Rethinking my Ncase M1 WC build to just use a big external 9x120mm radiator (MO-RA3) Pros/Cons?

DoubleTap

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So I had almost everything I needed to finish a dual 240 rad internal build on my Ncase M1 but I got to thinking - my filters catch a lot of dust and I get sick of it.

What if I just moved all the cooling out of my case? I have room on my desk for a big radiator and I've seen the big Demciflex filters that will cover the whole thing making dust much easier to deal with.

I have a DDC fan, but might just buy the D5 Next, mount it on a Heatkiller tube rad, stick it on the MO-RA3 and call it a day.

As a bonus, I could move my 8TB HDD back into the case.

System:

8700K / 16GB
Strix Z390i ITX
2080Ti (Heatkiller Block in hand)
SF750 PSU

CPU Block: probably the EK Monoblock that covers the VRMs

Still not sure whether the 3x 120mm with NFA120s or the 3x 140mm with 4x 200mm Noctuas would be best for silence.

Has anyone done the full external radiator build? How is it to live with? What am I not considering?
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Depends on the "whole purpose," which will vary by person.

I get that. I guess it is more accurate to say, "why would you spend all that money on a small mITX case only to tie it to a gigantic radiator." If you were going to take up the real estate for the radiator anyway, why not build in a cheaper, larger case?

In your case, the meshify C is a good example. It's not extremely large. It is well built. And it is probably $200 cheaper than the Ncase.
 

Thanks! Looks like you had quite the time getting the rad prepped - that's helpful to know up front.

Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of having a mITX case?

My purpose is to have a case that doesn't dominate my desk - I need room for my monitor and speakers and I need something that kind of tucks in there. I don't need portability and I'll either set the MORA3 in a corner or maybe mount it on the wall so it's unobtrusive.

I get that. I guess it is more accurate to say, "why would you spend all that money on a small mITX case only to tie it to a gigantic radiator." If you were going to take up the real estate for the radiator anyway, why not build in a cheaper, larger case?

In your case, the meshify C is a good example. It's not extremely large. It is well built. And it is probably $200 cheaper than the Ncase.

The Meshify C is too big and not particularly attractive. It also doesn't have space for an optical drive.

I like the looks of the Ncase as basically the "front end" of the computer system but I'm not happy with how loud my air cooled build is and I'm always cleaning the dust filters.

The MORA3 will let me run a single, slow 120mm fan in the case (for a little circulation for the storage) but it won't be sucking in tons of air and getting dusty.

I get serious cooling power, very low noise and best of all, I can put a large dust filter over the fans and it's super easy to clean.

Other than just the physical aspect, I'm not seeing any downside - part of me wants to try 2 or 3 of this big rads without any fans but I think that might be taking it too far.
 
...part of me wants to try 2 or 3 of this big rads without any fans but I think that might be taking it too far.
The passive cooling capacity of the 420 version is listed at 200 watts. So in theory you could cool a system that way, but I think the problem you'd encounter is flow. These rads a super restrictive, just by nature of their size. My D5 can only barely manage 1gpm at 100% speed. I think with two of these rads you'd be firmly in dual-pump territory.
 
9x120mm rad

What are you, some kind of casual? We're in 2020.

This is where it's at now for large external rads.

vHrweiS.jpg
 
Ncase M1 + external MO-RA3 420 radiator best combination ever 😍

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219013_dsc_0024.png


Stunning cooling perfomance, full silent operation, never need to upgrade cooling solution any time in future.
 
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