Case recommendation

[firedfly]

I'm looking to move my water cooled 3080TI setup into a case for use in my living room.  Do you guys have suggestions on cases to use?  Smaller would be better, but I know there are limits on how small I can go while containing the WC gear.

 

I plan to cool:

- EVGA Hydro Copper 3080ti

- a cpu (not sure which one yet)

 

I have the following pump/res and radiator:

- Aquacomputer ULTITUBE D5 200 reservoir with D5 PWM pump

- Black Ice Nemesis 360GTX® Dual-Core Xtreme Profile Radiator

 

Thanks in advance for your suggestions and comments!

[The Pook]

Meshify 2 Compact? kind of pushing it though. 

 

your GPU length + radiator thickness = 344mm, case GPU length spec is up to 341mm GPUs with the front 25mm fans. Use a 15mm fan in front of the GPU and you should have room

[Fluxmaven]

Are you planning on cooling a 3080ti and a CPU with just one 360mm rad? 

 

What case are you using currently and how much smaller are you realistically trying to go? 

 

The 360GTX and 200mm reservoir already rule out anything SFF.

[firedfly]

  On 25/11/2022 at 03:06, Fluxmaven said:

Are you planning on cooling a 3080ti and a CPU with just one 360mm rad? 

 

What case are you using currently and how much smaller are you realistically trying to go? 

 

The 360GTX and 200mm reservoir already rule out anything SFF.

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This was in a spotswood open frame case and was my first attempt at water cooling.  I've never enclosed the WC parts into a case before.

 

I don't need anything super small (SFF), but I'd also like to avoid any giant cases if possible.  A mid tower sized case would be fine... Though I'm doubtful everything will fit in one?

 

So, I'm quite inexperienced when it comes to water cooling.  I had thought to cool both the 3080ti and cpu with a single 360mm rad.  Do I need to rethink that?

[Fluxmaven]

Depends on the CPU but I'd want more rad space. 

 

Open frame is best case scenario for rads since there's fresh air intake and no restrictions. Any case is going to perform slightly to moderately worse depending on airflow.

 

It also comes down to your expectations. If you have some powerful fans you don't mind running at full blast, you can get away with less radiator. If you want to push overclocks, or have the system be quiet, you'll need more rad.

 

Most mid tower cases support multiple radiators. 

 

[Avacado]

  On 25/11/2022 at 03:33, firedfly said:

So, I'm quite inexperienced when it comes to water cooling.  I had thought to cool both the 3080ti and cpu with a single 360mm rad.  Do I need to rethink that?

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It's possible, but you will have to sustain high fan RPM noise to make it viable. I had the same issue in the Silverstone case review I did here on the forums. The UT60 was enough rad for a 9900K and 3070Ti, but during heavy continuous loading, RPM's were north of 2k. It certainly would not fit your 200mm reservoir though.

 

https://extremehw.net/all-reviews/silverstone-alta-g1m-case-sx1000-sfx-l-review/

[firedfly]

Thanks for the suggestions so far!  I wanted to give an update on my plans and see if you guys have any more recommendations. 

 

The goal of this build is to have a gaming PC connected to my tv in the living room.  Low noise is the biggest priority.  I don't plan to overclock any of the components.  The intended use case is for games and, at times, folding on the 3080ti.

 

I've acquired a few more parts for the build.  This is what I have so far:

- Aquacomputer ULTITUBE D5 200 reservoir with D5 PWM pump

- Black Ice Nemesis 360GTX® Dual-Core Xtreme Profile Radiator

- MSI Z690 MPG Edge WiFi DDR4

- Intel Core i5-13600K

- Some Gskill DDR4 ram that will be pulled from another system (2x16gb, I think)

Based on suggestions so far, I plan to pick up another radiator to ensure both the 3080ti and i5-13600k can be cooled without ramping the fans up too high.  I currently have a Black Ice Nemesis 360GTX.  It doesn't look like those are in stock anywhere at the moment.  Do you guys have suggestions for another radiator to purchase for this build?  Will another 360 be sufficient?

@Avacado suggested I get a Heatkiller IV for the cpu block.  Is this the correct thing to purchase for my cpu?  Do I need a backplate as well?  

 

https://www.performance-pcs.com/water-cooling/water-blocks/water-blocks-cpu/heatkiller-iv-pro-intel-lga-1x00-pure-copper.html

 

As far as my initial question goes, I'm still trying to decide on a case.  I'm currently leaning towards a Lian Li O11 Dynamic Evo (https://www.newegg.com/white-lian-li-o11-dynamic-evo-atx-mid-tower/p/2AM-000Z-00094).  It looks like I can put a 360 rad on the bottom and another on the top with the pump mounted to the side fan wall.  Thoughts on this?  

 

I'd also like to thank @Avacado (again) and @Bastiaan_NL for further discussion about this project on discord.

 

 

If anyone has any thoughts/suggestions/etc, they are appreciated.  Thanks!

[Avacado]

360mm top/bottom is easily attainable in the O11XL. I am not sure on the mini. 

[firedfly]

  On 04/01/2023 at 17:21, Avacado said:

360mm top/bottom is easily attainable in the O11XL. I am not sure on the mini. 

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I was looking at the O11 Dynamic Evo.  It looks like its a few inches shorter than the XL, but similar length and width.  I wasn't looking at the mini.  The O11 Dynamic Evo should fit well in the space I have.  I could probably move to the XL if I needed to (I have more space for a computer than I expected I would when I started this thread).

[Sir Beregond]

  On 04/01/2023 at 17:44, firedfly said:

 

I was looking at the O11 Dynamic Evo.  It looks like its a few inches shorter than the XL, but similar length and width.  I wasn't looking at the mini.  The O11 Dynamic Evo should fit well in the space I have.  I could probably move to the XL if I needed to (I have more space for a computer than I expected I would when I started this thread).

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Should fit then. I have a bog standard old O11-D which is narrower than the new ones and it fits a HWLabs 360GTS in the bottom. That said it will block the bottom headers on your motherboard from access after installation, so if you ever need to plug in something to a USB 2.0 header like a flow meter or fan controller, you'll have to drain and take the rad out. Won't have to do that on the XL I think, but Avacado can confirm.

[Avacado]

  On 04/01/2023 at 17:44, firedfly said:

 

I was looking at the O11 Dynamic Evo.  It looks like its a few inches shorter than the XL, but similar length and width.  I wasn't looking at the mini.  The O11 Dynamic Evo should fit well in the space I have.  I could probably move to the XL if I needed to (I have more space for a computer than I expected I would when I started this thread).

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If you can accommodate the XL, just get the XL. I used to run 2x Acool UT60's (Top/Bottom) in it. I did have to take off the I/O cover on the MOBO, but hey, it fit. 

 

And they have gotten expensive, I only paid $100 for mine, but this front panel opens up endless possibilities with this case. I had them make mine in white (Just had to ask). 

 

PPCS O11XL Pro Panel Kits

WWW.PERFORMANCE-PCS.COM

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That 011XL case has been great for you, and maybe you've swapped out the front with a previous custom panel, but now you're getting the itch to do something else with it?  Maybe want to step it up a bit?  We...

 

Edited January 5, 2023 by Avacado