First off, thanks to all the helpful and knowledgeable folks around here for all your collective insight. This is a fantastic little subcommunity. Even though this was my first WC build, it was effortless because of all the information here.
Parts list:
Iwaki MD20-RZT
FuZion CPU block with 4.4mm nozzle and a modified ProMount
PA120.3
7/16 ID tubing
3 sets of Koolance V3 quick disconnects
Sunbeam Rheobus
Lots of Sanyo Denki and Yate Loon fans
My design goals were to keep the interior of my case (more specifically the motherboard area) as clean as possible so that there would be plenty of airflow over the critical areas. This led me to route my tubing and radiator externally. As the pics below reveal, I am clearly not interested in bling.
First up is the interior:
As you can see, I hacked out the upper hard drive bay and the PSU area so I could put my Iwaki down below. This serves two purposes. First, it places my tubing in the back out of the way where I wanted it. Second, since the Iwaki runs so hot, I wanted it isolated from the critical areas. This required me to move my PSU to the upper chamber. I cut a hole in the upper chamber so I could actively cool the pump (you can't tell from the pick but the underside of the pump is elevated so air can blow all around it). I also placed a fan in the optical drive bays (upper right corner) that can't be seen.
Here is a better picture of the PSU:
The rheobus sits atop the PSU. Kind of ugly there, but as the wires don't impede airflow, it didn't matter. You can also see the PA120.3 mounted up top. I have it attached with wing nuts so it can be easily moved out a window for cold NYC benching sessions. Home Depot was out of brackets so I had to get creative. Meh. Ugly but very functional.
Here is a closeup of the block area:
You can see that I inserted a threaded rod into one of the mobo standoffs; this is what supports the fan over the RAM/Northbridge area. Since my IHS is removed, I could not get sufficient pressure from the ProMount. So I cut off the spring assembly, turned it upside down so the flanges angled upwards instead of downwards, and strapped it down with screws through the backplate.
Here is the front (which is a total hack job):
Not too much to say here other than I LOVE having my power supply switch near the power/reset buttons. It seems so obvious now, but I had never thought about it before. You can also see I added a fan at the bottom in front of the lower hard drive chamber.
Finally, the back of the case:
It's a little hard to see what's going on here - sorry about that. I was a little too aggressive on my T-line; I will probably trim that down at some point. I used the quick disconnects to form three independent systems - the rad, the block, and the pump. Any one of them can be easily removed without affecting the others. You might also notice that two of them are right angled. I figured I had more than enough flow with my Iwaki so took a few otherwise avoidable liberties. My last little trick was to create an extension tube using quick disconnects. When I want to put the rad out the window, I will insert this section between the rad and the inlet to the case (all the way up top) allowing me to move it easily.
Well, it has been a blast building this. Not the prettiest, but I am very happy with the result nonetheless. Thanks again for all the help!
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Originally Posted by ownage
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That pump is massive. Makes me wonder if it would have fit in my case. What model?
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