bay (in lower chamber, to the right of big 120mm fan) measures 14cm(L) x 11cm(W) x 16cm(D).

6. Don't know.

Measurements of the motherboard tray area:

13inches (L) x 11inches (W) x 7inches (D)

Hope I helped.

progrip

 

[eternicus]

I saw a thread on the DangerDen forums where a guy modded his case to hold a W/C setup but he had the pump (DD-D5) sitting in his upper HD bay.

I also checked the measurements of the TC PA120.3 just to see if there was enough clearance...if there's only 4.5cm between the top edge of a mobo and the case, then it's not likely that a TC rad would fit (it's 6cm+ thick).

I was also looking at the Armor and Kandalf cases, but the only thing I don't like about those is the top vent and I/O ports. If I go for that case I'll have to see if I can cut away that whole section and move the I/O ports forward or just install my own.

At any rate they're definitely roomy enough to house everything, but I'm still interested in the P180 because of the build quality. The fact that it dampens sound pretty well means I don't have to worry much about noise by having it in my bedroom.

Thanks for the info guys, but more input is still needed before I make a final decision though.

 

[progrip]

Well as far as sound dampening goes, the p180 is amazing. I have all the included tricool 120mm fans on high speed and an optional front tricool i installed at high, along with one 80mm cooling my single hdd cache and my zalman 9700 cpu cooler on high. I barely hear it right now. Also, because of the way that the psu and hdd are isolated from rest of case, my temps actually go up when I open the side of the case.

 

[kwalker]

There is plenty of room for water cooling
if you remove the middle drive bay the 8800 fits with room to spare

 

[slim142]

Thats your case! 8O

You rock kwalker!

 

[kwalker]

thats mine
I'm ordering a 3X120 radiator soon.

 

[slim142]

Once I get money to watercool my system, I will ask you

Looks like you want higher overclock results! 8)

 

[kwalker]

going to stabilize my sig clock

 

[SyPheR]

My dad owns an Antec P150 case and while you might think....P150 case wtf? P150 case yes....it's just as wide as the beauftiull P180 case....in fact....the airflow in this case is very very very quiet. The P150 case that even comes cheaper then the P180 is proven to be even better then the P180 case when we talk about cooling and price/performance . It is just as quiet because of the side panel materials used. It does not use a door but instead a very handy mechanism that leaves the dvd writer out of sight. It can fit a very large Thermalright Heatsink Ultra120 which is way larger then any nvidia 8800 card. The included PSU is able to run the 8800 GTS easely as it runs with 430W.....The store I'm always buying my hardware which is a very proffesional store claims it uses Max. verbruik ca. 114 Watt (bij volledige belasting).....yes max 114 watt fully loaded (stressed). also mind that this P150 case does have it's antec PSU mounted at the top of the case......heat cause up. P180 PSU is mounted at the bottom heat still goes up.......that's one reason why the P150 performance better allready when it comes to cooling. You deside what you do

 

[kwalker]

all the votes arnt in yet.
I'll let you know here or PM

 

[kwalker]

Yes you are right.
your smart to keep researching before you buy.
not the reviews but actual user experience

 

[kwalker]

the Kit comes with everything you need.
You can mod later like I did

 

[kwalker]

the radiator by itself will not include the extender.

 

[niz]

I have a p180b with 2 water cooled 8800 GTX's in sli, a dual circuit water cooling system with 2 dd5 pumps in the middle drive bay (I took the mounting thing out) and an enermax galaxy 1000w PSU ( the big one) in the lower bay (you have to take the middle fan out in the lower bay to make it fit). I also have a 3x120 active cooler mounted on the top (external but the fans are internal in the case) and a big passive cooler on the side. I also have the corsair dominator 8888 ram which takes up more space than regular ram because of the extra cooling fins and its own 3 fan cooling module.
Space is tight but it all fits.

I also removed the stock fans and replaced them with pabst ones, for quietness.

The reason I used a p180b? for the sound deadening laminate they make the case from, you don't get with any other case. Even though it has 10 fans, 2 pumps and 2 10k rpm raptors and is being overclocked, My rig runs cool and is almost silent, which I totally love.

 

[kwalker]

Pics please 8)

 

[eternicus]

Yes, pics please.

And thanks kwalker for that beautiful side shot of your setup. That's exactly the kind of thing I need to see in order to figure out how this will work.

 

[kwalker]

your welcome
I repost it when I'm done

 

[eternicus]

Sounds like you're looking for the Swiftech Radbox.

BTW, does anyone know if the orientation of the rad makes a noticeable different in the cooling. Default position is vertically mounted on the back of the case, but a lot of people mount it horizontally on the top. Are there any known problems with mounting it sideways against a side panel of the case or mounting at the very bottom? Finally is it best to pull in cool air through the rad or blow the warm air out through the rad?