new watercooling project, suggestions needed

[nysulli]

after 7 years of service, my pc-60 is finally going to be retired, I've come up with a few cases that fit my needs, but maybe theres a few I've missed, hopefully some of the collective experience gathered here can help me out a bit

few small requirements of the case

1. all WC gear has to fit within the case (single loop with a 120.3 and res of some type for now)
2. cube designs like the MM's aren't the greatest (points 1+2 in place to keep the wife happy)
3. I prefer a purposeful case design with clean lines, something like the HAF932 really doesn't cut it for me.

so far my list of potentials

TJ-07
Lian li g70b
ATCS 840

the obvious choice is the TJ-07, but I've always liked the looks of lian li cases as well, budgets attempting to stay under $300, if its going over that mark it really needs to be on par with the build quality and features of the TJ-07, something like the g70 at $200 I'm willing to sacrifice a few things in case I need to chop the budget a bit.

so, anyone have further suggestions?

[MomijiTMO]

Lian Li V2010 is an alternative for the TJ07 with a similar feel albeit quite different. It's at the same price here but I don't know what it is over there.

[Skald]

How soon you going to grab the case?

If your going to have some time, wait for the ATCS to come out and be reviewed a bit more as well as get to see it up close for your own personal inspection.

[nysulli]

I've got a few weeks at least, probably start seriously putting things together shortly after thanksgiving

I've got a rough budget for the whole build, but given the early results with i7, more money might head towards mobo/cpu/memory then originally planned

oh yeah, gotta add the new mountainmods tower to the mix, looks really promising

[Nemon]

Here is a review. ATCS 840 (http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2008/10/31/cooler-master-atcs-840-classic-review/1) Nice looking case. much nicer that the HAF 932
Too bad i bought the HAF 932 already, but havent started on my WC setup yet.

[Tile]

Go for the TJ-07 without any second thaught. It might stretch your budget but the reward is worth the expense in the ease of instalation of the waterloop and space.

[MINIz guy]

The Mountain Mods Pinnacle 18 could work for you. It does look like a Lian Li, the quality is great and it's made for watercooling.

[Henry8601]

Have a look around at some of the threads or at the case gallery in the watercooling section: Case Gallery (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=202620) to give you an idea of what is possible with those cases - but I would be inclined to say go for the TJ07 as they are so easy to work with.

[OdinEidolon]

i would go with the 840. looks wonderful!

[Tile]

The MM Pinnacle 18 is the clear choice when it comes to watercooling but the Silverstone TJ-07 is still a good choice.

[Mike44]

Go for the TJ-07 without any second thaught. It might stretch your budget but the reward is worth the expense in the ease of instalation of the waterloop and space.

Couldn't agree with you more - definately go for the TJ07. You can fit your 120.3 rad down at the bottom and out of the way leaving plenty of space for your hoses and stuff up top. Not to mention the x7 5.25" bays!! You can definately fit a ton of stuff in here (ie, pumps, reservoir, and still have room for x2 DVD drives). Although not the best case for air cooled (not too many fans front to back), I think it's ideal for a watercooled system.

The case is definately a larger one though, so if you want to go with a small case, this probably shouldn't be your first choice - check with the wife on that one first ;) - she'll typically see as it a piece of "furniture" that will either "fit or not" (sorry to any ladies here!!! lol).

Mike

[nysulli]

Bringing this tread back from the dead since I'll be finally getting around to this build.

I opted to start a different project last november which cost a tad more then the PC, I upgraded from a 2004 2.5rs to a 2008 STI

back on topic, The original specs still stand, clean lines, fully concealed watercooling setup, in a standard mid or full tower, no cubes.

cases I'm considering, 800D, atcs 840, TJ07, some lian li's

I'm planning on making this build rather quiet, not entirely silent though.

rough specs, overclocked p55 i7, 5850 and possibly cooling the motherboard depending on its noise level will be cooled by the loop

I'm planning on the loop being capable of handling upwards of 500 watts, although I know I'll be closer to 400 under full load, fan speeds between 1000-1400 (1000 is more then quiet enough while 1500 was a bit to loud on my old BIX extreme)

I haven't planned out the blocks yet, but my initial thought is a D5 pump for reliability, and an MCR320, I know it's really the bare minimum I'd need radiator wise, but I'll base what additional cooling capacity I'd need based on what case I end up with and what I can fit, likely an mcr 220.

one thought that has crossed my mind was a 140.3 in the cases I'm looking at, wondering if it could be done without to much hacking. I have access to a mill at work so making a custom bracket to mount it in the atcs wouldn't be an issue as long as it would fit