Big case for excessive water cooling?

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arnemetis

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I've been looking around the forums and the rest of the 'net for a while now for my next build (Don't make fun of my system in my sig, I just graduated from college last year). When I originally got this water cooling kit, I thought I could carry it along for my next system, but it just won't cut it...besides this thing is a hell of a renderbox with the modded quadro overclocked.

Anyway I'm looking for a large case that will fit TWO 3x120 rads inside in a stacked fashion (fan/rad/fan/rad). I plan on running 2 seperate loops, sli at some point, northbridge etc. Ill have a main boot drive, and 5x drives in raid5 in a supermicro 5-in-3 chassis, link, two ddc2 pumps w/ petras top, and two swiftech mcmicro resevoirs.

So far I've settled on the old cmstacker, the STC-T01. I'm welcoming suggestions for alternates, as this one I believe will allow just enough clearance up top to mount this monstrous assembly. My current mcr220 and 25mm fans measure a total of 2 3/8", so 4 3/4" clearance will be needed. I've been previously assured I can get 5" clear up top with this case. I just hope removing the top power supply assembly doesn't mess things up.

Thanks to everyone for their comments in advance. Once I finalize on the case, I can start ordering the watercooling and some other basics, and finally put up my first full worklog :D
 
might want to look at the tj07, i'm sure you could fit those rads in it with room to spare, and it's just a hawt case.
 
arnemetis said:
I've been looking around the forums and the rest of the 'net for a while now for my next build (Don't make fun of my system in my sig, I just graduated from college last year). When I originally got this water cooling kit, I thought I could carry it along for my next system, but it just won't cut it...besides this thing is a hell of a renderbox with the modded quadro overclocked.

Anyway I'm looking for a large case that will fit TWO 3x120 rads inside in a stacked fashion (fan/rad/fan/rad). I plan on running 2 seperate loops, sli at some point, northbridge etc. Ill have a main boot drive, and 5x drives in raid5 in a supermicro 5-in-3 chassis, link, two ddc2 pumps w/ petras top, and two swiftech mcmicro resevoirs.

So far I've settled on the old cmstacker, the STC-T01. I'm welcoming suggestions for alternates, as this one I believe will allow just enough clearance up top to mount this monstrous assembly. My current mcr220 and 25mm fans measure a total of 2 3/8", so 4 3/4" clearance will be needed. I've been previously assured I can get 5" clear up top with this case. I just hope removing the top power supply assembly doesn't mess things up.

Thanks to everyone for their comments in advance. Once I finalize on the case, I can start ordering the watercooling and some other basics, and finally put up my first full worklog :D
Click to expand...

No the STC is the case you want. You can mount the power supply in the bottom no need for it up top in that case as it holds 2.

That fan-rad-fan rad is not a great idea.

I would get http://www.moddersmart.com/index.php?target=products&product_id=145#15.
In that stacker if you want you can put a rad in the bottom and the front and still have room for the system.
http://www.performance-pcs.com/cata...e=product_info&cPath=59_335&products_id=20753 bottom mount shroud.
 
You could try the TJ07 for dual rads, but I don't think you'll be stacking them (why stack them in the first place?).

You could get a Mountain Mods case if you wanted extreme radiator setups.
Or a Thermaltake Armour. That should be able to fit a 3x120 in the front.
Or that new Lian Li PC80.
Or you can do 3 2x120 rads in a Lian Li V2000 with a bit of modding.
 
Stacker 810:
MCR320 in the top(cut the hole, add a grill)
MCR220 in the back(a little modding to fit)
MCR220 in the front(Just need brackets)
 
Hmm, noone likes my idea huh? Well first I'll address people suggesting I mount the rad in front - it seems like that would reduce my available drive space to nothing, with triple rads being 16" or so. I need a bare minimum of five 5.25" bays open - three for the supermicro enclosure I linked, one for an optical, and one for a main hard drive. That eliminates most front mount options.

Second issue seems to be my idea of stacked rads. My thought was that it would maximize space within the case, allowing the bottom and some of the front for mounting other things, and additional expansion. I know that 2 independant rads with their own fresh airflow would be the best performance, but I did not think one rad getting slightly warmer air would be all that detrimental. Please, I welcome further discussion of this issue so feel free to add some input beyond it's a bad idea.

As a final note, I'd like to mention I'm not interested in mountain mods or similar 'double wide' cases, nor am I fond of btx or flipped atx style cases. I'll check out all the cases linked once I get home tonight, thanks to everyone for the suggestions, keep em comin!
 
arnemetis said:
Hmm, noone likes my idea huh? Well first I'll address people suggesting I mount the rad in front - it seems like that would reduce my available drive space to nothing, with triple rads being 16" or so. I need a bare minimum of five 5.25" bays open - three for the supermicro enclosure I linked, one for an optical, and one for a main hard drive. That eliminates most front mount options.

Second issue seems to be my idea of stacked rads. My thought was that it would maximize space within the case, allowing the bottom and some of the front for mounting other things, and additional expansion. I know that 2 independant rads with their own fresh airflow would be the best performance, but I did not think one rad getting slightly warmer air would be all that detrimental. Please, I welcome further discussion of this issue so feel free to add some input beyond it's a bad idea.

As a final note, I'd like to mention I'm not interested in mountain mods or similar 'double wide' cases, nor am I fond of btx or flipped atx style cases. I'll check out all the cases linked once I get home tonight, thanks to everyone for the suggestions, keep em comin!
Click to expand...


An MCR 220 in the front of a stacker would leave 5 bays open(with the front panel installed)

Stacked rads don't work well because you're just blowing hot air onto the other rad,
 
filthysanchez said:
An MCR 220 in the front of a stacker would leave 5 bays open(with the front panel installed)

Stacked rads don't work well because you're just blowing hot air onto the other rad,
Click to expand...

Hmm ok, I'm game. Let's say i put a 3x120 up top and a 2x120 in front. That limits my options for mounting the pumps and resevoirs to just at the bottom of the case, between the 2x120 and the power supply. Seems pretty limiting, is my brain missing something? I'd like to not have 4 parts of the loops all crammed down in one spot. Also, would the performance of a 2x120 getting fresh air surpass that of a 3x120 getting slightly warmed air (I can't imagine the air doing THAT good of a job of warming up in its 2" worth of travel)?
 
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