Question Custom Water Cooling Loop - Newbie Help!

Rasphelt · 17 Apr 2016 at 08:05

I think I am going to put the loop in, without the GPU's...

Given that both AMD and Nvidia are launching in a couple of months, it may mean that I switch out my cards, so I will likely sell them on.

Given this, is it worth buying a new case and beginning the build from scratch, then, when I'm ready swapping the mobo, PSU, etc over to that case?
If the answer is yes, what case would you guys recommend?

Cheers
Ben

VKleita · 17 Apr 2016 at 08:16

I'm personally a fan of the Phanteks Primo.
Comes in nice colours not tooooo expensive and has loads of space for rads.
I had at one point a 480 rad top, 360 rad bottom(Had to make a slight mod to cut a strut out the way due to thickness), 280 side and 140 rear.
and still space for a hidden pump etc.

But of course, your mileage may vary

Rasphelt · 17 Apr 2016 at 10:36

VKleita said:
I'm personally a fan of the Phanteks Primo.
Comes in nice colours not tooooo expensive and has loads of space for rads.
I had at one point a 480 rad top, 360 rad bottom(Had to make a slight mod to cut a strut out the way due to thickness), 280 side and 140 rear.
and still space for a hidden pump etc.

But of course, your mileage may vary

Yeah I was looking at the Enthoo Primo LE... I am also looking at the Corsair Obsidian 900D...

The more i think about this, the more I think I want a scratch build...

Cheers
Ben

Alz_D · 17 Apr 2016 at 11:32

Best case I've ever built in is my Primo. It was a choice between that and the 900D and the Primo won. Have read various QC issues on the 900D and a lot of people on here have made negative comments about them. Don't get me wrong the Primo has some issues if it's own, but nothing I have found that has made me regret buying one. It makes a bit of noise as the case heats up and cools down and some people have had issues with the clips that hold the fan grill at the front. I've just finished a re-build in mine and need to get some pictures up in my build log but life keeps getting in the way!!

Rasphelt · 17 Apr 2016 at 16:45

Alz_D said:
Best case I've ever built in is my Primo. It was a choice between that and the 900D and the Primo won. Have read various QC issues on the 900D and a lot of people on here have made negative comments about them. Don't get me wrong the Primo has some issues if it's own, but nothing I have found that has made me regret buying one. It makes a bit of noise as the case heats up and cools down and some people have had issues with the clips that hold the fan grill at the front. I've just finished a re-build in mine and need to get some pictures up in my build log but life keeps getting in the way!!

The QC comment worries me, I would expect good build quality and longevity for a case at this end of the market.... worrying for sure.. Is this complaint consistent across the board as there are a lot of people using the 900D?

I like the Primo EL a lot, but I am currently rocking a NZXT Phantom 820 and this is very similar in size. Given that I want to do this with all premium parts, I have even been looking at a desk, but in the end I came to the conclusion that it just wouldn't look that great..

I am also considering the Case Logic MAGNUM SMA8; what is the consensus on this one, no one seems to use it on here?... Is it any good/worth the outlay? Is the Primo and 900D on par?

Cheers
Ben

tyler_jrb · 17 Apr 2016 at 17:10

I have a 900D and it has been perfect since day 1. Rock solid case. I've had a 750D before, 780T, 500r. All of them I thought were Ok but all had flaws. I do love my 900D. And yes it definitely IS top quality. Never had a major problem with mine.

My one and only gripe was the smoked window. But I got round that by buying a clear acrylic sheet for £20. And drilling and fitting. Looks great.

killswitch has a 900D build log I'll link later.

The best case will be the caselabs magnum sma8 for quality and ease of build. But they are also very expensive.

Rasphelt · 17 Apr 2016 at 18:20

tyler_jrb said:
I have a 900D and it has been perfect since day 1. Rock solid case. I've had a 750D before, 780T, 500r. All of them I thought were Ok but all had flaws. I do love my 900D. And yes it definitely IS top quality. Never had a major problem with mine.

My one and only gripe was the smoked window. But I got round that by buying a clear acrylic sheet for £20. And drilling and fitting. Looks great.

killswitch has a 900D build log I'll link later.

The best case will be the caselabs magnum sma8 for quality and ease of build. But they are also very expensive.

Thanks Tyler, I love your red build - looks the business!
It's good to see some love for the 900D, I wouldn't like to think that it is not up to build quality; individual cases of bad QC are one thing, but sustained problems with most/all of them is another. Anyone else got any experience?

I have just seen the Phanteks 916, the InWin 909 and the ThermalTake WP100. All of which I like!

Honestly though, I am looking at going with the 900D or the WP100 (with pedestal) as they seem to be larger and will allow for expand-ability, as is my nature!

Decision, decisions!

Cheers
Ben