I've got to tell you, its taken me a long time to get to where I am currently at with this little project of mine (and countless dollars). I was in the concept stage for nearly one year and totally destroyed a Fractal case to finally realize that it was never going to allow me to do what I really wanted to do. I had to build something from scratch to my specifications to make me happy. I'd like to thank TAP plastics of the San Francisco Bay Area for providing the Acrylic for this little labor of love. Part Sources: McMaster Carr FrozenCPU Newegg Aquatuning As I put together the finishing touches over the next few weeks, I'll break everything down and start over piece by piece to reveal all the little insides. I'll just leave a few teasers for now. I've got two 480mm Alphacool XT-45 Radiators, one for each loop. A little overkill as Im only cooling one video card, a cpu and the mainboard. =) -Dan
1/2", well... Kinda. The 4 sides are made up of 3/8" acrylic with 1/8" panels cemented together. This was done so I could create some channels for the other pieces to slide into and provide some strength and alignment to the motherboard tray. This will make more sense when I post the next batch of pictures. I have a package flying in from FrozenCPU, eta by the end of this next Friday, that includes all the remaining fittings needed to complete the two loops and finally test for leaks.
Okay, maybe I didnt have to bring out the tape measure since its fairly easy to understand that a 4 x 120 radiator is pretty darn long for most cases. Well, the left over space on either end was going to be needed for "hidden" plumbing and the Aquaero 5 LT that is going to take control over the dual AquaComputer D5 pumps, 8 x Corsair performance fans and the many temp probes that Im planning on using. This radiator fan grill serves as a major structure for the entire case so I felt that it needed to be 1/2" in thickness. In reality it's made up of two 1/4" pieces cemented together and though I wish I had easy access to a computer aided cutter for a more professional appearance (and one piece design) I like using my hands and Dremel tools whenever I get the chance. The fan holes cut into the acrylic are actually only semi-round, they were cut to flow with the similar design of the removable Corsair fan colored rings. Again, not perfect but pretty darned close. My polishing skills need a little work... =p If you look close enough you will see the various brass threaded inserts that I got from McMaster Carr that will allow me to properly screw the various panels together. I soldered the fans together so I only have to use one header for each bank of radiators. And below you see the somewhat finished product of the intake side of the "cooling box".
I know what you are saying but that is not entirely true. I've run reservoirs at a low point before without any issues. Just wait and see. =)
a little update since getting last week's shipment of goodies... though I had to order more due to changing plans (again). Here you can see the back side of the motherboard tray. this is where all the business is. In the lower left corner of the tray, this is where the journey starts. The tubing will serve as a sort of grill for the exhaust side fans.
the loop (reservoir/pump combo) was designed to operate in a horizontal or vertical manner though I prefer the vertical look. From the readings of my temp sensors, water temp probes included, the inside temperature of the "aquabox" stays at or near the ambient temperature of the room. Delta T's for the two loops are less than .5 degrees celcius. I am curious as to how much work the cooling system is doing and I do plan to install a pair of Aqua Computer Flow Rate sensors (the pressure sense ones) at some point. This is my primary work computer and I'm not in a hurry to bring it down for any period of time.
