Watercooled P180B

G

Gyrfalcon

Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 2, 2004
Messages
322
Ok so after hunting around the forums forever, I am going to go ahead and water cool one of these P180B cases. I like the case (and the challenge) plus I got it on the cheap from Antec B stock. :D

So here is the Hardware:

Asus P5N32-E (680i Intel Board)
Intel E6300 Core 2 Duo
2 x eVga 7800GT (a little outdated but oh well)
Antec P180B
All the other stuff for making one of these babies work

Cooling:

D-TEK FuZion (CPU)
2 x Maze 4 (GPU)
PA120.3
PA120.1 (maybe, I already own this)
Scythe S-Flex medium fans
D5 pump
1/2" Tygon 3603

I am debating having the two maze 4s in parallel and possibly adding the NB though I need some input on those two. Espically the NB, I have never had those heat pipes on a mother board before and really want to just cut it off so I can keep the mosfet cooling.

What do you think?

- Gyr
 
Little idea I got staring at my lovely new case made me thinking:

Maybe a 120.3 and pump can fit internally in the bottom chamber if the PSU is relocated to where the upper HDD cage resides, and the HDDs moved to the 5.25" drive bays?

Interested in seeing how you're going to stick a 120.3 into a P180 :)
 
Well I have a PA120.1 in a Qpack so this should be just about as much fun as that one. I already have my monster PA120.3 and the case will arrive this week so I can start playing with fit then.
 
Yeah I am runing a single right now, hopefully I can run the single and the tripple together so that when I upgrade to more GFX power down the road I will have the cooling power I need.
 
Finally got the P180b from Antec as a B stock item, much cheaper and not a scratch on the case. Looking at fit right now I am going to really have to plan the mounts for the PA120.3, need the mobo to be sure of fit, should be here on monday :(
 
I am looking forward to seeing the final result. I am thinking of adding another rad to my loop when I get my new video card. Personally I am a bit partial to the PA160 in the P180 ;)
 
I just picked up the P182 this week from newegg and the small improvements are amazing. I really like what they have added in regards to cable management and the two options for water cooling tubes through the rear even if you don't plan on using them. It's nice to know they're listening.
 
n00btard said:
Little idea I got staring at my lovely new case made me thinking:

Maybe a 120.3 and pump can fit internally in the bottom chamber if the PSU is relocated to where the upper HDD cage resides, and the HDDs moved to the 5.25" drive bays?

Interested in seeing how you're going to stick a 120.3 into a P180 :)
Click to expand...


Bad bad idea... what i did i took out the top HDD cage out completely, along with plastic rails, then there is a botom bay/cage which can be removed (the lowest 5.25 bay) i mounted D5 upside down... i removed the metal thing from the pump and all u have left is just 2 plastic mounts... all u have to do is drill 2 holes in that botom cage/bay and u got your self a perfect spot for your pump.

Here is my comp...

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1097028

and plsss dont yell at me for my bad wire management and all.. :rolleyes: I care less how it looks inside... as long as my c2d is @ 3.4 and x1800xt @ 675 i'm cool :cool:
 
FYI Vlad you do know there's a HUUUGE air bubble in the last pic of your thread :D

Still, good work with tygon tubing. I hate that stuff... Way to thick ;)
 
So I am going to mount the radiator on the outside top of the case with a shroud, and put the fans on the inside, only loose one 5.25" bay and will be able to keep the motherboard mosfets cool with the fans up top. Looks like I am going to watercool the NB as well, and just remove the heat pipe.

Still would like some opinions on parallel GFX cooling.
 
Arcygenical said:
Still, good work with tygon tubing. I hate that stuff... Way to thick ;)
Click to expand...

Tell me about it... P180 and 1/2' Tygon AND my loop is a bad idea... In summer i'll get rid of the Tygon, will try to go with something smaller, since it is my 2nd time I will try to do a better job on doing the tubing along with better wire management.
 
So I have been doing some work on the case.

First up had to figure out where I was going to install the pump...

pump_placement.jpg


I decided for the sake of easy install I would install the radiator on top of the case, so I cut a large hole.

radiator_cutout.jpg


Then I got rid of all the evil fan grills :D

easy_breathing.jpg


and yes I plan on using the stock filters for now

rearfan.jpg


Here is what I did to make room for the pump, and yes I will be using the 3.5" bay. I am thinking about maybe placing my PA120.1 behind the pump.

cutout_pump.jpg


Last but not least, here is the radiator placed up top. I am still waiting on hardware to actually test fits and final placement.

rad_top.jpg


Gotta love those big shrouds for the Thermochill Rads...

