Good location for fill port?

[RedWagnum]

I'm in the planning stages for a new build. My current rig is mostly housed in a Lian Li PC-201B. I say mostly because the main WC component is a Koolance Exos-2 sitting on top of the case. While this setup has served me very well over the years it is time to do a proper WC setup in a case that properly supports it. Right now my case of choice is the Thermaltake Core X5. It has plenty of options for watercooling. The plan is to put two 280 radiators in the top to cool the CPU block and GPU block. Because I like the way that the Exos 2 handles the fans and pump my current plan is to use a Koolance RP-1250 Reservoir and Pump in the top 5.25" bay. The RP-1250 has a fill port in the top of the unit that would be a real pain to use since you have to partially remove the unit to fill it. What I'm thinking of is to mount a fill port in the top panel of the case connected to a "T" connector that is on the inlet to the RP-1250 and one of the radiators. Something like this:

Looking at my "drawing," it would probably be better to connect the fill port to the "T" via tubing so that the "T" is more inline with the RP-1250 inlet.

Anyway, my question is would this be a viable option to use to fill/bleed the system? Seems to me like it would work fine but I'd like a second opinion.

 

[Tsumi]

A T like that would make bleeding a bit difficult, but not impossible. For best bleeding results, run the pump at the slowest setting that still pushes air past the tube, but just barely so that the air doesn't just bypass the T.

How about connecting the panel fill port directly to the fill port of the reservoir? It seems like the fill port uses a standard G 1/4 thread, so you can just hook a fitting and some tubing to it.

 

[RedWagnum]

A T like that would make bleeding a bit difficult, but not impossible. For best bleeding results, run the pump at the slowest setting that still pushes air past the tube, but just barely so that the air doesn't just bypass the T.

How about connecting the panel fill port directly to the fill port of the reservoir? It seems like the fill port uses a standard G 1/4 thread, so you can just hook a fitting and some tubing to it.

Thanks Tsumi - I hadn't thought about that. The fill port on the RP-1250 definitely uses G 1/4 thread so it can take any standard fitting. I actually did that with my Exos. Used about a 6" length of 10/13 tubing, put a fill port on one end and a standard 10mm G 1/4 compression fitting on the other and screwed it into the fill port on the Exos, as a makeshift external reservoir. The res on the Exos is only visible from the top and the Exos sits on top of my 23" tall case which sits on top of a 30" tall file cabinet so I had to stand up to check the coolant level. My makeshift res fixed that!

Not sure if I'll be able to mount a fill port on the top of the Core X5 anyway. I don't have the case yet but looking at this picture makes me think it is going to be pretty tight with all the radiator bracing. The top cover is removable for installing the rads, fans, etc so there's that issue also.

I could create another makeshift res as above and just leave it loose on top of the RP-1250. I'd have to take the side panel off to access it but it would still be less work than using the built in fill port.

Hmmm... might be able to route it to the rear of the case. Plenty of space on the back panel. Don't like the idea of the fill port being mounted vertically though. Time to give it more thought.

 

[Deleted member 126051]

If you're putting in 280mm rads on top, you should have plenty of space to fit a fill port someplace.

 

[RedWagnum]

Yes, there should be. The fill port neck is 18mm dia and 15mm deep. I'm just not sure there is 18mm clearance between the center rails or the outside rail and the side brace. While looking at the above two pictures might suggest there is an inch or so between the rails and the top cover, the rails are actually bent upwards leaving only a few mm between the rails and the top cover as seen here:

The top cover is removable to access the rads/fans/filter so mounting the fill port to the top cover is not an ideal solution but probably workable. If I leave enough slack in the tubing I should be able to open the cover far enough to do whatever or be able to remove the fitting from the res to remove the top completely.

 

[Deleted member 126051]

If there's still space on the top rad rails, you could probably get a small bracket of piece of sheet metal and affix it to the rails once the rads are in. Then simply attach the fill port there.

Then all you have to do is lift away the top cover.

 

[RedWagnum]

If there's still space on the top rad rails, you could probably get a small bracket of piece of sheet metal and affix it to the rails once the rads are in. Then simply attach the fill port there.

Then all you have to do is lift away the top cover.

