Watercooling a Lian-Li v1000

[shikhae]

I know, there are already hundreds of watercooled v1000's out there.

But I wanted some opinions on the one I have planned out.

First of all I have no experience with watercooling.

I read aigomorla's guide to watercooling, but my ideas on watercooling are still very naive and so when I drew this plan I simply put everything in one big loop.

Here it is:
Picture
Same Picture Different Link

Yea I know I left the NB out of the loop. I intended to include it, but I forgot and as you may know, Paint has very limited "undo" capabilities and I didn't want to start over.

So, a couple explanations: (And definitely tell me if something is wrong or could be better)
-Two 120mm Radiators instead of a 2x120 or 3x120 Radiator: I'm not only new to wcing, but I'm also new to modding, therefore I didn't want to cut 120mm circles into the exterior of my case to accomodate larger radiators.
-Two Radiators instead of a single radiator: I don't know all of the dynamics of watercooling, but I assume it would be better to move hot water from the CPU, cool it in a 2nd radiator, and then pass it to the GPU rather than move already hot water straight to the GPU.
-My plan doesn't show any arrows: Like I mentioned earlier I just drew a loop, I have no idea which direction the water should actually be flowing. Does the direction matter?
-I have used both my intake and outtake fans for the radiators: The internal HDD enclosure from Lian-Li includes a 120mm intake fan which I will substitute as the main intake fan. The v1000-plus has a side fan next to the expansion cards (as pictured) which will become the main outtake fan. Also the presence of the side fan will mean I cannot use a full size video card waterblock, but that is ok with me.

Um so there. Does it seem viable? Anything I missed or should add? Any suggestions for actual components?
Also I intend to upgrade my graphics card in the near future so I only plan on watercooling the CPU and possibly NB immediately.

 

[aigomorla]

your link doesnt work...

120x1 + 120x1 < 120x2

larger class radiators offer less restriction and longer time for the water to cool down.

Try to fit a larger class radiator, moding your box can be fun, but like paint, its very limited.

You dont have an undo button when you mod a box. :X


An external solution might be a good route for you. Maybe get a radbox and attach a large class radiator off the rear if you want to play with h2o cooling.

 

[shikhae]

Editted the link.
I guess imageshack wasn't working.

 

[aigomorla]

pictures work now...

okey, i think you should honestly think about moding the case, and top mounting the radiator. It seems like you should have more then enough room in the case.

Depending on your GPU, your system might get stressed with an overclocked quad.

 

[shikhae]

First off, aigomorla, thanks for the replies.

Now I did a rough plan of a top mounted 2x120mm radiator, based on what I've seen other people do.
Picture

Theres a small issue with this setup though.
-Radiator is mounted near the front of the case: I lose a 5.25" bay. This isn't really much of a problem since I'll only ever have 2 drives max. But it means I'll have to keep my harddrives at the bottom (since I have 3 of them) which becomes somewhat of an issue because the v1000 has some space issues with modular power supplies. I can force everything in when I secure the PSU with screws but everything will be very cramped.
-If radiator is mounted toward the rear: I lose expansion slots and the possibilty of a dual GPU config.
-Requires cutting the outside of my beautiful case: Yea I know there's a lot out there that don't like LL cases so this is a purely personal opinion.

Also I kept the radiator inside the case since I want to keep the outside of my case looking as clean as possible so if I go this route, I'd rather have a couple holes and fan grills or mesh than attach anything externally.

Those things aside...
If a larger radiator is significantly cooler, quieter, and less expensive, then it's definitely something I will consider.

However if my first setup provides similar cooling and is suitable for my needs (I have an e6420) then I think I'll go with it instead.

 

[aigomorla]

oh if your not worrying about too much heat then yeah, dual 120x1 will work. I even played with one on a small case.

A dualcore C2D can even be cooled very well off a 80x2 radiator. It wont give you the best overclocks, but it will do a great job.


I was thinkn you could do it 2 ways:

1. give up all your room at the bottom and mount the radiator down there sideways, like how people do it on a TJ-07. You would need to cut out some bars and walls, but it would fit. Also you would need to open a portion of the side pannel so you could get fresh air going inside.

2. Mount the radiator at the top. If your going to do this, ditch the 120x2 and go for a badboy, 120x3. Swiftech MCR320 FTW!

How many front drive bays will you have? If one is a fan controler, and 2 is opticals, i dont think you would need to worry about adding more.

But a 120x3 will make you happy because:

1. Beginners who have a good setup cant stop touching it. Your always looking to tweek it somehow, and by starting with one of the best, you really cant go higher unless you want a TC rad at almost triple the cost.

2. Always get the largest class radiator you can fit. A 120x3 will fit on that case and ive seen people do it. If you need help, i can tell you how to do it cleanly and looking good.

3. Upgradeability. You wont need to worry about scaling your loop higher with new parts. A MCR320 can handle a Q6600 + 8800GT(S or X) without much problems. It wont handle 2 8800GTX's (ultra) tho.

4. The price difference between a MCR220, and a MCR320 is so small, your better off going with a 320.

 

[WoodButcher]

Pump to the rad.