Stupid Watercooling Question

[guachi]

This is probably a dumb question but I'll ask it anyway.

I would like to buy a Ryzen CPU of some flavor. I currently have a Hyper 212+ and I can get a mounting bracket from CoolMaster for the cost of shipping, which is like $8 or something. This would probably be sufficient as Ryzen doesn't seem to overclock much.

However, I'd like to get a watercooling setup just because. I have a Lian-Li B25 case. It has two 140mm fans on top. I was looking at the Corsair H110i because it's a 280mm unit that apparently comes with an AM4 bracket (convenient, no?).

My dumb question. How can I tell if this will fit inside my case? Is it enough that my case already has mounts for 2 140mm fans?

 

[ReignQuake]

To be safe you need about 60mm of height from the top of your case maximum to accommodate the thickness of a 25mm thick fan and the 29mm radiator together.

Then the depth including the two 140mm fan holes and the extra bit of space the radiator takes up, 312mm from the front to the rear. Then you need to drop the tubing and waterblock down into the case onto the CPU. Usually you can rotate the radiator so the tubing is either at the front or the back of your case to make life easier.

 

[guachi]

Thanks for the reply.
My case is oddly designed. The 2
140mm fans on top are mounted on top of the internal cage with a removable top cover placed over it.

This picture should help. That's the top leaning on the side of the case with the words 'Lian-Li'.

It doesn't look like there is a lot of space between the front fan and the 3.5" external drive bays but if there was some way to attach the radiator to the fans I think it would fit. Unfortunately, I don't see how I could attach the radiator to fans.

I could probably mutila
te the top cover and cut away where the fans currently attach and fit it that
way. Or there might be enough space to slide the radiator above the drive bays and below the fans and then attach the radiator to the fans.

Though now that I look, I have a rear 120mm fan and enough space (probably) to mount the H80i, which is 2 25mm fans and a double-thick 49mm radiator. So that's 4 inches total. I think I've got room for that.

EDIT: I added a picture taken from the inside looking at the top and rear. You can see the 120mm fan on the back and how the top fans are mounted. I think there is enough room for a 120mm radiator mounted on the rear of the case.

If I've got 2 140mm fans on top I think I can draw air into my case from the outside to cool the CPU radiator and then use the 2 140mm fans to pull the hot air right out of the case.

 

[Valantar]

That would definitely be a thight squeeze. You might be able to fit it if you removed your rear 120mm fan, though anything in the 5.25" bays would interfere with the rad too. The fact that the fans are raised on a beveled part of the case and the metal rail next to them inside the case makes me think that it wouldn't fit at all. Though that's mostly guesswork. I'd say you shound go for a 120mm rad and fit it in the rear. From what reviews I've read, the Arctic Freezer 120 should be on par with the h80i for slightly cheaper. Don't know about AM4 compatibility, but then again Corsair's AM4 brackets are delayed until mid-april or later.

 

[lenjack]

I didn't see the dumb part of you question.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Mmm. An interesting case for my pun. So the only size of radiator would be 120mm x 240mm?

Looking at other sources of pictures in a Bit-Tech review, it appears to me that that a push-pull with a 35mm-thick radiator would only obscure the upper part of the motherboard, without interfering with it.

And I'm just speculating, given what the OP posted and my quickie closer look at the case.

To me, the challenge would be taking "any old" midtower case and making it work for a deliberate cooling choice with a minimum of sheet-metal-work.

UPDATE: I'll just edit this post, and if it piques anyone's interest, they'll eventually see it.

Here's what I'd do with that case -- The Lian-Li B25. This from someone who has yet avoided buying even an AiO cooler. The ubiquitous rear exhaust fan -- almost too close to what would be a 240 radiator and possibly push-pull fan assembly, would become intake. I'd put a box around it and mate the box with a motherboard plate. This would force air over the motherboard and even the waterblock -- you'd have to cut the plate in places so that you never needed to perform hose-removal in for removing or replacing the plate. There would be another front-panel intake fan.

Then, I'd march down to the local metals store on the other side of town and its industrial zone. I'd buy either "perf-" steel or aluminum, depending on the case-metal. I'm just guessing the B25 is SECC-steel, but Lian-Li seemed to produce a lot of aluminum cases to my memory.

I'd cut a rectangle and cut the corners from it to make a stubby cross, and neatly bend the resulting tabs which have a width identical to 50mm+radiator thickness. The resulting rectangular box would have tabs with mounting holes -- like little feet. I would tap holes in the case for 6-32 thumbscrews, unless the less-noticeable hex-head is preferred.

But you'd have to cut away the perforated part of the top-panel fan vent. And that's the big decision if you bought the Lian-Li case brand new. Maybe there's a way to get around that with an acceptable result -- I can't say.

 

[Ajay]

It's an aluminum case, but the damn manual is in a dropbox link which has exceeded it's download limit (seriously!) - so I can't offer any advice.