Great idea Chas ! If I can position it in the right place I might be able to cut a hole in the top cover over it and still be able to use the fill port without having to remove the cover. Me likes this!!

 

[Deleted member 126051]

Just leave enough of the pressure fitting above the surface to be able to grab (either with fingers or a set of pliers/channel-locks).

Then you can attach a pressure fitting and host to whatever you're going to use as a fill vessel.

 

[thesmokingman]

I've got a core x7 and I would never use the bay for a pump/res. Though, I'd never use a bay for pump/res to begin with as I learned years ago it couples the pump/res to your case and that means buzz noises. The core cases also have the flimsiest bays ever to begin with and by design, and adding to that there's zero working space. Do you like yourself? I mean that is creating a punishing work area hehe. I use my X7 for test rig, and I already freaking hate it. There's no space vertically to move stuff around when you fill it with rads. In my setup I put the pump/res combo on the floor and its the best spot imo.

 

[RedWagnum]

I've got a core x7 and I would never use the bay for a pump/res. Though, I'd never use a bay for pump/res to begin with as I learned years ago it couples the pump/res to your case and that means buzz noises. The core cases also have the flimsiest bays ever to begin with and by design, and adding to that there's zero working space. Do you like yourself? I mean that is creating a punishing work area hehe. I use my X7 for test rig, and I already freaking hate it. There's no space vertically to move stuff around when you fill it with rads. In my setup I put the pump/res combo on the floor and its the best spot imo.

Did you mean a Core X9? I can't find a Core X7.

The RP-1250 has a fairly quiet pump and it should be relatively easy to decouple both the RP-1250 from the bay bracket and the bay bracket from the case to minimize any transferred noise and vibration. I actually considered gutting my Exos 2 just for the electronics, mounting it in a bay, and using a separate tube res/pump in the basement. Too much fabrication (Impatient and not terribly skilled at it).

 

[thesmokingman]

Did you mean a Core X9? I can't find a Core X7.

The RP-1250 has a fairly quiet pump and it should be relatively easy to decouple both the RP-1250 from the bay bracket and the bay bracket from the case to minimize any transferred noise and vibration. I actually considered gutting my Exos 2 just for the electronics, mounting it in a bay, and using a separate tube res/pump in the basement. Too much fabrication (Impatient and not terribly skilled at it).

Yea, probably an X9, I always forget stuff. The bay res units are bled from the some port on the bay, so bleeding from there obviously sucks. Thus we can see why you wanna stick in a T, but that is not ideal either. The RP-1250 uses a ddc, so decoupling is paramount as ddc are fairly quiet if they are pwm. Oh wait that thing uses a pmp400, so it will spin at 4600rpm unless you undervolt it, ie loud as hell. Also, I would not be thrilled about getting a 300 dollar bay/pump/res combo that didn't come with a 35x or similar top end ddc with PWM. I'll tell you now, I very much recommend you go with a mcp35x w/ ek tube res or d5/tube res and stick it in the bottom. Theses combos with sticker for half the costs and will work better. EK makes a bazillion different pump mounts that the variations fit any application. I would not stick a ddc bay/res into a core bay as those bays are super flimsy. Go check your bays. If they're like mine they are held on by 4 screws.

Pic below is to give ya an idea of how little space there actually is once parts are installed.

http://i.imgur.com/XRoRgpch.jpg

 

[RedWagnum]

Yea, probably an X9, I always forget stuff. The bay res units are bled from the some port on the bay, so bleeding from there obviously sucks. Thus we can see why you wanna stick in a T, but that is not ideal either.

The current thought is to relocate or "extend" the RP-1250's fill port with fittings and tubing rather than the T. Not ideal but better than the T.

Oh wait that thing uses a pmp400, so it will spin at 4600rpm unless you undervolt it, ie loud as hell.

The whole point of using the RP-1250 is that it has integrated fan and pump control based on thermals or manual mode. Similar to the Exos 2, I can leave the fans on auto and run the pump at a speed that reduces noise.

