This is a recap of things I ran into using water cooling with this case. For now, I'm using a single 120 mm radiator which keeps the CPU temps down nicely and also keeps the noise, one of the major reasons I picked the FT02, down to original levels.
Here is the shot from MODS/RIGS, the preliminary end result.
I started out getting myself a
XSPC Rasa kit since it's reasonably priced and includes everything but coolant. Also, the block you get is one of the better blocks out there.
What I ran into is that there is no way I could get the radiator mounted on the original 120 mm fan, which is what I wanted. There are clearance problems with the I/O assembly, the NB cooler, and to a lesser extent the two 8-pin power connectors.
A "standard" 25-35 mm fan does not give you enough clearance to mount the radiator away from the I/O assembly. It doesn't matter which kit you choose (RS or RX), it's either the fan that's too thin or the radiator being too wide. Even the thinner RS cannot be used, as there isn't enough space between the I/O plate and the NB cooler.
Now I didn't want to immediate watercool the board since I wasn't sure that the one radiator would be enough to cool the CPU. After using this solution for about a week, I'm confident that it will handle it, and this might open up more options fan/radiator wise.
If you use the original backplate with the black mounting hardware you will find that the springs are already compressed just getting the bolts in the backplate! Luckily, there's a set of silver mounting hardware that's more in-line with the likes of EK which works.
So, what did I end up using?
Fan: TFC Triebwerk TK-122. At first glance this is an expensive fan. But you have to bear in mind that this is in effect a combination of a fan and an optimized shroud. The fan has been constructed in such a way that it almost eliminates the dead spot when pulling. Since shrouds come in the EUR 10 price range, the fan would net EUR 10, too. Also, the fan is
very silent. You can only hear the air being moved.
Radiator: HW Labs Black Ice GT Stealth 120 Xflow: The thinnest radiator I could find, and it fits up to the millimeter!
Reservoir/Pump: This is from the kit.
Tubing/clips: Optional red versions have been chosen purely for aesthetic reasons. The kit comes with clear tubing/black clips.
So, the money shots of a working solution, and I hope they indicate the problems I have described above. See the notes under each shot.
Here you see the clear plastic fan providing enough clearance for the radiator from the I/O assembly directly to its left.
There is
just enough room for the radiator to squeeze it between the fan and the NB cooler! And yes, they touch.
Hard to identify, but at the top you're looking at the radiator, then the two 8-pin power connectors and finally the VREG heatsink. Not really a problem, just something to watch out for.
One set of bolts that come with the Feser fan are almost perfect. Make sure you use spacers here (the only place possible) as to lessen the risk of screwing them into the radiator too far. Never overtighten these!
Finally here is a shot of the silver mounting hardware. You can see that there is enough control range using this set. This becomes very important if you use the
Indigo Xtreme "TIM" as you do not want too much pressure when using it! I ended up using a backplate I had lying around like so: bolt - washer - backplate - board - washer - nut - block - washer - spring - washer - tightening nut.
Same shot as the first one. The red tube going into the drive bays is my drain line.
What it all boils down to is that I have a silent cooling system. The TFC Triebwerk TK-122 is very nice and a really silent fan indeed. Idle temps are normally at 35-40 degrees, 65 when gaming and 77 degrees running IBT for 8 hours.
Next steps for me:
* Seeing how a 240/360 mm radiator would fit on top of the bottom three 180 mm fans, but I can't do that yet as I need to wait for the GTX 580's. The AMD cards are too long for that.
* Switching to a bay reservoir/pump combo
* Cooling the board
* Replace barbs with compression fittings
* Using a quick-release for the drain line.
I hope this has helped someone.
post edited by Brazen_NL - 2011/04/29 10:19:15