What do you think of my "water cooling" case design?

[3Z3VH]

Wouldn't mounting the radiator horizontally, and shrinking the case, force you to remove the divider between the motherboard/drive 'chamber' and the top radiator 'chamber' ? This would force them to share heat, and disrupt the straight-through airflow created with the front and back fan. I rather appreciate the idea of the separate chambers that segregate your heat sources.

I do like the idea of at least cutting the holes in the front of the top chamber to allow 5.25" drives to be mounted up there, because it would allow you to put the (already shallow) fan controllers up there and still keep a quad radiator. Most Fan Controllers I have seen aren't more than an inch or two deep as long as you remove the cd-drive-sized tray they come with. I am not sure of the feasibility of putting the necessary mounting brackets up there for the 5.25" drives though... as they would prevent a quad-rad from ever being installed properly, and block the airflow to the fans. Also this would add even more to the cost of the case... I'd say this is a bit of a toss-up... cost vs more 5.25" bays... I'd still prefer the cheaper case, but I do understand how others would appreciate the bays.

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

Wouldn't mounting the radiator horizontally, and shrinking the case, force you to remove the divider between the motherboard/drive 'chamber' and the top radiator 'chamber' ? This would force them to share heat, and disrupt the straight-through airflow created with the front and back fan. I rather appreciate the idea of the separate chambers that segregate your heat sources.

no, if you left the side vents with the horizontal rad (roof face mount) the design would still be compartmentalized, just smaller

[3Z3VH]

Once you stack shrouds and fans on the radiator, you would end up with the same height compartment just to sneak some air into the fan.

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

Once you stack shrouds and fans on the radiator, you would end up with the same height compartment just to sneak some air into the fan.

true, I'm a spoiled mcr320 user I guess

[No1451]

Add another mark for people who would buy this if available.

If the price could be kept under the $400USD area I would seriously consider picking one up as soon as they are available. I do think however that only 1 optical drive bay is required, 2 is probably safer for other's needs.

[Defratos]

^ likewise if I decide to delve into water cooling

[lee143]

Add another mark for people who would buy this if available.

If the price could be kept under the $400USD area I would seriously consider picking one up as soon as they are available. I do think however that only 1 optical drive bay is required, 2 is probably safer for other's needs.

Typically around here, I've seen people use 5.25" bays for optical drives, temperature monitors, fan controllers, X-fi controllers, and etc. I think expanding the number of bays is the way to go.

[No1451]

Yeah, I actually use 2, but I put my fan controller in backwards so I don't need to see the ugly display on the front of my case.

I just hope this guy can possibly get it fabbed, cause I am now very interested in getting something like this. With screw slots not holes so it can accommodate any rads of course.

[Mick64]

I havent seen any radiator pictures in the thread, but from the looks, this is only a single rad on top and bottom? Would it be possible to double the rads?

I have designed it to have a single 480 at the top and a single 360 at the bottom, but there is plenty of room for double that if you were to go for a stacked rad configuration.

the real deal about the design of this case is using it for liquid cooling.
But if you want to take this case in the comercial league, you had to re edit the front of the case and the top chamber.
Making a hole on the top part of the front so you can fit 3 more 5.25" drive Bays.
One more PCI slot is need for certain mobos to run Tri-Sli (the classified one from evga).
Radiator supports have to be modular so if you dont want the extra rads you can put 2 drive cages for lots of HDD.

Actually, I would probably add one or two 5" drive bays below the current ones, with a modular
HDD bay that can be installed in the top or bottom section of the case, as well as a little mesh
behind the hole the in the motherboard tray where the CPU is.

The reason I think the extra 5" drive bays would be handy, is alot of people use fan
controllers with watercooling, they can take one or two, and one may be used for
a reservoir also. This doesn't give you any room for IR receivers or optical drives.

But seriously it looks awsome!

I was thinking the same thing. If you turn the top into a 360 rad, you could fit the 5.25 bays in the top chamber giving it the desired external bays. Or the space could be used for HDDs by those who want more storage. This was why I was wondering about double rads. So you could have a triple loop system.

Mount the top rad horizontally on the roof and pust some more drive bays, the always come in handy. Also having it horizontally i believe is better since you may get some tube blockage like that and there is clearly no reason to put it vertically since it will occupy too much space.That way you can actually have an extra PSU and extra HDD bays

Also try to use aluminum, it is more lightweight and easier to handle.

