External radiators vs. inside chassis

[deucejmp]

For a long time, I was against the idea of having a WC setup that was not entirely self-contained in the case. I do understand why external radiators are superior, but there are cons to that route which I used give a lot of weight to.

These days my thinking has shifted and I'm almost sold on having most (but not all) radiators housed in an external setup, outside the case (I would still have a minimum amount of radiator space in the case, so that in the rare cases where it is necessary, the computer can be run at some minimum level by bypassing the inlet and outlet and using it with the external setup disconnected). The idea being a short term trade for higher temps and noise when disconnected from the external setup, and then low temps and noise when connected.

To avoid going the external route, I came close to thinking an upgrade to the Corsair 900D was the way to go, but at more than 40 pounds, the entire build can easily get into the 75 - 100 lb range. Combine a bulky, super-massive tower with all of that weight, and suddenly it isn't worth it anymore (not to mention there are a lot of quality-related negative reviews on the 900D). Going with something from CaseLabs would make that a bit easier since you can save up to 20 lb of weight...but I still find myself thinking that going external with my current full tower is still a better idea.

I'm looking for some discussion on the idea of an external rad setup. Performance reasons for doing it aside; is it still worth it (hassle, extra clutter, and whatever else)? Those that have gone this direction: do you ever regret it and wish it was instead self-contained in the case?

Fire away...

 

[Tsumi]

My computer traveled a lot, therefore it was important for it to be fully self-contained. That said, my case has a 480mm radiator and a 280mm radiator, and probably tips the scale at around 40-50 lbs. It is more than sufficient to cool everything.

If you want to go your route with an external radiator for quietness, I would suggest going with a smaller mid-tower case. Something that can fit a 240 or 280 radiator, maybe a 360, with high speed fans. Use a fan controller to turn them down when connected to the external, and turn them up when running only the internal.

If you want, depending on where you live, you can go full out external (out of the house). Fans will never bother you, the heat doesn't get dumped into your room, etc. Only you can decide whether the extra work is worth it. We can only give you a ballpark idea of how much work it would take. And it really wouldn't take much at all with QDCs. You're just talking about some longer tubing runs and wiring runs, that's about it.

 

[deucejmp]

Thanks for the response. Does a smaller midtower that fits a 360 exist?

I'm hoping to keep my Zalman H1 (Zalman calls it a full tower--it's barely big enough to really be a true full tower). I can comfortably fit a Phobya Xtreme 200x85 in the front with a 200mm and 230mm fan in push/pull, and I have an aquaero 6 XT which should be able automate the fan switching between external and no external. The top is "intended" for a 240 or 280 rad, but Zalman screwed up--if you install a rad there of any thickness, you only get 21mm of clearance for fans, so you can't use a standard 25mm thick fan (with fans on max, the Phyoba might be able to handle 400+ W for an extended period, but if it can't I can always add a top rad with slim 140 fans).

In about 2 years, I'll be able to consider a bigger scale external project. Ideally, that will be something geothermal (or maybe a chiller, but not likely an outdoor radiator because of the high ambient temps in summer, and the risk of condensation with the freezing ambient temps of winter). I definitely think keeping the heat load totally out of the case is the way to go (otherwise your gains over a high end air setup are somewhat limited, especially compared to what external radiators can accomplish)--I just need to get myself fully on-board with the loss of the convenience of a fully-self contained setup.

 

[Tsumi]

Aerocool Silver Lightnings are 20mm thick 140mm fans. It can be an option for you. At 1500 RPM they can be a bit noisy, but can cool well.

The beauty of having an outside the house setup is you can crank those fans up as loud as you want and not hear them. So even with a 110 F ambient, with a large enough radiator and high enough speed fans, your water temperature won't be going much above 44 C. At 90 F ambient, that drops to 32 C. My setup with fans set to silent will probably hit 40-45 C water temperature. Just make sure you're not running the case radiator fans, as you'll be warming up your room.

As for winter condensation issues, I recall one member on here having a setup that monitored the water temperature. Whenever the water temperature hit inside room temperatures (or maybe 2-3 C above it), it shut off the exterior fans. Once it climbed back up above that, it turned on the fans again.