Pictures of an external 120mm radiator?

Hey guys,

I've been working in my head over and over again about the possible options I will have for my water cooling setup. I want everything to look as nice as possible because I will be having a window on my case. One of the things I have been concerned about is mounting the radiator. Initially I believed it to be much harder than it really is, however various guides have shown me that it's as simple as screwing in a fan.

One of the things that have been a tossup for me is whether or not to mount the radiator externally on a rear 120mm fan area. I have been contemplating on how to do that. I have the larger diameter hoses (not sure yet on the length, I will look @ lunch time) and I'm sure that they would have problems fitting through an open bracket where the PCI slots go. Reading a thread a few above this, someone pointed out the usage of something like this:

http://www.swiftnets.com/products/MCB-120.asp#

While that is all nice and everything, does anyone have it in action in their setup, with pictures? Also, another possible problem is if I use a setup like that, I will run into problems running the power cord for the pump, since it's an AC pump. Do any PCI bracket options exist so I'm not running a wire out, or have better options for doing so?

Thanks!

ugh rad box ugly solution. poor airflow too. I like mine where they get nice cool ambient air as it is the delta in temp between the air flowing over the fins and the temp of the coolant flowing through the rad that mainly determines how well a rad cools. Avoiding any possibility of warm air from the computer case being used to cool the rad is a good thing.

This is kinda rough, but it is cheap and easy and I have since found some nice mirror chrome tubing to go over the standoff screws. A person could fabricate a nice looking skirt if they wanted and they do not need to be mounted quite as high up as I have mine but I like to be able to easily get under them with an old toothbrush and clean off the dust every now and again.

http://mysite.verizon.net/ressdxka/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/computer001.jpg

need electric hand drill, 3/4 metal hole saw drill bit, 3/16 drill bit and about $1 worth of screws, nuts and lockwashers. If you can find a rubber grommet with a 3/4 outside mounting diameter and an inner hole dia the size of your tubing you are golden but not really needed if you line up the hole with where the tubing will come out of the case and hit the rad fittings in a straight shot. Notice also with a single rad and good layout/alignment before you start, the lack of bends in the hoses, petty much all a straight shot. My pump and res at bottom of case. Anyway just something to give you more ideas.

Heres my external rad.

I just attached my 120.1 rad onto the back of my PC case. I agree with the posters above, radboxes look fugly. The rad doesn't obstruct any i/o or VGA cables and it pulls cool air in from the outside and pushes it through the rad into my case. Mounting the rad on top is probably the most optimal (or pulling air from the bottom of the case where the coldest air is), but like they said, it will require some extra work! I just have a push/pull system using the included 120mm case fan with another fan mounted to the back of the rad.

Darkatom, thank you for the picture, however I am specifically looking for rear mounted 120mm radiators.

Oxy, are you saying that you have your radiator mounted on the outside, and then basically a fan on one end of it, and then a fan on the inside of the case on the opposite end of the radiator? Basically a "sandwich" if you will? Not bad. I'm more so concerned with being able to get the tubes from the radiator inside of the case with minimal effort. I'm not so "handy" if you will, so I'm shying away against drilling anything myself.

Bill, I like your setup, but again I'm looking for something mounted to the rear of the case... just on the outside and not inside.

Thanks for your help guys, anyone else?

Btw, sorry guys. I just realized I neglected to mention that the most important information of mounting the radiator on the rear externally.

Here ya go.....

Not bad Bio... did you use a drill bit with the same O/D of the house? Where did you get those rubber grommets to go on the inside? Not bad at all, but what was that bracket? The only difference we will have is yours is a dual radiator, mine is only a single.

you can easily do the same thing (standoffs with either screws or actual standoffs) on the rear. a 1 x 120 is very easy as you dont have to worry so much about covering up a card slot where you might have to plug something in. Grommets can be found any decent hardware store. www.mcmaster.com has about any damn thing you will ever need, takes small orders over the phone no problem, only trouble is to get used to their site, there is just so much stuff, but if you know how it is named you can find it easy with search and a ton of specs on parts and such so you know exactly what is is you are buying. Not sure what/how you are looking to rear mount, because of the power supply and card slots there are not too many options, radbox or just hang the sucker with some kind of standoff. Nothing says the rad even has to be attached to the PC case either, couple of feet of tubing and put it on the floor under the desk if you want to keep it out of sight, air cooler down there anyway.

Also nice Aurora, I see you have basically done the same thing as Bio-Hazard. My setup isn't going to be that extensive, because I only have a single rad about the size of the 120mm fan. Is there anyone who has their's directly attached to the case without using any kind of bracket?

I thought about having it on the floor, however it's not something I'm a fan of, I wouldn't be comfortable having that anyways. I was just curious, I know that I can mount my radiator on the inside of my case... Basicall it's Back of Case | Fan | Radiator. I was just curious if anyone has done that, but with the exception that it's on the outside.

If I am to place it on the outside, am I going to have to use a bracket like the ones you guys are using? Or no?

Where do you live? I have a radbox (they thing they all used to mount the rad on the back of the case) that I don't plan on using again. Nothing wrong with them; I just don't like the look of an external radiator.

if you live anywhere in Asia I'll send it to you.

Thanks though head but I live in the USA.