Cases for watercooling

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Injen

Weaksauce
Joined
Dec 20, 2012
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Well it's that time to upgrade the computer soon and it feels like my Define R2 has done his part of all these years :)
The only the requirements i have is that a 420mm radiator with push pull setup (12cm) will fit in the top of the case.

Been looking at Phanteks Enthoo Primo been seen alot of negative comments about that case.
 
I'm enjoying my Luxe. I only have a 360 in the top but it will fit a 420.
 
Hard to beat Phanteks cases for watercooling so +1. However for a 420 I'd recommend the Enthoo Primo which has plenty of room to expand. If that too big for ya then the Enthoo Luxe TG is a great choice I have two of the. Support forum for all thing Phanteks Cases HERE
 
I had a Enthoo Primo since 2015. The only problem i had was damage to the case. The damage
was not caused in shipping but rather packed that way to begin with. I kept the case anyway as the
damage was repairable. In fact i finally pulled the top apart and fixed it. The 2 biggest pluses i give the case

1 Room to work in. Not talking about just wc i mean around the mb to do stuff.

2. Cleanest damn case i have ever dealt with. After nearly 2 years i pulled it apart and couldn't believe
how clean it was inside. I mean it was super clean. The area where the case is at is pretty dusty. The
filters where all dirty as hell. They did a great job !!!

Cons
1. Who ever packs them at the factory doesn't seem to care if they are damaged. My packing material was all
intact no signs of stress at all. The top removable fan shroud was cracked all along down the middle. Nothing that
taking apart and gluing it back together couldn't fix. So i would inspect it very close if u buy one.

2. Moving it is a real pain. No place to grab it u need to remove the sides to really pick it up. My friends cosmo
spoiled me for moving cases around.

The pull fans are no problem as they go above the bracket where u mount. The ones below i think u could get
away with if the rad is no more then 40mm. Having seen some builds that used a 60mm rad it seemed to me that u
couldnt do the push fans with a thick rad on top. So u will need to test fit what ever u decide to do on the bottom
side of the top rad.

Now the bottom mount u could go huge i seen push pull setups with 80mm rads. Though
u have to do either a 280/360 or 480 from what i saw. Also to do that 360 or 480 u have to
take the drive cages out.

I was so impressed with the case that i am fixing to buy another one to do my thread ripper build.
I plan to go with 420 top and 280 bottom as thats what i have laying around currently. U know the rads
aren't what kills u price wise its all the damn fans !!!!
 
Just a couple things about Elkwood comments. Packaging from the factory early on was an issue. I'm seeing comments from more recent purchases that are more complimentary in that regard.
I built a cart w/wheels for mine which makes moving it around a lot easier but a full build out can get quite heavy so, I have to agree.
I use a 60mm thick 420 in the top of my primo but removing motherboard and or connecting 8pin eps is impossible with out removing the bottom rad fans 1st. There is 70mm from top rad mount to top of motherboard for clarity. The good news is a 40-45mm thick rad offers nearly the same performance with zero issues so they are highly recommended. You are totally correct about the bottom rad I use a monsta 360 in push/pull down there and no need to remove drive cage and plenty extra room. If you want a 480 down there however the alphacool Rads are a perfect fit no need to remove drive cage anything wider than 125mm won't fit and needs to be installed before or w/o graphics card. That eliminates most other rads like EK which most are 130mm wide. Bottom line it pays to research before you buy Injen
 
Thanks for all the answers guys.
Gonna take a closer look at Enthoo Primo. Also i just found the TT Tower 900. Looks kinda wierd, but it is unique and has alot of space :)
 
Never built in a TT Tower 900 but I have to admit It looks quit intriguing. The videos and reviews I've seen make awesome builds. If you do it start a thread and post lots of pics ;)
 
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Don't know yet i i should go all in with a teamed build/painted chassie or just plain watercooling :) But it's leaning towards the Tower 900
 
Injen said:
Don't know yet i i should go all in with a teamed build/painted chassie or just plain watercooling :) But it's leaning towards the Tower 900
Click to expand...

You can't go wrong with the TT Tower 900 it's the best out there IMO
 
Maybe consider something like the Thermaltake Core P5?

It's specifically designed to accommodate a 420 or 480mm rad, and looks super cool if you wall mount it. Not really a "put it on the floor" kind of case, though. I really love mine, although you really do have to put some effort into making it look nice, and you pretty much have to be committed to custom water cooling.
 
I scored a Tower 900 cheap on Craigslist. Best case Ive ever used, it's got tons of room to do basically anything. The rotated board did cause an issue with a few of my more rigid cables, but it is what it is.
 
Dang it. Just recieved my order after a week waiting and instead of a black Tower 900 they sent me a white.
Never owned a white case before and i have no idea how it looks in real life. Will it be too bright with LEDs in a dark room?

The plan is using UV coolant and cold cathode and maybe later switching over to LED and just normal dye. Guess i could spray paint that case later on if i'm going with a teamed build later on.
IF i keep the white case, i'll get a small refund so it might be worth it.

Any feedback with white cases? It will be standing on a table 90 cm up so i'm afraid it will "pop out" too much
 
Lots of cool builds in the white case. I think you'll like it, it stands out more tham the black one but has a very nice look to it.
 
Injen said:
Dang it. Just recieved my order after a week waiting and instead of a black Tower 900 they sent me a white.
Never owned a white case before and i have no idea how it looks in real life. Will it be too bright with LEDs in a dark room?

The plan is using UV coolant and cold cathode and maybe later switching over to LED and just normal dye. Guess i could spray paint that case later on if i'm going with a teamed build later on.
IF i keep the white case, i'll get a small refund so it might be worth it.

Any feedback with white cases? It will be standing on a table 90 cm up so i'm afraid it will "pop out" too much
Click to expand...

I have the Black TT 900 and IMO it is best in the black edition with RGB lighting and fans it brings it all out in it in the dark and looks nice, but if you do get a small refund on the white edition you could spray parts of it black or red the choice is yours.

Happy building

I see this image online
Mkf0652.jpg
 
Last edited:
Jeff G said:
Lots of cool builds in the white case. I think you'll like it, it stands out more tham the black one but has a very nice look to it.
Click to expand...

Black is always in style. However, a sleek white build would be just nice. I used gunmetal-grey cases in the past, but now use black. Neither of them pop the way machines in white do - at least, against most office furniture.
 
That is a Nice Case and "Box" like, what I had more in mind. That's the plenty of room with nice Big stuff, and yeah hard tubing and like 3/4" even though not really needed.
I guess the stand Idea is still of course flex hose and 3/8"
 
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