I need some advice.

So, I'm still very happy with my Dark Water build, it is probably sticking around for a while. That said, I can't help but wonder what's next.
 
Then I had this project at work where we were doing LED burn-in regularly and had a horrible setup for heat-sinks that was cumbersome, expensive, and very loud. I don't want to bore you with what we were using, but I decided to make us an upgrade.


 
What you see here is (just in case questions come up...skip ahead if you just want to hear what I'm on about):
1. MO-RA3 420 pro with heatkiller reservoir
2. 18 Arctic P14 fans
3. a fan hub,
4. a Noctua manual PWM controller (this isn't a computer so we needed a manual method/knob to turn up/down the fan-speed),
5. a cheap SFX power supply we had kicking around
6. EKWB D5 and ZMT 10/16 tubing (the thickest walled stuff I could get)
7. Koolance elbow fittings and QD3 quick disconnects
8. a big cold plate that we had machined with mounting holes to fit a few types of LED boards. It is rated for 800W of heat. Most we throw at it is probably 700 (light ~150W heat-load on it in the picture)
9. couple temp sensors, one on koolance in-line fitting, one on the bottom of the cold-plate
10. hour counter
11. bunch of cardboard simply there to prevent passers-by from blinding themselves.
 
I was all worried about how loud 18 of these fans would be, but they're super quiet, even at full-speed. The power supplies running the LEDs are much louder lol. I've been super impressed with the performance of this radiator. That has led me to the questions I have for you lovely folks and your great collection of knowledge and experience with water cooling and custom builds.
 
A. Is there a better "big rad" out there than this one?
      It's pretty amazing and their set of brackets and available accessories is quite good. The only issues I have had are that the front guard was rubbing on the bottom-right fan. I put a little connector socket I found kicking around on a work-bench under the fan-guard between the bottom-middle and bottom-right fans (nobody notices unless I point it out) and it fixed it entirely. Also, there must be better solutions for the fan and pump wiring. I'm left with this bundle of stuff there that I don't know what to do with. I generally didn't want to daisy-chain 9 fans together on a single extension cable, let alone 18, hence the hub. I still daisy-chained each row of 3 fans, but it doesn't look as clean as I'd really like it to. Has anybody tried the larger fans? Are they quieter or easier to work with? Do you still get the static pressure and performance?
 
B1. (the big question) If I wanted to build a PC in a medium-small case, and just run tubes out to one of these behind it/next to it...what case would you recommend? Obviously, I'd want to make my next case fully water-cooled. I'd probably have to sell my Optimus reservoir or try to find a case it still fits in...and 
 
B2. What if I wanted to keep my EK 420mm rad? I could keep that inside the case, run the whole system near-silent, and put the MO-RA in the loop too. The more the merrier, right? I think I'd probably want to consider a second D5. So then I'd just have to get a D5 and a res-less pump-top...which is fine...but this is a problem that I probably don't have to explain: You can't fit a 420mm rad into a small case. So then how do I fit it all on my desk? The obvious thing would be to move the chachki on the little shelf above my desk and make it a rad-shelf...but then I'd have to run the tubes up to there, definitely put the reservoir and pump(s) up there so life is easier on them...but it becomes quite the cumbersome system to drain.
 
So, in terms of A, and the Bs...what do you all recommend? Is there a set of hardware better than the watercool.de stuff for the rad and accessories or a case series that is ideal for this sort of external-rad setup? Should I just sell the 420mm rad?
 
Thanks for any suggestions. I like research and this is probably a project for whoever is winning the CPU race in 2023/2024 and whatever water-cooled monster of a GPU comes out in that timeframe, so there's no rush.

I really like how simple that I/O pass-through is. Thanks for that!
 
Some great choices on your stuff too. I use the same quick disconnects on stuff at work too; they're super handy.

IN Marketplace:  FS: Custom Made GPU Back Plates, Support Brackets, HD & SSD Covers, Case Panels, & Cases!
 
I have an order in for this Custom case with a few minor changes ... but there are others
 
you could design your own
 

I was going to mention the A20 HS fans as an option, but I see your link actually goes to those and not the vanilla A20's. The HS fans give you 50% higher RPMs yet double the static pressure, but they will probably need fan control as they should be clearly audible at 1200rpm.
 
I am planning a MO-RA 420 build myself, have half the parts already but haven't yet decided between stock A20 fans or A20 HS fans that would require fan controllers and extra wiring to deal with. But if you want a really quiet build then there's probably no sense in getting the HS fans, 700-900RPM seems to be the range any case fan becomes audible.

kougar
I was going to mention the A20 HS fans as an option, but I see your link actually goes to those and not the vanilla A20's. The HS fans give you 50% higher RPMs yet double the static pressure, but they will probably need fan control as they should be clearly audible at 1200rpm.
 
I am planning a MO-RA 420 build myself, have half the parts already but haven't yet decided between stock A20 fans or A20 HS fans that would require fan controllers and extra wiring to deal with. But if you want a really quiet build then there's probably no sense in getting the HS fans, 700-900RPM seems to be the range any case fan becomes audible.

Yeah, the high speed ones are they only ones they sell on Watercool's site. As an aside, I think it's awesome they do free shipping from Germany to US, so there's no incentive to order from one of the US distributors that puts mark-up on the parts. 
 
But yeah, There's a 4-pin extension cable I'm planning to run to a motherboard header so I can control the fan speed. The radiator I have at work is hooked up to a little Noctua PWM speed controller that has a knob on it so you can just manually set the speed. Those Arctic 140mm fans are so quiet though, you can run all 18 of them and barely notice the thing is on in the lab. Not sure if you'd feel the same way with it sitting next to you at a computer desk, but they're crazy quiet.
 
