LIAN LI PC-A05NB watercooled parts & thoughts

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Originally Posted by skane

The scythe mugen 2 takes up a lot more space than i expected, so the tubing runs out of the case atm. also, when the pump is running, there is a leak at one of the barbs on the graphics card block.

im not sure why the leak is there, the tubing fits just as tightly on that barb as on the others, and while the tube is a bit deformed, its not really kinked.

i'll prolly get a cpu block in a few weeks so that i can get the tubing internal and reclaim a lot of interior space, but i would like to have it up and running in the current state, so all help for fixing the leak would be appreciated.

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It could also be a bad seal from the barb to the GPU block. Loosen a bit and retighten. If that doesn't work, drain and throw some teflon tape on it I guess.

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Originally Posted by skane

Also, i suppose the rad i got(xspc rs360) will be good enough to keep the 4870x2 and a core i7 cool? i dont expect extremely good temps, im happy when the cpu is about the same or a bit better than with the mugen 2.

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Do you have something mounted in the top 5.25 bay, or is that just the blank bay shield?

Throw a dual radiator in the bottom with fans drawing air from underneath the case and you'll be in good shape to cool whatever you can fit in that case. Also, correct me if I'm wrong someone, but doesn't Gigabyte make a waterblock for that NB/SB area? If not, you still might be able to remove that blue "Gigabyte" area where the waterblock would go and attach a rectangular block with grease.

EDIT: Skane, why don't you move your CPU fan to the other side? Assuming you still have the case's standard airflow (back to front), that would essentially make your CPU heatsink have push and pull fans. Seems kind of a waste having two fans blowing the same direction so close to each other, as you currently have. Just a thought.

the top 5.25 bay has a zalman fan controller in it.
I first tried having the fan on the other side, but i haven't got enough space for the pump then.
A second rad sounds interesting, ill think about that(and where to mount the pump without ruining the airflow through the rads;

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Originally Posted by skane

the top 5.25 bay has a zalman fan controller in it.
I first tried having the fan on the other side, but i haven't got enough space for the pump then.
A second rad sounds interesting, ill think about that(and where to mount the pump without ruining the airflow through the rads;

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I wouldn't install a bottom radiator with the fans drawing air out of the case's bottom. That being said, having a pump mounted on some kind of bracket above the radiator/fan (whichever is on top, doesn't matter) wouldn't hurt airflow at all and the radiator would have already received the cold air.

Or, what about putting the pump on top of the PSU? If there isn't room for a stable mount on the PSU alone due to the hard drives, just install a plate extending past the PSU however long you need for the pump.

ok, a proper hose clamp seems to have solved the leak. now i got some time to think of what i will to with it next.
Hows yours coming along liguhy?

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Originally Posted by skane

ok, a proper hose clamp seems to have solved the leak. now i got some time to think of what i will to with it next.
Hows yours coming along liguhy?

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As the psuedo-millionairs say in the movies, "I'm currently having money flow problems." That and I have a small tendency to over think things, dream big, and perpetually part out computers on NewEgg/PPCs that i'll never buy.

But alas, I am going to buy the case very soon, so all this brainstorming isn't for posterity, but an eventual build.

Anyone mount a Swiftech Micro Res in the upper right of the case area between the 5.25 bays and the sidepanel? The case's width as listed on Newegg, minus 5.25 for the bays = 3.01" Divide that by two and you get 1.505"

With theoretical measurements this tight, only someone who's actually done this could prove it possible/impossible I think. I rather go for an EK Multioption 250 Res, but if you're dual looping it, two swiftechs mounted here would be perfect.
http://www.swiftnets.com/assets/imag...ns-800x656.gif

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Originally Posted by liguhy

As the psuedo-millionairs say in the movies, "I'm currently having money flow problems." That and I have a small tendency to over think things, dream big, and perpetually part out computers on NewEgg/PPCs that i'll never buy.

But alas, I am going to buy the case very soon, so all this brainstorming isn't for posterity, but an eventual build.

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i have that too. ive been talking about watercooling my computer for about 4 years now. :) just started working, so i thought "what the heck".

Case comes tomorrow. Also have a new motherboard coming on Monday, along with a couple hundred 4" black cable ties. While the motherboard isn't anything special, it's a significant upgrade from the proprietary Compaq motherboard I'm using right now. Don't get me started on how effing screwed up the internal audio is on that thing.

