New build sanity check

[Domestic_Ginger]

With photos we hope!

[ajones]

With photos we hope!

Aren't you guys bored with photos of PCs yet?

[Domestic_Ginger]

Nope; it keeps me entertained at work.

[ajones]

The components arrived last Friday, but with a sick toddler@home and a water loop that refused to bleed (2 choices of where the O ring could fit mounting the D5 pump, and of course I choose the wrong place!), I didn't get it sorted until last night.

Now I can drain the loop, install install the new bits, and we should be cooking on gas! Oh, and drop the speed on the D5 2 notches... far too noisy on "5" (4.8k > 3.3k rpm).

Any future water loop, and I'll return to my original design with a fill port/tube running from the top of the case. I had hoped this would make things easier http://www.specialtech.co.uk/spshop/...pid-15344.html, but it's about as useful as a chocolate tea cup. ended up having to use 2 straws to fill the bloody thing. That would of course also mean not using the 550 case, which isn't such as bad thing. Can imagine it being great for AIO water coolers, but I've found it tricky at best.

[Pob255]

The way to use that one is to flip the case onto it's side, so that front fill port is on the top, use a short length of tube and a funnel, still not going to be easy though.

It's an odd one as most other bay res have a fill port on top, you can run a tube from that to the top of the case (granted you need to mod the case, cut a hole in the top to put a fill port in)

[scaryjim]

Ha, you can water-cool in *ANY* case

Now, if someone would like to donate an FX-8320 and an R9 290 to the cause, I will demonstrate by reviving Project Cunning Plan!

No offers?

Ah well, worth a shot

I take it the "straw" they claim is built in doesn't actually work then? Shame, because it looks like quite a logical setup otherwise. Could you stick a spare barb in a short piece of tube, shove a funnel in the other end, and attach that to the fillport? not elegant, but might do the job....

[Pob255]

Aren't you guys bored with photos of PCs yet?

NEVER!
Now get uploading

[ajones]

The way to use that one is to flip the case onto it's side, so that front fill port is on the top, use a short length of tube and a funnel, still not going to be easy though.

hmmm... will try that

It's an odd one as most other bay res have a fill port on top, you can run a tube from that to the top of the case (granted you need to mod the case, cut a hole in the top to put a fill port in)

Tricky with the 550D though. Without dismantling the roof (which is rivetted if memory serves) there are 2 layers and an inch void. Inside are the cables for the front ports, so blind drilling will be tricky as I might hit them. Plus I can't get inside the gap to bolt the fillport on the underneath. When you mount a 240 in the roof, there is no other space to drill the hole.

Did this with my Stacker - piece of cake, but then the Stacker is "special"

Ha, you can water-cool in *ANY* case
I take it the "straw" they claim is built in doesn't actually work then? Shame, because it looks like quite a logical setup otherwise. Could you stick a spare barb in a short piece of tube, shove a funnel in the other end, and attach that to the fillport? not elegant, but might do the job....

Maybe I'm using it wrong... I'm trying to fill the res with "the straw". You get it half full (which doesn't cover both inlet ports to the pumps) and can't add any more water. "The straw" gets blocked with water as the air inside the res can't be displaced. You just end up with a wet desk. The straw I used... well, 'twas 2 straws shoved into the res through the offending port. One was used to pipe the water in, the other to allow the displaced air inside to escape.

Maybe if I could cram a poper fill port in somewhere, then the res "straw" could just be to release the air in the loop... too late now though.

[scaryjim]

... You get it half full (which doesn't cover both inlet ports to the pumps) and can't add any more water. ...

Odd. it looks to me like the fill port should be high enough to get it at least 75% full without too much issue. Also, surely* the fill only needs to cover the outlet holes? You shouldn't need to force liquid into the res...

*n.b. I don't actually have any experience with drive bay reses, just working on what looks like common sense!

[ajones]

Odd. it looks to me like the fill port should be high enough to get it at least 75% full without too much issue. Also, surely* the fill only needs to cover the outlet holes? You shouldn't need to force liquid into the res...

The outlet ports to the pumps are in the middle (you can't really see them in that picture on Specialtech - the gold bits you can just about make out are both inlets), so you need the res at least half full.

The problem is not that the fillport isn't high enough. My other system has a fill port tube going from the roof down to the res near the bottom of the Stacker. Displaced air can float up that tube when you are filling and escape. The fillport on this Alphacool res is so short (only about an inch), that you end up with a head of water in your funnel which prevents air from escaping.

*n.b. I don't actually have any experience with drive bay reses, just working on what looks like common sense!

Don't think I'll be using one again...

[Pob255]

hmmm... will try that

Tricky with the 550D though. Without dismantling the roof (which is rivetted if memory serves) there are 2 layers and an inch void. Inside are the cables for the front ports, so blind drilling will be tricky as I might hit them. Plus I can't get inside the gap to bolt the fillport on the underneath. When you mount a 240 in the roof, there is no other space to drill the hole.

Well that's why I said "mod" you'd need to drill out the rivets to get the top panel off and rivet it back on.
You'd also need a different bay res, one with a top fill port.

Stripping the case down is a step you often have to do when modding.

You should be able to route the front cables around the front, once you get it apart.
Still this is all too tale now.

[ajones]

Aye. Went through all that witj the Stacker. I had to remove and re-rivet the top when I removed the psu mounting to fit a 160 rad. Killed my Dremel in the process!

Spent a bit extra this time hoping not to repeat the proces. However without the freedom of chopping the case, the build has become harder!

[ajones]

status report:

even with low profile RAM the fans can't go inside the case. No biggy though, will just get some 140's and stick 'e, on top.

Big problem is that I can't get the CPU power plugged in. Gonna have to remove the rad to fit it - hope that doesn't upset the tested loop. What a PITA!

Got to look on the Brightside. With the radiator off, I can screen the external fans from beneath! Yes, may have probs in the future if I need to replace the fans, but I figure have to dismantle everything to get the mobo in is a bigger nightmare that can't be avoided!