- Gyr
 
Hi, was just looking to get the same case. Cant wait to see how you do it. I love the p180 just dont have the tools to drill and shit.
 
Yeah I did, I like how you mounted the pump but I think having the pad for isolation will cut down on vibration... I hope.

Also I finally got the fans in for the Rad, 3 Scythe S-Flex 800rpm 33 cfm :D

Rest of the hardware should be arriving in the next few days so I should be ready to leak test by this weekend.

More pictures later, right now its late and tomorrow will be long.
 
Gyrfalcon said:
Ok so after hunting around the forums forever, I am going to go ahead and water cool one of these P180B cases. I like the case (and the challenge) plus I got it on the cheap from Antec B stock. :D

So here is the Hardware:

Asus P5N32-E (680i Intel Board)
Intel E6300 Core 2 Duo
2 x eVga 7800GT (a little outdated but oh well)
Antec P180B
All the other stuff for making one of these babies work

Cooling:

D-TEK FuZion (CPU)
2 x Maze 4 (GPU)
PA120.3
PA120.1 (maybe, I already own this)
Scythe S-Flex medium fans
D5 pump
1/2" Tygon 3603

I am debating having the two maze 4s in parallel and possibly adding the NB though I need some input on those two. Espically the NB, I have never had those heat pipes on a mother board before and really want to just cut it off so I can keep the mosfet cooling.

What do you think?

- Gyr
Click to expand...

You should seriously consider splitting up those things into two separate loops. The Maze blocks are quite restrictive and if you ever decide to add NB/SB/Mosfet blocks, you're loop will come to a standstill. You can put your CPU on your PA120.3 and your GPU loop on your PA120.1

If you insist on keeping one loop, then I'd suggest purchasing DDC-2 pump with a Petra's top. It's got the head pressure to power through your multiple block loop.

If you haven't purchased the Maze blocks yet, I'd suggest purchasing either the MCW60's from Swiftech or the D-TEK GFX's. Their quality and craftsmanship far exceed DD's (which have been getting real bad as of late with their machine/cnc work). You'll also be very well set for future compatibility with new cards down the line.
 
Already have all the blocks, one 7800GT is from an older build and it already has a Maze 4 on it. I am going to run the two GFX cards in parallel I do belive. And I have a Maze 4 north bridge block, never had a problem with DD craftsmanship or quality but thanks for the heads up when I go back to buy more hardware down the line.

Loop Order:

Pump-> CPU -> NB -> GFX & GFX -> PA120.3 -> PA120.1 -> Pump

Gonna leave the MOSFETs, SB, and RAM on air, never have really seen a need to water those down. If I ever get some 8800GTXs I will probably go dual loops with the 8800s on the PA120.3 and the CPU/NB on the PA120.1

- Gyr
 
Gyrfalcon said:
Already have all the blocks, one 7800GT is from an older build and it already has a Maze 4 on it. I am going to run the two GFX cards in parallel I do belive. And I have a Maze 4 north bridge block, never had a problem with DD craftsmanship or quality but thanks for the heads up when I go back to buy more hardware down the line.

Loop Order:

Pump-> CPU -> NB -> GFX & GFX -> PA120.3 -> PA120.1 -> Pump

Gonna leave the MOSFETs, SB, and RAM on air, never have really seen a need to water those down. If I ever get some 8800GTXs I will probably go dual loops with the 8800s on the PA120.3 and the CPU/NB on the PA120.1

- Gyr
Click to expand...

Since you might get dual loops in the future, I suggest buying a second pump and putting it in series in your loop atm. DD's blocks are normally quite restrictive and it looks like you got 4 blocks AND 2 radiators in your loop. That's definately a flow killer. I believe you'll see at least a 5C drop in temps if you throw in another pump in series.
 
Ehhh, we will see. Glad you like to use multiple loops (you have the case for it) I am having trouble seeing how to fit numerous loops all in right now, perhaps when the mobo shows up I can check fits for a second pump.

Thanks for all the tips
 
Ranker said:
You should seriously consider splitting up those things into two separate loops. The Maze blocks are quite restrictive and if you ever decide to add NB/SB/Mosfet blocks, you're loop will come to a standstill. You can put your CPU on your PA120.3 and your GPU loop on your PA120.1

If you insist on keeping one loop, then I'd suggest purchasing DDC-2 pump with a Petra's top. It's got the head pressure to power through your multiple block loop.

If you haven't purchased the Maze blocks yet, I'd suggest purchasing either the MCW60's from Swiftech or the D-TEK GFX's. Their quality and craftsmanship far exceed DD's (which have been getting real bad as of late with their machine/cnc work). You'll also be very well set for future compatibility with new cards down the line.
Click to expand...