Also, I would not be thrilled about getting a 300 dollar bay/pump/res combo that didn't come with a 35x or similar top end ddc with PWM. I'll tell you now, I very much recommend you go with a mcp35x w/ ek tube res or d5/tube res and stick it in the bottom. Theses combos with sticker for half the costs and will work better. EK makes a bazillion different pump mounts that the variations fit any application. I would not stick a ddc bay/res into a core bay as those bays are super flimsy. Go check your bays. If they're like mine they are held on by 4 screws.

I hear what you are saying! I may eventually go that route. I don't have the case yet and, as mentioned earlier, I am in the planning stages now so everything is subject to change without notice. I still may find another case that I like better.

Pic below is to give ya an idea of how little space there actually is once parts are installed.

Wow, that's pretty tight. How thick is that radiator? 1/2" tubing? And are those GT fans?

Thanks for your input.

 

[thesmokingman]

The current thought is to relocate or "extend" the RP-1250's fill port with fittings and tubing rather than the T. Not ideal but better than the T.

The whole point of using the RP-1250 is that it has integrated fan and pump control based on thermals or manual mode. Similar to the Exos 2, I can leave the fans on auto and run the pump at a speed that reduces noise.

I hear what you are saying! I may eventually go that route. I don't have the case yet and, as mentioned earlier, I am in the planning stages now so everything is subject to change without notice. I still may find another case that I like better.

Wow, that's pretty tight. How thick is that radiator? 1/2" tubing? And are those GT fans?

Thanks for your input.

1 - It's better than a T but you'll still have a hard time with bleeding because bubbles will get trapped in the res and not all of them will make it up the extension. With a non-bay setup, you can more easily look at the res and judge the situation.

2/3 -It's 300 bucks for a more complicated than it needs to be pump setup when what you really want is a PWM controlled pump.

4 -The rad is 60mm with GT AP15s. The X9 is a bit bigger and it sucks imo. I can't go Push/Pull and I can't stick the rads on the floor, no room and then they'd usurp the drive locations and block the psu. This case is really not very flexible or service friendly. I think it is not quite sure what it wants to be. If you haven't bought yet, I recommend you weigh the pros and cons of this case.

 

[RedWagnum]

1 - I really don't think bleeding will be that much of a problem - not any more so than having the res at the bottom of the case, lower than all the other components. That being said, I am starting to lean towards the bottom pump/res. The main point for looking at the RP-1250 was the fan/pump control which is also available in the CTR-CD1224 without the integrated pump/res. It's a little pricey but I like what it does and it does what I want so... Yes, I can probably do most of what the CTR-CD1224 does via the motherboard headers but I like having the "at a glance, always on" display.

2/3 - If I go this route I'll need a pump that can be voltage controlled and has a tach output. The CTR-CD1224 has a three pin pump connector that supplies 12VDC/3A or 24VDC/2A. Not sure if the output is variable voltage or PWM. I'll have to check with Koolance on that. Assuming variable voltage, what D5 can handle that? I'm guessing any three pin D5 without the speed control built-in?

4 - Wow, that's a big ass radiator! I was initially thinking about 45mm rads but I'm probably going to use 30mm instead. Only going to cool a OC'ed 6700k and probably a 1070 so I think twin 280mm x 30mm rads will be enough. I'm not super-[H]ardcore - not interested in squeezing the last MHz out of everything. Just looking to get good to great performance at reasonably low noise levels. Wish I could find the GT's in 140mm flavor but I cant seem to find any. I have several AP15s in my system now and I really like them. Probably will end up with 140mm Vardars. Aside from the cosmetic similarities, they seem to perform just about as good as the GTs.

5 - I'm still not completely sold on the Core X5 but it is pretty close to what I'm looking for. I want something a little smaller than my Lian Li PC-201B that is water cooling friendly and I really like cube cases. Case Labs are nice but entirely too expensive!

 

[thesmokingman]

2 -Nooo, voltage control is so 2001 man and its terribly wasteful energy wise, includes the CTR-CD1224. You want PWM which is the ideal pump control method. You seem to be stuck on Koolance and voltage controlled devices and that's fine, but it ain't PWM that's for sure.

4 -Vardar's are good. There are many good fans, but none of them are just about as good as GTs as GTs do what all other fans do at 200-300rpms less rotational speed.