Shortest 120x3 radiator?

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cornelious0_0

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Just wondering, I'm currently planning a project that I don't think has been done (at least to this extent) and I need to figure a few things out. All I'm saying is that I'm plannnig on mounting a 120x3 rad inside a Lian-Li PC-60...not saying how/where though. ;)

I'm gonna start looking at my different options, but some help here would be greatly appreciated if it ends up saving me time. The biggest thing I need to get cleared up is radiator size. Obviously I'd prefer to go with a Black Ice Pro III or Black Ice GT Stealth 360, and I'm PRETTY sure they'd work for what I need to do, but I need to know if there are any 120x3 radiators out there that're any shorter then the 397mm that the two Hardware Labs rads measure in at.

I obviously wouldn't want to take too much of a temperature hit just to have a smaller rad, and I'm not even sure if they CAN get a lot shorter then 397mm, cus the Hardware Labs rads I mentioned look pretty compact...but I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask...and maybe attract some early attention to what I'm planning. ;)
 
Looking at a few sites it doesn't seem that there's really a lot out there (or that it might even be possible to come across a 120x3 radiator that's shorter then 397mm...so this thread might be a little bit of a lost cause...but I'm still open to radiator/fan suggestions, and I'll think I'm gonna "release" my idea this far in advance. :p
 
The BIP3 dual pass looks like yr most compact option. By comparison their cross flow version is slightly longer.

Anyway interested in seeing what you have planned
 
calvin_q said:
The BIP3 dual pass looks like yr most compact option. By comparison their cross flow version is slightly longer.

Anyway interested in seeing what you have planned
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Yeah, I'm thinkin' of just settlin' for the BIP3...not a measly rad by any means...unless I see some strong numbers telling me to go with a Black Ice GT Stealth 360. The GT is a couple mm or so thicker, but it should still work...I'm still evaluating my options and coming up with a plan/layout...and I'll probly post up some paint pics when I can, cus I've got a feeling that not a lot of people would be in favor of the sacrifces I'm gonna have to make to fit the triple rad into the PC-60/7B.
 
I'll probly post up some paint pics when I can, cus I've got a feeling that not a lot of people would be in favor of the sacrifces I'm gonna have to make to fit the triple rad into the PC-60/7B.
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Concept is intriguing. I'm not a fan of the ginormus cases which seem to permeate the wc scene, so please elucidate your plan.
 
calvin_q said:
Concept is intriguing. I'm not a fan of the ginormus cases which seem to permeate the wc scene, so please elucidate your plan.
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I will...I will...but not quite yet...need to get a few things figured out first. :)
 
Rabble,

Rabble Rabble,

RABBLE! RABBLE! RABBLE! RABBLE! RABBLE! RABBLE!

Share it!

(eve online players and forum dwellers should get the reference :p )
 
TheKiller8!

And yes...post details dammit! This is useless without details

(And Chilly, PM me if you still play eve.)
-Ghent
 
Fair enough guys, sorry for the delay...been kinda busy lately.

I'm at work and will eventually get busted if my eMac screen is sitting on [H] for TOO long while I'm on a call...but I'll have time tonight to get you all up to speed.
 
Looks like the only other small-ish 120x3 radiator is the CoolRad 32T, which is the same length as the Black Ice radiators: 397mm.

Why the secrecy about your proposed mounting location? It's a big hunk of copper that you stick somewhere and put tubing on it, not some sort of underground American military project. Seems a bit silly to me.
 
I know...but I've never seen a triple rad internally mounted in a PC-6x case before...but given what has to be sacrificed to get it to fit I don't think a lot of people would adopt the idea in the first place...which is why I'm letting "the cat out of the bag" tonight. ;)
 
I still do not have any pics made...maybe tomorrow...but I can start to describe the idea.

I'm basing my case on Hal's idea in this thread. I have talked with him a fair bit in how things were done...but if you look through the pics that're there, it doesn't seem overly complex. I'm simply taking the mod one step further by using a triple rad in the front instead of a double. If I can find a nice way to "do up" the front of the case this could end up looking very nice...I'll have to use a USB cdrom, but the thought of three 120mm fans out in the open in the front of a PC-60 looks too nice (in my head) NOT to go forward with it.

What I'm trying/hoping to figure out is the dimmensions. The BIP3 leaves JUST over 1 inch above and 1 inch below it of free space...and hopefully it'll be enough.

As I said, not a lot of people are probly gonna take on this "project to be" because most people use some kind of 5.25" device a fair bit. I use virtual drive for any game I have with cd's...so I'm not worried about having no external 5.25" or 3.5" bays...and if I can think of a creative way to work with the interior of the case it'll be pretty cool...trying to think of a clean way to cut out/remove the 5.25" cage and the cage for the external 3.5" drives.

So yeah...I might make up some pics in MS Paint...but that's the jist of it...I hope I get to actually start on this idea of mine, cus the rest of the mods I'm planning for the case are gonna be mighty nice too. :cool:
 
Good luck with it. I was hoping for a concept I could "borrow" but no external bays is too limiting for me. So my search for a functional triple solution within an under 19" high case continues.
 
calvin_q said:
Good luck with it. I was hoping for a concept I could "borrow" but no external bays is too limiting for me. So my search for a functional triple solution within an under 19" high case continues.
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Sorry bro...but I told ya. :p

I've seen it done with the triple rad in the bottom of the case...but I'm gonna be using a phase change cooling system for the cpu, so I need the bottom of the case open. This might be an option for you/others though.
 
calvin_q said:
:eek: Triple rad in front, phase below. You should do a worklog.
Click to expand...