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Originally Posted by liguhy

Anyone mount a Swiftech Micro Res in the upper right of the case area between the 5.25 bays and the sidepanel? The case's width as listed on Newegg, minus 5.25 for the bays = 3.01" Divide that by two and you get 1.505"

With theoretical measurements this tight, only someone who's actually done this could prove it possible/impossible I think. I rather go for an EK Multioption 250 Res, but if you're dual looping it, two swiftechs mounted here would be perfect.

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I have the case here with me and I can tell you it won't fit. A 5.25" bay drive is actually wider than 5.25" it's almost 6" wide.

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Originally Posted by silverphoenix

I have the case here with me and I can tell you it won't fit. A 5.25" bay drive is actually wider than 5.25" it's almost 6" wide.

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:( Just a thought. Now we know. How far would it extend past the plane of the side panel? My thinking here is you could cut out something in the sidepanel for it and it could be like a visual indicator - assuming there's still enough room for the fittings and tubings.

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Originally Posted by liguhy

:( Just a thought. Now we know. How far would it extend past the plane of the side panel? My thinking here is you could cut out something in the sidepanel for it and it could be like a visual indicator - assuming there's still enough room for the fittings and tubings.

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the space between the bay and sidepanel is about 28mm.

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Originally Posted by liguhy

Anyone mount a Swiftech Micro Res in the upper right of the case area between the 5.25 bays and the sidepanel? The case's width as listed on Newegg, minus 5.25 for the bays = 3.01" Divide that by two and you get 1.505"

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I guess the width is measured from the outside, and you've missed the thickness of the sidepanels in your calculation.

If it's V1000 thickness I would reckon it's about 3 millimeters off.

here is mine, if it can help :)

XSPC RX240 + 2*Noctua P12 + Top T60-FB
Laing DDC-1 + Top XSPC
Embouts Koolance droits 1/2
Enzotech Luna
Tube Feser Black 13/19 + Liquide Feser One Orange

http://www.zimagez.com/miniature/imgp009015.jpg

just to try UVs
http://www.zimagez.com/miniature/imgp009117.jpg

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Originally Posted by liguhy

As the psuedo-millionairs say in the movies, "I'm currently having money flow problems." That and I have a small tendency to over think things, dream big, and perpetually part out computers on NewEgg/PPCs that i'll never buy.

But alas, I am going to buy the case very soon, so all this brainstorming isn't for posterity, but an eventual build.

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Got the case at the beginning of the weekend last week and my new mobo at the beginning of this week! Installed everything and cleaned of my desk for a workspace picture.

Feel free to start flaming. I'm taking baby steps here, so :P on you. Next step is to buy modding supplies, mod the case, then buy water cooling supplies!

:sofa: WARNING: STOCK COOLERS & GHETTO-RIGGED FANS :sofa:
Lian Li A05NB Watercooling Blasphemy
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FHHx2dWqYJk/Sm...0/IMG_4368.jpg

Desk/workspace/where I live
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FHHx2dWqYJk/Sm...0/IMG_4366.jpg

I'm not gonna ask what psu is that...;)

any news?

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Originally Posted by phinix_mike

any news?

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I got a worklog in the worklog section, I should have my dula rad setup fully operational by this weekend.

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Originally Posted by silverphoenix

I got a worklog in the worklog section, I should have my dula rad setup fully operational by this weekend.

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checked out the log - dual triple rads, good luck on that one!

As for my build, while I know what I want in it, it will be a bit before I get the monies/time to get what I need :( Still enjoying having just the case though!

Been messing around with measurements since I've had the case for a while. Here's my new concept drawing with relative accuracy/proportion (1-2mm). The grey blocks are where my CPU and GPU are (I only have one PCIEx16 slot)

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FHHx2dWqYJk/So...ponentsall.jpg

1. Black Ice GTS (stealth) 2x120mm radiator (30mm thickness)
2. 1xHDD mounted on Nexus DiskTwin or a SSD in the future.
3. Optical Disk Drive
4. A05N top panel connectors modded to front panel side vents
5. 3.5" media reader/floppy drive (or fan controller/misc bay device)
6. 1xHDD mounted in stock cage (+ middle HDD w/ stock DDC 3.2 [no tops])
7. DDC 3.25 Pump - 1.5" H (or D5 Vario outlined - 3" H)
8. PSU (limited to 160mm length)
9. XSPC RX240 radiator - 286mm length (with 3 Gentle Typhoon 1850 fans on top)
10. EK Multi-Option Reservoir 150mm (250mm outlined)
11. Medium case handles
12. Koolance 3-fan radiator shroud (with 3 Gentle Typhoon 1850 fans inside)
13. Steel Mesh 120mm fan filter/guard - 3 on top of shroud, 2 on case bottom

