Watercooling in an Antec P180

suicidal_orange

suicidal_orange

suicidal_orange

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I am looking to watercool the setup in my signature as the northbridge is getting too hot (and im sure the 805 will go further with it cooler :D ).

Has anyone got any experience of running 2x120mm radiators, one in the top fan hole and one in the back? I dont trust my measuring and dont want to buy two if only one will fit... though maybe if i remove the metal grill on the back one the fan could be put outside the case sucking through the radiator?

The P180 isnt really moddable to fit a 240mm+ long radiator in. Is there any advantage to using one large radiator compared to two smaller ones apart from more connections increasing the risk of leaks?

Incase you hadn't noticed this will be my first watercooling setup, so any advice would be appreciated :)


Suicidal_Orange
 
suicidal_orange said:
The P180 isnt really moddable to fit a 240mm+ long radiator in.
Click to expand...


To me it looks like you could, and I have crammed 120.2's in some very small cases.
You would lose the top two 5.25 bays... Probably could fit fan controllers or lcds, but definatly not a dvd drive.

Sam C
 
The problem with modding is the case is made of a sandwhich with plastic in the middle of 2 sheets of aluminium - well at least i think it is, the sides and door definately are (at work atm so cant check the top) the case itself is plenty large enough, probably for a 120.3 (but i would have to measure to check that) I would be keener to use the 2 120mm fan mounts already available unless you know of any reason one larger radiator is better that is :)

Suicidal_Orange

Edit: typos :(
 
Last edited:
Great :D so the top is just thick plastic? The posibilities are now endless :D

Just for completeness (and before I go looking for a holesaw) is there any reason that one big radiator is better than two smaller ones? I doubt I'll use a tripple radiator because the front fan would be partly obstructed by my desk :(

Awsome work on that waterblock - I'd love to get anything that smooth, do you have access to a CNC machine at work by any chance?


Suicidal_Orange
 
The finest sandpaper I can find in shops (and I've tried many) is only 600grit so I havent even tried (was under the impression you need at least 1200 to make it worth it). Where did you find anything finer? I could lap the CPU heatspreader even before I get this watercooling, it might help a little :)

I'm coming round to the tripple radiator too, even if its missing a fan it can't do any harm


Suicidal_Orange
 
No the top is not just plastic. It is metal on the inside.

As for the waterblock, I would love to take credit for that but that is how it came.

Here are my temps with that setup (core temp shows 13c extra), I have a DDC plexi top on the way to me so that may help temps a little more.

Sorry bout the size, still installing software :p

3.7 @1.6v idle 31c, load 40c

3700stable.jpg
 
Compared to my ap700 it will be twice as good lol. 700 lp/h but only 1.4m head :(

It will decrease flow but heqad pressure is what I need as I have a restrictive block(nexxosXP) and I'm WCing the SB+NB blocks too.
 
Metal lined plastic... could be interesting. I have no jigsaw and most holesaws seem to be for wood or brickwork, more research required. I bet that screenshot shows some nice things - all I can make out is a ~13second superpi :eek:

Thanks for the info on the case, amazing how much you can learn about your own hardware while nowhere near it :)


Suicidal_Orange
 
120mm Holesaws aint cheap m8. I bought a cheap jigsaw and spare blades for the price of a 120mm holesaw. A holesaw would obviosly be neater but if you are covering the hole up with a fan (as I did) then they dont have to be perfectly round. Also make sure you cut at a low speed otherwise you will melt the plastic.

Another option would be not to cut a hole at all, simply drill lots of holes in the area you want, this however will restrcit some airflow and create a little more noise.

GL with the build :)
 
Unfortunately the whole setup must go inside the case, as it is only ~1cm from the top of the case to the keyboard shelf of my desk so the holes will need to be perfect. I have added fan holes to cases before, using a dremel but I dont think that will work well on the plastic ;)

Still no-one has answered my question of is there any reason not to use two 120mm radiators instead of one large one? Even though I probably wont take this option it would be nice to know if there are any disadvantages, so next time (haha) I will know.

Then again if a 120.3 radiator is required to cool a conroe to the extreme maybe a 120.3 and a 120 would help my PD as its gonna be hotter :p


Suicidal_Orange
 
2x 120mm rads introduces more restriction than a single 120.2... Mainly due to the barbs.

A single 120.2 looks so much neater too :)

As for cutting the sandwiched panels, its easy! I recently windowed my P180 and cutting the side panel was EASIER than cutting one thats all aluminum, and FAR EASIER than cutting one thats steel.

:D

Cheers,
Sam C
 
Just a thought but you don't need to cut 3 120mm holes u know. If you get the measurement of the rad off of the Thermochill website, or even order the rad and fan grill u can just cut out a hole that is the shape of the fan grill/rad but obviously a bit smaller, drill the screw holes and your done.

That way you can use either a jigsaw or a dremel if u have a steady hand and don't mind a bit of filing.
 
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