I want to when I can...it'll be awhile...but that's what I'm gonna be looking at doing...and I can hardly wait. :D
 
I have a 120x3 radiator (NexXxoS Xtreme-360mm radiator) and a Lian-Li PC65b.

My plan (criticism/advice appreciated) is to do an external raditor that should still look pretty nice...

Steps:

Remove the top 80mm exhaust fan.
Either cut two 1/2 holes in the top of the case near the front (all measured based on steps below of course) or, cut 1 or 2 holes in the 80mm fan grill area that will fit both 1/2"od cables.
Run a molex cord through the grill by taking it apart and putting one wire through each of 4 holes, or
(unsure about exact order of next three steps. Will depend on how it is easiest to screw everything in.)
Install 3x120mm fans on the radiator.
Install the radiator onto a Swiftech MCB-120™ "Radbox" (see link below), with the the center fan connected directly to the Radbox.
Install the whole mess onto the on the outside of the blowhole, with all cords nicely connected inside the Radbox.
Connect tubes, run into case through the previously cut out location and continue to connect as normal.

I am also planning to put fan silencers in my chosen project color (UV green) in all locations where these fans connect to the radiator and the Radbox, and one between the Radbox and the case. However, if I find the overuse of silencers is causing stability issues then I will remove the necessary ones.

Also I plan to put fan filters in black aluminium on the outer two fans, and 3 laser-cut steel-blade grills on the top of the radiator to keep it looking smooth.

I am also considering adding a brace of some kind to the back half.... I may drill holes and install a second Radbox just for stability if the setup looks like it will tilt too easily.

Swiftech MCB-120™ "Radbox"
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835108084
 
With the usage of something like the Zalman passive HDD cooler to mount the HDD to the bottom of the case and a rerouted power/reset button, there should be enough room in the front of an 18" mid tower to mount a 120.3 rad with a 5.25" drive bay to spare. If Cornelious uses this idea and it works, I am soooooooo copying him.
 
We'll see guys, currently I'm struggling with what I actually want to do. I've been getting a LOT more into gaming lately, and I'm tempted to just throw the hardware I've got coming into an SD36G5 shuttle chassis and do some mods to that. I dunno, we'll see...haven't made up my mind quite yet, but one way or another it'll still be awhile before anything gets off the ground.
 
calvin_q said:
Triple + phase change to a shuttle. :rolleyes:
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Don't really see how that'd work...I dunno...I saw The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift yesterday and it got me thinkin'...

Seein' all those nice cars made me think of overclocking again...like I wanted my computer to be like that...as fast as possible, nice paintjob...and tweaked all to hell.

I might have to go with the Lian-Li afterall. :D
 
cornelious0_0, remember that the black ice pro III has less exposed surface area then a black ice xtreme II, so three radiators isnt always the best idea.
 
MrWizard6600 said:
cornelious0_0, remember that the black ice pro III has less exposed surface area then a black ice xtreme II, so three radiators isnt always the best idea.
Click to expand...

The comment was a little unclear, what exactly do you mean?

On another note, I was going to be having a single stage phase change system built for my comp to cool the CPU...but I'm actually looking into having it built as a dual head unit...to add phase change to the graphics card. :D
 
calvin_q said:
Triple + phase change to a shuttle. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

external waterbox on top of Shuttle, phase change unit undeneath. How you'd make a hole in the bottom of a Shuttle to let the cooling head through, I don't know. Or maybe the phase change unit could be upside down with the tubing thingamabobber upside down (if you're using a Vapochill or a Mach II) and have the waterbox underneath. Eitherways, I'm getting myself a Lian Li PC-65 soon, so I'll see if a cardboard mockup of a triple-rad would fit.
 
n00btard said:
external waterbox on top of Shuttle, phase change unit undeneath. How you'd make a hole in the bottom of a Shuttle to let the cooling head through, I don't know. Or maybe the phase change unit could be upside down with the tubing thingamabobber upside down (if you're using a Vapochill or a Mach II) and have the waterbox underneath. Eitherways, I'm getting myself a Lian Li PC-65 soon, so I'll see if a cardboard mockup of a triple-rad would fit.
Click to expand...

Not overly confident in the phase/waterbox along with the shuttle...cus the phase change case would be MUCH deeper then the XPC chassis and it's just look weird. Maybe if the Shuttle sat at the front of the phase change case and the waterbox was behind the XPC ontop of the phase change it'd work out, but it's still an issue of space for the evap house to exit the phase change "box" and properly/cleanly make it's way to the CPU.
 
Or the phase change unit and the waterbox can be side by side, with the Shuttle sitting on top in a pyramid-like fashion. I don't know.
 
Yeah...I dunno...I'm really big on keeping things looking as professional/clean as I can, so I'm not sure I'd go that route either.

We'll see, if I can stay motivated I'll probly just be going with my original plan of the Lian-Li and water/phase cooling, but we'll see if I can get a dual head phase change setup made to eliminate the need for watercooling on the graphics card. :p
 
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