Only thing I've realized I'm missing is a PWM splitter to go between the two pumps so they're both running at the same speed.

B0baganoosh
Yeah, the high speed ones are they only ones they sell on Watercool's site. As an aside, I think it's awesome they do free shipping from Germany to US, so there's no incentive to order from one of the US distributors that puts mark-up on the parts. 

They also sell the normal version https://shop.watercool.de/Noctua-NF-A20-PWM-chromaxblackswap-800rpm-200x200x30mm_1 They used to sell all four variations, but I see they no longer stock the brown 800rpm one. 
 
And yeah, the free shipping above 400 amount is nice, though it makes it expensive if you wanted to order one HS fan just to get some hands on experience with its noise profile before committing to such a big investment. I also find it odd that the HS fans are cheaper than the regular A20's... really makes me wonder as to why.

kougar
 
I also find it odd that the HS fans are cheaper than the regular A20's... really makes me wonder as to why.

 
edit: wait nm, you meant on WCUs website.  i noticed that too but not sure either.  below is why its cheaper to buy direct vs importer right now but probably obvious i guess.
 

its an FX imbalance and timing thing.  Austria and germany are in the EU so no VAT applied on WCU importing the noctuas (pretty sure), resulting in a lower overall markup in EUR.  EURUSD is at 1:1 parity and US buyers do not have to pay VAT when exporting.  so the US gets the benefit of direct import pricing from austria, dollar strength when buying overseas and excluding VAT tax on export PLUS the US buyers avoid paying sales tax on import to the US when buying direct rather than through a US distributor.  no matter what, its a great deal right now if you order with free shipping
 
historically, EUR VAT pricing is roughly the equivalent in USD all in cost because of the favorable EURUSD exchange rate.  however, the USD has strengthened significantly YTD for a variety of reasons
 
(dont tell WCU, they're going to pump up the prices )

B0baganoosh
I thought I'd post a slight update on this. I'm going to pull the trigger in a couple months (Christmas time!) and get a MO-RA3 420 Pro with 4 of the 200mm Noctua fans.
 
I'm just going to put this beast on top of my PC for now. Some day I may go with a new case that lets me just go full water-cooled inside to keep the case small, but my current case will allow for this sort of mod, add complete future-proofing for a wet GPU to replace this hybrid. Also, it'll keep up with whatever hardware I throw at it, and all the hardware keeps getting hotter.

I had very similar thoughts.  Either be lazy and get a Koolance ERM or build a MO-RA3 360/420.  I ended up with the ERM-3K3UC v2.3.  It's expensive, smaller heat exchanger, but turn-key and quiet.  Easier to keep clean and a nice package.  My biggest challenge is finding a source that is in-stock and reasonable shipping for anything I order.  I would've sourced the MO-RA3 build from multiple places and it added up quickly.  In the end, I don't have any regrets.  I added a flow meter/temp sensor since the ERM has built-in logic, monitoring and controls.
 
I thought about the Koolance quick disconnects but ended with CPC fittings I had been using for years with my older build.  Using the larger disconnects since they had 3/8" barb options, but they are big fitting with lower flow resistance.
https://www.freshwatersystems.com/products/ns6d17006-valved-in-line-hose-barb-coupling-body-3-8-id-barb
https://www.freshwatersystems.com/products/ns6d22006-valved-in-line-hose-barb-coupling-insert-3-8-id-barb
 
CPC makes metal versions with different chemical resistance ratings, but I lean towards "practical" (LOL) since I swap parts with other systems often.  Similar pricing to Koolance fittings.
 
Your MO-RA3 build is going to be a better performing system and provide scalable options.  Not dependent on cases anymore. 
 
If I had a house like Linus(LTT), I would do a case relocation and move everything to a centralized "server/telecom" room.   Need to buy some lottery tickets...

kougar

B0baganoosh
 
I think it's only 200Euros.

Free shipping to North America from watercool.de requires $500 now, used to be 400 as I recall. Otherwise it's $25 just to ship a single A20.

It must have gotten confused with what I did or did not have in my cart the other day. I had specifically put in something that was ~35Euros and it said "add ~165Euros to get free shipping". It must have also been including some other items I had in and out of my cart. I checked today and verified what you've said.

B0baganoosh
 
I have a couple of the Koolance ALH-2000 systems at work and they are anything but quiet when the fans turn on lol. They work pretty great, but I wouldn't want one at home next to my computer.

I know what you mean.  Our datacenter requirements does not include "quiet".  I had a Asetek Vapochill -40* system.  Finally got rid of it when I didn't want to make a custom pot mount/insulator for newer sockets.  Also, the compressor dumps even more heat in my room.  I run the ERM at 20% fan and plan to replace them with Nidec Typhoon or Noctua PPC fans.  It uses 3-pin and a custom PWM circuit.  Shooting for 1200-1600 RPM.  The newer ALR units are the same heat exchanger at the ERM with modern controls(USB), but with higher current fans.  Much more airflow and louder hence the 4500w capacity.  Now, I'm in the same boat with case decisions.  I need to decide if I want to keep my Bluray burners internal or external.
 
If that wasn't a factor, it comes down to functiional and aesthetics.  I like the BeQuiet Dark Base, Corsair 5000/7000, Phanteks, Fractal Meshify.  My 900D lasted years, but showing its age.