External Rad Mount suggestions for special build?

T

The1stCAV

[H]ard|Gawd
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Feb 27, 2008
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I am looking to build an external solution for cooling my HTPC via water cooling. Being that the HTPC will be in the cabinet, I wanted to use the cavity behind the Horizon N702 cabinet I have and build an external cooling array. This is solid wood furniture, so I can mount whatever I need to back there and not worry about pressboard falling apart on me.

Here is what I am looking at:
horizonunit2.jpg


I have holes I can use for tubing runs in and out and I would like to mount a set of 360 radiators out here in the back with an MCP655 pump. I have not ordered the radiators or pump because I want to first figure out how I plan on mounting them.

So my question is.................

What kind of radiator mounting solutions are out there that would work for this? What would allow me to mount radiators with good air flow? This will be hidden behind my cabinet, I already have all the water blocks for the HTPC components (from "Frank's" old build), I just need to get a new pump and radiators to get the HTPC cooled. I am just stumped on how to mount the radiators behind here. a "Rad Box" would put the radiators facing the wrong direction for my vision as they would be drawing air from th4e board side and pushing out away from the cabinet. I was thinking of having the airflow parallel with the back of the cabinet as opposed to perpendicular.
 
Idk but i want to see it when its finished lol. You could build maybe like a box that you can screw the rads to sit in that little area ya know? Like have your square then two smaller peices come down and then mount them to that... Im not sure if that would work or not.... Plus since its behind the tv then there arnt any issues with how it looks right?
 
trying to get my head around the photo you supplied. is that the back of the cabinet or underneath it.
was looking here;
http://standoutdesigns.com/store/pc...his=true&TB_iframe=true&height=520&width=790#
but the pics on this site don't help much.

in any case probably your best bet is to mount the Rads on 'L' brackets. so the rad would be with its edge flush with the side of the cabinet (air-flow from the fans running parallel to the surface of the wood/cabinet).

if you wanted 2 Rads you could stack them with the fans sandwiched in-between. i know Swiftech sell stackable Rads.

does my description make sense, i'd hate to resort of a using 'ms paint' to illustrate as my paint skills with a mouse suck.
 
Since I think that a watercooling rig on an HTPC would value quiet over about anything else I'd slap one of those giant phobia radiators on the back there with some low speed fans. For mounting if you can find some cheap L brackets that'd be easiest but i'm sure some of the other linked products would work on those radiators as well.
 
http://www.performance-pcs.com/cata...t_info&cPath=59_457_335_986&products_id=30316 or http://www.performance-pcs.com/cata...t_info&cPath=59_457_335_986&products_id=28830

Here is what I was wanting to use once I bought a nice desk to mount it behind. It would probably require a few mounting brackets to add space between the housing and cabinet allowing good air flow, but I think this is what you want.



edit - or even better this guy is already in a housing: http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=30141
 
Last edited:
aphasia said:
trying to get my head around the photo you supplied. is that the back of the cabinet or underneath it.
was looking here;
http://standoutdesigns.com/store/pc...his=true&TB_iframe=true&height=520&width=790#
but the pics on this site don't help much.

in any case probably your best bet is to mount the Rads on 'L' brackets. so the rad would be with its edge flush with the side of the cabinet (air-flow from the fans running parallel to the surface of the wood/cabinet).

if you wanted 2 Rads you could stack them with the fans sandwiched in-between. i know Swiftech sell stackable Rads.

does my description make sense, i'd hate to resort of a using 'ms paint' to illustrate as my paint skills with a mouse suck.
Click to expand...

I think! That is the back he sent me a link to the hole theater (Its really really nice) From what i can see from the other photos thats the back of it. You can see the tv on the top of it and the fans pulling air out the back.
 
All very great suggestions - thank you

Yes that is the back view of the unit. I purchased the back extenders that stick out on each side in the back, extending the internal racks out a bit for larger A/V gear. I am glad I did, that Pioneer SC-27 receiver I have is a beast and needed that extra room. You can also see I purchased the cooling solution for that unit as well, it has exhaust fans that pull heat out of the cabinet, just I do not think those two little 80mm fans could pull the HTPC heat out, which is why I am going to build that external array.

The links you all gave as suggestions is what i was looking for or thinking of - thanks so much.
 
I have ordered a rack mounted server chassis that handles EATX boards, it will fit in my A?V cabinet and I will be building a custom water cooling array behind my A/V unit to keep it all chillin inside the cabinet. I already have the water blocks for all 4 of the GTX 285's, the Mosfet and NB/SB water blocks for the EVGA Classified. SO these are the parts I will need to finish out that build. The CPU block is in Frank right now but I ordered an EK waterblock that is a red plexi for EVGA and Asus Rampage Boards, so I will take the CPU-360 Frank has now and put it back on the EVGA board. I say "put it back on" because these are all Frank's "old" parts being "Re-vamped" and installed in the HTPC (VAMPI). VAMPI was a name given by Nahid and really it fits well considering it is Frank's old parts being "Re-vamped" into the HTPC.

vampiorder.png


This of course will deserve its own build thread. I have plans on building the cooling array on a board that I will hang from the backside of the A/V unit on rubber lined hangers to reduce the vibrations and noises and not make the A/V cabinet convert those vibrations to sounds. Also so I can pull it off the back for maintenance and not really drill but two holes in my A/V unit.

Thanks all for the great links and ideas - I think the above list will do what I need it to do in the end. I will drop a build thread to show how it progresses once everything is in.
 
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