The maze 4 is restrictive? Since when? The maze 4 has NEVER been a restrictive block. In fact it has always been towards the unrestrictive side. Granted the block is an oldy, but it is still a perfectly fine block.
 
As new products come out, a certain product's qualities are adjusted relative to the new products. With respect to GPU only blocks, the Maze 4 is considered restrictive compared to the new GFX blocks by D-Tek and slightly more restrictive than the MCW60's.

In terms of restriction compared to all popular graphics blocks, they'd be middle of the road. From most restrictive to least restrictive: DD full cover -> EK full cover -> Maze 4 -> MCW60's -> GFX's.

The Maze 4 is a fine block. I'd actually rather use those than the DD full cover blocks as the Maze 4 have better QC and craftsmanship.
 
Ranker said:
As new products come out, a certain product's qualities are adjusted relative to the new products. With respect to GPU only blocks, the Maze 4 is considered restrictive compared to the new GFX blocks by D-Tek and slightly more restrictive than the MCW60's.

In terms of restriction compared to all popular graphics blocks, they'd be middle of the road. From most restrictive to least restrictive: DD full cover -> EK full cover -> Maze 4 -> MCW60's -> GFX's.

The Maze 4 is a fine block. I'd actually rather use those than the DD full cover blocks as the Maze 4 have better QC and craftsmanship.
Click to expand...

Talk is cheap, show me the proof. I want to see the pressure drop comparison, and then I want you to prove to me that the difference is enough to even sneeze about. Low restriction is low restriction.
 
I finally got all my parts in, should start assembly today, gonna run everything in serial with only the PA120.3 until I can order the parts to parallel the Maze 4s and add the PA120.1 also I removed the heat pipe from the mosfet heatsink so I can still use the heatsink but watercool the NB :D
 
yar, great work, this things gonna be awsome when its done!

PM w/ questions sent. Oh and I've got one more, but this is for everyone:
Swiftechs triple rad boasts 500W thermal dissipation (ambient and ΔT not stated). Do you guys think that would be enough to cool two 8800GTXs, 680i's NB and SB (yes it may not be the best Idea but damnit you know your [H]ard|Core when you've got a water block on these 680i 1.6V beasts!) and a 1.5V E63 C2D? If not, what should I do to make it so it does?
 
It would be barely enough to cover the CPU + GPU without overclock alone. However, if you're planning to overclock and those NB/SB blocks, you wouldn't get optimal temps.

The only thing I could recommend is a PA120.3 from thermochill if you want it all on one loop.

I'd suggest you break it into multiple loops.
 
are the thermochills really that much better? furthermore do you know a canadian supplier?

Its another P180, so iv got another place to put a 12cm rad, eyeballing it makes it look like Id have enough room to fit everything.
 
Thermochills are that much better, but they do come at a price. I would use only thermochills in my machines. However for family/friends who can't afford such a premium, I build their machines with Swiftech rads. You can purchase them from Petrastechshop.com They will ship to CA.
 
ahahaha, yeah NCIX is the newegg of canada.

actually about two months ago there water cooling stuff was abysmal, couldnt even attempt to put together a loop on there site. Just a little while ago the started going nuts abuot water cooling, now they've got an add for it on the front page.

But i didnt know they stocked the thermochill? I guess they do now?

So they do! but for one of those suckers I can get two of the swiftech triples PLUS a couple of fans. Are the thermochills really twice as good!!!?!
 
alright thanks..

ill do my own research and... start my own thread... didnt mean to thread jack :(
 
No problem there, just glad to help.

Quick update: I am waiting on a fitting for the PA120.1 so I can put it into the loop with the other 1/2" gear (its currently 3/8"). In the mean time I pulled the heat pipe from the NB out of the Mosfet heat sink so I can water cool the NB.

MOSFET.jpg


The rest of the hardware is in except for my fitting, so once that arrives I will hook it all up and see if it smokes :p
 
I used a screwdriver to pop each fin loose from the pipe and then slowly eased it out a little at a time, took me 2 hours. The pipe is glued into the fins in addition to being a very tight friction fit.
 
So I have been puzzling over the loop order and flow path, I am thinking about going:

Pump -> upper RAD -> CPU -> NB -> GPU & GPU -> lower RAD -> Pump

I am going to place the t-line just before the fluid enters the lower RAD. Also I am probably going to go with my DDC-2 and get the modified top from Petra, any tips on installing that top?
 
top is super basic. Don't even sweat it.

just make sure that the rubber gasket is seated properly in the new top and you're good to go.

In fact, I think petra add a quicktime video on the product page if you're so inclined.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top