Typically around here, I've seen people use 5.25" bays for optical drives, temperature monitors, fan controllers, X-fi controllers, and etc. I think expanding the number of bays is the way to go.

Yeah, I actually use 2, but I put my fan controller in backwards so I don't need to see the ugly display on the front of my case.

I just hope this guy can possibly get it fabbed, cause I am now very interested in getting something like this. With screw slots not holes so it can accommodate any rads of course.

I have been thinking about adding one or two 5.25 bays at the top. Now that I have extended the depth of the case, it would be possible to have a couple of shallow bays for a display or fan controller, but not drives and still have room for the 480 rad.
Adding another PCI slot would not be a problem as I have extended the height of the case to allow more room around the motherboard.
As I've said before, this case has been designed for liquid cooling not as a server case. With the huge capacity of HDD's these days, I'm sure 4 is adequate.

I love your case and I enjoyed reading this thread to see the progression. Here are my suggestions (which, of course, you can disregard because let's face it: Everyone is a critic):

1- To solve the foot problem, why not go for hourglass design like they do on high-end A/V equipment? It works wonders on hardwood/ceramic/flat floors and it would give it some more style (i.e. http://www.edesignaudio.com/hourglass.gif)

2- Is there any chance that you can push the design towards something silent? I’m thinking extensive use of rubber and possibly even air-filters to keep the dust outside.

3- Maybe I don’t quite get it but it looks like the PSU area is made for a top-fan PSU while my current one is bottom-fan (my tj-09 has a bottom fan grill). I’d need to mount mine upside down and I’m thinking it would push warm air into the case. Is it possible to make the stand-off a grill and another hole/grill in the bottom part?

4- For the radiators, I love how that would work out. Let’s just make sure that a ½ID / ¾OD tube on straight or (at most) 45degree barbs would “fit” with the pre-cut holes in the divider.

5- As for the pump area, is it possible to make pre-cut holes to fasten the pump? Mine is currently on a pad that isn’t fastened but I’m thinking some kind of vibration dampening system could be made on this tower to help reduce the noise and make it even more pretty :P This could also be made for two pumps (I mean, at that point, what’s an extra 4 screw holes with soft plastic threads…)

6- I don’t think you need to extend the case even more than it is. Triple SLI is fun but really, it accounts for a minuscule amount of configurations these days (with double dual cards being the “norm”). I think that if anything, you should try to optimize it to reduce the dead space as much as possible.

7- For the backplate, a standard “enthusiast” setup would be 2x dual slot video cards, 1x single slot audio card, 1x esata/usb ports card and possibly 1x light controller. That means that with 6-7 holes, you’d have plenty. I know some folks will say that they need more for raid controllers, tv capture and whatnot but then they probably can re-arrange their cards to make it fit, or buy another case. There has to be some limits to a design at some point or else you’ll end up with a case like Homer Simpson’s car lol

On a side note, I was thinking how cool it would be to have either a detachable motherboard tray that “snaps-on” with some kind of locking system (clamps?). The Silverstone sliding trays are a decent start though.


Finally, I’m thinking that since this case is geared towards water-cooling enthusiasts, might as well go all the way and add some funky stuff to the front panel like a small gauge for GPM, a reservoir front-view or maybe a fill-port at the top? Something to give it some STYLE!

Keep the good work going

Thanks for all your ideas. Just like to point out that, as far as I know (correct me if I'm wrong), the fan on a PSU blows air into the PSU enclosure and vents out of the back. This is why there is a hole above the PSU, to improve air flow through the case, so yes; you would mount your PSU with the fan pointing up. Also, although it's not very clear, I have designed the motherboard tray to be removable.


Again, thanks for all your input.....

[antiacid]

Thanks for all your ideas. Just like to point out that, as far as I know (correct me if I'm wrong), the fan on a PSU blows air into the PSU enclosure and vents out of the back. This is why there is a hole above the PSU, to improve air flow through the case, so yes; you would mount your PSU with the fan pointing up. Also, although it's not very clear, I have designed the motherboard tray to be removable.


Again, thanks for all your input.....

I'll check when I get home to be 100% certain but I think you are right because dust tends to build-up under the case, which makes sense the way you explain it. In that case (pun not intended), disregard my suggestion for the upside-down psu

Also, the more I think about that case, the more I want it. MAKE IT HAPPEN!

[Mick64]

Made a few changes/refinements, incorporated some suggestions. What do you think?

