Front Mounting a Radiator

[{WFH}+SLAYER+]

Hi,
Im upgrading to i7 920,evga x58 LE, dominator 6gb system.
my water cooling parts are:
swiftech mcr320
swiftech GTZ
1/2 id 3/4 od primochill tubing
bitspower compression fittings
EK multi res 250
swiftech MCP655 pump
UN designs rad brackets

the case im using is the Lian Li A77B.
http://lian-li.com/v2/tw/product/upl...A77/a77u01.jpg

I already ran a WC system before, a MCR220 on the back/outside.
I really thought about having the whole new WC system inside the pc , but my only option at this time is mounting the radiator in the 5.25 bays, I know it will take lots of space, but I'm going to use one dvd drive and one hard drive, so I got enough space left.

How about should I go with installing it, should I have the 3 fans on the radiator pull air in into the case, or its better to have the fans blow air outside through the front? would then the 120mm fan in the back and the psu fans, be enough to let the hot air from radiator out of the case? Would the air heat up the components to much?

I just dont have the resources, or money to play around installing the radiator on top, or bottom ( with cuttings holes,etc.) if anything I could live with the radiator installed on the outside/back, but really would like to try to have it all inside this time.
So please, give me your thought , and some tips on what would be the best way to set it up, and the fan air circulation inside the case.

[JaD]

That kind of mount works great, as you end up having enough depth for double side fans with shrouds.
It's best to have the fans pushing fresh air from the front, doubled on the backside to maximize air flow: you have the room for it, there's no reason not to push-pull. It almost equals to adding another rad.
I wouldn't worry about air exhaust, that case has a lot vents on the back, pressure alone will take care of it. As far as temperatures go, despite the impression, radiator exhaust really isn't that hot, just around 3 degrees higher than ambient. Don't forget the amount moving air will be higher as well, so critical components shouldn't see much difference. Actually, if you're gonna be push-pulling, you could very well end up with lower temps.

[Kanzy]

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...ducts_id=26190

This is what you need if wanna put rad on your drive bay in front, and in general people wanna air in from the front and out in the back, also, it's about 19 dollars/hole on ppc if u wanna drill blowholes on the top or bottom, I had them do mine, they do an okay job but the price is ok too I guess.

[eponymous]

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catal...ducts_id=21047

These brackets are another option. I use them and they are solid.

[{WFH}+SLAYER+]

Thanks for the info, I will probably do as fallows, place it in the front, and have six fans do a pull/push taking air inside the case from the front, and have the back fan and psu take it out the back. Wont be able to use the HDD racks, so got to get a 3.5" to 5.25 bracket of some kind for one HDD. Anything else I should consider?

[eponymous]

Originally Posted by {WFH}+SLAYER+

Thanks for the info, I will probably do as fallows, place it in the front, and have six fans do a pull/push taking air inside the case from the front, and have the back fan and psu take it out the back. Wont be able to use the HDD racks, so got to get a 3.5" to 5.25 bracket of some kind for one HDD. Anything else I should consider?

Some of the Lian Li cases have little tabs that stick out underneath each bay for the drive to rest on. They can get in the way of mounting so I'd make sure they aren't going to be a problem.

[Johnmark]

I take it you have grills on the front of your case? If so are they the type that have foam air cleaners in them? If they do then your fan selection will become important as I found the foam is quite restrictive.

On my previous rig I used a Thermaltake LCS3000 case, the rad was designed to be mounted in the front just as you are considering. Using gentle Typhoons (1850rpm) I could drop the water temp by 3c just by taking off the grill which has porous foam air cleaners. I wouldn't have thought those porous filters would have made such a difference but they did! And I was using the same rad as you, which requires lots of air flow. Never did pull the filters off to see how it would perform with just the grills though?

Having the rad mounted at the top of the case is the preferred method IMHO, so if you can swing it that's what I would do. But I understand that's a huge case mod, that's why I went out and bought the Obsidian 800d and it's a GREAT case. Not perfect, but I'll bet Corsairs next case will be a killer!!

[dethred]

I'm actually in the process of mounting (2) MCR320 and (1) MCR220 in the front of my new Antec 1200, a variety of washers and screws makes it a $4 job by using a simple 1-inch drilled L-bracket (x4). Hell of a lot cheaper and satisfying than spending $16-$20 on two simple pieces of metal.

[{WFH}+SLAYER+]

Oh yes, the case has filters in each of the 5.25 bay covers, its a wire frame filter tho, but I bought some sponge filter and added it to each bay for greater dust protection. I will test it out myself later on with and without the sponge filters to see the temp difference, as the wire filter isn't that restrictive.
and yes, the Obsidian looks like a great case, but only the front panel is aluminum if I'm not mistaken? Would love it to have all the panels made out of brushed aluminum, maybe in the future they will have one, I would really consider it on my list, with the Lian Li's cases.

and another question, I just couldn't find a answer to it. Are there any problems installing the Bitspower 1/2 id 3/4 od compression fitting into the 2 buttom/side ports? I cant remember but I recall someone saying something that you will need a adapter or 45 or 90 degree adapter to make it work?

[neonatas]

dont they sell custom tops for those lian li cases? Where you can just buy an entire new top with fan&screw holes.