Holes!

I'm relatively new to PC building, having built my first one only 8 years ago in 1997. I know what's what, what goes where and what I need, but for the love of God, do not let me near any tools apart from my trusty philips screwdriver.

I can't hammer nails in straight, screw screws in wood without catastrophe or drill a hole where I would have liked it to go.

Now I have a big old system case with this tiny aquagate in it and I have been lusting after a proper water cooling system, and as I see it, I have two choices.

I can either buy a Koolance Exos 2 external system, or I can for half the price, buy a Swiftech or Asetek system, like the big boys use.

The problem with this is, I would love to mount a 2 x 120mm radiator on the inside ceiling of my case and need to know the following:-

1) Will it work if my radiator is the highest component and mounted higher than a reservoir or will all the coolant run out of my radiator into the reservoir and overflow all over my system.
2) If it is possible to have the radiator on the top, what sort of business in the Yellow pages can I take the top panel to to have two 120mm blow holes cut into with countersunk screw holes?

I believe I cannot buy spare top panels and if I try it myself..... well.... you don't want to know.

Of course if anyone knows of a computer shop that allows you to bring in a case and have it modded and a decent water cooling kit installed professionally, I would be most grateful.

Thank you in advance.

Richard P

Have you considered building your watercooling setup into a second case, with its own power supply?, that way it doesn't matter if you screw up with the modding, and you get the chance to have a bigger resevoir and radiator?

Dave

Dave, hadn't thought of that, but reckon I will just go with an external EXOS2 from Koolance. I reckon I can get a whole setup, including northbridge and VGA waterblocks for under £400.00.

The benefits are it's all in one, sits on top of my system, and can easily be moved to another case, if and when I get one.

I would have liked the internal EXOS which is an EXOS2 with the bottom half of it's case missing, so you cut a whacking big hole in your system roof and half of it sits inside the case, but I can't be sure it will fit my case and I'm not changing cases, I only just got this one last month and it's the case I've always wanted.

The idea of a second case is cool though, but I don't have space on my desk for another one of these cases. If I was dead rich, I would buy an identical case and cut it in half, so to speak, and bolt the half case onto the original so it would look a little like the Asetek phase change cooling setups.

The Exos 2 is aluminium with blue light features, and my case is aluminium with blue light features.

Surely the blue lights will also make my PC run faster?!?!?!

On a serious note.... I had wondered the feasability of buying a fridge from Currys, or Comet, and hermetically sealing my PC case in there.

I reckon if I looked hard enough I could probably make up an IO panel on the top of the fridge, to extend the VGA/DVI, KB, Mouse, USB, and all I need is to extend the POWER headers from the motherboard.

An external DVD drive, monitor, mouse and keyboard could sit on my desk and everything else would be in the fridge, sealed against condensation.

Problem is, if you wanted to work on your PC, you'd have to turn the fridge off and kind of wait overnight until the PC had warmed up to room level, either that, or just turn the fridge off and run your PC and it will warm itself up.

Maybe just an EXOS2......... for now.

Richard P