[jimmyxxx]

way to go.
PD: usb and microphone jacks should be on top (easy access)

[SNiiPE_DoGG]

way to go.
PD: usb and microphone jacks should be on top (easy access)

user preference.... On top for me would make them un-usable. Also top sattelite ports = more wire clutter in my experience.

[Mick64]

way to go.
PD: usb and microphone jacks should be on top (easy access)

user preference.... On top for me would make them un-usable. Also top sattelite ports = more wire clutter in my experience.

What if I put the ports in a 5.25 sized panel and added a shallow 5.25 bay at the bottom. That way you could mount the ports in any of the available bays, top, middle or bottom, or omit them if you preferred. Of course, the case would be supplied with 5.25 blanks to cover any bays that were not being used.....

[Darkninja462]

What are the actual dimensions for the case ? and how big are the chambers ?
jw

Ninja

[Mick64]

What are the actual dimensions for the case ? and how big are the chambers ?
jw

Ninja

Just to clarify, the dimensions are:

Width = 230mm
Height = 625mm
Depth = 680mm

The rad chambers are approx. 135mm each, and the main chamber is 345mm.

There is room for a 480 (120.4) rad in the top and a 360 (120.3) rad in the bottom together with a long PSU if required. The motherboard tray will accept an extended ATX if required. The HDD rack will accept 4 drives. There is enough room between the motherboard tray and the HDD rack to fit two pumps and two reservoirs.

[jimmyxxx]

What if I put the ports in a 5.25 sized panel and added a shallow 5.25 bay at the bottom. That way you could mount the ports in any of the available bays, top, middle or bottom, or omit them if you preferred. Of course, the case would be supplied with 5.25 blanks to cover any bays that were not being used.....

Good idea, i would like to see a render

[Darkninja462]

Just to clarify, the dimensions are:

Width = 230mm
Height = 625mm
Depth = 680mm

The rad chambers are approx. 135mm each, and the main chamber is 345mm.

There is room for a 480 (120.4) rad in the top and a 360 (120.3) rad in the bottom together with a long PSU if required. The motherboard tray will accept an extended ATX if required. The HDD rack will accept 4 drives. There is enough room between the motherboard tray and the HDD rack to fit two pumps and two reservoirs.

Thats just smaller than the scratch build I'm planning But bit bigger in all dimensions same sort of design though

Ninja

[Mick64]

Good idea, i would like to see a render

Will do! Just want see if there are any more comments or suggestions on the changes I've made. I think there is little more I can do to improve on this design, but you never know. Although, as I've said before, it would be impossible to please everyone!

[3Z3VH]

way to go.
PD: usb and microphone jacks should be on top (easy access)

user preference.... On top for me would make them un-usable. Also top sattelite ports = more wire clutter in my experience.

Yeah, for those who put their case on the floor, this would be a disaster if someone were to accidentally step on anything plugged into that panel on the bottom.

What if I put the ports in a 5.25 sized panel and added a shallow 5.25 bay at the bottom. That way you could mount the ports in any of the available bays, top, middle or bottom, or omit them if you preferred. Of course, the case would be supplied with 5.25 blanks to cover any bays that were not being used.....

I think making it modular/customizable is a great idea. Mock it up ! I just hope it doesn't make the case too pricey.

As for other suggestions, I just thought of something...
Would it be possible to move the PSU to one side or the other ? It seems like right next to the PSU would be a great place for pumps/reservoirs/gauges/SSDs/whatever, and the more room available there, the better !

[vinister]

definitely go with the modular idea. Many people use fan controllers or other such panels which have USB/audio support on them already, and it looks silly to double them up. Personally I have no use for them so I would be putting in a blanking plate.

What are the chances of ever being able to own one of these? What steps are being taken to put it into production?

[filthysanchez]

I'd move the hard drives to the bottom, then make a shroud to fit the front fan to a PA160. Do stacked radiators up top like they do in the bottom of TJ07s

[Mick64]

I'd move the hard drives to the bottom, then make a shroud to fit the front fan to a PA160. Do stacked radiators up top like they do in the bottom of TJ07s

I'm sorry, but I think you missing the point. There's room for a 360 rad in the bottom and a 480 rad in the top! Why would you want to fit a 160 in the centre chamber blowing warm air over the motherboard and VGA card/s?

[Power5]

You have the buttons on the right side of the top 5.25" bays, why not use the left side for the USB ports? Looks great though.

[ILikeCosmosS]

your original design was 10x better , it was more sleek and sharp looking at the front