• This is an all-inclusive concept drawing. I won't be getting the Black Ice GTS radiator but do want to plan as much as possible for a dual/triple. To that end, I believe I can still use the top most PCI slot if I use some of the low height cards I prevously posted about, but I probably won't need to fill that slot with this motherboard. I measured and based on how much space my ODD takes now and calculated I had more than enough room for a HDD mount (or another ODD, but it would be touching the radiator if it could fit at all).
• As for the pump, according to my measuring, using a DDC would allow 2 HDDs to still be used in the cage and using a D5 would still allow one HDD. I can also gain some space by cutting out the cage's bottom and mounting the pump to the PSU instead.
• On to the reservoir. I've defaulted to the 250mm usually because it's the biggest I could fit in the case, but as long as I don't go smaller than the 150mm reservoir, I don't see any drawbacks like vortex/etc. I don't know if there are any additional benefits for a larger reservoir, but the 150mm reservoir would make somehow rigging up a fillport much easier (especially if I install the Black Ice GTS in the future). I like how Charles_h did it on his Murdermod 32 pc. It also wouldn't interfere with the fan drawing in cool air.
• Airflow can go either way, imo. Reversing the stock back to front airflow would help cool the hdds/pumps better and, depending on the type of PSU I upgrade to, would or wouldn't require me to mod my PSU. Regardless of the front-to-back airflow, the Gentle Typhoons will draw air from the bottom and exhaust it out the top. When the Black Ice GTS radiator gets installed, should I switch those fans to drawing air into the case? It would help the radiator cool a lot more efficently, but I'm not sure what it'd do to airflow inside the case.

Tell me what you think on my design, space constraints, links, whatever! Also if you have a PSU suggestion for 160mm or smaller depth, feel free to post it!

Been messing around with Sketchup lately and I gotta say, that stuff is like crack. I study landscape design, so drafting and related software aren't new, but I have to say Google did a fine job making it intuitive. I still prefer ink & paper, but might as well learn on something that's free!

Back to my A05N - money's been crazy tight lately, so I've "kept the dream" alive by mulling around different layouts, components, etc in my head, here on XS, and now on Sketchup. Dropping the PA 120.2 because it would permanetly limit my PSU to 140mm depth and instead put in a PA 160 which leaves me enough room for two actively cooled DDC 3.25s for down the road.

Here's a pic of what I've done so far. It's pretty much only the interior space since that's what I'm dealing with. Maybe one day, I'll skin the exterior over it and have a good component of the A05N.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FHHx2dWqYJk/Sr...cpu%20loop.JPG

does anyone know the space behind the mobo tray? I want to see if there's enough space for a ssd behind.

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Originally Posted by Boogerlad

does anyone know the space behind the mobo tray? I want to see if there's enough space for a ssd behind.

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quick measurment gave me 10mm interior space (with mobo panel and side panel thickness already taken into account). I don't have digital calipers, so take it for what it's worth.

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Originally Posted by liguhy

Dropping the PA 120.2 because it would permanetly limit my PSU to 140mm depth and instead put in a PA 160 which leaves me enough room for two actively cooled DDC 3.25s for down the road.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FHHx2dWqYJk/Sr...cpu%20loop.JPG

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Hey I like your project, and I am thinking about an AO5N build myself, but the water going through the pump cools the DDC 3.25 sufficiently, whether you like it or not, so you don't really need a fan to cool it as well, although it won't hurt. But if you need that space for something else, by all means you can do without those two fans in the bottom, and you'll also cut out the noise as well.

Hope you can find the funds to finish it soon. Good Luck. :up:

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Originally Posted by eth0s

Hey I like your project, and I am thinking about an AO5N build myself, but the water going through the pump cools the DDC 3.25 sufficiently, whether you like it or not, so you don't really need a fan to cool it as well, although it won't hurt. But if you need that space for something else, by all means you can do without those two fans in the bottom, and you'll also cut out the noise as well.

Hope you can find the funds to finish it soon. Good Luck. :up:

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You're right about the pump cooling. Why what's there is there is because the fans would likely be 92mm GTs low speed (@ 1,700 rpm/13 dBA) just for some more airflow not getting warmed by a radiator/etc to ensure I have positive pressure with cool air also coming in. I'm just placing the pumps there because it is about the only place to put a DDC w/ top without removing something form the case (most take out the hdd caddy, which I want)

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Originally Posted by liguhy

quick measurment gave me 10mm interior space (with mobo panel and side panel thickness already taken into account). I don't have digital calipers, so take it for what it's worth.

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Thanks! That's tight. Just barely enough for a ssd. No 3.5" hdd though.